Bad Policy wrote on Apr 14, 2008 1:12 PM:I can relate to the late start policy if TVUSD were in secession year round but this is not the case. Old school was teachers had the summer to work on their advanced degrees or attend related seminars to help them in the class rooms. Disrupting routines of working families and students is not good business. I was once told TVUSD is big business. I have not been impressed with how the administration is running our big business of yet. It’s imploding! In fact, I would fail most of them for their management practices.

EthnicAccountant wrote on Apr 14, 2008 2:14 PM:How come they don't have early starts instead? Nothing like interrupting a working parent's schedule. Remember the parent's? The ones who pay the property taxes for the schools? The parents who usually have to be at work around 8 am - 9 am??? Duh.

Complain wrote on Apr 14, 2008 2:46 PM:Hey, if you don't want it to happen...just go to the board meeting and complain. This board jumps from one side of the fence to the other. Have you ever seen the way they vote? Everything is 5 - 0. And if you knew what we know about how they run this district...you would ask that they all were removed from their positions..including the newest head cheese. Where is Dave Allmen when you really need him?

PROFESSIONALTeacher wrote on Apr 14, 2008 6:01 PM:Since when do professionals have to accomodate their schedule for you? You take time off to go to the doctor, the dentist, the attorney, the accountant and numerous other professional obligations. Do you ever ask them to switch their schedule for you? You go on THEIR schedule. Who do you think watches our children during late starts? We adjust and adapt, just as we do during Open House, Parent Conferences, Back-to-School Night, school performances, dances, grading work at home, and so on and so on. Whether you want to believe it or not, teachers are professionals. We have to go to actual colleges to receive our teaching degrees. It is time you ungrateful, unhappy parents start treating teachers as such.

PROFESSIONAL(?) Teacher wrote on Apr 14, 2008 9:55 PM:You seem a bit bitter about the comments being posted. The parents aren't ungrateful, they are struggling. They juggle raising their children with working full-time jobs and maintaining households. Who doyou think attends all of the things that mentioned...the parents. Their day does not end at 5:00. Parentsing is a 24/7 job. By the way, teachers aren't the only ones who have to go a "real college" to get their degrees. I got my MBA from a real college.

Hmm wrote on Apr 15, 2008 7:34 AM:It seems the only people who are allowed to whine are the teachers.

What? wrote on Apr 15, 2008 7:45 AM:Where's the objective DATA to substantiate this statement?

"District administrators say the plan would improve student achievement by providing more time for teacher training."

Do you expect us to just take "District Administrator's" (say so) word for it? I don't think so.

What wrote on Apr 15, 2008 8:31 AM:To "Proffessional Teacher" I am not angry with teachers it is just difficult when you have a job that requires you to be there in the morning and then you have to leave your middle schooler by themselves. In this day and time that is a scary thought.If you have more than one child, lets say in elementary school then they have half days every other Wednesday, so now you are jumping your schedule all over. At my job when we have meetings it is after work becuase my customers would not be very happy if my office closed for admin time because I serve them not the other way around.

STOP WHINING! wrote on Apr 15, 2008 3:23 PM:Parents, you knew your kids had to go to school when you gave birth. If you don't like the FREE public education requirements and schedule, enroll in private school - as long as you can afford it and your kid is smart, healthy, and needs no special education programs. Or home school as long as you can stand being with your kids for 10 hours a day!
Teachers, STOP WHINING! You get three months off to do what you choose. Increasing your degree is YOUR CHOICE. If you don't like the requirements get a private sector job and see how long YOU get to dictate what your schedule is! The union has bargained a gem of a deal for you: tenure after two years, $200-$400 per hour depending on your step/column, two weeks off at Christmas, two weeks off in the spring, 185 days of work and the rest is yours to do with as you like, GREAT CSTRS retirement package, FREE health care for you and your family. Good grief. You wouldn't last 10 seconds in the private sector with the rest of us dolts. NO SYMPATHY!!

EthnicAccountant wrote on Apr 15, 2008 3:41 PM:Here is when I get to complain about professional accommodating to my schedule: when my taxes pay your salary!!! When the district my kid is in FORCES my child to attend that school!!! Holy crap, the bell rings at what 2:30, 3 pm? I know a hell of alot more doctors offices open at 2:30 and 3 pm vs. 6:00 or 6:30 pm. Also, doctors don't take my property taxes every time they whine about their salaries with a new proposition.

