Abbott is making mistake opening schools during fall

[Skipper]

Going back to school is something that many kids dread at some point during their academic career. Summer comes to a close, curfews begin to go into effect and the

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[UNTLifer]

The NT Daily, or otherwise known as "The Voice of Reason"

[THOR]

Kids need to be in school.  I have zero fear of sending mine.

[ColoradoEagle]

It's a rough subject. On one hand, there's no quicker way to spread the virus. On the other, school districts are running out of money and parents are struggling with adding "teacher" to their resume or even being able to be home at all to take care of kids.

I don't think kids should go back to school, because it's going to be a catastrophe. However, I'd be lying if I said this is a cut and dry issue.

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

Why would school districts run out of money if it is tax payer driven?
Why does physical attendance impact tax payments?

Maybe I am misunderstanding the comment. 

It isn't only the students - it is the teacher safety. I know at kids school the teachers are on the upper end near retirement age. They may not make retirement if they are forced to teach in person and get a bad case. 

I am on the fence with this one - it is definitely tricky.  I private school my kids - and they have more flexibility it seems. They are setting up medical task boards from physician parents and hosting seminars with child psychologists. It is a very lucky life - no doubt. However, one of their models they are allowing us to select is a hybrid approach with one week in class, then one week out of that classroom. The off independent week, the teacher will be at home leading instruction, BUT the kids can elect to come into the class and do their hybrid week actually on campus. It allows for parents that cannot work at home or don't feel the need for the home schooling.  Seems like a logistic nightmare to me. For my multiple kids, will they all be in class the same week and off at home the same week too? If not, I will be at home with them full time anyhow, just carpooling more.  It's insanity. But if we can limit the risk to the kids and faculty - then it is all worth it. 


 

[KRAM1]

3 hours ago, THOR said:

Kids need to be in school.  I have zero fear of sending mine.

Thank you.

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

50 minutes ago, KRAM1 said:

Thank you.

I am so jealous that I didn't get some applause for my well thought out approach to wanting to get back to school, but always having the respect for the teachers at risk ... and my willingness to go whatever I can to do the best approach for the whole school community. 

I guess I should have just had a selfish reply about how *I* am not afraid for *my* kids -- and to hell with others.

[KRAM1]

7 minutes ago, SteaminWillieBeamin said:

I am so jealous that I didn't get some applause for my well thought out approach to wanting to get back to school, but always having the respect for the teachers at risk ... and my willingness to go whatever I can to do the best approach for the whole school community. 

I guess I should have just had a selfish reply about how *I* am not afraid for *my* kids -- and to hell with others.

You seem to be totally clueless..you do realize that the guy who posted that is a public school teacher, right? I am thinking he knows just a tad more than you about the situation. I have a ton of respect for him. You..well, you might be just a tad too woke for me. 

[UNTLifer]

7 hours ago, KRAM1 said:

You seem to be totally clueless..you do realize that the guy who posted that is a public school teacher, right? I am thinking he knows just a tad more than you about the situation. I have a ton of respect for him. You..well, you might be just a tad too woke for me. 

SSSHHH.  He's a teacher, doctor, infectious disease expert and he play QB for a make believe team.  They shout you down if you disagree with them.😂

Edited July 10, 2020 by UNTLifer

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

9 minutes ago, KRAM1 said:

You seem to be totally clueless..you do realize that the guy who posted that is a public school teacher, right? I am thinking he knows just a tad more than you about the situation. I have a ton of respect for him. You..well, you might be just a tad too woke for me. 

No Mark, I don't know him at all, nor his real life self. Zero. None. I don't claim to know. 

I know what he typed: "Kids need to be in school. I have zero fear of sending mine."

He was not talking as a teacher with his two sentences. He was talking as a parent and his lack of fear for his kids. So.. That is what I responded to. 

If he has no fear for his fellow teachers or administrators - that is wonderful. I am glad he/she will be back in the classroom.  

</woke>
 

[UNTFan23]

2 hours ago, SteaminWillieBeamin said:

Why would school districts run out of money if it is tax payer driven?
Why does physical attendance impact tax payments?

Federal and state moneys are tied to students being physically present in a classroom. School districts cannot survive on local taxes alone.

When it came to virtual learning, many students would "check in" for attendance but never turned in any work (yet many were given passing grades anyway).

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

2 minutes ago, UNTFan23 said:

Federal and state moneys are tied to students being physically present in a classroom.

Thanks - I did not know that. I wonder what the threshold is..

https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/10facts/index.html#:~:text=The%20federal%20government's%20share%20is,sources%2C%20primarily%20for%20private%20schools.

This says that ~8% of the budget is from the Federal Government.  

https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/99706/school_district_funding_in_texas.pdf

50/50 split on the state versus local funding in Texas. Yep - local taxes can't survive that if the state doesn't make exceptions. 

[THOR]

Not that yall care, but I'm enjoying the beaches in florida right now.  I'll respond with what I can, when i can about the education stuff, money, safety shit when i can.

As a parent, I want my kids in school.

As a teacher, our students need to be in school.

[meangreendork]

I just hope they've got a bulletproof plan to keep students, faculty and staff safe. 

[El Paso Eagle]

11 hours ago, SteaminWillieBeamin said:

Why would school districts run out of money if it is tax payer driven?
Why does physical attendance impact tax payments?

Maybe I am misunderstanding the comment. 

 

8 hours ago, UNTFan23 said:

Federal and state moneys are tied to students being physically present in a classroom. School districts cannot survive on local taxes alone.

