Throughout the past few weeks, precautions and necessary actions have been taken into consideration regarding Texas school districts’ funding. New plasma-screen TVs were just installed into the cafeteria, which sparked questions about where the money to pay for them was coming from. However, bonds and district-appointed money are two very different things.
Teachers have been urged to resign and were even layed off from their jobs due to the inability to distribute paychecks. Curious students are constantly asking,”How can we afford plasma TVs that we don’t even really need, when there are teachers who don’t have jobs now?” Few people know that the district did NOT pay for the technology that Mac now possesses, but our own student organizations and faculty provided the funding.
“The district allowed us to have a ‘garage sale’ to raise money. We sold the old TVs from classrooms since projectors were installed,” said the principal, Dr. Bobbie Turnbo. “We raised roughly around two thousand dollars, and other organizations donated money. There was no district funding.”
With that being said, teacher salaries are not being affected by technology boosters. However, MacArthur is technologically behind compared to other North East schools.
“[We bought new TVs] for the announcements, so we can give [the student body] the same information, streaming at one time, to inform you on things you didn’t know,” Turnbo said.
Even with the new TVs, news is still not productively spread throughout the campus. The plasmas are currently undergoing construction to provide a better sound system and timely broadcasting.
It is faculty, staff, and broadcasting organizations’ hope that MacArthur will be aware of accurate news and upcoming events. Money is spent by the students for the students, so that everyone may progress in intelligence and excellence. Teachers are a major section of the MacArthur “family” and are included in the success of the student body.
