Some enterprising school systems have stepped up their game:
Perhaps the most puzzling option, at least for parents, has been the opening of day camps in public schools and other spaces. In addition to public schools, 28 states and the District of Columbia now have YMCAs that operate virtual-learning labs for small cohorts of school-age kids.
These labs and camps operate very much like schools. Kids come in wearing masks, work all day on a computer, and then do an enrichment activity before returning home. To reduce the risk of infection, they don’t intermingle with other cohorts or eat in cafeterias. But there is a twist: Parents pay for this privilege. Judging by local news stories, the rate is about $100 to $200 a week.
6 comments:
a) Parents who work (not from home) do actually need somewhere to put their kids during the day so they can actually work.
b) Schools are closed to indemnify the government against being sued for infecting kids (not to mention teachers) and their families during the pandemic. Why this should be necessary due to sovereign immunity and the fact that kids catch diseases in schools all the time normally is beyond me, but that's the primary reason.
c) Parents will pay to get the kids out of the house. Be that daycare, tutoring, camp or what have you.
d) Any school system that opens a school building up and charges for this "day camp" needs to be sued into oblivion and the local government should be facing tax revolts for this. Attempting to double-dip like that honestly is ludicrous.
Well in DeSoto TX the school taxes collected are used to pay the posh travel expenses incurred by administrative staff...
I just learned that my local school board, which recently was taken over by good guys, hired a new law firm, hired a search team to find a new superintendent, and bought the old superintendent out of his contract. He had already announced his retirement at the end of this school year. Instead, he was asked to clear out his desk by the end of the day.
The new counsel is giving helpful advice on some sketchy real estate deals from a couple of years ago, from which school board members failed to recuse themselves and open-meetings requirements were ignored.
Elections do matter.
Tex, the school board needs two law firms.
If the district has only one source of legal advice it loses the desired tension between the elected board setting policy and judging appeals to disputes; versus the superintendent interpreting and executing those policies and acting as first line judge.
Most districts boards have only one full time employee - the superintendent. State law allows a board to also hire an "internal auditor". This power is one superintendents hate for boards to discover. Note auditors can monitor measure and report on matters besides finances...
In Los Angeles, the schools already double-dip- not only do you pay property taxes, but if you get a building permit, there's a "school fee". The school fee can end up being almost as large as the rest of the permit cost- that is to say it nearly doubles your permit cost. I kid you not.
J Melcher, I'm going to pass that on to the school board president.
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