Back to the Future?

In the school year 2010-11, I have more students on my rolls than since 1980 in Chesterfield. For example, I have 6 rolls not 5 because I now give up half of my lunch to keep a "study hall" of 28 additional students.  The study hall is for the 700 students (across the entire school) that have a "D" or "F" on their report card.  They have D's or F's because they are stacked in core classes and can't get the one-on-one instruction that was available just 4 years ago in Chesterfield.

We are drowning in old equipment, out of date textbooks, no n-technical or little technical support for $300 computers.  Our lunch lines are longer because we have few "lunch ladies" who want to work for low wages, short hours, and a high volume of customers.

Schools in Chesterfield are "1985" at best in a 2010 world.  No wonder the U.S. now ranks 15th in the world education assessments.  Chesterfield is still only living in the 20th Century...  A sad story, but it isn't fiction.
~30⁺ year Veteran High School Teacher