Sorry, just have to vent. My husband is a music teacher and got his layoff notice today. He has been teaching for 15 years. I am so mad right now. He doesn't have the credentials to teach anything but music, nor does he want to. My mother (also a teacher) is on me because I didn't finish school and I don't have a "real" job that can support my family. So much more to this story, but right now I need to start homework with my kids then get back to entering reports for my not real job.

I don't know what state you are in but it seems the fine arts teachers are the first ones to go in any state. They are the ones that do not move around much either. I am sorry for his layoff.

Not everyone is cut out to teach or finish school for that matter. Your shopping is as real as it gets and we all know it. Your support for your family, with your shopping, will help ya'll get through the rough times. HANG in there. My thoughts are with you and your family. Every little bit helps.

Deech Wrote:
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> I don't know what state you are in but it seems
> the fine arts teachers are the first ones to go in
> any state. They are the ones that do not move
> around much either. I am sorry for his layoff.
>
> Not everyone is cut out to teach or finish school
> for that matter. Your shopping is as real as it
> gets and we all know it. Your support for your
> family, with your shopping, will help ya'll get
> through the rough times. HANG in there. My
> thoughts are with you and your family. Every
> little bit helps.


Thank you!! I just needed a little time to blow of some steam and no one was answering their phones. We live in CA - and yes - music, art and p.e. are things of the past. Their is still a chance that he may keep a job in his district, but that means bumping someone with less seniority. Just sucks all around.

I'm sorry for your husband's job loss, fiteybitey. Where I live, all middle school sports were recently cut, along with 40 positions. Good luck going forward; the future could take you in unplanned directions!

It is just so strange. They hired my husband specifically to work at this school because it was an Arts Magnet School. They have Tech Magnet schools and others as well, but now Arts in all its forms are gone. How sad...

He just laughs it off and says he will go to LaborReady. I am the one freaking out. Teachers around here have great health insurance. No co-pays, covers almost everything. Guess everyone is getting a check up this month.

It is nerve wracking fiteybitey. At least your husband has an upbeat attitude. I am trying to keep significant other and son upbeat. One has been laid off since Feb 2009, the other since April 2009. Both are looking diligently for work, both inside and outside their normal fields. Both of them are doing some shops these days . . .

I suspect that your husband is likely to be eligible for COBRA, which is the continuing health insurance. It is the same plan as he had before with his employer except he is now sent the bill. The Federal government is subsidizing the insurance by 65% because there are so many people unemployed and, frankly, unemployable in the current economy. He should follow up on that as it does make for affordable health care.

And don't get me started about the arts layoffs. I must say, however, that I'm pleased to hear there are some pe layoffs happening somewhere because around here Coach's job is as secure as the principal--if not more so.

Thanks all for your support. I really do appreciate it.

My husband is upbeat. Thank goodness. We have done the COBRA thing before and it cost us over $1100/month. I like to shop, but don't know if I can quite cover it.

I used to have a "real" job, but left that company under because of reasons I probably should have sued over, so I didn't qualify for unemployment.

Oh and about P.E. - they are only cutting it for lower grades. As it is now, I volunteer to teach P.E. every week for first and third graders at my boy's school. High school coaching jobs are set in stone. Unless its the girl's tennis or golf team.

fiteybitey Wrote:
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>
> My husband is upbeat. Thank goodness. We have done
> the COBRA thing before and it cost us over
> $1100/month. I like to shop, but don't know if I
> can quite cover it.

But that is the point. The government is subsidizing it so if it starts out at $1100/mo you will only be billed about $385. The original plan was to subsidize for up to 9 months but Congress keeps extending it because people are not getting back to work.
>
High school coaching jobs are set
> in stone. Unless its the girl's tennis or golf
> team.

Yup. "Coach" has the varsity stuff and mostly can't be bothered with the rest of the pe stuff. So he teaches English and Math for which he may or may not be certified. But his role is to keep the alumni happy and generate all that School Spirit. Uh oh, here I go. I will shut up and return quietly to my corner before I step on too many toes.

Fiteybitey, I feel your husbands pain. I teach college art, and never know from one semester to another if I will work, or how many classes I will have. Here is an interesting article I sent to my peers; your husband may have an interest in it. It is about the K-12 arts situation.

