Budget Cuts will have Consequences
By Steve Walker
Special to the Express-News
The unintended consequences of the Legislature's crusade to extract deep cuts in the education budget will have a far-reaching effect on Texas public schools in the next school year.
One of those unintended consequences involves increased class size due to fewer teachers in the classroom.
As a retired classroom teacher, I can assure you an adverse outcome on the quality of education of those students in soon to be overcrowded classrooms.
As a justice of the peace dealing with truancy, disorderly students and dropouts in six school districts, I predict my caseload will also increase, due to the overcrowding.
More students squeezed into a classroom will encourage more fights, disruptions, truancy and lack of learning.
Back in the '70s, as a young teacher, it was not unusual for me to have 30-35 high school or middle school students. Over the years I taught both. I actually taught one freshman English class of 42 students at Roosevelt High School.
Some of them had to sit on the floor, the heaters by the window, makeshift tables with folding chairs or, on occasion, they stood. If it wasn't for the fire code I would have seen even more students in my classroom.
The more students absent, the better chance the remaining students had to sit in a desk. It was a great excuse for students to skip class. Do we really want to go back to those days? It's a blueprint for disaster!
As a certified special education teacher, I can also tell you that special needs students will be mainstreamed en masse and untrained teachers will be teaching them. In the long run it will cost taxpayers more than the savings the Legislature thinks it has accomplished. Good intentions sometimes have adverse outcomes.
This past year I worked closely with San Antonio Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Durón, and I've worked closely with Jefferson High School Principal JoAnn Cockrell, who was hired out of retirement to streamline procedures at Jeff dealing with truancy, disorderly conduct and the soaring dropout rate.
In less than a year, she is making an impact and turning it around. With the deep cuts, her school and the other campuses face large classroom numbers and the fallout from those numbers.
As judge I will continue to address the students who come into my court. I know all the 16 school districts in Bexar County and feel confident their staffs will do all in their power to do their jobs despite the setback we are facing in education.
Let's hope next year we can continue to improve test scores and despite our challenges of increased classroom sizes, ensure our next generations of students get a running chance at a better life. Maybe some will even become judges!
Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Steve Walker is a Vietnam War veteran.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Budget-cuts-will-have-consequences-1439312.php#ixzz1QVpyY42B
By Steve Walker
Special to the Express-News
The unintended consequences of the Legislature's crusade to extract deep cuts in the education budget will have a far-reaching effect on Texas public schools in the next school year.
One of those unintended consequences involves increased class size due to fewer teachers in the classroom.
As a retired classroom teacher, I can assure you an adverse outcome on the quality of education of those students in soon to be overcrowded classrooms.
As a justice of the peace dealing with truancy, disorderly students and dropouts in six school districts, I predict my caseload will also increase, due to the overcrowding.
More students squeezed into a classroom will encourage more fights, disruptions, truancy and lack of learning.
Back in the '70s, as a young teacher, it was not unusual for me to have 30-35 high school or middle school students. Over the years I taught both. I actually taught one freshman English class of 42 students at Roosevelt High School.
Some of them had to sit on the floor, the heaters by the window, makeshift tables with folding chairs or, on occasion, they stood. If it wasn't for the fire code I would have seen even more students in my classroom.
The more students absent, the better chance the remaining students had to sit in a desk. It was a great excuse for students to skip class. Do we really want to go back to those days? It's a blueprint for disaster!
As a certified special education teacher, I can also tell you that special needs students will be mainstreamed en masse and untrained teachers will be teaching them. In the long run it will cost taxpayers more than the savings the Legislature thinks it has accomplished. Good intentions sometimes have adverse outcomes.
This past year I worked closely with San Antonio Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Durón, and I've worked closely with Jefferson High School Principal JoAnn Cockrell, who was hired out of retirement to streamline procedures at Jeff dealing with truancy, disorderly conduct and the soaring dropout rate.
In less than a year, she is making an impact and turning it around. With the deep cuts, her school and the other campuses face large classroom numbers and the fallout from those numbers.
As judge I will continue to address the students who come into my court. I know all the 16 school districts in Bexar County and feel confident their staffs will do all in their power to do their jobs despite the setback we are facing in education.
Let's hope next year we can continue to improve test scores and despite our challenges of increased classroom sizes, ensure our next generations of students get a running chance at a better life. Maybe some will even become judges!
Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Steve Walker is a Vietnam War veteran.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Budget-cuts-will-have-consequences-1439312.php#ixzz1QVpyY42B
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