My son is 9 and going into the 4th grade on Thurs. We've lived here in the same school district since he was 3. Anyway, we recently got a new superintendent who has systematically changed everything about our district. Any rule you can think of, she's modified it in some way or the other and I have yet to see a positive result from her changes. Last January she announced randomly that the kids would go to wearing uniforms for "safety", though there has literally never been a safety problem of any degree for any grade in the district, especially nothing related to clothing (I cannot even think of what clothes have to do with safety, to be honest). The parents were given surveys on two different occasions and overwhelmingly voted both times to not have uniforms. Well, the district found out if you have "uniforms" they are required to provide uniforms for free lunch eligible students so they changed it to a "dress code" that only allows for 2 color pants and 3 colors for shirts... ya, a dress code my foot. Any way, I am a person who sincerely thinks that uniforms are a waste of money and time. I also disagree that they help promote school spirit, community, etc. So I don't buy any of those arguments. Because of this dress code, there has been an uproar in my community. I live in MS, we are a poor state and over 80% of the kids in the district qualify for free lunch. (God, this is long, sorry.) Well, no matter what we, as parents, have tried to do, she has dug in and will not let go of the dress code thing. Very annoying, but I am trying to live with it.

Well, about 2 weeks ago I checked the district website for the school supply list and see a link for "school openings and closings", I check it and they have added 45 mins on to the school day for all of the grades. That puts the kids in school for 8 hours a day. That is too long. Eight hours at school and then, according to grade level, at least another hour to 3 hours for nightly homework. This is just insane. I called the district office to find out when and why they added this onto the day and the lady said "that's what the board voted". She would tell me nothing else. I called my son's principal and she says that they didn't even tell her that the days were going to be extended that she ran across it just like me on the website.

Also, we have a lot of things we are required to provide for "school supplies", and I KNOW they are not being used by the students. Here's the forth grade list:
1-Bottle hand sanitizer
4-Pkgs. wide ruled loose leaf paper
1-3 ring notebook (No Trapper Keeper)
4-Pkgs. #2 pencils
2-Bottles school glue
2-Boxes facial tissue
1-24 ct. colored pencils
1-Pkg. assorted construction paper
6-Pocket folders with fasteners
2-Rolls paper towels
1-Box of Ziploc bags quart or gallon
1-Pair of scissors
1-Ruler (metric and standard)
2-Highlighters
1-Red pen or pencil
1-Bar eraser
1-pkg. Colored markers (basic colors)

We are required to provide this at the beginning of school and again in January... also throughout the year we will generally get notes asking for more of this or that.

I just cannot understand what the deal is here. My district spends over $9000 per student (the highest in the state), yet we are one level from "failing" on the NCLB scale, we have no assistant teachers... the problems go on and on.

I know you are probably thinking (if you have even read this far, I know I am ranting here) that I am just a complainer and doing nothing. That's not the case. I have volunteered 20 hours or so a week at school since my son started. I have substitute taught in the lower grades since he started. I spend a lot of time up there. I know that the supplies that are brought are stock piled and rarely used by the students for anything. There are entire closets full of construction paper that teachers just store because they have nothing to use it with and are required to hold on to it. They are discouraged from returning things to students at the end of the year and there is a policy of "pooling" where all school supplies are put together (your kid doesn't keep the spiderman notebook he picked out) and passed out randomly as needed. So even the magic markers you buy or school box may go to anyone else in the class and very likely not your kid. And even more likely it will never be used. Last year I had to buy EIGHT spiral notebooks for my 3rd grader and he used ONE PIECE OF PAPER from them for the entire year (his teacher was new and returned them contrary to the unspoken policy of keeping all extra things). Does any of this make sense?

I know I am just going on and on and probably not making much sense, but I am so frustrated by all of this I find myself crying constantly about it (though I try to wait until my son's asleep or busy before I freak out).