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Another student walkout planned over BPS budget; Jackson, Walsh square off
By adamg on Mon, 05/16/2016 - 7:35am
The Herald reports on a possible BPS student walkout tomorrow afternoon that will culminate with a 2 p.m. City Hall hearing on the school budget led by Councilor Tito Jackson (Roxbury), chairman of the City Council's Education Committee. Mayor Walsh is not amused.
Earlier:
Hundreds of BPS students walk out to protest school budget cuts.
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Comments
The addition of $13.5 Million is a cut.
Yeah okay.
Maybe not a cut, but definitely a shortfall
More than half of that - $7M - is going straight to health insurance cost increases, which is hardly a problem unique to the school department. The remainder of the increase falls well short of funding for salaries negotiated years ago - those increases were hardly a surprise.
If the 1.3% increase in the school department's budget annoys you, how do you feel about the 4% increase in the city's overall budget?
My feelings
I wish there was a lot more openness on both sides about the budget problems the city is dealing with.
BPS side should be more realistic than simply demanding a bigger piece of the pie without any discussion of what's getting funding cut. Can we move from defined benefit to defined contribution pensions? Can we get the BTU onto some more cost effective healthcare plan? None of that would solve the immediate issue due to contacts of course, but we should at least be discussing this realistically, not kicking the can down the road.
City side should be more open about the fact that the budget increases across the board are largely eaten by existing commitments and health care cost increases.
Openness is definitely welcome
Yes, I agree that more openness would be welcome.
BPS does spend a fair amount of time explaining where their cost increases are coming from, first at a series of hearings with the school committee, then with another series of city council hearings. Those presentations are actually pretty useful to read, but they can also sometimes feel more like a marketing pitch than an honest assessment of the budget. There are always questions about spending priorities that are hard to get answers to, but when you read the presentations or go to the hearings you do come away understanding that the people tasked with putting the budget together have a very, very difficult job. Whatever fix they come up with to make the department more sustainable will be a long process, and it will almost certainly be difficult politically. I think that where you and I would agree most is that actually getting that process underway can get lost in the shuffle of the current year's crisis.
I think there are improvements that the city could make in the way they communicate the school department's budget issues, too. I have seen some very fair assessments of BPS's budget struggles from the city and some other statements that feel like spin to me. Mostly I just wish that the city would effectively communicate a long term plan for the schools to the BPS community, together with a shorter term strategy for getting there a little less painfully. Right now it feels like the city is anticipating some ways of slowing down BPS's budget growth in a couple of years but trying to start to realize that slowdown now, which is leaving some schools in the lurch.
Budget problems in a nutshell
The city has noted for years that about 70% of its costs are for personnel (+/-) - not just salaries - but pensions, health care, other benefits etc..
Next year's budget is about $3 billion. - so that's about $2 billion in personnel costs - for 17,000ish employees.
So on AVERAGE, a city employee gets a TOTAL comp package of about $118,000.
Is that a lot, too much, too little? Who knows - but as a point of comparison, I think it's more than double the median income in the city.
How much money
Is being spent on busing the kids all over the city? And more importantly, why are we busing kids all over the city when there's plenty of schools within a short walking distance?
Nope and nope. In other words: Nope
This whole thing came up when the city finally got rid of the old zones after ten years of trying to do so with the alleged reason to save money on busing only it turned out the city wasn't going to save much at all since a) the city has to pay for busing kids at charter schools, which are open to anybody city wide, b) a good chunk of the busing costs are for special-needs kids, who would still need busing because there are not special-needs programs at every school. Then there's the transportation costs for kids going to exam schools and specialty schools (such as Boston Arts Academy).
In any case, your basic premise is wrong: There are not "plenty of schools within a short walking distance" everywhere. Mattapan and Roslindale have no high schools (and West Roxbury's is about as close to the middle of nowhere as you can get and still be in West Roxbury). West Roxbury doesn't have enough elementary schools, but at least it has some: Back Bay, Beacon Hill and downtown have none at all.
And, of course, the school department is now looking at closing lots of the old "neighborhood" schools in favor of fewer, larger schools, because those would supposedly cost less to run than all the little schools, each with their own principals, support staff, etc.
But to answer your question, the total transportation cost in the budget now before the City Council is about $95 million. Sounds like a lot, but it's less than 10% of the entire school budget.
The myth and the reality
I'd have to check the budget again - but last I heard I think it was about $90 million for busing - that's the reality.
The myth is that we'd save it all if we eliminated busing in the city. I've seen estimates of about half. As Adam points out - still lots of busing to be done - special needs, charter schools and even some busing for BPS kids - not all schools are walkable - especially for younger kids in the city.
Half may be a little aggressive. But probably $25-$40 million in savings.
Something I've said in the past - anyone that says we should add to the school budget should also be obligated to say where they are going to cut. Next year the city's revenue will be almost exactly $3 billion. The mayor has to divvy that up as needed. If you say your favorite cause needs an extra $25 million - who gets less - police, fire, parks, DPW? Once you get past fixed costs (which can't be negotiated away), schools (already 35% of the budget) and public safety - there is VERY little left. $15 million is a rounding error to the schools - it's an entire department in other areas.
