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school watcher
Claremont, CA
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Judged:
1
http://www.geocities.com/cattracks.geo/index.... Ron does a great job of keeping us informed (yes, perhaps from the point of view of a former teacher)about a lot of issues, not just Cairo public schools. And, I for one, consider it a must read daily. My jaw dropped today, nothing unusual, almost every day in Cairo is a new adventure, but..... This tops most of them. Our school board members and their worse than worthless superintendent, Leotis Swopes, are proposing hiring a violin teacher for $ 1,000 a day (yes, you read that right) plus 55 cents a mile to and from Carbondale to teach violin to second and third graders. While I think it would be nice, very nice, to have instrumental music lessons in the lower grades, I have a problem with paying a music teacher $ 1,000 a day. Whose friend is this music teacher or who is getting a kickback? Nothing else could possibly explain this. I notice the second year the pay for the violin teacher is reduced to $ 642 a day????? Do you think she agreed to work for almost $ 400 a day less the second year? Did she only have to pay off somebody in the first year? Or, is Swopes "attention-to-detail " challenged? Can't we offer them private music lessons from private local teachers like piano and drum and whatever other talents live in Cairo? I don't think anyone charges $ 1000 an hour in Cairo, except of course our city council!
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oh please
Cairo, IL
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Let us not forget that the former teacher was one of those whom was always voting to strike for higher pay! Cairo teachers have always made good money for the job they do, so i ask this, are they worth it? Were they worth it then? Also, ask yourselves if they teach because they like to, or if its just a paycheck.
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Who buys
Baton Rouge, LA
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Judged:
1
1
Who buys the children's violins? Exactly what will this new program cost in total?. While violins would be wonderful, I believe it would be putting the cart before the horse. If there is a gifted child or two, I could understand paying for them to go to Carbondale or even Cape to study with a teacher. Perhaps a scolarship fund could be started. But to pay a someone $1,OOO a day plus all the other unseen expenses is a bit much. How much time would this person actually spend teaching?
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Who buys
Baton Rouge, LA
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Of course, I went back and read the Cat Tracks article after I had posted. Once again I see that you have misinterpreted an article in order to advance your hatred for the School Board and Leotis Swopes. The article actually says: Breaking news from CNN - the CAT News Network... Just received word from "the trenches"... "Faculty and staff are being advised to disregard the ‘Cairo String Initiative’ proposal in their mailboxes because it was only a proposal. They were told that this initiative would come about through fundraisers and grant funding." Well, I guess THAT could be taken as a big, fat confirmation...that the "proposal" IS FOR REAL, not just something that "Miss Paula" (the Master Teacher of Violin) just made up and happened to stick into the folder that was distributed at this month's regular BOE meeting. $35,000 Violin Fundraisers? In Cairo, Illinois??? What a hoot... I hate to burst Miss Paula's bubble, but if she thinks she is going to pull down $35,000 for 35 days of work in the Cairo Public School system, she's got another thing coming. That "thing", in fact, is that the Cairo Board of Education just imposed a punitive contract on it's part-time employees that DOES NOT ALLOW for such largess. Miss Paula can forget any advanced degrees she may possess and forget about cashing in on the title of "Master Teacher". Oh, no, Miss Paula... You will be paid at the BS level of the existing teachers salary schedule at whatever years of experience that you can prove (maxed out at 28). Trust me on this, it won't be near the $142.86 PER HOUR that you propose. Oh, and another thing, Miss Paula...Cairo teachers do NOT get paid mileage to drive to school. The only thing Cairo teachers get for living outside the District is...criticized!(I'm not even sure the $100,000 Superintendent gets that perk, although it has been rumored.) Hey, hey, Paula...just did some more calculations. Speaking of the Superintendent, even he doesn't pull down anywhere near the PER HOUR salary in your proposal. At most, the Superintendent makes around $60 per hour...you expect $143 per hour??? Okay, folks, that's all for now...
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Who buys
Baton Rouge, LA
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Now it will be interesting to see if there is any further action on this silly proposal.
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primos
Cairo, IL
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Well, we should have known. This is just the type of ignorance that gets rumors started. Hey school watcher, i"m glad you read things on the internet, but maybe you should try to comprehend them before you open your big yap hole. Oh, and who are you to proclaim yourself the great "school watcher" if you don't understand what you read?.....lol
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school watcher
Ramona, CA
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Judged:
1
I said: "Our school board members and their worse than worthless superintendent, Leotis Swopes, are PROPOSING hiring a violin teacher........." Now, who is showing their ignorance and that they cannot read and that they lack comprehension skills? The two of you, as usual!
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Who buys
Baton Rouge, LA
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Judged:
1
school watcher wrote: I said:
"Our school board members and their worse than worthless superintendent, Leotis Swopes, are PROPOSING hiring a violin teacher........."
