It seems this teacher sharing concept is a win/win for both schools. Public schools get to increase enrollment numbers, thus increasing per-pupil funding. The parochial school fills a non-core position without paying one dime. In this economy saving money matters.One concern I have with the program has nothing to do with its immediate impact. Let's look past the curb, around the bend, down the road. Will parochial schools that use shared-teachers ever give them up voluntarily? Will parochial schools that haven't paid salary and benefits, suddenly start paying? Hmmm, I may not be a finance major but I have been to enough voters meetings to know the answer to that question.
Here's where my concern surfaces. What happens to the Concordia University Ann Arbor graduate who is majoring in physical education or art or computers? Those jobs are slowly diminishing because of this shared-teacher conundrum. So after four, but most likely five, years of attending a Concordia, graduates discover their jobs have been parcelled out to public school teachers?
The effects continue. How long will it be before Concordia computer teachers, art teachers and physical education teachers look to the future and find their future fuzzy? If Lutheran grade schools and high school, that support the Concordia University System, don't support its graduates with jobs, why would those students continue attending the Concordias?
Yes, that's a rhetorical question.
More concerns surface in the next chapter...edition...post.
1 comment:
I thought of another objection, though it isn't exactly with the program.
Music is not a "non-core" subject. It's part of the core for Lutherans, just like Religion is part of the core. So you can't contract/share out your music teacher. Obviously nearly everyone does that already... that's bad for the "Lutheran" side of our schools.
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