OPINION: Pet Peeves, Politics, & Potpourri 7-25-12

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[According to CUSD #139, they are in a financial crisis. Further, they say 54% of elementary and 31% of high school students live in poverty. To help balance the budget, they will raise the meal fees 30 cents, charge $40 fee per sport, and raise registration fees to $50 for both schools. Seems to me this is going to knock out a lot of kids out of playing any organized sports. Ok, lets save some money! Start by turning off all outside lights in the daytime and pull the plug on those outside billboards. Does every classroom need a teacher's aide? No! Dean of Students; What does he/she do? Get rid of this position. Wellness coordinator; I still don't know how he benefits the learning process. Vice Principal; evidently they are unqualified, because every time a principal is fired (for reasons unforthcoming) thousands of dollars are spent in the search for a new one. Most of the fired principals leave with a golden check because of the lucrative contract they signed.

According to Jr. College administrators, a large number of high school grads are severly lacking in math and sciences, requiring remedial tutoring. This all falls back on high school teachers. When was the last time a high school student, or grade school student for that matter, ever made to repeat a grade. I would say never, unless they had severe learning disabilities.

Sailors have more fun!

Marines grin and bear it.

Jack Hargis is a columnist for The Randolph County Herald Tribune. His column appears weekly.