@Nshrubs@mstdn.social
@Nshrubs@mstdn.social avatar

Nshrubs

@Nshrubs@mstdn.social

Don't mess with public schools, the environment, or my uterus. Twitter https://mstdn.social/@Nshrubs
Mostly in Seattle.

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ai6yr, to random

Remarkable how out-of-the-mainstream utilitarian cycling seems to be in my neighborhood. Strong car-centric culture in Southern California, for sure. (yes, I was, until recently, part of that). 🤔

Nshrubs,
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@autumn @ai6yr We'd LOVE to have more kids walking & biking up here, but Seattle & much of Western Washington never bothered with sidewalks beyond a certain point. Many of our roads from schools out to neighborhoods were once old logging roads - windy, hilly, no shoulder, flat out dangerous for kids to walk or bike on. ☹️

Nshrubs, to random
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Since a large majority of school districts across Washington sent out RIF notices this week, here's how we got to the point:

First came the McCleary lawsuit & arrogantly & carelessly rushed to meet the deadline last minute without seeking any feedback from stakeholders. They fucked up royally, but ignored us when we told them they made things worse.

State officials think they fixed school funding. Tacoma, Olympia area districts say it’s not true
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article167895412.html

Nshrubs,
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What this all means for kids is that fewer of their needs will be met, class sizes will get larger, teachers will be more stressed & under WAY more pressure, parents will get pissed, & the right wingers will increase their drumbeat for "school choice" aka school claiming that public schools are failing. And in , the Democrats are just as much to blame for this as the GOP. None of them have made ANY attempt to rectify what they screwed up.

Nshrubs,
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Designed to Fail: The Legislature’s McCleary solution has collapsed
http://paramountduty.org/designed-to-fail-the-legislatures-mccleary-solution-has-collapsed/

Nshrubs,
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Among the things they fucked up? Elimination of the staff salary mix, which reimbursed districts for the staff they HAD, replacing it with a flat rate. This penalizes districts with more experienced staff & incentivizes only hiring new, inexperienced (& cheap) teachers. (This definitely had WA GOP fingerprints ALL over it.)

Your Salary and Why “Staff Mix” Matters
https://storiesfromschool.org/your-salary-and-why-staff-mix-matters/

Nshrubs,
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@ai6yr It's a nightmare. 5 teachers from my school are being laid off, about 67 teachers in my district, plus support staff & admins. We have a teacher shortage yet we're laying teachers off STATEWIDE in this budget cliff for schools here that was predicted back in 2018 right after the legislature unleashed their "fixes".

Nshrubs,
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There's also the little issue of the sneaky levy "swipe" which doubled property taxes in King & Snohomish counties & sent local levy money to fund rural school districts by way of the state budget, all engineered by a GOP legislator Chad Magendanz & DINO Ross Hunter.

https://coalitiontoprotectourpublicschools.org/restore-school-funding/broken-promises-shell-games-and-poison-pills

Nshrubs,
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also limited our ability to use local levy money with the cap of $2.50 per $1,000 assessed property value that they forced on us.

Nshrubs,
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also cut our LEA funds, so districts with lower property values are receiving less equalizing funding from the state.

Nshrubs,
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Then there's the whole "regionalization factor" bullshit that means one district's teachers get extra money & the district RIGHT NEXT TO IT does not. The intent was good, but fucked it up SO badly.
https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/publicupload/eclips/2018%2002%2002%20We%20re%20screwed%20Some%20school%20districts%20feel%20like%20losers%20in%20new%20school%20funding%20scheme.pdf

Nshrubs,
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Neither the state NOR the feds have EVER fully funded IDEA/Special Ed as promised. WA State has had a cap on what it will pay for Special Ed, the rest used to come out of our local levies, which has now restricted our collection of. The ~$25M deficit my district has this year is DIRECTLY tied to our SPED costs.

Nshrubs, to random
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Guess she doesn't want me to use my computer this .

Nshrubs,
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@thepoliticalcat She IS fat, but losing weight. My dad overfed her like crazy.

Nshrubs,
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Another , another cat blocking me from using my computer.

Nshrubs,
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@thepoliticalcat She's been gradually losing the weight - with good food & exercise, she's lost nearly 2lbs over 5 months.

Nshrubs, to random
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Probably 1/2" of snow around my place, but every ounce of uncovered concrete is now coated in ice & the wind is ICY cold.

charlesgaba, to random
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Wow. With all the brouhaha over student loan debt, Hawaii just launched their own student loan relief program for around 1,500 healthcare workers:

https://acasignups.net/24/01/22/hawaii-launches-student-loan-relief-program-1500-healthcare-workers

Nshrubs,
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@charlesgaba Washington state is making sure public employees have all the PSLF info they need & that they can get the paperwork necessary in a timely manner.
https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=41.04.045

Nshrubs, to random
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Views of Glacier Peak & Mt. Rainier, plus new smoke plumes. ☹️

Mt. Rainier in the distance.

Nshrubs, to random
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Waking up to pouring rain again in Salt Lake. Looks like the installation of my dad's headstone today is cancelled. Hopefully it will be dry enough on Monday that it can be done before I catch a plane back to Seattle.

Nshrubs, to random
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Pretty decent rain here in the Seattle area. Much more than I expected.

Rain on a skylight.

Nshrubs, to random
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PSA: School are nothing more than a grift. Transfer of public money to private hands, welfare for the wealthy.

Arizona gave families public money for private schools. Then private schools raised tuition
Critics worry that the state’s new universal school choice program is a subsidy for the affluent
https://hechingerreport.org/arizona-gave-families-public-money-for-private-schools-then-private-schools-raised-tuition/

Nshrubs, to random
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When you can't even get ready to take a shower in peace.

Monster cat 's foot waving around under the door.

Nshrubs, to random
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Private schools, public money: Private school leaders are pushing parents to exploit voucher programs
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/02/02/private-schools-public-money-school-leaders-are-pushing-parents-to-exploit-voucher-programs/

Nshrubs, to random
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Well, if I'd been in Utah, I would have broken the law today. Men's restroom was empty, no men around. Women's restroom had 7 women in line, I had a time deadline. So I opted to use the men's restroom, as did another woman.

Nshrubs, to random
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Feels like summer in Seattle! Juneuary in January!

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