LISNews: - Comments for "The disgraceful interrogation of LA school librarians" Comments for "The disgraceful interrogation of LA school librarians" en CANNOT BE LEGAL! <p>Where is the union in all this?</p> Fri, 13 May 2011 21:48:40 +0000 Anonymous Patron comment 46960 at This is a war against an educated populace. <p>Make no mistake, people. This is not a war on librarians. This is not a war on teachers. This is most certainly not merely an example of a dysfunctional education system gone awry. Nor is it a new phenomenon. </p> <p>Instead, this is part of an on-going war against having an educated populace. Those "with" have long known that the best way to keep those without "without" is by preventing them from getting an education. The first university in the U.S. was founded before there even was a U.S. It was available only for the wealthy. When public schools were first instituted it was only so the government (meaning the taxpayer) could provide training to workers so they could work in the mills without breaking things. Later, schools were also tasked with socializing students to the "accepted" social norms of the times. However, it was the social "norms" that the wealthy wanted the populace to believe in that were taught rather than the social norms that actually existed in the populace and, therefore, didn't need to be taught in the first place.</p> <p>It was not until well-intentioned teachers - mistakenly believing their job was to make life better for their students through education - started teaching things like critical thinking and actual scientifically provable facts rather than dogma that those with real control over the education system became upset and decided to intervene. Teacher pay started to decline in terms of real spending power. Budgets started declining. More emphasis was placed on teachers teaching "morals" than critical thinking or how to learn. No Child Left Behind - I believe - was specifically designed to make it more difficult for teachers to actually teach despite all the rhetoric about better education. Now that the shills of the wealthy have just enough of a majority in many areas of politics, they are doing everything they can to undermine the education system. Vilifying the very people who are actually trying to educate the children.</p> <p>This is not about budgets. This is not about improving education. It is a blatant attempt to completely dismantle the education system they have been systematically undermining for decades, if not for over a hundred years. The end goal is a complete switch to a charter school system that is funded by the people but completely outside of the control of those same people. Sure, they will say, "Let the market sort it out. Let the consumers choose which is the best charter school to send their kids to." However, when they are all worthless, passing kids regardless of ability, then how can the "consumers" of education ever choose a better school? That is unless they have the money to send their children to expensive private schools. Eventually, if we don't stand up and do something, the only children taught anything other than how to be good workers and consumers will be those of the wealthy.</p> Fri, 13 May 2011 15:18:13 +0000 Anonymous Patron comment 46957 at Agreed. Administrators and <p>Agreed. Administrators and the officials at the top should be the ones taking the pay cuts, not the teachers and librarians who are actually doing all the grunt work in the classroom and libraries.</p> <p>The superintendent in our district renegotiated his contract, demanded higher pay (which he got), then turned around and took a job in a different city. Now our city is on the hook for nearly 250k that they owe him, yet they want to lay off teachers and close school libraries. Disgraceful.</p> <p>This article made me want to throw up.</p> Fri, 13 May 2011 14:16:06 +0000 Anonymous Patron comment 46953 at Administrator salary <p>Before one librarian is cut administrator salaries should be reduced. In my city that is definitly not LA we have a superintendant that makes 300k. If we cut that to 150k we could keep on 2-3 librarians. The superintendant is not doing anything that deserves a 300k salary.</p> Fri, 13 May 2011 14:08:47 +0000 Anonymous Patron comment 46952 at