POWER TO THE ARTS AND THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEM HAPPEN! :-)

[www.najp.org]

I am sorry to hear of your job loss's, private lessons, private schools, something will give........keep the faith.

Sorry to hear about the job loss as well, fiteybitey.

I consider myself lucky to have gone to public school in CA back when music programs were an important part of the curriculum. Flash, don't get me started on the sports vs. arts argument! Your advice on the COBRA supplement is very appropriate, however. You are truly a fount of knowledge!

Like Irene said, at least in CA there's hope for employment for arts teachers in the private sector.

I too grew up loving music, and we gave our daughter 10 years of classical music (piano), it helped her pursue many fine goals in her life, gave her confidence, and taught her how to practice and be committed. She later in life thanked us (in spite of having to pratice an hour a day). I feel it is important NOT to take the arts away from schools, and to encourage kids to be creative. Definitely keeps them out of trouble....what's this world coming too?

The schools I grew up in had an itinerant music teacher for strings and one for winds/percussion who was in the elementary schools twice a week for about 45 minutes with kids in grades 3-6. I junior high it was three days a week for a 55 minute class period. In high school it was a standard course meeting every day. My sense is that studying music and foreign languages all did a great deal to instill discipline and learning how to learn.

Well, after a decent nights sleep I am still miffed. Flash - I wanted to let you know that the COBRA payments are that high ($1100 month) after he stops working because the insurance is so great to begin with. I've done the checking.

I also hate the sports vs. arts arguement. I was a jock in school and did every sport available. I did not take music, not because it wasn't offered but because my father is a musician and wanted me to learn clarinet. I said I wanted to play drum. He said girls don't play drums. So I tried the clarinet for two weeks. Quit, stopped visiting my dad for about 6 months and decided to compete in volleyball, gymnastics, cross country, basketball, and on the side I danced in folklore groups, did tap, jazz and ballet. So I didn't play music, but I was a dancer.

My husband is so not a jock. He is a musician through and through. He plays sax, tenor preferably. He has taught high school band and orchestra. He has been a strings teacher for fourth graders (ouch) and now has been at the Arts school in town for the last four years. He says he is scheduling a hearing and talking to the union lawer. He has a lot of seniority but doesn't like throwing it around. His school has been having parent requested meetings trying to save his job.


Besides teaching for the district, he does give lessons. My father's Portuguese marching band pays him $150 a month to teach for one hour every week. He is supposed to be getting little recruits for Dad's band. He used to give lessons here at home, but the economy made that stop about a year ago. All the students parents had no money, so my husband picks those kids up and takes them to the lessons that my dad's band sanctions (that way they don't have to pay).

He says if all else fails, he could sub. If he signs up with enough school districts he could work every day. Very decent money, no benefits. He is still in a good mood though. Glad he is - I slept very poorly.

Oh, the kicker is he teaches one town over. My in-laws live there too. Both of my children go to the school near my in-laws house. My oldest (8) was just accepted to go to the gifted and talented school, contingent of course upon my husband's employment within the district. Right now I don't know where to enroll my kids. I suppose I will pretend nothing is happening and enroll them where we had planned, then if things change - squeeze them in here.

Wow I talk too much.

We had a snare drummer that was a girl in my band and that was in the 50's. Girls took home making and boys took shop except I took shop. We did have one majorette but she had to wear long pants. She could not dance and twirl her baton in a short skirt. The only way we had one was she came from on out of state bank so Srubby let her be one in our military bank.

Cobra is expensive. Have you tried an independent insurance agent? They have all kinds of insurance but I am not sure how good it is. Sounds like your husband has more courage than I. I would not sub in high school but would not teach in elementary. Subbing can probably keep him busy. Some school districts (larger districts) have long term contracts and some with benifits. That is where you sign a contract for 6 to 8 weeks or longer to teach for a teacher that has a baby or get sick or is on leave for whatever reason.

Hang in there someone will need a sub or a music teacher. Fingers crossed for ya.:-)

Clarification? Is the Cobra subsidy based on the employee's contribution at termination, or total contribution of employer & employee?

Mert Wrote:
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> Clarification? Is the Cobra subsidy based on the
> employee's contribution at termination, or total
> contribution of employer & employee?


