31 August 2010

CPS Photocopy Budget

What is up with the restriction on teachers making Xerox copies at Cincinnati Public schools?

I've noticed that our children's teachers refer to this often. For example, yesterday, I received a notice from my daughter's teacher that stated:

"My copy budget is limited thus your child will only receive one sheet of math homework per week instead of five."

WHAT!!??

Does this make any sense at all? Has anyone else dealt with this in their school?

Do some parents donate paper and toner? Should we return to use of the mimeograph?

Also, the Enquirer has an article today on one of my other pet peeves: short lunch periods. It is so frustrating when the kids bring full lunchboxes back home. I think a parent at our kid's school brought a proposal to the CPS school board that would mandate longer lunches, but they decided to leave it up to each principal.

10 comments:

Archer said...

I have seen this issue over the years at my childs' schools. Sometimes my daughter would bring home worksheets that were printed on used paper (paper that had miscellaneous other printed materials on the backside). But most of the time she is just assigned questions and problems from out of a text book. Apparently printer paper, toner and other coper equipment can become very expensive for the school corporations if they don't regulate it's use.

CityKin said...

In my business we use lots of paper. I have bought and rented the machines and I have bought thousands of dollars in toner and paper. Yes it costs money, but it is necessary and schools need to build this into the budget.

Remember the smell of the blue mimeograph sheets, or am I too old for the rest of y'all?

Unknown said...

Print management - they need a proper print management program to assess the correct number of printers/copiers they need and install tools to monitor performance and manage the use of paper and ink. Doing this will reduce their overall printing costs.

Anonymous said...

A friend of mine was a teacher in Indianapolis for Teach for America. In her school, the teachers had to bring their own paper to make copies with (paying out of their own pockets for this). My friend found it incredibly difficult to do that on the low salary she was given. This was a lower-income area, so many children had little resources at home to use to do homework with...they needed worksheets, in other words, or "storybook" sheets to cut out, color, and put together. She was also a first grade teacher in a state that doesn't require Kindergarten, so you can imagine how many worksheets she needed to make!

Mark Miller said...

Parochial schools use Edline, which is kind of an online bulletin board for students. I know CPS uses a different but similar application, but I'm not sure how extensively they utilize it.

For y'all without kids, Edline is where teachers post the course syllabus for the year, class schedules, homework assignments, handouts, and grades. My kids download the homework question sheet as a Word or PDF file, fill it out on screen and email it back to the teacher. If hard copy is needed, they generally print it at home and bring it in to school.

Nice thing about having everything online is that it automatically sends me email alerts for missed assignments, and lets me track their grades on the web.

I realize not every CPS kid has a computer and printer at home, but many do. Can't they reduce indiscriminant tree-killing by distributing printed copies only to those who need them?

Dave said...

Perhaps a printer cartridge would be less expensive than copier toner?

Anonymous said...

Dear Anonymous,
It's well known that teachers spend an awful lot of money out of their own pockets. In fact, this is such an established fact of life that the tax code allows teachers a special deduction to help compensate for their unreimbursed expenses.

Dear Mark Miller,
" I realize that not every CPS kid has a computer" Very perceptive observation.

"Can't they reduce indiscriminant tree-killing by distributing printed copies only to those who need them?" Yeah, why can't teachers keep track of stuff like this?

Dear City Kin,
I also feel pangs of nostalgia for the perfume of mimeographs. Which, come to think of it, is probably something toxic.

Blue Ash Mom

5chw4r7z said...

Mike, I remember one old hand cranked copier, we used to fight over who got to make copies.
That blue mimeograph was like crack.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

My job is a consultant for KnowledgeWorks here in Cincy and we just launched a website for a governor-commissioned study about ways to make schools more efficient. I would LOVE it if you would share your thoughts here. It's important to have this parent perspective. Our mantra is "save money WITHOUT hurting student achievement." It seems like limiting teachers in this way ultimately impacts learning. Please share your thoughts (and encourage others to do so) at:
www.ohiosmartschools.org