Also - these "shortfalls" assume that everything stays exactly the same. If several hundred more kids leave BPS due to demographics, charters opening (and BPS gets paid for every kid that leaves for a charter) or other causes (lower enrollment is the trend for decades), the savings from that should be enough to at least level fund all/most of these supposed shortfalls.
Sounds like a plan
hatched up by administrative lifers in a back room somewhere:
-"So if all the middle class people pull their kids out, then we can balance the budget?"
-"Yeah, we just have to make the schools crappy and unpredictable, and people who want security will look elsewhere."
I'm not amused either
Politicians and the Teachers Union using kids as political pawns is not cool.
Children should be in school, not marching on city hall.
Oh, sure, kids should never be used as props in a political war
That would be very unseemly.
In any case, why are you underestimating the kids? They can make their own decisions, and the earlier rally and march was particularly impressive for the lack of adult involvement.
They can
I do wonder how they would be treated if they were protesting something the BTU was in favor of though?
I think the BTU hasn't shown any leadership on this tough issue any more than the city has.
Oh, sure, kids should never be used as props in a political war
That's right, they shouldn't.
I'm sure the kids marching had no input from adults and have been following the city budget story on their Facebook feeds. ... not.
Actually, yes
There are some really smart, aware kids in the BPS system - some even do a far better job of following the news than most adults.
Really smart kids.
Really smart kids who attend BPS (I have two) should be in class.
When they can vote and pay taxes then they can skip work or school to protest whatever they like.
First Amendment doesn't stop at the schoolroom door
Again, kids are not as stupid or docile as you might want. If it's like the last walkout, they know what the ramifications of walking out are - and the ones who do are willing to accept the penalties for doing what they think is right, and not just because they're sheep brainwashed by Evil Teachers.
Don't the kids need the teachers help though? (or admins)
By not giving them cuts or grade deductions for skipping school?
This staged event is politics.
Tito is running for mayor. These students are exercising their First Amendment rights as concerned taxpayers. From a budget perspective Tito is advocating for more money for schools and less money for other city departments like fire, police and public works.
Bad bps teachers costing kids 1000s of dollars
These kids should be protesting how their bad teachers are costing them 1000s of dollars in college tuition scholarships over low GPAs.
Oh please
You realize what the qualifications are for being a teacher?
Hint: it involves a Master's degree and it does not involve a vow of poverty
Why don't you take a pay cut and donate it to the cause?
I have a Masters Degree in SCIENCE
There are plenty of terrible teachers costing kids money
Seen it happen personally
I'm calling BS on this one
Truly bad teachers artificially inflate grades to make themselves look good. Good teachers challenge their students and make them earn their grades.
U of Maine scholarship has GPAs req
Going from 3.01 to 2.99 will cost you 9000/year at u of Maine
I never asked for inflated grades just asking some teachers to do their damn job and teach the kids the subject!
Your kids want better grades
Send them to crappier schools that won't challenge them. Then, when they have to take remedial courses in Orono rather than concentrating on classes working towards their major, they can ponder the quality of the teachers they had.
I don't know why you see a correlation between a teacher grading hard and a teacher unable to teach. But if you want your kids to coast, whatever. When I was in school, we liked the idea of actually earning good grades.
Bad teachers, please get out of the way
I have seen it, and it is obvious to everyone involved, except for the self-centered teachers. Believe me the kids know it, and the teacher down the hall who has to teach 1.5 yrs in 1 year to make up for lousy instruction, they know it too. The principals know it and the mayor knows who you are too.
Most teachers are marking time which is fine, some are exceptionally good and a few are really bad and teach nothing. Again ask the kids, they know who you are.
But if you insist on sucking and lecturing and not getting the kids to learn, at least give the kids a b and not an f+. There are plenty of careless people in the world and I'm glad my kids went to bps and learned to identify people like you.
Just get out of the way
teachers unable to teach?
Waquiot, I have to disagree. My children are in a non-crappy school, work hard to earn good grades and still have teachers who are unable to teach, but who still grade hard!
From K-6 my children had one excellent teacher after another. Some of the teachers were put into impossible situations, but I was always impressed with their professionalism and effort. Now they are at an exam school. I can not believe the spectrum in teaching ability and or effectiveness. There are some (a few) who seem unable to teach but rather coast by. In large part, these are motivated, smart kids who basically teach themselves the course. It is hard to get good grades when you are being tested on concepts that have not been taught! I have watched this unfold several times. OTOH, the majority are outstanding teachers that thrive in this environment.
Yes, I've been there
No, not an exam school, but the academics in my high school were tough. I remember my biology teacher who used to quiz us on concepts then would be amazed at our low scores. His exact phrase was "what? Am I supposed to be spoon feeding you?" And these quizzes were given BEFORE he taught the chapter.
