Preschool teachers have expressed they are not receiving a "duty-free" lunch

Handwriting across grade levels is horrible!  Coloring and cutting skills are also not what they should be!  We are referring students to OT and PT for fine motor deficits when, in reality, we have taken those opportunities out of the classroom.  We have been made to feel like coloring, cutting, and pasting are no longer allowed, and our children are not able to develop those fine motor skills as a result!  Handwriting instruction, both manuscript and cursive, needs to take place in ALL elementary grades!

Is it true that kindergarten teachers are going to be paid a stipend to prepare their classrooms early for the kindergarten camps being held this summer?  Several teachers have voiced a concern that ALL teachers give of their own time during summer to prepare classrooms and have never been compensated for this task.

 I'm really concerned that we may be losing our access to Pearson for Reading Street. We use this program a great deal. It is research based and a great tool for both teachers and students. The leveled readers can be used in our small groups and match the Fountas and Pinnell levels. I would love to continue using this source. Although we do supplement beyond the Reading Street for ELA it is still very valuable.