[BirthaBlue4]

ST. LOUIS

The fact that 1400 people lost their jobs, even though the schools need renovations and can be consolidated, is a BIG problem. Teachers are already underpaid, and to now have to find another job, and maybe move all together, would be a big hardship, I'm thinking. I know I'd be pissed is I was a teacher that was cut. Besides, does closing these schools make the remaining schools overcrowded???

FLORIDA

See, I can go both ways on this one. I think that a lot of college bound student will take advantage of this. The only classes that they will NOT be taking are electives like PE (I mean is volleyball THAT important to my BS degree???) and home ec, oh sorry, life management class, which in all honesty is a waste as it is currently taught (funnel cakes and orange julius was never a healthy staple of my diet). They have to double up on english and take the foreign language for 2 years on top of everything else. So really, it will be more work. Only the serious student would elect to do MORE work.

The typical student that would enlist in the military or go to a trade school, from my personal experience, would not be pressed to get out early, or would not want the added work (English is a lot of work, more than most other classes). For those worrying about being competitive in college, its no point. You have to take placement exams anyway, who even remembers how many HS credits you graduated with. All you know is that you have to have 4 English, 3 Math, 3 Science and 2 Foreign Language. Anything else doesn't matter as far as college admissions. Its not the same as college criedits. And for those students in advanced classes, they may or may not decide to fo the 3 year diploma, because they may feel like finishing the program their in. Those who would use this opportunity irresponsibly (Man, F**K this mess, I'm gettin up outta here cuz) aren't set to do much in their near future anyway.

Besides, senior year is highly overrated (prom and such). I could have done without, personally, and I know a lot of people, responsible students, who felt the same and would have JUMPED on this chace to be done sooner, so we could get on with our lives.