Venting
Warning: For Full Access Please Log In or Create an Account (Free)
Our district is cutting middle school sports, including coaching positions. The arts stand, so far. Sports is also part of our culture, and teaches healthy lifestyles, discipline, and teamwork - all qualities that will serve students well. Parents with children athletes will now be looking and paying for independent sports programs. An eighth grade girl I know plays soccer, has a 3.75 GPA and takes advanced courses in math, science and English. She told me that getting to play soccer was a "big motivator" to getting good grades.
As a taxpayer whose kids are in college, I'm not unhappy that the school district is making cuts without increasing student to teacher ratios in the classroom. Good schools = good property values. However, I am as saddened to see sports eliminated as I would be the arts.
As a taxpayer whose kids are in college, I'm not unhappy that the school district is making cuts without increasing student to teacher ratios in the classroom. Good schools = good property values. However, I am as saddened to see sports eliminated as I would be the arts.
I loved to play sports and it was a great motivator for me to get good grades. Thus far no High School sports programs have been cut. I am not sure about the middle school programs. They are raising teacher student ratios though. Kindergarten through third grade I believe can be up to 30 students. I hope I am wrong about that. This economy bites. Lets just cut everything!!!!!!!!
Around here there are increasing numbers of parents who are deciding to 'cut everything' and just home school. Not sure that is a great idea as few parents are ready, willing and able to provide a solid academic background and it does effectively reduce or eliminate the common cultural aspects of school.
I love my kids, but I don't think for their sake it would be healthy for me to homeschool them. I ride them hard enough about homework and they are only 6 and 8 years old. Yikes I could only imagine if I had to do the lesson plans too. Home schooling is great, but I want my kids to be out there in the world, even when the world isn't so great.
My reaction was always that they learned to deal with the world as it currently exists in school. I was concerned that they were not getting the depth of academic education that I hoped for, but when I visited several private schools I found the same was true. There were always 'other things' happening at home, so they got well exposed to classical music, jazz, folk, gospel, Gregorian Chant, etc. They grew plants and cross-fertilized with a q-tip to make their own 'hybrids' to grow from seed. They had logic puzzles. They snagged jars of water from ponds to see the single cell and simple multi cell algae and critters under the old family microscope. They read abundantly and started computer programming when they were in second grade to get the Commodore 64 doing fun things for them. Summer times they were in sports and games at the Boys' Club while I worked and the beach several nights a week for picnics, swimming and shelling. There never was a problem with homework--it was their 'job'. My home 'job' was enrichment to help keep school interesting and relevant rather than to teach them basic content.
I hate to be indebted to my mother, but if we have to next year the kids are going to the private school just four blocks from my house.
With COBRA you pay the entire premium but it is at the rate the employer was paying instead of what it would be if you started fresh. Usually much less expensive for better benefits than you can get out on your own for the same money. I was manager of group underwriting for Blue Cross Blue Shield in a previous life. lol
The employer and employee part at the employer's rate that is. 
I just read an article about the lay offs. Some teachers from another school in the district were picketing at the meeting - they wanted the arts program cut because they didn't want to take furloughs that would save 28 teachers jobs. The furloughs equal one weeks pay per teacher spread out over a year. Isn't that worth 28 teachers?
One weeks pay spread over a year they would not feel the loss of. A regular classroom teacher worked a 9 month contract and got paid over 12 months. A 10 month contract teacher worked 10 months and got paid over 12 months. Now how are you going to miss a weeks worth of pay over a years time?
Do they think one day that they may be cut? They probably think their job is safe because of what they teach. The 28 teachers need to get together and make their voices heard. The bottom line is, look out for yourself because no one else will. Good Luck
Do they think one day that they may be cut? They probably think their job is safe because of what they teach. The 28 teachers need to get together and make their voices heard. The bottom line is, look out for yourself because no one else will. Good Luck
iblessyah@yahoo.com Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With COBRA you pay the entire premium but it is at
> the rate the employer was paying instead of what
> it would be if you started fresh. Usually much
> less expensive for better benefits than you can
> get out on your own for the same money. I was
> manager of group underwriting for Blue Cross Blue
> Shield in a previous life. lol
While this is correct in normal times, there is currently a federal subsidy in place that covers 65% of the employer's cost of the insurance for COBRA folks. The employer takes it as a tax credit on their payroll taxes. The program started early last year (I think) and was to cover the unemployed for the first 9 months. This has been extended due to the lack of improvement in unemployment statistics and is likely to be extended further. It is not in the interest of anyone to have the enormous numbers of families unemployed suddenly become uninsured as well because insurance is not affordable. COBRA still takes a significant chunk out of what a person gets from unemployment, but in most cases it is still manageable.
