Summer yet?

[Kyoko]

Hello!

It's June!! Are you off for the summer yet?

Our students' last day is June 16th, and faculty's last day is June 23rd.

This delay is due to so many snow days and our strike days.... :-(

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I feel for them. We have 5 furlough days for NEXT year, bringing down our annual salary in our retirement year! We are just not quite old enough for the optimum retirement option until next year. And I think we may have to go into the next year a bit also - this could be quite a bummer but .....

[Kyoko]

Whats a furlough day? Does it mean that kids wont have 180 days? Or teacher losing act 80 days?

[Lynda Kamrath]

Furlough days are days that the students are not in school. Yes, it may cut back from 180 days and the teachers lose the pay for those days. Here in California, they are usually negotiable, but not always. If the teacher's union has the option of taking a pay cut or the pay cut with furlough days, at least they get the days off. Three high school teachers left today on a bike trip with my husband and another teacher is headed to Italy tomorrow. So, at least they get days for the pay cut they are going to experience. That's how the furlough days are working here.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Basically they are shortening our school year. To compensate and have the kids have the same number of teaching days they are doing things like only one parent/teacher conference day allowed, secondary teachers will not get a day to process grades, and a few other adjustments.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I'm impressed that you get parent conference days. We always had a week of minimum days (actually six days) and then scheduled conferences after that. That would be two times a year with elementary. Days off to process grades?? I thought that processing grades and doing report cards were weekend activities. One of the main reasons I am very glad to be retired is the time spent planning, correcting papers, doing report cards, etc. after school hours. I enjoy the school hours, but not the "extracurricular" activities.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Instead of minimum days our district gave elementary teachers two days w/o students to hold conferences. This is in November at the end of the first trimester. Secondary has always had a day at the end of each semester for the teachers to input grades (I think of this as a free day for them because we all know grades have to be in before that).
Ha ha - the majority of the teachers voted to increase k - 2 class size from 20 to '26 or 27' in order to save some jobs. Well my husband just got his projected class for next year - yup - 29 kids! Who's job was saved for that????

[Sue & Willy Babe]

I hope all my educator friends have a great summer!!! We all Deserve the rest our last day was June 8th It was sad seeing my little kinders leave but next year I will be back and when the see me I will get sooo many hugs!!!!!

Have a great summer

[shelly]

LUCKYyyyy!!! We go until the 25th... Right now I'm in the CRAZE STAGE... report cards, writing folders, c** folders and closing down my room - plus helping my own 2 sons study for regents and finals!!! AH!!! Can NOT wait until next week!!!

[Kyoko]

Finally! The last student day!!!

[shelly]

YEAH!!! Enjoy!