Things are even worse that I suspected!

SingleSue

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

I don't have an issue with that. Can't expect the school to provide those for kids to use at home.

I don't have a real issue either....it's just the expectation that everyone will be able to afford to buy something like that instead of using good old fashioned pens and paper. Although saying that, the school did allow us to email homework in when the boys hadn't yet got the mass storage devices.

I'm ok, I understand computers but the amount of other parents who don't have a scoobie is frightening!

Butterfly_Brain

At DS's Upper School every teacher has been issued with a top of the range laptop - Bring back Blackboards and Duck the Blackboard Rubber I say OH can't it's racist! we have to have white boards now.
Bloody PC brigade should be shot!!!!!!!!!!
Get the teachers to give up their lap tops - could buy lots with that sort of money

Mr.Brown_4

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

At DS's Upper School every teacher has been issued with a top of the range laptop - Bring back Blackboards and Duck the Blackboard Rubber I say OH can't it's racist! we have to have white boards now.
Bloody PC brigade should be shot!!!!!!!!!!
Get the teachers to give up their lap tops - could buy lots with that sort of money

I've thanked that because it's a classic post.

One minor point. In a global technological world I do think keyboard, rather than chalk, is the way forward.

Really2

thriftybabe wrote: »

I will be so angry if this is the case! However, on the email there was a link to a petition to the local council not to make the cuts to the school budgets which seemed real enough. Will talk to other parents at the school and see what comes of that.

Any cuts should be in staff not in terms of capital expenditure.;)

Some budgets may be cut in terms of staffing costs, considering it is not April they have got to have got something wrong somewhere.
Have they had to fix a roof or anything? Budgets are low this time of year but not to the point of asking parents to contribute.

Backroom and teaching assistants should be the first for the chop not things needed to educate the children.

I don't see why they don't freeze teachers pay instead? I presume that would give them the scope to play with.

Edit.
But it is possible any councils with big deficits may cut budgets, they should not but it is possible. Next thing they will do is try to force the school to purchase through the LEA to cream a bit more off.

Butterfly_Brain

Sadly we rely too much on technology -one little Electromagnetic pulse around the world would screw life as we know it

carolt

I'm another one who has never, ever heard of parents being asked to pay for stuff like pencils. Trips, or materials for expensive one-off events yes (my kids' school asked for money for pottery and in-school ice-skating for example) which I didn't begrudge, as they were occasional, obviously costly and lots of fun for the kids... - but routine stuff, no.

That said, at my kids' school, once the kids get old enough and can write properly, they get a 'pen licence' and are then expected to bring in their own pencil case complete with their own (working) pens, ruler etc. They take great pride in this and it costs us nothing - every surface in our house is overflowing with stationary items - presents, going-home presents, bought-once-when-we-forget-to bring-any-with-us stationary, etc.

What we do pay for, I was peeved to discover, was our teachers' tea and biscuits - the PTA agreed to pay for this in a backroom deal a few years ago. When I give money to the PTA, I kind of expect it to be spent on our kids, not on some teacher's biscuit habit.

But thrifty babe - I'm sure it's true that your teachers do pay for lots of stuff out of their own pockets - all those little stickers your kids bring home aren't 'free', and loads of materials are bought and paid for by the teachers themselves. And whilst I've never worked anywhere where we asked the parents to donate pencils, I've worked in one place where I had to supply my own board markers etc etc, as there were insufficient funds to supply teachers with basics like that.

Now that I come to think of it, though, that was one place that was facing a huge financial black hole due to financial mismanagement, though.

Ooops. I agree with others that that may be the problem at your kids' school, rather than it being a problem with education budgets nationally.

Really2

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

Sadly we rely too much on technology -one little Electromagnetic pulse around the world would screw life as we know it

It would have to be very strong to change life as we know it.

carolt

lostinrates wrote: »

while cuts in education are abysmal and absolutely wholeheartedly to be among the very last economies we should make...is it so very bad to ask parents who can to contribute extra?


FWIW, I wish the local schools or education authorities would have a box put in the supermarkets or at school gates for those vouchers they always ask if you want. I always, always ask them to keep them for the next person who is collecting them, but you never know if they do, or if that person will deliver them or leave them clogging up the bottom of a handbag...

I have absolutely no connection to any of the local schools but would be happy enough to do something to help if there were official collections.

That is such a great idea, lostinrates!!!!!!!!!! :j :T :A

Do you know, I have half a mind to nominate you for the post of the week for that. In fact I will, if I can be organised enough to get round to it.

Not sure how one does that - does anyone know? - but it's those little flashes of genius like that that could so easily make a huge difference to the lives of millions.

Thanks for that spark. Made my day.

Really2

lostinrates wrote: »

I so want to type something far too dirty about this, but I did promise Pastures I'd cut down on innuendo and smut.

You caught my edit.

sss555s

lostinrates wrote: »

I so want to type something far too dirty about this, but I did promise Pastures I'd cut down on innuendo and smut.

Go on, Be a devil!

PN won't see it anyway, honest