Some not all of the comments on the source article get it; If the school systems could/would utilize tax money wasted in an attempt to educate the ILLEGALS and their Anchors there would be more than enough to provide needed services for United States Citizens and their children.

Some comments express the enjoyment of the ILLEGALS at the plight of taxpaying United States Citizens and their children suffering through layoff:
WeWereHereFirst wrote:
FloLake wrote:
Houston needs special consideration in light of all that Houston and its workers have contributed to space exploration. The gains to the entire world are beyond measure. To do nothing; would be a sin.
_________
A sin they say, but it is not a sin to treat children of "illegals" worse than animals. God is watching and listening to the evil people who see sin in Black, White, and Brown.
9/22/2010 3:39:47 AM
Recommend: (47) (91)

Houston-area schools brace for impact of NASA layoffs
By JENNIFER RADCLIFFE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Sept. 21, 2010, 11:18PM

Resources
'CLEAR CREEK ISD CARES'
A new program to help families who experiencing financial hardship because of job cuts at NASA or in other industries:

• Intra-district transfers to allow students to remain at their school even if their family is temporarily moving because of economic hardships.

• Displacement services for families moving outside of district boundaries to live with a relative.

• Financial help for students struggling to afford extracurricular activities

• Counseling for students struggling academically or emotionally

• For more information: www2.ccisd.net/CCISDC • ares.aspx • Source: Clear Creek ISD
Bracing for layoffs among NASA contractors, several Houston-area school districts are ramping up efforts to support students during what's expected to be an increasingly difficult financial time.

Hundreds of families in the Clear Creek, Dickinson, Alvin, La Porte and Pasadena districts are expected to be affected by the layoffs, which are ongoing as the end of the space shuttle program nears.

Under President Barack Obama's proposed budget to revamp the space agency — which Congress is trying to modify — NASA would cancel the Houston-managed Constellation program this year and end the space shuttle program next year. About 1,500 civil servants work on the two programs, and those jobs are safe. But there are as many as 6,000 contractor positions in the Houston area associated with the shuttle and Constellation.

Both the Senate and House versions of the NASA budget bill would preserve a large fraction of those jobs.

As part of its new "Clear Creek ISD Cares" program, administrators recently announced they will be relaxing rules to make it easier for children to remain at their schools, even if the family moved outside the attendance boundary. They're also helping parents struggling to pay fees for extracurricular activities, such as band or baseball.

"Our community and its children need more from us than ever before," Superintendent Greg Smith wrote in a letter to Clear Creek ISD employees last week. "Perhaps you sensed it or witnessed it — there is a great level of anxiety and uncertainty in many of our students' homes as parents either have suffered a job loss or have scaled back due to economic times."

While many of these services have always been available to families, district officials are launching the concerted awareness campaign just as contractors begin to cut jobs. NASA's primary contractor for the space shuttle has said it will lay off 15 percent of its workforce — or 300 to 400 positions — on Oct. 1.

Worried faces
Pam Bluhm, president of the Parent-Teacher Association at Gilmore Elementary in League City, said many families are worried.

"You can just see it on their faces," she said, adding that her school's PTA provides a discretionary school fund to help families who can't afford field trips and supplies.

Houston-area schools have been scrambling to meet increased needs during the economic downturn for the last two years.

Earlier this year, for instance, a manufacturing plant in Pearland closed, resulting in roughly 110 layoffs and leaving area schools with dozens of struggling families.

"We have looked individually at the families involved and worked hand in hand with them to accommodate their needs, adjusting our regular practices to help families during these times," said Pearland ISD spokeswoman Renea Ivy-Sims.

Meals available
Several school districts, including Houston and Cypress-Fairbanks, have streamlined their application process for free and reduced lunches.

HISD added breakfast in the classroom for all students, and Cy-Fair also added "grab and go" breakfast for students at 40 elementary sites and six middle schools.

The number of families qualifying for free lunches is up sharply. Houston is seeing a 10,000-student increase so far this year, officials said.

Houston ISD is using federal stimulus money to hire six outreach workers to identify and serve families who live in shelters, on the streets and in abandoned houses, as well as those who have moved in with other families.

The district identified 3,228 kids in such predicament last school year and has already identified 1,200 as of August.

Homeless assistance
Students who qualify under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act are often bused back to their original school and are provided help with clothes, supplies and school meals, said Peter Messiah, director of HISD's Safe Schools and homeless liaison.

"These kids have the whole feeling of being uprooted. We know a feeling of emotional and physical security is a foundation for all developmental learning," he said.

Clear Creek has seen 1,579 more students qualifying for subsidized lunches so far this year. They expect the numbers to climb as the NASA-related layoffs become a reality.

"The pending NASA layoffs are what made us realize we need to do something as a school community," Clear Creek ISD spokeswoman Elaina Polsen said.

Chronicle reporter Eric Berger contributed to this story.

jennifer.radcliffe@chron.com

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