My Kid's Teacher is Being Laid Off

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My Kid's Teacher is Being Laid Off

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

filed under: family

Yet the people of our city are throwing a multimillion dollar parade ... what's wrong with this picture?

Momlogic's Julie: I live in a city that's about to host a $2 million parade for the Lakers. We're also bankrupt.

I got an e-mail from our school principal last night saying my daughter's teacher is not coming back next year due to budget cuts. To say I am devastated would be an understatement.

This is the best teacher I have ever encountered at my school or ANY school. She is an amazing kindergarten teacher. She has her own website for the class, and offers "kindercasts" where the kids can even sing the ABCs with her. She is at every after-school event and fundraiser. She is beyond patient with the kids. She sends home amazing ceramic projects and compiles a huge end-of-year book that encompasses everything the kids have done through the year. She gives 110%. In short, she is amazing.

But due to state budget cuts, the school is losing her. More than 27,000 preliminary pink slips have gone out to California teachers. Yet we're throwing a $2 million parade for the Lakers. Yes, the Lakers are paying half. Big whoop. They should pay for the whole thing. A million dollars to these players is like a hundred bucks to you or me. Let them split that cost among the team.

Or better yet, donate the million to the city and forget the damn parade! (After all, many fans RIOTED in the streets after the Lakers won the last game. This is who you are throwing the parade for.)

The mayor has faced so much criticism for the cost of the celebration, he has now convinced donors to pay for it. Why don't those private donors chip in for the salary of my daughter's kindergarten teacher while they're at it? Why don't they donate that money for something the city actually NEEDS -- versus a freaking parade?

Sometimes this world just seems unfair. This is one of those times.

Kobe, why don't you pay my daughter's teacher's salary next year? She deserves it. If you do -- I promise to throw you a parade right in front of the school. The 5-year-olds in my daughter's class will be the most grateful fans you've ever seen, on or off the court. That's a promise.

filed under: family

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I could not agree more…our city has no right to spend millions on a parade while teachers, some of the hardest working people in America, get laid off!

- Lucy

Posted 06/16/09 03:07 PM

Get your facts straight….the city is not paying for the parade….

- Educated man

Posted 06/16/09 03:32 PM

Educated man, she says above that the Lakers are paying for half and donors are paying for half.

- Susanne

Posted 06/16/09 03:54 PM

(After all, many fans RIOTED in the streets after the Lakers won the last game. This is who you are throwing the parade for.) I don’t think you can generalize fans in this fashion. The police have already said “identify a lot of these characters, many of whom are gang members and are well known to us.” It is said that most of the gang members came out to cause mayhem took advantages of the celebration. It is absolutely wrong and as a Laker fan myself, such behavior is absolutely wrong, without a doubt. It just doesn’t mean Laker fans are bad people. Also here is an update. Council members Jan Perry and Bernard C. Parks today filed a motion authorizing the Lakers’ parade, but only with the understanding that “the event sponsors will reimburse the City for all fees and costs associated with this event,” including police protection and other staffing necessary for city street closures. The event sponsors includes several media executives, the Los Angeles Lakers, AEG. So I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with this picture. and to answer your question Why don’t they donate that money for something the city actually NEEDS — versus a freaking parade? These people simply don’t care about that. These donors want a parade. We’re all cynical. Thanks.

- Stan

Posted 06/16/09 04:03 PM

Life is too short not to be celebrating! Bring on the parade!

- Stan

Posted 06/16/09 04:16 PM

I am not in L.A. but I do think that a parade is a good thing but should be paid by the company’s that benefited from the playoffs making it to L.A. like the hotels, resturants, taxi’s and other buisnesses that make a lot of money they wouldn’t otherwise have if the lakers hadn”t made it.

- DIANE L

Posted 06/16/09 04:43 PM

27,000 teachers are being laid off. That’s the point here.

- Anonymous

Posted 06/16/09 04:48 PM

i agree that the city should not pay for the parade. if the people who benefit from the games want to throw a parade out of appreciation for the fans, more power to them

- dee

Posted 06/16/09 04:59 PM

I live in Los Angeles…. when I heard this I was just in complete shock! Are you serious? Millions of dollars for a parade! Sure the Lakers are going to fork over one million but the rest of it comes out of our pockets. Our schools need this money. Every penny should be saved not wasted for a stupid parade. On top of that these fans were rioting our streets and god knows how much that cost. The Lakers should pay the city for the damage. Things like this make me angry. We’re broke and here we are by throwing a million dollar parade… only in America

- Malice

Posted 06/16/09 05:42 PM

If she is such a great teacher then why is your daughter having to repeat Kindergarten? Seriously though…California is a pit. Get out while you can.

