I’ve always hated the commercial use that David Bowie song, but somehow it makes sense to use when the principal announced my leave of absence just now during the bi-weekly staff meeting. Now we’re in the “governor wants to cut 10%, plus enrollment declines” part of the meeting. San Francisco, and Santa Ana are letting go of 10% of their teachers. For us in Long Beach that would mean that 470 teachers would be let go. We’re talking lay-offs not displacements or site relocations. Florida is looking more than just good. It’s looking dangerously like Arthur Dent and Ford Perfect’s improbable rescue from certain death when they got picked up just in the nick of time after being spewed out into space (see “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy“).

I feel bad for those who are going to have to ride out this storm. As I wrote last time, i’ve been through this so many times and am completely tired of the whole thing. Ack, the principal just made the titanic analogy. He wants us to imagine that we’re in a big ol’ white Crown-Royal rollin’ down the highway and the radio just went out. I think that the truth is somewhere between the big ol’ white car and the titanic. jbb

All typos courtesy my iPhone

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