That said, in an environment like that, the options are pretty localized- get parents together and talk to the administration. But I'll repeat my point, which is that good grades do not always correlate with learning. To wit, I did much better in chemistry, but the teacher let us coast. I got straight As in American Lit, but the teacher was so obsessed with grammar that we only read 3 books the whole year and had open book tests.
I'd like to know what % of
I'd like to know what % of the teachers live in the city and what % those with children send their kids to BPS.
From my own experience, I've met a lot of BPS teachers. Only 1 lives in the city and they send 1 kid to the chestnut hill school and the other to a charter.
Ok sure, I teach in the BPS
Ok sure, I teach in the BPS and all three of my kids are in the BPS. I have lived in the city for 20 years and been a homeowner for 10. I pay taxes, I vote, I attend meetings as a parent and support my children's schools. I also spend a lot of my pay on things for my students because believe it or not the district doesn't spend any money on subjects that aren't tied to a standardized test or a Dept of Justice ruling.
You wanna know why we're scraping by? You want to know why we can't have things like music, art, dance or history? Do you really? The complicated and ugly truth is that we have a lot of kids who are damaged in ways that people outside of the social services cannot relate to. Until you have taught in an urban school you have no idea how kids are coming to school utterly unprepared to function in a classroom environment. It is not uncommon to deal with a kid who is a) an English Language Learner b) a victim of neglect / abuse and c) learning disabled - and that will literally be half the kids in your class. We are required by law to provide services for students like that, it is non-negotiable that the BPS has been sued over successfully. It costs a ton of money to provide all of the ELL, SPED and behavioral supports needed to get these kids just through a term let alone up to grade level.
You know it's a lot tougher to be a cop in Roxbury than it is to be a cop in Needham right? It's the same dynamic if you're a teacher in Roxbury. Do you blame the cops for the crime? Do you look at their very cozy union contracts and call them the problem?
You missed the question
How many of your co-workers live in Boston and have kids that attend the BPS?
I call BS on your premise. In
I call BS on your premise. In all my years of meeting parents at conferences none have ever asked where I live, how many kids I have and what school they attend - because that would be weird and people come to talk about their kids schoolwork - not my demographics. I bet you vaguely know two or three people who work in the system, I know hundreds and most of them live where they work. BPS employees are just as likely as Mass General or Gillette workers to live in the city, there is no residency requirement. I could care less where somebody lives, it has no bearing on their dedication to their students. Your not so subtle implication is that we won't send our own kids to BPS schools is based on nothing but your own bias against educators - bet it wouldn't take much digging to figure out where that comes from.
Not my premise
A (not verified) asked what percentage of BPS employees live in the city. You (or a different anon (not verified)) answered that he or she was a BPS teacher and did live in the city. So, we have a universe of 1 teacher in the BPS system. I don't know why A asked the question, but I would say there is a debate over BPS would be a better system if the teachers sent their children to BPS themselves. It's the same question that is asked about public safety and the Police Department, and I am sure that if one had an issue with another city agency, the question of whether the providers of the service use the service would present itself.
But yeah, it's my biases. Or perhaps someone else's biases.
Residency requirement
If teachers had to send their children to BPS schools themselves, you would probably lose a lot of experienced teachers who would opt to live somewhere else if their child did not get a school assignment that they felt was appropriate.
And that would be one side of the argument
But the way you are arguing plays in to the other side.
If the head of the T drove to work, what would you think?
If you really knew anything
If you really knew anything about the BPS you would know that there are lots of K-8 and elementary schools that are great. Not every lower school, but each zone has several that are well loved and well supported by families. Where the district falls short is after grade 6, but most BPS teacher/parents are smart enough to get their kids to pass the ISEE and land a spot in one of the Latins. So yeah, it is actually possible to teach in Boston, live in Boston and get your own kids a good public education. Sheesh have you never heard of West Roxbury? Half the neighborhood works for the city and they dominate the Latins, but hey tell me more about that guy you know who knows a neighbor who knows a teacher.
Sure there are great schools
The issue is getting a seat in one. We are a 5 minute walk to one of the better ones in West Roxbury. It feeds into a middle school that is 30 seconds from our home. Did we get placed there? No, we were placed in a turnaround school in Hyde Park. We visited and it was just bad. So yeah, we are going with private next year.
I am sick of hearing "Oh, there are so many wonderful BPS schools out there!". Sure there are, but at least in WR, there are not enough seats. So yeah, it is wonderful if you get a seat there, but for the rest of us, who wound up with wait list numbers ranging from 42-61, in schools where they think there will be between 2-6 open K2 seats next year, it effing sucks. You can have all the wonderful seats you want, but if there aren't enough seats to allow kids to actually go there, it means shit.
If we actually had to eat our own dog food
We'd be getting the heck out of Dodge?
It's the creative tension between the concepts of an equal opportunity society and urban public schools as a form of welfare that makes BPS so special.