-------------------------------------------------------
> With COBRA you pay the entire premium but it is at
> the rate the employer was paying instead of what
> it would be if you started fresh. Usually much
> less expensive for better benefits than you can
> get out on your own for the same money. I was
> manager of group underwriting for Blue Cross Blue
> Shield in a previous life. lol
While this is correct in normal times, there is currently a federal subsidy in place that covers 65% of the employer's cost of the insurance for COBRA folks. The employer takes it as a tax credit on their payroll taxes. The program started early last year (I think) and was to cover the unemployed for the first 9 months. This has been extended due to the lack of improvement in unemployment statistics and is likely to be extended further. It is not in the interest of anyone to have the enormous numbers of families unemployed suddenly become uninsured as well because insurance is not affordable. COBRA still takes a significant chunk out of what a person gets from unemployment, but in most cases it is still manageable.
cool. I'm 17 years disabled so a little rusty on the current rules based on the economy. Wish my COBRA had been subsidized like that. lol I've been on Medicare for 15 years and just now signed up with Medicare Advantage through Anthem. Had to wait three weeks after a shop where I shopped an insurance agent before I could sign up. lolol
Got some great information and decided to buy it.
Wish my COBRA had been subsidized like that. lol I've been on Medicare for 15 years and just now signed up with Medicare Advantage through Anthem. Had to wait three weeks after a shop where I shopped an insurance agent before I could sign up. lolol
Got some great information and decided to buy it.
I've been listening to those presentations for/with a different Advantage program and the one available in our area is pretty dismal. I hope yours works out better. I looked through the doc list and none of ours were listed at all. There were a number of other issues that raised concerns.
my docs are covered And My Medicare Part D won't be any worse. I'm doing it for the calendar year deductible on hospital stays. I've been in the hospital so many times that my medical bills are enormous. I won't be able to shop indefinitely to keep up the payments and new expenses too so i'm trying to approach it a different way. I'm only stuck until the end of the year if I don't like it.
And My Medicare Part D won't be any worse. I'm doing it for the calendar year deductible on hospital stays. I've been in the hospital so many times that my medical bills are enormous. I won't be able to shop indefinitely to keep up the payments and new expenses too so i'm trying to approach it a different way. I'm only stuck until the end of the year if I don't like it.
If your docs are covered that, at least, is a good start.
I cleaned all mine out today. Man they were dirty.
huh? What got cleaned? lol I have some cleaning that needs doing, starting with my files.
Knowing Hellbent, he saw the thread title "Venting" and is commenting on cleaning his vents. Hey HB, wanna come clean mine? The kitchen ones are getting truly slimed :^)
When your finished with Flash's vents, come do mine...L.A. isn't too far!!
Live consciously....
Bummers. I wanted you to come here, HB, and clean for me. Ocean surfing lesson is on me. :-)
**********************************************************************
“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
You drive a hard bargain, I'll get you a free ticket to the Dr. Phil show.....that should be worth a vent cleaning. Hellbent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You pay.
-------------------------------------------------------
> You pay.
Live consciously....
LOL.
**********************************************************************
“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
So when this all started and my hubby got the lay off notice he went to the district office (the next day) filled out a bucket full of paperwork turned it into the county office and requested a hearing. The hearings are being held today and tomorrow. He is not on the list. So now we are confused. The way we see it is he either is going to continue to teach or he is layed off completely. He isn't even on the fence since they didn't want him at the hearing. I know it is too soon to freak out, but I am. I tried calling a few other teachers, and they don't know what is going on either. OK calming down now. Hubby and kids are on their way and I have to pretend to be excited.
Jay Leno bumped Conon, yes, the bumping system does exsit and it works.....
Live consciously....
Well, if email counts, he got notice today. His layoff notice has been rescinded. He will have a job (who knows where) in the district next school year. I am so happy and tired I just want to take a nap. Thanks for all your support. Cant sleep too long. Reports to enter, kids to feed and bathe and all the regular stuff that makes life go round have to be done yet tonight.
You know, he got the email at ten this morning. He could have called. Ok...I will stop being picky. He has a job, we have benefits. I can finally sleep. Yeah!!!
You know, he got the email at ten this morning. He could have called. Ok...I will stop being picky. He has a job, we have benefits. I can finally sleep. Yeah!!!
Glad that it worked out. The uncomfortable part, of course, is that if the economy doesn't improve you may get to work on those ulcers again next year. On the brighter side though, regarding the economy, I got word from my son yesterday that he has a job starting Monday. It is not in his field--those jobs are not likely to come back--and it pays about half of what he used to earn, but after 14 months on unemployment with no nibbles it beats the heck out of nothing.
Glad to hear the good news. I know you are relieved and more at ease. Instead of one day at a time, it sounds like, your family will have to take his job one year at a time. WE had a woman fill out an application today at the hotel for anything we had. Her background was real estate, management, high dollar, high pressure jobs. She should have been runing a hotel instead of cleaning rooms. She was looking for anything she could find. I am glad I am passed all that.
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.