Comments on: Dearborn School Leaders Eye Massive Job Cuts

By: I'm just sayin'

I'm just sayin' — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:50:20 +0000

Just a rumor…but is Mr. Whiston one of the rumored 6 people that got $10K raises this year? Along with 5 other “top level” execs at Ten Icke

By: Confused

Confused — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:31:34 +0000

Teachers work hard but that doesn’t mean they cannot take concessions like the rest of us. I do believe the cuts should start with the top heavy administration. Some how that never gets touch. Whiston has an Assistant Superintendent as well as an Assistant TO the Superintendent. Time for them to feel the pain too. Of course it would help too if Whiston paid his fair share of taxes instead of cheating the Schools (and City).

Debbie, you would have been GREAT for that job. They missed out. Have they seen your work on Relay for Life? It sounds like it was fixed if they hired one of their own and got Whiston to pick up the tab. No wonder our schools are in this mess if he just gave someone $70,000 a year and allowed them to keep their full time job too.

By: Debbie Malyn

Debbie Malyn — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:40:53 +0000

Just want to make it clear that “Wating better for Dearborn” is not me.

I applied for the Foundation Director job too, and thought it was a reasonable idea to change it to a full time position, if they had actually hired someone to do the job they clearly advertised – a “full time fundraiser” dedicated to bringing in much more money and operating “totally independent from the District.” It was quite a challenging job description, very high qualifications required.

By: Happy Here

Happy Here — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:37:28 +0000

As the daughter of public school teachers, I can attest to the fact that a teacher’s job doesn’t stop when the bell rings at the end of the day. It is a job that comes home with you in the concern for your students that doesn’t get turned off at the end of the day and in the stack of papers that you are grading on your kitchen table in the evening, just before you write your lesson plans because you simply don’t have enough planning time provided to you at school during the day.

Aside from how many hours teachers put into their day long after the students have gone home … teachers have a huge responsibility. Aside from parents, they are the first step in forming who our leaders will be in future decades. I think it’s pretty important that those who will lead our country, provide our medical care, give us financial advice, etc be able to read, write, do math, etc … I, for one, won’t be complaining about how much my kids’ teachers make as long as they are reasonable and accept that they may have to make concessions along with everyone else with everyone else during these tough times.

By: LifelongDbnRes

LifelongDbnRes — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:21:31 +0000

JD–I think you should come spend a day in my life as a kindergarten teacher. You let me know if I work less hours a day than you. Also, come spend the summer with me and let me know if I only work 180 days a year. Oh, by the way, come to the funeral homes with me when family members of my students pass away, come visit my sick students in the hospital with me when they are admitted for intestinal flu, and by ALL means do report cards and parent-teacher conferences with me. I think you should also grade papers, do all the administrative paperwork that teachers have to do, also make amazing instructional lemonade out of the very few lemons we are given as materials and BY ALL MEANS come PARENT the children I teach that have parents who believe I am responsible for parenting them.

When you walk in my shoes, I’ll come sit in what is likely your comfy cubicle with internet radio and computer solitaire. Did I mention that teachers have more direct impact on the future of this country than anyone else? I am SO TIRED of hearing teachers have summers off and are overpaid for the work they do. You tell me, who deserves more pay–our athletes and pop stars or our teachers? I’m pretty confident they and most people work much less than I do. Ask my husband while you’re at it–he’ll tell you all about how much I work.

Sorry all, I just am sick and tired of hearing this kind of ridiculous talk about teachers. Obviously JD has no teachers that he is friends with or related to. Such a shame.

By: Maddy

Maddy — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:43:55 +0000

I can’t believe what has happened to the Education Foundation. Many years ago, under the direction of Jeremy Hughes and other concerned residents, the Foundation raised money to benefit the students of Dearborn. The board members sat on the board not to be patted on the back, but to contribute. The board now consists of the current presidents “Good Ol boy” friends and he has managed to kick off anyone that doesn’t agree with him. This board is a joke, and somehow, they even got Whiston to pay $70,000 a year to one of those friends. He has an office in the Board of Ed. building all while continuing with his current job. From what I understand, they have added 4 more “new” members to the board, and again, all are B. Mossallam’s buddies. They even added Ali Sayed to the board – why? So he can say he sit’s on a board for his run for city council? Come on… Oh yes – and they are related to Hakim Fakourry. Why don’t they rename this board – I think we call all come up with a new name, because it certainly should not be called the Dearborn Education Foundation. It does not represent all of Dearborn!

By: Confused

Confused — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:18:00 +0000

Only 20+% of HFCC students are from Dearborn. Why do I want to pay higher taxes to keep tuition low at HFCC for 80% of the non-residents attending? This tax was suppose to be temporary. If you renew this, it will become part of their permanent operating budget. Let them tighten their belts like the rest of us. HFCC offers TONS of scholarships for students. They have their own Education Foundation that does nothing but raise money for scholarships. They even pay their own Director unlike Whiston who gave the K-12 Director $70,000.

The City won’t admit my property values dropped. Whiston and Tafekski won’t pay their fair share. Abraham didn’t pay his taxes until busted and Nancy Siwik’s are still outstanding. Time for me to get a break and vote NO.

When does a temporary tax really mean a temporary tax? Renewal makes it a permanent tax. I’m fed up.

By: 20-J

20-J — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:00:07 +0000

HFCC endeavors to keep tuition costs down, especially for Dearborn Residents. This makes it affordable to our residents. HFCC has lost revenue from decrease in property tax values, along with inflation illustrates the need for the millage renewal, not increase. If you look around you will see that HFCC is one of the only bright spots in town, we need to keep it that way. Tuition does NOT make up all of HfCC operating budget. For an average of 30.00 a year I certainly will vote for this. With the collapse of the auto industry and the supplier base, job retraining in Community Colleges is here probably for the rest of our lives. HFCC does not LIVE on 30.00 a household per year (average cost of millage renewal). It costs money to increase space on campus for the ever increasing enrollments . As for K-12 dont even mention them in the same paragraph. They are their administration are beyond sad. I only mentioned HfCC because there is some mindset out there that somehow revenue or monies at HfCC can be transported somehow to P12. They are separate.

By: Getting Screwed

Getting Screwed — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:16:24 +0000

If HFCC is so healthy like 20-j says, why should we throw more money at them by renewing a millage that was a temporary tax? We gave them this money to help them at a difficult time, not to live on. I am going to vote NO because if our schools are in bad shape you know a millage for K-12 cannot be far behind. HFCC has the option of raising tuition. K-12 doesn’t have many options except cuts. Administrative cuts are the last to go, so any cuts will directly impact the classroom and students.

By: Old All Day School Mom

Old All Day School Mom — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:43:32 +0000

SORRY…TYPOS CORRECTED BELOW…
The public sector has become as corrupt as the private sector in this country. The BIG difference is CHOICE. If you or I am unhappy with a private sector product or service, guess what—we can take our money and go to a competing private sector supplier; the best example of that is the auto industry.

However, we have NO CHOICE when it comes to paying taxes to fund public services. If you or I am unhappy with a public sector service or entity, we can’t take our property taxes and give it to a competing public sector service or entity.

The system stinks, and needs to be changed.

Perhaps we could start with limiting the number of public pensions allowable in Michigan, or at the very least TAX the public pensions above $38,000—which is what the state of Michigan tax system imposes on private pensioneers.