California sued for $2 billion by taxpayers. Payout to come from . . . higher taxes . . . ???
[center][image][/center]
[i][b]Picture above [/b]- Official BBC News photo of what covid 19 remote learning looked like in California. Disclaimer - your experience may vary during this online game.[/i]
Okay – I totally get it. Covid school shutdowns made things worse. Despite spending billions on “free” laptops for students, almost nobody logged on. A bunch of laptops were used for gaming, or pawned. Kids fell seriously behind. Well, many were already seriously behind before Covid. But remote learning made it worse. Dammit – somebody has to pay!
The court agreed. The state of California itself was quickly cornered as the guiltiest suspect, with the deepest pockets. $2 billion . .. here we go!!
In case you're worried that students – or their parents – are going to get fat reparations checks for their lifelong educational, career, and income impairment, you can stop worrying. Neither the students or parents will see a dime. Instead, all that money will be given to (wait for it) . . . California's public schools. In the hope that they can do better in the future. This is totally true. See link at bottom.
Call me naive, but I doubt this is what the parents expected when this suit was launched. They weren't told their taxes would go UP, and they would never see any money. But that's probably exactly what the attorneys expected. That's the way civil suits work. Plaintiff's attorneys don't make anything unless they win in court, or the accused pleads guilty before trial and pays a settlement. This is what happens with hot coffee at the McDonald's drive thru. The attorneys made millions. Coffee drinking commuters? Not that much.
So, the State of California isn't actually hurt by pleading guilty. In fact – ALL the public school administrators got to keep their jobs. [i]“Okay - we're guilty. So what? How much is next year's salary increase? Where do I sign? Just so there are no personal consequences.”[/i]
Of course, the Principals, assistant principals, learning resource aides, technology specialists, district superintendents, and statewide directors of education aren't at fault either. The “learn at home with a laptop” brainstorm was cooked up by . . . the state legislature. But they won't be losing their jobs either. Because they were responding to the demands of unruly parents, who thought their kids might die if they went to school. Or be required to get a vaccinated. Parents at both extremes had different worries, but a huge number of them demanded remote learning.
And now those parents are suing for $2 Billion. But they're not actually getting the money. All that loot is making a U-turn, and going back into the school system. Paid for by higher taxes.
California's budget deficit this year is $40 billion. That's on top of the $160 billion they're ALREADY in debt for. So I'm guessing taxes will, indeed, go up. But don't ask me about the odds that SAT scores will go up, or dropout rates improve, or that graduates will read at higher than a 5th grade level. You KNOW that's not gonna happen. Whether the fine is $2 billion or $20 billion.
I'm just sayin' . . .
[u][b]California agrees to $2 billion settlement over Covid pandemic learning loss for struggling students - KESQ
California Seeking $208 Billion to Cover Largest State Deficit Ever (msn.com)[/b][/u]
[i][b]Picture above [/b]- Official BBC News photo of what covid 19 remote learning looked like in California. Disclaimer - your experience may vary during this online game.[/i]
Okay – I totally get it. Covid school shutdowns made things worse. Despite spending billions on “free” laptops for students, almost nobody logged on. A bunch of laptops were used for gaming, or pawned. Kids fell seriously behind. Well, many were already seriously behind before Covid. But remote learning made it worse. Dammit – somebody has to pay!
The court agreed. The state of California itself was quickly cornered as the guiltiest suspect, with the deepest pockets. $2 billion . .. here we go!!
In case you're worried that students – or their parents – are going to get fat reparations checks for their lifelong educational, career, and income impairment, you can stop worrying. Neither the students or parents will see a dime. Instead, all that money will be given to (wait for it) . . . California's public schools. In the hope that they can do better in the future. This is totally true. See link at bottom.
Call me naive, but I doubt this is what the parents expected when this suit was launched. They weren't told their taxes would go UP, and they would never see any money. But that's probably exactly what the attorneys expected. That's the way civil suits work. Plaintiff's attorneys don't make anything unless they win in court, or the accused pleads guilty before trial and pays a settlement. This is what happens with hot coffee at the McDonald's drive thru. The attorneys made millions. Coffee drinking commuters? Not that much.
So, the State of California isn't actually hurt by pleading guilty. In fact – ALL the public school administrators got to keep their jobs. [i]“Okay - we're guilty. So what? How much is next year's salary increase? Where do I sign? Just so there are no personal consequences.”[/i]
Of course, the Principals, assistant principals, learning resource aides, technology specialists, district superintendents, and statewide directors of education aren't at fault either. The “learn at home with a laptop” brainstorm was cooked up by . . . the state legislature. But they won't be losing their jobs either. Because they were responding to the demands of unruly parents, who thought their kids might die if they went to school. Or be required to get a vaccinated. Parents at both extremes had different worries, but a huge number of them demanded remote learning.
And now those parents are suing for $2 Billion. But they're not actually getting the money. All that loot is making a U-turn, and going back into the school system. Paid for by higher taxes.
California's budget deficit this year is $40 billion. That's on top of the $160 billion they're ALREADY in debt for. So I'm guessing taxes will, indeed, go up. But don't ask me about the odds that SAT scores will go up, or dropout rates improve, or that graduates will read at higher than a 5th grade level. You KNOW that's not gonna happen. Whether the fine is $2 billion or $20 billion.
I'm just sayin' . . .
[u][b]California agrees to $2 billion settlement over Covid pandemic learning loss for struggling students - KESQ
California Seeking $208 Billion to Cover Largest State Deficit Ever (msn.com)[/b][/u]
31-35, F
