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Principal elimination is positive
Published Tuesday, April 22, 2008
It was likely that the Fergus Falls School District had little choice, but it was good to see that the administrative position of high school principal was eliminated as part of the cuts.
It almost goes without saying that it’s unfortunate that the district has to make cuts due to its financial constraints. However, with the combining of the Middle School and High School, merging the principal positions made the most sense. An administrator typically is better compensated than a teacher, and local residents inevitably accuse the district of letting teachers go while keeping the “fat” in the administrative office.
When it comes to cutting money from the school system, there are no easy decisions. That said, it appears district officials are keeping the best interests of students in mind when making them.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by SallyRay (anonymous) on April 22, 2008 at 3:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
wow, just wow.
Posted by doctipster (anonymous) on April 23, 2008 at 9:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
about damn time they cut some administrative jobs. Think about this ya'll... Here they are joining the middle and high schools, cutting out completely one elementary school and yet all we have seen is teacher cuts... What about Secretary and office cuts. Upper echilion cuts... WE as fergus falls residents and District 544 should be asking the right questions....
Why cut teachers when it is obvious you need to eliminate some administrative staffing.
Posted by daidres (anonymous) on April 23, 2008 at 10:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's getting really sad to read the DJ and learn about more educational cuts. I do agree that the administration should get cuts at the same time as all of the wonderful teachers who are being cut. I graduated from Fergus falls, and am now facing the decisions of what school district to put my children in. Where I live, Fergus, Underwood, Rothsay, and Pelican Rapids are fighting for students to come to their distict. They will send their bus' pretty much anywhere just to get the enrollment. At this point, unfortunately, I know what it's like to really like a teacher, and to have their jobs eliminated due to Financial reasons, I don't want to put my kids through the heartache of losing someone they look up to everyday. It's not like these teachers are going to stick around to see if they get their positions back, they have families to support like everyone else. It's time to look at the districts that aren't making the cuts, and consider them for educating your children, not only will your children get the education, and recognition in their classrooms, but they will learn what it means to get your priorities straight! Money isn't always everything. And until the government realizes that the education they are "cutting" from the schools, is directly impacting the future of our country, our children.
Posted by thethinker (anonymous) on April 23, 2008 at 10:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Any cuts to education are cause for concern. When a nation places more emphasis on incarceration, larger jails, more inmates, and more arrests - and does so at the expense of educating its' youth - that nation is doomed to fail. Not saying we need to be less tough on crime - but take a look at the state budget and you'll see they consistently raise the funding for prisons/incarceration while depleting the education funds. If over 70% of ALL inmates are incarcerated due to drug related crimes(and most due to use) it is quite obvious the "war on drugs" is a disasterous faliure. A new approach - maybe trying to help addicts - will decrease the inmate population. It is concievable that a decreased inmate population will cause a decrease in funds to the prison system and yes, an increase in the education budget.
However it is certainly more important to retain teachers than it is to retain upper management. The decision to elimintate the principle position appears to be the correct one.
Posted by karicob (anonymous) on April 23, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is so sad to me. Being a graduate of Fergus Falls and now a principal myself, I truly can't believe the things I'm reading here. You have no idea what a principal does in a building and how critical it is with the needs of our students that there be a leader in the building consistently to address these. I live in a town of 3500 people and our community supported a 19 million dollar building referendum in 2001 to make our facilities wonderful for our children and now passed an operating referendum to ensure our students get the very best education in these facilities. It's so sad to me that Fergus Falls can't support their schools...a combined middle and high school for a town the size of FF is A DISGRACE!!! Shame on you all for not supporting education. This is a statewide problem...not a Fergus Falls problem. Support your schools and your students and quit bashing and blaming administration. Being a principal is a tough job but it is a critical job...we don't just sit in the office all day and collect a paycheck. Every part of the school is important...and cutting a high school principal is going to just cause more problems for the entire school. Daily Journal, this is not a good thing...support your schools.
Posted by oh_its_you (anonymous) on April 23, 2008 at 11:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
To take thinkers point one step further, the more education a person has, the less likely they are to end up in the criminal justice system at all. This is also true for most social programs. You don't see many people that have a higher education degree receiving public assistance. If we fail to help our children thrive in the pre-K-12 system they are not as likely to further their education. By raising class sizes, cutting programs, and raising participation fees we are ensuring that our kids will not be as succussful in school. The more money that we put into education directly affects the amount that we will end up paying in the future. The best way to fix the funding issues is to VOTE!
Posted by oh_its_you (anonymous) on April 23, 2008 at 11:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
karicob, I do not think that anyone in this town is overly excited about any positions being cut. However, year after year of cutting teachers (36 this year alone) we need to cut those positions higher up. There will still be plenty of people to assist the principal in making sure his job is done well, and if anyone is up for the challenge I think that Mr. Momke is the man for the job. He is an amazing person and principal and I think that he will do just fine.
Posted by karicob (anonymous) on April 23, 2008 at 1:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh_its_you,
You are right, Mr. Monke is a wonderful man, one of the best in his field, and you will run him right out of his job requiring him to be the middle and high school principal. Middle School students are a FULL-TIME JOB, not to mention the management of staff, state-mandates, parents, activities, etc. Fergus Falls is setting themselves up to lose a quality individual...just because someone is good doesn't make it right to make their job unmanageable. This is not good for the kids, not good for the community, and definitely not good for the future of FF. Sad, but True. Until people realize that Education needs to be the #1 Priority in that community, you will continue to lose quality teachers, quality administrators, and lots of quality students.
Posted by daidres (anonymous) on April 23, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I see your point karicob, however, I would rather see them cut an administration job rather than another teacher. When the class sizes are already too large for individuals to strive in any class. When one teacher has to instruct well over 30 students in an hour or less, what do you think the students are going to get out of that class? Compared to a smaller school where the average class size is 10-15, it makes a huge difference in educating the proper way. You have better one on one time with students if you can have more teachers available, to teach smaller class sizes. Remember you can speak to a large group of students with a well planned curriculum, but you can't make them understand and learn the subject, unless it is taught with the proper attention each and every students needs. I hate to see Fergus Falls having these issues with it's school system, but somethings gotta change, and if that means eliminating a principal, then so be it. Soon families will be moving to different towns where their children will recieve the education they deserve! I do agree that the principal in charge of the whole elementry and high school students is gonna have their hands full, and probably a migraine every night after school!
Posted by FungusAmugus (anonymous) on April 23, 2008 at 7:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know what everyone is so worried about you don't need good teachers, or principals in Fergus Falls put your money where it's needed , build that new Hockey Rink!!!!
Posted by thethinker (anonymous) on April 24, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
oh_its_you is 100% correct regarding higher education leads to less incarceration and less need for public/govt assistance. This is indisputable. Things happen and sometimes even brilliant people need help. However, every statistic available shows that the more educated you are the less likely you are to commit crime or be a govt dependent.
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