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Should parents feel the sting of cuts as much as teachers?
Our friends at the Gradebook blog have an interesting story on the issue of teachers forced to take unpaid furloughs to make up for budget shortfalls. The teachers union in Pasco County has thrown up the idea that at least one of the district's mandatory unpaid leave days should take place on a school day. That way budget cuts affect kids and parents too, and not just employees. If it falls on a Wednesday, parents will have to take a day off work or get a sitter and then maybe they'll feel the same pain as the teachers and speak up when it comes to school funding. But if they make the furlough day Dec. 22, it will simply be one more day in the winter break and will go by unnoticed.
I gotta say, I kind of like this. Even though, as a working mom, this would cost me a huge amount of hassle, maybe that's a good thing. If a teacher is taking an unpaid day of work, maybe I should feel a little more discomfort when the school is closed so that these school budget talks hit closer to home.
When I floated this theory to a friend who follows school news closely and is a parent himself, he wasn't so giving. When he sees stories of administrative waste of taxpayer money, he doesn't feel as much sympathy. Sure he feels for teachers, but he's not sure that pitting parents against teachers puts the target in the right spot.
So what do you think, should we make parents squirm along with the teachers during these budget crunches?
--Sharon Kennedy Wynne
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THE AUTHORS
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, Comment Policy
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