I am not entirely sure. All I know is the last time I paid for COBRA was when my husband was between school districts. I was 8 months pregnant with our first child. Thank goodness he switched school districts within two months. But the price was outrageous for the two of us. Now there are four...time to do some more research.

Start on the IRS site:

[www.irs.gov]

I'm guessing that $1100 is the full payment and you will be responsible to pay 35% of that if you husband was laid off before the 1st of this month.

I have what's considered a 'Cadillac' health plan and the full COBRA is around $400 for an individual, so I think that $1100 sounds right for a family.

Well I have some time to figure it out. His teaching contract goes through the end of July. I had a panic attack early. By then hopefully we will have figured it all out.

Glad you've got some time on your side. But, isn't it great to be able to vent to supportive 'friends' here and not stress your loved one?

Yes, you take the employer's full cost for the current insurance plan and the government will subsidize 65% and you will pay the 35%. My son has a Cadillac plan from when he was working with IBM--no copay, covers everything except pedicures (and those in case of nail fungus). He is paying around $375 per month. It may be that fiteybitey's husband has a more expensive plan because of family coverage, but usually family coverage is less than 2X the single employee plan and with many businesses the employee is already paying the difference between single and family plan. From something I read around a year ago when my son was laid off it sounded as though the entire cost of the plan (employee + family, whether they were paying family separately or not) was subject to the 65% subsidy. Don't panic. When the time comes, simply find out what it is or is not. By July things may look very different for the school district budget and the economy. Similarly the subsidized COBRA may be over. So just take it one day at a time. A whole lot of us are coping with just the same thing and the ones who are unemmployed need our strength and support while they hang in there and keep having doors slammed in their faces.

Again, I thank all of you for your support. Between MS'ing and volunteering at my kids schools, entering reports, looking for work etc. I feel like I hardly ever talk to an adult. This has been a wonderful outlet for me and I learn something new here everyday.

Keep us up to date. We all have our fingers crossed for you and your family.

We received the word last night. Six teachers (art and music) have been slashed from his school in exchange for two middle school counselors keeping their positions. I don't want anyone to lose their jobs, but I can't even remember my middle school, much less high school counselors names. The band director and art teacher I still remember....la la la....awake all night stressing. Have work to do today. He still has some seniority, but he hates bumping people. I say too bad. I am mean and need to sleep. My reports and sanity will suffer otherwise. Good luck to all of you in similar positions.

My time was way before middle school was ever thought of. If we had a Jr. High counselor I do not remember. I do not remember the HS counselor's name either. I just remember her telling me I would not make it in college. Well I did and became a counselor K-12 mostly. No one lost their job for me to keep mine. Most of the kids I had over a period of 20-30 years probably do not remember my name either.

We do not have a seniority system in schools here that I know of. If they want you to go you go. They get rid of the higher paid teachers first. If a seniority system is in place, any where, people expect to get bumped. It is part of the job they took. Maybe he will change his mind. Hang in there I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Thank you. I hate feeling like all is so up in the air.

Jr High counselors were who kids who were misbehaving were sent to see. You did not want to be seen entering or exiting their offices. In most school districts it is the unions that negotiate who/what will be cut with the district administration. Just wish they would cut administration and leave classroom. It was certainly not until I got to HS that there was both a principal and an assistant principal. And guidance counselors also taught classes so they actually saw students and their work in the classroom.

I only saw my principal at my HS graduation - he was giving a speech or I wouldn't have known who he was. My guidance counselor (whom I only saw once) no longer taught. I know kids need counselors. Like I said I don't want anyone to lose their jobs, but my hubby teaches at an Arts Magnet school. They have the highest academic record in the county, not just the city. Makes me think that art and music and drama are helping these kids, cutting the program is a waste.

Flora Lee Vaughn, my high school counselor. I remember not just her name, but her appearance, wit, wisdom and advice. I hung out in her office. Funny thing - I was in the concert band and loved it, but don't remember the teacher's name.

fiteybitey, it's not bad news, just a stinky economy. And, your husband is not bumping anyone.

Your husband should bump someone. The state here has had layoffs, though not of teachers (yet.) People are bumping people. The bumping system exists to protect those with seniority from getting fired over someone who makes less money. I don't know that I agree with the implementation here at all, but it is what it is. If your husband can bump someone else, then why not take advantage of it while you can, as CA is far from through it's financial challenges.