I’m not the smartest guy in the world, so it took another cup of coffee and a second serious reading to figure out that Doug Clark’s (unposted) N&R column on cutting the state’s $3.7 billion budget gap was tongue-in cheek. Still:
School’s been out this week for wintry weather. Let’s just forget the makeup days and save the money of turning on the lights and running buses. And when teachers stay home, they shouldn’t be paid.
…..Prison inmates can do a lot more than mope in their cell all day. Why aren’t they helping to maintain state parks, roads, beaches and other public resources? Some might be qualified to teach, if they aren’t sex offenders?
In seriousness, prisoners already do road work, so is there anything so wrong with expanding work programs? As for calling off makeup days, I’m all for it, once it gets to a certain number —- and there could be quite a few, the way this winter’s going. I’ve never understood what is so magical about that 180-day number. Is there any evidence at all that going to school for exactly 180 days improves learning?
Yes, Clark’s suggestions —like inmates as teachers and shipping the sick to Arizona to save on medicaid costs —are farcical. But he concludes “(w)e can cut costs and raise revenues at the expense of the few and to the benefit of the many. Just make sure you’re on the right side of the equation.”
The only problem is quite a few people are going to be on the wrong side of the equation as the state begins what will be a very painful budget process, and no doubt many will consider some budget-cutting measures to be as farcical as letting inmates teach.
Unfortunately, this is what it’s come to, and there is no other choice.
