Fullerton School District Fires Teachers, Buys 350 Laptops
Fullerton School District just approved the purchase of 350 new laptops for the floundering 1:1 Laptop program. Meanwhile, the school district has laid off 122 teachers and staff this year.
A few months back we discussed how parents are coerced into buying these overpriced Apple computers for $1,500 each, or else their child will be forced to attend another school. We have also confirmed that many of the laptop loans made to parents by the district have gone bad, sending families into bankruptcy and requiring an additional $120,000 in funding from generous but naive donors. The loans that these parents are forced into will continue to sour in this economy, which means even more indebtedness for the school district.
Furthermore, parents taking the so-called laptop survey are increasingly turning against the program, despite the threatening manner in which the survey is administered. The survey ominously indicates that answering incorrectly will result in one’s child being deported to another school against the child’s will.
Lest you think we’re making this up, here is a clip from an actual Fullerton School District presentation:
This entire catastrohpe was nothing more than a resume-padding excercize for former District Superintendent Cameron McCune. The 1:1 Laptop program needs to be scrapped immediately. Unfortunately for parents and children, Bevery Berryman is the only school board member wise enough to see past the chirade.
Why did the school district buy 350 computers? Aren’t the parents responsible for the cost?
Blue Devil, some parents buy them (on credit), some lease from the district, and others are loaned out for the cost of insurance. Many of the parents who bought or leased them have defaulted on their payments.
So we are replacing our teachers with computers? That sounds so efficient and hi-tech. This is the future – we don’t need teachers anymore.
Those laptops cost $1,500, right? By my calculation, that’s over half a million dollars. That could have put quite a few teachers back in the classroom.
Did we elect these people to educate our children?
I’ve got two kids who’ve been through the program who liked it primarily because it was a distraction from more serious academics. You know, the problem is that people like Hilda Sugarman are baffled by computers. They just assume that they are difficult to learn. Therefore, they have incorrectly hypothesized that there is some huge benefit to be derived from taking 20% of kids academic time and energy and have them work with computers. Virtually all of these kids are probably better with computers than the average teacher in the district. It’s like having them walk around with Xbox 360’s.
Amen, #5. You have hit the proverbial nail on the head. For Hilda Sugarman and her cronies this is all about self-promotion as a do-gooder. But the do-goodism has gone terribly wrong. The mantra is technology; the result will be plagiarism, illiteracy and ignorance.
How long will it take 4 U to C that Im rite?
I for one support the laptop program. We need to have technologically savvy kids so they can drive the future economy and compete with kids from other parts of the world. The computers will do this. They will also help the teachers become more efficient. This is a win-win situation!
Chamber Star, who is winning in this “win-win”? Families are filing for bankruptcy, the school district is out of money and the kids are playing video games and talking to strangers online! Sounds like a lose-lose-lose to me.
Travis your comments are ridiculous! My two boys, Kalil & George Bushala attended Fisler school for two years. They were part of the laptop program. You can ask Tony (when you go over and see him) that our boys learned alot. They helped him many times with the powerpoint presentations for City council meetings. In addition the school saves money on purchasing books. Parents are very excited about the program. I personally ran the fundraisers at the school to help raise money for the students that were in need of financial assistance. Parents rally when they know it’s going to help educate our kids. Which you know nothing of! You have no kids!!!
What absurd is your comment about “Families filing for bankruptcy because of the laptops”.
Where do you get that information from???
Honeslty you have got to get your facts straight and learn to pick your battles to win the war!
I can’t believe my husband Tony would allow for you to put this post when he paid for the computers for our boys and supported the program by donating money directly to Fisler laptop program?
Talk to me when you have kids!
I will continue to support the laptop program!!!
I believe that it is very beneficial for our childrens future.
Travis, the program may have some bugs in it, almost all great ideas need some ironing out. In this case the ultimate goal is tech savvy kids who can drive the 21st Century economy and pay for OUR social security! Don’t you want you kid to have the best?
It really is about the future!
Some so-called “great ideas” are fundamentally flawed from the start. This program has been around for at least 5 years and it’s falling apart faster than ever. The school board needs to have the courage to admit failure.
Hey don’t pick on me. I’m retired in PS now and don’t need your grief. However, I am available for good paying consulting work!
School board member Minard Duncan says. “I don’t blame the parents for objecting to paying for what we call free public education.”
Then WHY DO YOU KEEP FORCING IT ON US?
This Cameron McCune fool used our tax money to bribe teachers to figure out his stupid computers. They got pay raises for learning how to use them!
http://web.me.com/tonyanderson/Site/Leadership_3.0_Conference.html
Wrong, #13. Read your own link. He bribed “busy administrators” to implement the program. In other words he wasted our tax money in order to teach educrats (like him) how to fiddle with their joysticks. And this is the type of miscreant that the school board just loves to suck up to.
Whoops, Harpoon you are right. The only thing worse than bribing teachers would be bribing their administrators.
