A blog about Schools & Education.
|
Ken Mettler, what "hat" are you wearing? June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 
RSS 2.0    Share!
|
|
|
Ken Mettler, what "hat" are you wearing?
Ken Mettler came out and said, on offical Republican Assembly letterhead, that he is asking for teachers to take a 5% pay cut to help with the school budget. Now, I ask, why didn't he bring this up a day earlier at the KHSD Board meeting, of which he is a voted-in member? Easy. He'd have been booed out of the conference room. Mettler would be considered an enemy of the people in his own chambers. Luckily, Mr. Mettler wears two hats. One (ill-fitting) hat as a "leader" in education and another as president of the Republican Assembly. I feel that the hat he wears for education is just a costume and the hat he wears as a member of the Republican Party is his real hat that he is nurturing and filling as best he can. Why else would he bring up teacher pay reductions under that hat, and not the KHSD board member hat? Who is he trying to help? "outside of the box" thinking? How about cutting the pay and pension/insurance of the board members first? Or all the administrators that fill out offices on Sundale Avenue? This is just more political posturing on Mettler's part to gain favor in his party and keep his political future alive (which is not as a lowly school board member). People will tell teachers, its for the kids. Everyone else in the state is taking a cut, how about you? True, it is tough all over, but as a classified KHSD employee said Monday evening, start the cuts at the top of the food chain, not the bottom. As for me, that 5% cut in my salary means, 100% less in my buying ice-cream, yearbooks, Camp Keep, etc for my three school-going children and the weekly fundraising forms they bring home. That 5% will keep me from helping my own school's fundraising efforts, some of which I coordinate. Cutting 5% (as is the case for anyone else who has taken pay cuts) will be directly cutting into the school's ability to raise funds. One way or another, the kids WILL lose out. JV sports is a small cut (we've had two levels before and the world did not end). If it happens, it happens, I accept it, but my children and their school will not be getting my donations this year to run their extra-curricular programs. In two years, I really hope that Kern County notices that Ken Mettler has an education agenda and this agenda is his alone, which is called his future in politics. The KHSD and its staff/students/teachers are just a stepping stone for him towards bigger things. He needs to take off his costume "hat" as a board member, and just wear his political "hat". Its just easier for everyone else that way. 12 comments from 7 users
1
posted by
FloridaStateGrad
on Jun 24, 2009 at 05:19 PM
How much money to we pay him? posted by
AudreyB
on Jun 24, 2009 at 05:25 PM
How does he keep getting elected to school boards? posted by
randomfactor
on Jun 24, 2009 at 05:38 PM
How does he keep getting elected to school boards? This is Bakersfield, Audrey. Voters here are the product of those schools. I know, I keep blanking that unpleasant fact out, too... posted by
tkozy
on Jun 24, 2009 at 06:02 PM
Is Ken related to W.H. Mettler, agriculturalist posted by
AudreyB
on Jun 24, 2009 at 06:05 PM
He's very popular with the Sunday-Go-To-Meetin' crowd. You know, those people who let Chad Vegas do their thinking for them. Once more, how much did it cost to install those In God We Trust Signs in every classroom? posted by
ferretnaura
on Jun 24, 2009 at 06:07 PM
As randomfactor stated, this is Bakersfield, the Republican capital of the valley. No matter what Mettler does, he'll get re-elected just due to people voting for parties (which I despise! Vote for who is best for the job, Rep, Dem, or Indy). I really thought Chad Vegas would lose in the last election due to what he "accomplished" on the KHSD board, yet he had the highest votes. Again, Kern will vote for their party, not for the best candidate. I do like Mr. Perry though, the Board's newest member. posted by
tkozy
on Jun 24, 2009 at 06:07 PM
Audrey,
Don't you worry bout da money.
Just pray... posted by
AudreyB
on Jun 24, 2009 at 06:16 PM
Tkozy Can I just cross my fingers. I'm not the praying type. posted by
antiextremism
on Jun 24, 2009 at 06:17 PM
Mr. Perry is a gem of a guy. To me it's just like Ahnold's idea to pay state employees minimum wage till a budget is passed. How about we pay THE ACTUAL LEGISLATORS WHO ARE TOO BUSY MAKING SURE THEIR LOBBY GETS A PIECE minimum wage till they pass a budget. Some office tech working in Tulare doesn't have a say on how they spend our money, why should she suffer? Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. When budgets are slim, start with the budgeters when it comes to less pay. posted by
Shwaine
on Jun 24, 2009 at 06:21 PM
The legislators salaries are legally protected. They have a law that says they can't be cut in pay while in office. We'd have to pass a proposition to be able to mandate pay cuts to them right now. That's why the publicized pay cuts don't take effect until 2010 (next time they all cycle through). Funny how that goes isn't it? posted by
AudreyB
on Jun 24, 2009 at 06:25 PM
Funny. But not ha ha funny. posted by
antiextremism
on Jun 24, 2009 at 06:31 PM
The joke will be on them if that proposition went through.......and I'll bet the budget would come in right on time. LOL Eh...maybe not, I'm sure whoever they whore for will drop off a care package for 'em.
1
 Loading Stories
Advertisement |