Cut the frills in our schools

With that thought process maybe we should turn everything into a four day week. No stores, no government, no medical, dental, or even hospitals. Think of all the healthcare money which could be saved by a four day work week.

Children need more education not less or time compressed for budget reasons. Want ot save school money. Get rid of the big salary big bonus administrators and other non-teacher types in the BOE. Just like the big bailout corporate types, why pay people bonuses and incentives for bad performances. You judge performance on the product of the system, the students, no how well they administer the system.

whocares, I realize that your comment might be sarcastic in tone, but even so, an across-the-board 4-day work week sounds like a fine idea. As for educational systems, the quality control of its "product" could only improve. I agree with Mr. Santos.

They can't afford to cook lunch at school, they can't afford PE classes for our kids who are getting fatter and fatter, now you say no to extracurricular activities, how about the state cutting other areas besides education? Kids need positive extracurricular activities and those usually come from school. Education and teachers saleries should be the last place to ever have cut backs, these children will someday be running this country and making the decisions for us all and a quality education is what they will need to do that. What goes with all the lottery money that is supposed to help education, I am sure that there are other less important programs than education that can be cut, how about cutting some salaries of overpaid administrators and state officials. Also, some states have year round school and you are suggesting only four days a week, these kids aren't learning half the time with the days they now have.

I have always been an advocate of the 4 day school week. I would say add an 1 and 1/2 hrs or so to the day. That would greatly reduce costs and keep instruction time about the same.

I agree with the writer. The extra's should always be the first to go in a budget crisis. Schools should be primarily for education. What $$ is left over after the teachers are paid, supplies are provided, etc, can then be spent on the costs of extracurricular activities.

Can someone please explain where people are getting the information that magnet schools have no extracurricular activities? It's false.

school vouchers and eliminate extra-curricular activities other than those that do not foster or enhance critial and analytical thinking abilities (chess clubs or any clubs such that are based on school subjects..history, economics, math, science..etc) as a former sports participant on the high school and college level i am not singling out sports, but in tight bugetary times the teachers or those directly related to the education process should be the last to be laid off or let go. there are plenty of functional illiterates who are very good or even become stars...anyone every heard of dexter manley(played for the washington redskins but couldn't even read or write past the 6th grade level-by his own admission), how many functional illiterates are able to play chess, solve complex math equations or successfully complete a science project, very few if any. then it is left up to the poor property owners to fund new sports venues for schools that within recent history that has had graduation rates less than 35-40%.

Education could be greatly improved if the federal government would get out of our schools. Bring back corporal punishment, make the parents responsible, get rid of administrative staff in both the schools and BOE - how many principals and secretaries are needed in one school - get rid of graduation coaches - what are they. Have centralized pick-up points for kids riding the buses - they stop every 30 feet. I can think of numerous ways to cut money.

Roeschen, by all means, you should go to work at a school. You can do all the work that hundreds of children generate. Every school secretary that I know works like a lunatic, but since you obviously can do several jobs at once, by all means, go to it. Think of all the money you could personally save the district.

Cut the fat and bloated administration staff--problem solved!

I agree with cutting administration staff. I also agree with cutting graduation coaches. We didn't have those when I was in school and no one had problems with graduation. If parents could put their children in schools closest to them, especially those that are in walking distance of the school this would save money on gas for buses and for bus drivers. I have had children in my family (neices/nephews) who were being bused downtown during elementary school years when there was an elementary school in walking distance of home. In fact, there were 2 elementary schools in walking distance. It would also save gas for the buses if the drivers would not speed over the speed limit. I have almost been hit several times by buses speeding. I understand that all schools are not in walking distance but the shorter the distance that the buses have to take them the more gas that can be saved.

By law children have to attend school a certain number of days per year, so a 4 day school week means nothing unless the law is changed.

next thing you know, people will demand they stop using bottled water and make them use the same drinking fountains as the students use. Why do they have a contract for bottled water in the main office building downtown anyway?

Southernguy08. I agree 100%. Alternatively they could restrict sports to only schools with a grade ratio that averages over 70% for all students combined. But first we as taxpayers have to ask ourselves, what do children need to learn in school.