When it came to virtual learning, many students would "check in" for attendance but never turned in any work (yet many were given passing grades anyway).

 

Districts not running buses and cooling/heating buildings has to be cutting down greatly on cost.

From what I understand the Federal and State dollars are being allocated based on participation with the online classes. Monies are not being withheld due to children not physically being on campus

Edited July 10, 2020 by El Paso Eagle

[KRAM1]

21 hours ago, meangreendork said:

I just hope they've got a bulletproof plan to keep students, faculty and staff safe. 

Life has no “bulletproofs”. One of the challenges faced with this thing is that way way too many people think everything should be “bulletproof”. News flash...not happening. 

[meangreendork]

2 hours ago, KRAM1 said:

Life has no “bulletproofs”. One of the challenges faced with this thing is that way way too many people think everything should be “bulletproof”. News flash...not happening. 

I'm aware, just overstating a need for solutions that'll work. There's no way to go back and fix mistakes from the beginning of this, it's a matter of not letting it get worse when it doesn't need to. 

[Coffee and TV]

On 7/9/2020 at 9:44 AM, THOR said:

Kids need to be in school.  I have zero fear of sending mine.

Guy who refused to wear a mask for the safety of others not concerned with the safety of others. News at 11

[MeanGreenTeeth]

The truth is all of our options are garbage.  The good news is that serious complications from COVID to children are vanishingly rare and probably much less so than flu.  I also heard on the news yesterday that children aren't very good at transmitting it either (though who knows how accurate that is).  Of course, there is a chance the teachers could get sick or the kids would bring it home to their family (which I understand to be the bigger concern than the kids themselves).   

The thing is that online school is a really really poor substitute, for younger kids especially.   It also means that the kids hurt the most by not having physical school are those kids who are already underserved and/or don't have a supportive family structure.

IMHO, the best of the terrible options would be to have kids attend school unless they or someone in their household is in a high-risk group.   Those who couldn't attend could stay online.  I'm not sure what would happen to teachers who are high risk though.  I guess they might have to take a leave of absence in some cases.  That's terrible to say..but things are terrible.

Edited July 11, 2020 by MeanGreenTeeth

[Got5onIt]

If they’d locked things down through the summer, I’d be ok with schools opening in fall. But it’s been a total cluster F to this point. So who knows what’s going to happen. Looks like my son will be playing Football in the spring as well due to rumors UIL is going to push it back. Yeah, options suck at this point but our country was too slow to respond and here we are wading knee deep in our own diarrhea. Shoulda took that pepto bismol whilen the stomach was rumbling and everyone else was shitting their beds. Now we’re shitting the entire house...

Edited July 11, 2020 by Got5onIt

[Censored by Laurie]

6 hours ago, MeanGreenTeeth said:

The truth is all of our options are garbage.  The good news is that serious complications from COVID to children are vanishingly rare and probably much less so than flu.  I also heard on the news yesterday that children aren't very good at transmitting it either (though who knows how accurate that is).  Of course, there is a chance the teachers could get sick or the kids would bring it home to their family (which I understand to be the bigger concern than the kids themselves).   

The thing is that online school is a really really poor substitute, for younger kids especially.   It also means that the kids hurt the most by not having physical school are those kids who are already underserved and/or don't have a supportive family structure.

IMHO, the best of the terrible options would be to have kids attend school unless they or someone in their household is in a high-risk group.   Those who couldn't attend could stay online.  I'm not sure what would happen to teachers who are high risk though.  I guess they might have to take a leave of absence in some cases.  That's terrible to say..but things are terrible.

given all this...who is teaching our low-risk youth? 

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Sending them is bad ..... Staying at home is bad...  Maybe the answer is dividing a room up into 2-3 groups and sending them every other day or whatever is the answer.... helps keep them apart more  (smaller groups) but still face to face some but more work at home ... 

... No easy answers. -- but many have no access to computers to learn even 

 . Having taught public school (30 years) and college classes (41 years) I can tell you students that took online  classes in Math/science are not near as good as those those that were in a classroom.  Maybe English or History... don't know ... Foreign language and many others don't work well either. 

 

[THOR]

On 7/11/2020 at 11:25 AM, Coffee and TV said:

Guy who refused to wear a mask for the safety of others not concerned with the safety of others. News at 11

You got me man...I hate my kids and other kids so much that I am not concerned with sending them to school. Good on you dude...you figured me out. I'll buy ya a beer at the next home game as a congratulatory gesture.

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, THOR said:

You got me man...I hate my kids and other kids so much that I am not concerned with sending them to school. Good on you dude...you figured me out. I'll buy ya a beer at the next home game as a congratulatory gesture.

I agree with him. Do I get a beer?😂🤥

[NT93]

There’s obviously more to the decision than meets the eye.  For example:  I’m told that roughly 30% of all teachers are eligible for retirement. Who teaches all those classes if even 10% of those eligible to retire decide to do so? Another not so obvious issue:  Substitute teachers.  There is already a shortage in many districts, who subs for the teachers who get sick, etc.

All that being said, I want kids in schools.  A “generation” of kids are going to be so far behind:  academically, socially, emotionally.  (Not all kids of course, but many will be affected in one or more ways).

On a personal note, my son was in an auto accident on November 9 and didn’t go back to school until January.  Covid hits in March, so he basically went to school for a total of one semester his sophomore year.  I’m fortunate that he got his brains from my wife, but even so that’s not the education anyone wants for their kid.  The thought of him starting his a Junior year at home drives me (and him) insane.