I agree with Chamber Star. Our kids need to understand and utilize computers to be set for the future. As our race evolves, the three RRRs are not enough. If you want kids set for the future, they need to be connected now.
Travis, do you really think we should not have computers in schools?
Also, I think a more prudent option would be to have “net books” as they are smaller, lighter and are meant to surf the net, run a word processor and other small applications, but not to play games. The best part, they are usually sub $400.
Jack, you agree with Chamber Star? Uh-oh.
Jack, I have NEVER claimed that there shouldn’t be computers in school.
1. I question the need for grade school students to have access to their own personal computers throughout their entire school day.
2. More importantly, I believe that forcing and shaming parents into purchasing an overpriced computer under threat of moving their child to another school is completely unjust and a violation of the California State Constitution, which guarantees a free education to all children.
Agreed.
But when you say…
… it sounds like you don’t think having computers is productive or needed.
Jack, when the kids are in a computer lab, teachers can monitor their activity. When you give them laptops that they can take to Starbucks and go on the internet, a whole new world opens up. I have avoided talking about the safety issue up to this point, but there are stories about these laptops that need to be told.
Oh, no, we dont want to open the world up to our kids! That would be horrible.
Jack, I’m afraid your not catching my drift. Opening up the dark corners of the Internet to Fullerton’s school children without adult supervision has been an unmitigated disaster that few are willing to talk about. Stick around…
Are you freaking kidding me? Our schools are totally impacted with kids, the class sizes are huge, the staff is less and you’re telling me that if my kid doesn’t participate in the laptop program you’ll send them to another school?
Where the hell is this school, within the Fullerton School District (or anywhere else in the US for that matter) that can handle the transfer of multiple children, whose parents simply cannot afford a laptop?
What friggen moron thought this was a good idea? I’d love to kick em in the shins!
Jeez…..
CS, almost every kid in America knows how to use a computer. What kids should be taught is how to think for themselves, apparently a concept you may never understand.
Admin~ can you tell me how to teach my kids how to think for themselves? You sound like your an expert in that subject.
As our race evolves
Which race would that be, Jack?
Good lord, what an idiot.
Books are a start and I’m no expert.
Admin, books are an excellent start! They require the reader to concentrate and think. They develop the imagination without flashy pictures or sounds, they challenge the mind to “fill in the blanks.” They are essential to language acquisition, good spelling and the development of critical thinking. And, on the practical side, they are portable, do not require any electricity, allow the reader to proceed at their own personal pace, and have a tactile aspect that makes it all the more real. In many ways books are way ahead of computers!
Mr. Peabody, while I respect your opinon I really have to question your expertise. Do you know anything about teaching or technology?
The educators at the school district are all highly educated and well-trained people. They all have masters and PhDs. And it makes sense for our kids to embrace the newest technology and always be on the “cutting edge.” Abacuses are tactile too. Would you teach your kid how to use one. I think not!
Mr. Peabody – embrace the future. Books were great in their day – the sixteenth century – but that day is over. Think how many books can be stored in a portable computer and carried around with you! Plus music and pictures of art and, well, just about anything you can think of.
The school’s budget will require more layoffs and possible furloughs of administration staff, but what they need to do is get rid of all the expensive sports programs, needless coaches and just stick to the basics.
As it is California ranks #47 right next to Mississippi.
I remember years ago when Louisiana was considered to be the worst state now they are at #44. Computers are not the problem, it is the way the district and teachers prioritize sports and the lack of motivation to do well.
They also need to get rid of ROP programs in high school because most teachers just stand around and do nothing to teach the students.
before it’s too late!
Good point Layoffnow, there is absolutely no need for public education to spend money on after school sports & coaches when volunteers coach for free.
There is Little league baseball, Pony league, Boys and Girls club has a basketball league, Bobbysox softball, AYSO soccer teams, and many more all which have volunteer coaches.
Bev, stop being a coward, it will come back to haunt you someday.
hahaha “is the only school board member wise enough to see past the chirade.” That’s probably the most inappropriate time to misspell a word
You dug up this old post just to zing me on a spelling error? Touché!
I stumbled upon this lovely bit of “journalism” while looking up the history of the Fullerton School District. It’s obvious that the author has no clue how these kind of budgets work — they cannot simply move money from one place to another. Regardless what the circumstances are, if they have money specifically set aside for technology (computers, printers, toner, etc.) they CANNOT use that money for ANYTHING else. If someone is upset about the district not having the power to move their money around to keep those “122” teachers, take it up with the Sacramento. The district has absolutely no control over such things.
Also, what else is included, besides the physical laptop, in the $1500? Is software — which can be very expensive — included? How about support (software/hardware issues, repair)? Are people have to pay the entire $1500 upfront? What proof is there that a defaulted laptop loan is the sole reason for a family going into bankruptcy? I find it difficult to believe that ones inability to pay for a $1500 computer loan would send them into bankruptcy…there have got to be much larger issues at play.
It’s painfully clear what the authors agenda is and, frankly, it’s extremely sad.
It helps to actually know what you’re talking about if you’re going to take a stance on an issue.