Suck it up, hunker down, batten down the hatches, and prepare for hard times, but stop complaining! You all sound just like our whiny students, and you’re embarrassing yourselves and me as a co-worker. Have you all forgotten that you work for a government bureaucracy? What do you expect from a government school system? Waste and excess is an inevitable byproduct, and to ask your precious FCBOE to be an exception is naïve.

As for teachers arguing it’s “unfair” for Fayette County educators to earn less than any other metro school system, think about what you are saying. Of course you make less than other metro area systems. The school system can pay us less simply because we teach better students. It’s a trade-off, but many of you don’t realize this because you’ve never taught outside the county. “I can go to Clayton County and make more money”. Ok, venture beyond the county lines and try that out. Many of you won’t last a week once the reality of public education outside Fayette County smacks you in the face, but your old positions won’t be available since folks are lined up to get into this system.

And Mr. Joseph Jarrell, for whom I have the utmost respect, I respectfully disagree. The teachers of Fayette County are not our most valuable asset. The students of this county and their families are what make this system great, and I’m saying that as a Fayette graduate and current Fayette County teacher.

Folks, you all need a reality check.

We teachers have been accused of whining about our pay cuts and told we'll just have to buckle down and flip burgers during the summer AND teach 25-30 kids per classroom. Well, we ARE already teaching 25-30 kids per classroom, AND we see waste of taxpayer money every day. We get these little feel-good memos from the superintendent's office every now and then, congratulating us for doing such a good job in these "challenging" times. AND we're told that there are more bad times ahead but they trust us to hold it all together...with fewer materials, fewer teachers, and MORE administrative control. I am not aware of any job cuts among the many consultants, coordinators, directors, assistant directors, but I do know that to have one of these folks come visit my school to give this poor ignorant teacher guidance (when it's really just another step in a way-too complicated process to get service for a child) is a major scheduling ordeal. Some classes do not have the textbooks they need; the SmartBoards in all the classrooms are just great, but our underachieving technology department has put in filters that block a large number of the educational sites. But they fixed THAT with instructions on how teachers can unblock individual sites in their spare time. Sorry if any of you non-school employees are irritated by the complaints (and there aren't many actually typed out, since we are faced with termination if we voice too loudly our discontent), but you may choose to not read them. Some folks might actually like to read the viewpoint of those inside the school buildings day after day.

Regarding county level employees, has anyone noticed the new FCBOE website? On the old site if I recall, there was a listing of ALL county level personnel… you could actually find names and I do believe contact information. Well, guess what, not anymore…or at least I couldn’t find a listing. Perhaps someone with better skills at maneuvering websites than me can. To “contact” the FCBOE, you go through their public information officer. There are, however, email links for board members provided. My point in all this? Do they purposely not want us to know how many employees are located at the County Offices? Just asking...seems awfully suspicious to me.

I can understand why you would want staff jobs cut and not teaching jobs, however whichever group is cut will cut jobs! Plus, all the people you mentioned if cut would not balance the budget. Much more is needed to be cut.

It will very likely get much worse at least for the next two years or so due mainly to unemployment in general staying at or above 10-15%.

To meet future budgets, since taxpayers that are working can't afford any higher property or sales taxes, it is going to be necessary to cut teachers--not just teacher pay. Many, many people are in dire straights trying to pay for their homes without a job or with a much lesser paying job.

Foreclosures have just begun in all likelihood since the federal government has done about all they can to stop it.

Many teacher, police and firemen jobs have been saved, at least temporarily by the TARP, but that can not be continued.

I hate to say it but bagging groceries and flipping hamburgers may have to be done in the three month summer and maybe have to teach 25-30 students.