Food vs. Principals urge to look good in time for retirement

Yax

Yax

Ancient Mariner
Alright, I'm pissed. I've beared with this for almost two semesters. I'm in year two at the Gymnasium, I will graduate next year and then off to either further studies or I'll work a few years before I continue studying yet again. Anyway:

Sweden's divided into municipalitys where each one gets a certain amount of money each year from the government to cover all the expenses (schools, roads and so on). My municipality's gotten less money this year and all schools has been ordered to make savings. Yes, all schools, but this is a special case.

This is my principals final year before she retires. In order to make the finances look good on the paper, because it's her final year, she's ordered extra savings. Total lunacy the teachers said. They aren't really allowed to copy papers because that costs ink and paper. These extra savings she's ordered, apart from the savings all the school's been ordered to make are just a pompous hag's pride's business. She ordered these savings without discussing it first with the teachers. The teachers are outraged, as am I.

Hell, last year the food was quite good in school. Now with these extra savings, it's crap. Many stopped eating there and buys a sandwich in the cafeteria instead. Now, isn't students supposed to perform well in school? THEN GIVE ME FOOD WORTH EATING. The food's supposed to be nutricious as well as "well tasting". Now it isn't. I don't want to sound spoiled, but I really think that the school should offer good food, like last year. The savings must not be applied for the food as well. And absolutly NOT because the prinicpal wants to hold her head up high when she quits. I's irresponsible, pompous, idiotic, moronic, selfish and outrageous.

GIVE ME MY FOOD BACK DAMNIT.  :mad:


Anyone want to add their two cents? Sorry for the rant, I'm just frustrated.
 
Actually, a slightly related topic is stirring heat in Norway (food in school and finances). Here we have no tradition for having food served in school - everyone brings their own food. However, before the last Parliament election in 2005, the Socialist Left party promised that if they got into the government, they would introduce a daily warm meal in ground school. (The party is a 10% party, their best election result ever was about 12% and they are generally seen as a quite populistic leftist party - comparable to the Progress Party on the right flank).

They eventually did get into office together with the Labour Party (who are the dominant party in the government, as well as the larges party in the Parliament) and the Centre Party. But the negotiations between the three parties resulted in the promise of a daily warm meal was, for this time, reduced to that schools should provide fruit for the children as a start, with the possibility of introducing a real lunch meal later.

However, the transfers from the government to the municipalities have not been raised enough to cover the expenses of introducing food. But since this involves a bit of prestige for the government, especially for the Socialist Left party, the government is ordering schools to buy fruit for the children, even if that forces them to reduce the teaching staff!

Of course, practical politics is about priorities. This time the government has not found room in the budgets for introducing the daily warm meal in ground school. But how the fuck are they thinking, when they order the schools to give priority to feckin' apples and oranges instead of maintaining a proper teaching staff? Many municipalities have given clear signals that they cannot afford to buy the food and at the same time keeping all the teachers, and that they therefore will wait with the food until they get the money they need. The reply from the government is, if they do that they will be set under administration  :o
 
I fail to see how such a rich country as Norway can not find room in its budget for a simple fruit per day for each student, when its neighbours Sweden and Finland (who aren't even as rich as Norway, if I've understood correctly) offer full meals.
 
It has a lot to do with how money is appropriated, too.  Even though Canada is a very rich country, when compared to the rest of the world, we are not so rich as to spend all the money we want.  We used to have that behaviour, but now we are very strict on controlling our budgets.  I expect that Sweden is much of the same.
 
In my area, we not only have hot lunches, but even breakfasts in many schools.  Many children come from families who don't have enough food for the kids, so these meals are all that they get in a day. 

I find it funny that this topic comes up, because I have been ranting locally about our school.  We are a private school, strugling financially.  I belong to many different organizations for the school to help raise funds.  Recently, there was a large family (4 children) that joined our school, adding to tuition.  However, they were vegitarian.  The cooks at our school said it was too difficult to meet their dietary requirements and all those vegitables werent good for them, so the family left the school to be home schooled. 
 
To me it sounds like a luxury problem, sorry. Probably there's also some cultural differences, but I guess I'm used to take care of my own food. And before that, my parents.  But like wasted says, if families don't have enough own food for their kids, then it's different in my eyes.

Strange to hear of such "problems" in such rich countries.
 
That's amazing. Cafeterias serve full course meals, which include vegetables. What's so hard about giving them an extra serving of veggies vice serving meat to them? Home schooling is probably better for them anyway, though they may end up suffering social consequences.
 
@Foro-- the problem with a rich country is that it still has many poor pockets in it.  The other problem is that the parents may have the money for drugs and alcohol, but don't put food in the fridge.  I have seen that happen, even in my small community.  It isn't the kids fault that the parents can't take care of them.  And you are right, it is a matter of what you are used to.  Here, school lunches have been around since long before I was born.  Just part of society that we expect.