- Cali

Posted 06/16/09 06:20 PM

“27,000 teachers are being laid off” Ummm what about the rest of the people in LA, California, or the entire country that are being laid off? Welcome to the real world. Stop wasting valuable time with things like “Pink Friday” and do your job. Won’t somebody REALLY think of the children? Another reason why California is essentially bankrupt: lifetime benefits and pensions for teachers/other state workers. Again I say, join the rest of the real world and take care of most, if not all of that expense yourself. You knew what you were signing up for when you decided sometime in your life that teaching was what you wanted to do for 30 years.

- Dave

Posted 06/16/09 06:35 PM

oh, and secondly… If it wasn’t this person’s daughter’s teacher they wouldn’t care. It’s not the fact that teachers as a whole are being laid off, it’s the fact that it effects her life personally.

- Dave

Posted 06/16/09 06:37 PM

Dave, TEACHERS being laid off are a lot worse than any other person because TEACHERS educate our children, and our children are our future! I daresay that’s way worse than a stock broker or realtor being laid off. This affects our kids.

- Anonymous

Posted 06/16/09 06:40 PM

This is full of inaccurate statements. Please fact check before posting. Myspace a Los Angeles based company laid off 500 people last month and they are laying off another 450 today. Many many people are being let go across this city. I feel for teachers but they are not suffering alone. It is just as important for this city and our state to have a reason to celebrate. Times are hard and little bits of sun help us make it through these dark times.

- The Sarah

Posted 06/16/09 06:48 PM

anon, My point is that it’s not just TEACHERS (caps lock problem, stuck shift key?) being laid off. People in every line of work high paying or not are being laid off, fired, cut etc. Yet we choose to be laser-focused on TEACHERS(maybe mine is stuck too). We can even stay in the public sector if you would like. City employees, bus drivers, sanitation works, etc are all being cut. What makes the news, teachers wearing pink shirts and protesting. More people are effected than this woman’s daughter’s teacher. the people we shouldbe upset with are no the Lakers or Laker fans, it’s our terrible state and local government in LA and California.

- Dave

Posted 06/16/09 06:48 PM

Saying one person being laid off is worse than another is just arrogant. People losing jobs sucks for everyone. How do you expect teachers not to be effected? If a stockbroker was let go and now isn’t paying any taxes… who will pay the teachers? As a parent it is YOUR responsibility to make sure your child is educated. Don’t blame a lack of education on lack of teachers.

- The Sarah

Posted 06/16/09 06:56 PM

It’s interesting that her examples of others getting laid off are people we think of as being higher than average earners and teachers are… well, not. The Sarah seems to get “the big picture”

- Dave

Posted 06/16/09 07:02 PM

Why is it that the worst performing parts of the country economically are the most unionized? Oh…

- Albert Gore

Posted 06/16/09 07:06 PM

Let me ask you this: if that kindergarten teacher went on to teach in a private school, would you enroll your daughter in that school? Since the parade is not funded by the government, i see no problem holding an event for people to celebrate during tough times. Sponsors are not responsible and cannot be for teachers’ jobs and salaries. This should actually be seen as a good thing because sponsors and the Lakers are willing to dish out $2M to stimulate the economy. We should be careful to not take things out of context and review every related factors and consequences. Since so many “valuable” teachers have gotten the pink slip, what is keeping them from taking this opportunity to form an education system that works and doesn’t depend on the government? Maybe finding sponsors for that wouldn’t be too bad of an idea either.

- Anonymous

Posted 06/16/09 07:25 PM

Oh Boo Hoo, my state is broke…Well maybe your state is broke because your liberal state is a safe harbour for illegal immigrants and your state has to pay sooo much money into their education and medical that it’s using up all the money that should be going to tax paying american citizens. If you want to do something then start with fixing the real problems in your start or stop complaining. Millions of people around our great country has lost their jobs not just teachers.

- California sucks

Posted 06/16/09 08:00 PM