The fleecing of your tax dollars

Warning: this is gross. 


Our schools are totally dilapidated. As I write, I'm sitting in a swivel chair that sinks continuously all day long, in short annoying jumps downward, and am constantly have to stand up and raise it. The office that this chair is in is so poorly insulated that it is safe to say that whatever temperature it is outside, it's only slightly different inside. That is, when it's scorching hot outside, it's blazing hot inside; when it's mind-numbingly cold outside, it's extremity-numbing cold inside (in this school's defense, they did find a space heater I am allowed to use if I ask for it). They don't heat the hallways in the school, and you can't turn on the heat before 7 a.m. - so teachers that get here early to do the mountains of work they need to, bundle up. The bathroom in my office is so tiny that kids changing out of soiled clothes need to leave the door open if they need any assistance from mom. Of course there's not a hint of ventilation in that bathroom either, and the walls are paper thin, which makes it pretty awesome to sit next to all day long. At another school, maintenance killed off a bunch of rodents living in the ceiling just before winter break, and my office bathroom still has the stench of dead animals. Things are constantly breaking, and I am always reminding myself of the slogan, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" - especially the latter two suggestions. 


On rare occasion, I travel to the District Office. The first thing I noticed when I interviewed there is still the first thing I notice when I approach: it is new. It's a new, beautiful looking building, the temperature always just right and the copying machines always in working order. I finally used the bathroom in it last week, and felt like I'd walked into a bathroom at the Hilton: spacious stalls and working soap dispensers. It's a bit sickening. 


I was asked to be on an interview panel, not because I would be contributing anything, but because they needed extra bodies. There were three others interviewing with me: our nursing coordinator who made it clear she did not want to be there, another new and just as useless nurse as myself, and a union representative (who was also a maintenance man). Count that: two unhelpful nurses, and a maintenance man taken out of the dilapidated schools to "assist" in an interview. Worse, the interview was for a position that they weren't sure was going to exist: to have an LVN stay with a student that needs suctioning approximately 2-3 times in a day. The student needs no turning, no assisting with lifting, and is completely mobile. The district is currently paying an agency $50/hour to have an LVN ride the bus with the student and stay with the student during the day; according to the coordinator most of her time is spent just "hanging out" with very few and minor "nursing" issues. 


This could go on and on and on, but in summary: our schools had money, but they wasted it on things like a fancy D.O. rather than paying teachers more attractive salaries, or funding supplies in the classroom. It's sick.