Now, who is showing their ignorance and that they cannot read and that they lack comprehension skills?
The two of you, as usual! I believe the proposal was from the wannabe hired violin teacher. You are right...someone is showing their lack of comprehension and inability to pay attention to details. Try again
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Who buys
Baton Rouge, LA
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Judged:
1
1
But, whoever the proposal is from, it is still extreme unless Cairo has a suprising number of budding maestros hidden in its meager enrollment.
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ALBERT EINSTEIN-DUH
United States
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Responding to OH PLEASE!'s Comments....OH GET A LIFE.... OH CAIRO TEACHERS MUST LIVE!!! CAN YOU LIVE ON $24,000/year when you could get paid $9,000 more at Meridian? 42,000 at Carbondale? 45,000 at Marion?$35,000 for a part-time teacher....when full-time starting teachers don't get that? OH....PLEASE
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oh please
Cairo, IL
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Judged:
1
1
I rest my case.....IT IS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!
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oh please
Cairo, IL
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Judged:
1
Here's the thing, I don't even care about what the teachers make, IF they are equally concerned with educating. My problem is that it seems that money is all it's about.
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ALBERT EINSTEIN-DUH
Casey, IL
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DUH?!? People have to live....DUH??H OH PLEASE! Car payments....OH PLEASE?!? Chrysler doesn't take payments from good times in the classroom.....DUH?!? OH PLEASE! Are you brain dead?
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ALBERT EINSTEIN-DUH
Casey, IL
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Have you lived on $24,000? Try it. OH PLEASE! CSD #1 will never be able to survive in the marketplace of teachers if they aren't competitive in wages. The market of teachers will go elsewhere...DUH....OH PLEASE.... Teachers that drive in have to pay for gas.....Gas stations don't take money from good times in the classroom.... OH PLEASE. Teachers (especially new teachers) will go elsewhere if they're not competitive...they're going to have a hard time finding teachers to replace retirees (They're having that problem now...).$24,000 is hard to swallow when gas is $2.47/gallon. I certainly hope that it doesn't happen, but we are seeing the dwindling of CSD #1 since it can't compete in the marketplace of teachers....yes, money does matter.....This is NOT a union thing...this situation that can be looked at from a free market standpoint. The losing competitor will die in the market.....That's happening to Chrysler right now....hopefully not CSD # 1....but it may have already started. CSD #1 used to be the major player of the four regional school districts (Meridian, Cairo, Century, and Egyptian), but decisions over the years have caused it fall to the bottom. Unfortunately, We may be seeing the slow demise of CSD #1. OH PLEASE!
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oh please
Cairo, IL
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Judged:
1
I see I've touched a nerve....DUH!
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oh please
Cairo, IL
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Hey...you sound like an Economics teacher....lol. However, if you are so smart, perhaps you should have picked a different career to sustain your lifestyle if $24,000 isn't enough. DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!!!!!!!
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primos
Cairo, IL
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Perhaps the answer to CSD1's problems and Meridians is to consolidate? Yes, I think so, CSD1's numbers are way down anyway from what I've heard. They could build a regional school halfway between the two somewhere and solve a lot of monitary problems for both schools and just maybe even ease the tax burden for residents in both counties.
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ALBERT EINSTEIN-DUH
Casey, IL
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OH PLEASE I can see that you are not seeing the bigger picture....the marketplace picture....Ed Armstrong (former superintendent) left Cairo School District #1 in a competitive way with other districts in 1993. Sixteen years later this seems not to be the case. Even he knew that you had to compete salary wise to keep up with the market....You have the economics thing totally wrong...it's common sense! DUUUHHHHHH! You have to pay Cairo Public Utility if you live here DUUUUH Dumb Ass! The teachers have to live....Duh! They have to have a cost of living increase....Dumb Ass! OH PLEASE Obviously, you don't truly live in Cairo.....Seems OH PLEASE has no common sense! HELLLOOOO! You in there? Consolidation will never happen....Meridian has refused that idea long ago.....It will eventually have to happen......But I see a demise of CSD # 1 first....
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Interesting
White Castle, LA
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Judged:
1
Average Teacher Salaries (by state) as of 12/09 http://teacherportal.com/teacher-salaries-by-...
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ALBERT EINSTEIN-DUH
Casey, IL
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Alexander and Pulaski County Residents would have to pass a tax increase to build the Regional District/High School. That's where your problem is. That will have a tough time passing.... If it doesn't happen, the two districts will have to continue on as is...... Truthfully, there is too much rivalry between Meridian and Cairo to accept each other. That goes for the voters....It will have a tough time passing.....
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Aquarius