@Deano, this is a pretty small school, so they make some really funky meals.  I have eaten there with my kids and its a scoop of mixed veggies, 2-3 tater tots, some meat balls or a slice of ham.  really weird.  The kids even brought some vegitable soup to have made, but the cooks didn't want to mess with it.

Again, a matter of what you are used to.  I was hoping for some ability to work with the students to help keep them in the school. 
 
To me it sounds like a luxury problem, sorry. Probably there's also some cultural differences, but I guess I'm used to take care of my own food.
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It's more of a cultural problem, if you ask me.  Sure, 99% people in Scandinavia could easily afford to bring their own lunches, but there have always been free school lunches here.  And with the ridiculous tax rates, you have to get something for your money.

I have to confess, though, that I thought free school food was common in all of Scandinavia, but only now found out that Norway does not have it.  I now wonder whether it's only Sweden and Finland who do.  Anyone able to speak for Denmark or Iceland?
 
Forostar said:
To me it sounds like a luxury problem, sorry. Probably there's also some cultural differences, but I guess I'm used to take care of my own food. And before that, my parents.  But like wasted says, if families don't have enough own food for their kids, then it's different in my eyes.

Strange to hear of such "problems" in such rich countries.
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Now, if that was directed at me, let me explain further: It isn't really about the food quality, but about our principals moronic decision to make cutbacks JUST BECAUSE SHE WANT THE FINANCES TO LOOK GOOD WHEN SHE RETIRES. It's so damn egoistic, plus the fact that she wants to turn my class and the paralellclass into one class with 35 students. All in the name of her savings.
 
Yax, this does sound like more of a political situation than anything else. Is she actually retiring or maybe trying to move into a position on the local school board, or do you know? When I read your comments I was actually pretty surprised to find that your country would even run into a situation in which someone would have to make a budgetary decision between school meals and quality education; I thought that having a more Socialistic government would prevent situations like this. It does sound like your principal is making some poor decisions regarding administrative matters but it's hard to tell knowing only one side of the story. In any case, I hope whoever is coming to fill her shoes next year will right the ship for you.
 
Deano said:
Yax, this does sound like more of a political situation than anything else. Is she actually retiring or maybe trying to move into a position on the local school board, or do you know? When I read your comments I was actually pretty surprised to find that your country would even run into a situation in which someone would have to make a budgetary decision between school meals and quality education; I thought that having a more Socialistic government would prevent situations like this. It does sound like your principal is making some poor decisions regarding administrative matters but it's hard to tell knowing only one side of the story. In any case, I hope whoever is coming to fill her shoes next year will right the ship for you.
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She's retiring, she's reached the age of 65. Well, first off, the schools are controlled by the municipality (which of course has it's own litte "government"), and less the national government. And, we now have a liberal alliance in power so...
 
Not to make light of the situation but perhaps she's running into the "Ronald Reagan" syndrome. Wouldn't a "liberal alliance" be more for the little guy? I.E. Trying to increase school funding to provide for those "less fortunate"?
 
Deano said:
Not to make light of the situation but perhaps she's running into the "Ronald Reagan" syndrome. Wouldn't a "liberal alliance" be more for the little guy? I.E. Trying to increase school funding to provide for those "less fortunate"?
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No. The other way around up here mate. This alliance stands for making the wealthy richer.
 
I see, always nice to learn new things. I still can't help but to imagine Sweden as a nation of more evenly distributed wealth though.
 
Deano said:
I see, always nice to learn new things. I still can't help but to imagine Sweden as a nation of more evenly distributed wealth though.
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Yes, but ever since the Alliance won the election in 2006, the rift between rich and less fortunate has been ever growing. This alliance is a joke; Hypocrites who abandoned many of their beliefs just to win. Pathetic. 
 
Deano said:
Is there no public outcry? How long before the balance of power can shift again?
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Well, the voter's had changed their mind only weeks after the election. They are probably the most disliked government ever, with several ministers that left their posts due to scandals. Oh, and there's a new election in 2010 when they'll probably loose to the opposition, which has ruled Sweden since the 40's (with a couple of periods excepted).
 
Deano said:
I see, always nice to learn new things. I still can't help but to imagine Sweden as a nation of more evenly distributed wealth though.
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That's not too hard to imagine, since the US has the greatest wealthy vs. non-wealthy unbalance in the Western world.

But what Yax says is true.  My girlfriend's mom is a hospital department head north of Stockholm, and they are facing strikes and such right now.  Because there is no money in the system, because of government cutbacks in the last 2 years.  And there is a very strong danger right now of the introduction of the dreaded two tier US-style health care system.  If the nurses stop working because they are underpaid, the entire system can collapse.  The problem is that once these equal distribution systems are established, they take a lot of work to keep in balance.

Bringing the discussion back to Yax's situation, I think it's rather wrong that his principal is trying to improve her personal appearance upon retirement with large cutbacks, and perhaps he should write a letter to his district head regarding the situation - and to the local newspaper.
 
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