The Briefing Room
General Category => National/Breaking News => Topic started by: ABX on October 08, 2013, 09:42:20 pm
-
We've all heard the stories about how Obamacare has impacted small businesses, cutting back worker's hours, reducing staff, or not growing. There is, however, another type of job that has been devastated by Obamacare regulations, the substitute teacher.
Grace is a 67 year old retired teacher who loves children and wanted to continue teach even after her retirement, but she didn't want the stress of working as a full time teacher. She also found herself, recently widowed, with a desperate need to supplement her retirement income. Substitute teaching was the perfect job for her. Over the past few years, she has been able to work a steady 35-40 hours per week as a substitute teacher and has loved every minute of it.
Anna is a "No Child Left Behind Highly Qualified Teacher" with a wall of diplomas and an even more impressive musical resume. She left teaching public schools due to the bureaucracy, but found that, because all of her private students needed evening lessons, she had to fill her day. She has been able to work as a substitute music teacher at the same district as Grace, filling up over 40 hours per week to help supplement her income from the limited hours she can work teaching private lessons in the evening.
Both Grace and Anna had the same shock last week when they logged into the AESOP substitute system to see what hours were available to teach and to register for the spots needed. They both saw that after working four days last week, the system was not offering any more time for either of them for the rest of the month. They have been hit by a loophole in the Obamacare system for part-time workers. In order to determine if an employee is full time or part time, Obamacare requires a 'look-back' point to all of 2013 to average out the numbers of hours an employee worked. Because Grace and Anna both were working, what was essentially full time over the spring and into the current semester, the AESOP system has blocked any additional hours available to these teachers in order to reduce their average to under 30 hours. This will result in most likely no available teaching hours until after the first of the year.
Grace does not know how she will pay her bills and is frightened. She did support President Obama but now, has realized what a mistake that was. She said she was told he would help teachers and students, but all she sees is him helping big insurance companies. Anna is lucky in a financial sense, her studio can help supplement her household income and her husband earns enough for them to get by.
According to an administrator in the school district, this has impacted almost all their substitutes. Many substitutes have worked for the district for years and now, none are legally available unless the district budgets offering health-care. This is something districts both can't afford, but won't be able to budget until the 2014 fiscal cycle as this year's budget was determined last January.
The impact to the children is just as bad. Instead of having a substitute continue the lesson plans of the teacher who was out, they have had to sit and wait in the gym or double up with another teacher, thus increasing the student-teacher ratio well beyond the NCLB guidelines. This is putting stress on the teacher who suddenly has 40 children in her classroom with no help (teaching assistants have also been cut back). Education has come to a halt as the teacher's entire time is managing the increased number of students in her classroom.
There is no hope in sight and as of now, there is no recourse that these school districts have. This is only the second week.
(note, the names have been changed but the stories are 100% factual).
-
Information substitute teachers are directed to from the AESOP website regarding their cut or non-available hours.
http://www.frontlinek12.com/Pages/Blog/Affordable_Care_Act_and_Substitutes.html
(note the 'look-back' measurement method information).
-
An unfortunate wake-up call for Grace.
Why didn't you find out who Obama was and how destructive he would be BEFORE you voted for him?? **nononono*
-
Update. As of today, the administration at the school is basically telling the government to screw you and is bringing in some more substitutes, including offering Anna more hours outside the AESOP system that has her blocked from hours. They said they will deal with the repercussions if they happen but they can't have kids sitting in the gym all day.
-
Good. Doubling up a class is a nightmare in anyone's terms.
-
UPDATE:
IBD is collecting a list of all the States cutting back on teachers (substitutes, teaching aides, and more). The list is massive.
http://news.investors.com/politics-obamacare/101713-669013-obamacare-employer-mandate-a-list-of-cuts-to-work-hours-jobs.htm
Obamacare is destroying education.
-
UPDATE:
IBD is collecting a list of all the States cutting back on teachers (substitutes, teaching aides, and more). The list is massive.
http://news.investors.com/politics-obamacare/101713-669013-obamacare-employer-mandate-a-list-of-cuts-to-work-hours-jobs.htm
Obamacare is destroying education.
This policy will affect more than just substitute teachers. Obama is destroying the country!
-
This policy will affect more than just substitute teachers. Obama is destroying the country!
That's the truth. I think it is important we try to collect as many personal stories like this one as possible. People react more to personal stories than they do general facts. (tie the former to the latter).
-
More and more schools are cutting out substitutes or reducing their hours drastically.
http://triangle.johnlocke.org/blog/?p=17727
http://www.wibc.com/news/story.aspx?ID=1980101
http://hudsonvalleyreporter.com/dutchess/2013/10/obamacare-impacting-how-hudson-valley-schools-deal-with-substitute-teachers/
http://lastcar.blogspot.com/2013/10/obamacare-cuts-teachers.html
-
Substitute teachers still victims of Obamacare.
Roanoke School Board votes to outsource substitute teachers
Roanoke City Public Schools will become the first area division to outsource its substitutes to a New Jersey-based company.
Beginning Jan. 5, Source4Teachers will staff the city’s substitute teachers, substitute aides and substitute clerical workers.
Read More: Roanoke School Board approves additions
The move to privatize subs will cost about $1.6 million, and it is unclear whether it will save money. Officials have said it will help tame costs associated with the Affordable Care Act, as well as the law’s tracking and reporting requirements .
The Roanoke School Board voted unanimously during a meeting Tuesday to authorize the superintendent to enter into a contract with the firm, which has a state contract, and currently provides substitutes for two divisions in the Hampton Roads area.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/education/roanoke/roanoke-school-board-votes-to-outsource-substitute-teachers/article_b3246f7a-53be-5ec8-ada5-3d37ad331893.html?mode=jqm