More stupidity

Minneapolis Schools Superintendent Carol Johnson is recommending cutting 209 teaching positions and increasing class sizes in most grades to save $10.2 million for the 2003-04 school year. Johnson also proposed eliminating at least 60 positions in the district's central offices to save $9.1 million.

What's wrong with these numbers? Hrm...

Cut 209 teachers to save $10.2 million. This works out to an average of $48,804 per teacher- note that this covers salary and all benefits such as insurance, etc.

and

Cut 60 administrative positions to save $9.1 million. This works out to an average of $151,667 per position, again covering salary and all benefits.


Now watch- there will be complaints that teachers make too much.

This week's Free Will Astrology

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
"After several hours of careful rumination and a difficult weighing of the possibilities," said a character on the TV show "Frasier," "I have decided to be playful today." This is the exact approach I recommend for you in the coming week, Libra. Be disciplined in your preparations for a wild release. Carefully organize the events that will allow you to explode in joyous spontaneity. Think long and hard about how you can bring more fertile, rejuvenating chaos into your life.

Plan to... have fun? I could get into that.

(I'm guessing it's a Niles, quote, btw. Niles rocks.)

(no subject)

I have just discovered that one of the local public television stations shows BBC World News at 10pm. (I'm assuming it's basically their own international news, tape delayed.) I'm watching it now, and damn, but it is good to hear plain, straight news without all the sensationalistic crap, and especially to actually hear some international news without the bullshit propaganda.

(Digital cable carries BBC America, but that costs an arm and a leg. To find this on standard, VHF broadcast is lovely.)


BBC World News: News you can watch without gagging.

(okay, so their ad folks will probably never use that one... it's still true.)