Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Well, Now I'm Just Mad

Grrrrr.

We still don't have a copy machine...but one is in the works.

I've known that "the books" are majorly screwy in our program. What I'm coming to realize is just HOW screwy.

School districts receive money per pupil based on "ADA" or Average Daily Attendance. There's a formula, we report attendance, it gets figured out at the state level. Our program will probably receive upwards of $200K this year of ADA money.

Our program is also funded by a grant from the state. Every alternative school such as mine receives this grant. It is there to pay teacher salaries and bennies. We have one on-site administrator who makes less than 40K per year. We have four full time teachers with anywhere from 4-11+ years experience. Not one of those teachers earns more than $30K per year. We have one part time secretary who earns about $10 per hour, 29 hours per week (at most). And myself. I make about $14 per hour...no benefits.

We also receive $30K per year for our special education "department"...in theory, that should pay my wages.

So, $200K + $100K + $30K = $330K.

4 teachers at $30K = $120K (we'll throw in another $10K for benefits) = $130K

1 administrator at $30K

1 secretary at $9K

1 Special Ed teacher at $14K per year

Rent for our building - $40K per year

That totals (very) roughly $223,000 per year.

Um.

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE OTHER $100,000 DOLLARS?????

Even if ICC and our Uber Boss take a cut for administrative costs, WHERE THE FUCK IS THE MONEY????

Why can't we buy a copy machine? $3,000?

How about the social issues curriculum I wanted for $600.00? DENIED

How about the Science supplies (balance scales, physics equipment) for $3,000K DENIED

This is just ridiculous.

Our students don't even get a LUNCH program! They can bring money and walk to the gas station or buy snacks from the vending machine or bring a lunch. We have no milk or nutritious snacks.

Somehow, someway, we are going to get some answers.

4 comments:

Jennifer said...

I wonder about the benefits? If they have health insurance it's really expensive for the employer. And do they have any kind of matching retirement?
If I had to guess, I bet it's the benefits that take up most of that money. (When I worked at the post office they would send us a statement of our benefits-basically the part they pay, and it often totalled more than my actual yearly wage...

Ramble On said...

Does the administrator receive benefits? I agree that benefits would be more than 10K for four people, let alone 5. There may be some creative bookkeeping, but I don't think there is 100K left over.

Rixblix said...

I was generous with the salaries...I assumed far more than they actually get and I "under" assumed the grant and ADA money. It's got to be pretty close to $100,000.

Whatever it is, it's FAR more than what is being spent on students each year.

There's plenty for me to have needed curriculum and for faculty to have a copier.

Jennifer said...

Yes, I think it's crazy that you don't have basic office equipment or that it's such a fight to get needed equipment. And it's a really bad message to the students, don't you think? Like, you're already bad seeds, so you get lesser than the regular students? (I would think that would be a fairness issue, sueable, because the students there shouldn't receive less than the students at their home school, wouldn't you think?)