More time for teacher training? wrote on Apr 15, 2008 5:10 PM:Oh that's right, Admin's told the teachers they can't take time (get subs) for that. OK, now I get it, so now the teachers have to do their training during the regular day so it doesn't cost the district any money. The district saves cash & the only real sacrifice (really) will be LOST instructional time for the students. Good plan TVUSD...by the way, have you updated your motto (to "Students Last Always") yet?

TVUSD teacher wrote on Apr 15, 2008 8:40 PM:They sent us a survey to get our opinion...most said that the late starts were a waste of time, but the administration ALWAYS does what it wants! Most teachers are parents, too, and we feel the same way, the scheduling of various activities for family, work , etc..can be overwhelming...and the meetings are a waste of time, I'd rather be with my students druing the late start time!!! It is your right to come to a school meeting...You are hereby invited! We need a meeting oversight committee!

FACT CHECKER wrote on Apr 15, 2008 8:49 PM:$200-$400 per hour??? I wish I made that much. Free healthcare? Last time I checked, there was a premium deducted from my paycheck? 185 days of work and the bell ringing at 3:30 are contracted, yes. But, I guarantee your child's teacher comes in on the weekends,stays well past 3:30 and comes in well before 8:30 to complete the job. How do you think grades, progress reports and report cards are done, EthnicAccountant? While your children are at school? As for the property taxes and the propositions, teachers are not paid by propositions. Those propositions are bonds to build new schools and update old ones. And, by the way, why aren't teachers allowed to want to make more money for what they do? Is it because we work with kids that we must somehow work for free or be willing to take a pay cut because we have more time off than everyone else? We ARE professionals, with professional training to help each child in our class grow academically and socially. How can you put a value to that?

Whine and Cheese wrote on Apr 15, 2008 9:23 PM:Why do teachers assume that other salaried people don't work weekends or after their business closes? I've been doing that since high school. Many college-educated business professionals will work late into the night and on Sundays and guess what? They don't get 3 months off in the summer and no, their job is not SAFE after 2 years. That's great that you want to teach kids but working parents shouldn't have to be late to school because the administration/ teachers want to sleep in.

FACT CHECKER wrote on Apr 15, 2008 11:03 PM:During those late start times, teachers are not sleeping in. They are there, with their colleagues, working together to figure out the best practices for teaching your child. Many teachers are on an island in their rooms and don't have the opportunity to talk with each other to figure out what other methods may be more effective. And, I know that other jobs work weekends and stay late. However, the implication (and only argument any body can ever come up to rally support) is that we only work until 3:30, Monday through Friday, and so we constantly must defend ourselves against this ignorance. And, yes, we do have 9 weeks off in the summer. That is a blessed perk, but please get your facts straight and argue with some concrete evidence, rather than just emotion (jealousy?) before you go spouting off once again. By the way, STOPWHINING, We spend a little over $150 per month in perscriptions, so there is no such thing as free healthcare.

Less is not More wrote on Apr 16, 2008 8:01 AM:Our kids need MORE time in the classroom, not less. The rest of the industrialized world keeps kids in school 7-8 hours a day and 220-230 days a year. Is it any wonder our kids are falling behind? Until the powers that be start insisting on more classroom time our kids willo continue to fall farther and farther behind.

Wow wrote on Apr 16, 2008 8:53 AM:And this is supposed to be a good school district? Hate to see a bad one!

That's depends wrote on Apr 16, 2008 3:07 PM:on a person's definition of "good." For a school district/school, mine would be one that values and has high expectations for ALL students & puts their welfare first, above ALL other things. A "good" education means adequately preparing students for life after school (K-12 or college).

So, based on this, I wouldn't say that Temecula is a "good school district."

to whining/ fact checker wrote on Apr 16, 2008 7:27 PM:Obviously you meant 2-4 hundred a day. That's accurate right?

Teacher wrote on Apr 16, 2008 10:44 PM:These late starts are a waste of time!! I have been in many of them and they serve little to no purpose! We teachers need to be in the classroom teaching and not in some MPR or Library talking about nonsense that no one except the admin really believes in. This also puts families in a bind, trying to work and get their kids to school later. To bad the District does not listen to their employees!!!

to all wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:09 AM:To all of the teachers and parents that think this is a bad idea...you all need to vote out the incumbents running for school board this year. You all agree that administrative changes need to be made, well your chance is coming to make that change. Do something about it! Vote out Tooker and Morris!