Progress reports go home tomorrow; some of the grades are very low in my AP classes due to low quiz scores on Jane Eyre. I want you to keep the following in mind: You have a major grade next week with the Romanticism project, and another 40-point writing assignment next week, too, both of which can serve as "buffers" for your overall average. You also have two more reading quizzes to help you bring up your grade. For some of you--you haven't been reading. For some of you--you don't recall details very well. Fortunately, the last round of quizzes was higher.
For all of you: I will be MORE than glad to give each of you a weekly update on your grades; as many of you know, the past few weeks have been crazy with registration and what-not, and thus some of the grades weren't updated as frequently as I would have liked. Rest assured that there are many, many grade opportunities pending and the progress report may not accurately reflect your overall performance in this class.
Today in class, we went over some of the budget shortfalls facing our state. The entire district is mobilizing, and all districts in Florida are seeking help from the Florida legislature. There is a 5 billion dollar shortfall in the state for education, and a 102 million dollar shortfall for OCPS alone. Some of the suggested cuts being studied by the district include, but are not limited to:
*Eliminating freshman and some junior varsity sports teams
*Reducing the number of guidance counselors
*Cutting teachers with annual contracts (typically, teachers with 1-4 years experience, or media specialists, or speech therapists)
*An across-the-board pay cut of 5%
*Closing 16-24 elementary schools
*Keeping the "flip"
*Eliminating social workers and SAFE coordinators
For those of you who are seniors, please be aware that you are not immune to the latest woeful rounds. College tuition may well hike up next year; recent figures indicated that a tuition increase of 11-14% is possible.
Please get involved. You are students, and you and your parents are stakeholders in this miasma. An educated society is a free society. I realize that not all public schools are perfect, and not every teacher you've ever had has been awesome. I also realize that the alternative--an uneducated populace--is a scary, scary prospect. Public education is constitutionally mandated by the state of Florida, so it's high time it was funded appropriately.
More information will be forthcoming in the new edition of the school's Smoke Signals. Each school in Florida will feature "EDUCATION CUTS NEVER HEAL" on its marquee. And, for the record, I am fervently hoping that the powers that be can make cuts at higher levels before they hit the classroom, and that extravagances that were common in the past get slashed.
Here are some addresses, if you are interested:
Office of Governor Charlie Crist (R)
State of Florida
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Telephone:
- Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 488-4441
- Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 488-7146
[Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time]
Fax: (850) 487-0801
E-mail: Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com
State Senator, District 9 Andy Gardiner (R)
District Office:
1013 East Michigan Street
Orlando, FL 32806
(407) 428-5800
Senate VOIP: 40900
State Representative Geraldine Thompson (D)
| Capitol Office: |
| 316 The Capitol |
| 402 South Monroe Street |
| Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300 |
| Phone: (850) 488-0760 |
| District Office: |
| Suite 204 |
| 511 West South Street |
| Orlando, FL 32805-2761 |
| Phone: (407) 245-1511 |
State Representative Randolph Scott (D)
| Capitol Office: |
| 400 House Office Building |
| 402 South Monroe Street |
| Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300 |
| Phone: (850) 488-0660 |
| District Office: |
| Suite 100 |
| 701 East South Street |
| Orlando, FL 32801-2953 |
| Phone: (407) 893-3084 |
State Representative Eric Eisnaugle (R)
| Capitol Office: |
| 417 House Office Building |
| 402 South Monroe Street |
| Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300 |
| Phone: (850) 488-9770 |
| District Office: |
| Suite 1 |
| 2003 Curry Ford Road |
| Orlando, FL 32806-2419 |
| Phone: (407) 893-3141 |
