Since 2007, the teachers of St. Lucie County have not received a pay raise. Yet, over the last five years, these teachers have had an increasing workload, and have had to work above and beyond what was required of them.  So, they asked the school board for a raise this past week and were told that there just was not enough money in the budget for raises. However, the teachers of St. Lucie County feel that the district does have money to pay more yet district officials have said they cannot afford recurring salary increases. Since then, teachers have decided to protest this response by only working the hours required by their contract. This means that from now until the end of the school year, teachers will only be working their required 37 ½ hour work schedule and will not be grading papers on weekends, staying late and skipping lunch as they have done in the past. As Vicki Rodriguez, vice president of the St. Lucie Classroom Teachers Association stated “I know the district has the money, it’s just a question of how they prioritize”.

The below chart shows what teachers were to be making as well as what their pay increases would be over a period of time. This has not occurred and instead teachers have stayed at the level they were on at the time of this chart.

www.tcpalm.com

The below spreadsheet is the 2011-2012 budget from the St. Lucie County School Board website.

St. Lucie County School Board (http://www.stlucie.k12.fl.us/departments/finance/index.aspx)

This has prompted teachers in Palm Beach County to protest their lack of raises as well. Unfortunately, this is an issue in others counties in the state of Florida as well. For example, in Seminole County, Florida, teachers have been told they will not be receiving a raise yet the School Board spent $26,000.00 in iPads for their administrators.  This proves that School Board members would rather use money in their budget to spend on frivolous items rather than increase teachers’ pay. This increase would allow teachers to no longer have to suffer from living paycheck to paycheck and while they knew that being a teacher would not net them a high salary they do expect to be compensated appropriately based on the current economy levels.

Orlando Sentinel states that the job market for 2012 grads is improving slightly and that there is an increase in their starting salaries than in 2011. This information is significant and important to those entering the workforce so that they will have the information needed to assist them in stating what they would like their annual salary to be based on current numbers. For example, the starting salary of a recent grad for Orlando is between $45,000.00 to $48,000.00. This information will give a recent job-seeking graduate the ability to place a specific starting salary number on an application.

However, if you are looking for an average salary for a specific career then the Occupational Outlook Handbook will give you the specific salary information for your chosen career path. This information is based on 2010 findings. While television shows and movies glamorize careers such as a writer or public relations specialist this site will help.  The chart below details the average salary based on 2010 findings of some careers. This information will vary however based on the metropolitan area one resides in. To get better salary details based on your location then this site will help with that information.

Salary Information for Selected Careers

Since September 2011, the unemployment rate for the Treasure Coast has continued to decline. While that is a good thing for the economy and as Governor Rick Scott stated, “Since 1992 this has been the largest unemployment rate decline is a milestone all Floridians can celebrate.”  As shown below, the unemployment rate has been declining since March 2011.

Unemployment Rate for Treasure Coast courtesy of www.tcpalm.com

However, the remaining unemployed residents of St. Lucie County will begin to see that their benefits will end sooner than expected. As of the end of April, unemployed will see that their benefits will cease 20 weeks on top of the three months that disappeared in January for the newly unemployed. However, this change is not due to the decline in the unemployment but rather the decision of those in Washington, D.C. and Tallahassee as stated by Katie Sanders. For those collecting unemployment, their weekly check of $275.00 will have to last a little longer.

TCPalm.com states that about 30,000 Floridians receiving extended federal benefits and the length of time depends on factors such as when they first started receiving their benefits. State and Federal governments have been paying for the maximum time of 99 weeks but the state Department of Economic Opportunity states that about 14,000 Floridians can apply for extended benefits through May 12^th. For one unemployed St. Lucie County resident, Sean Salas, this could hurt him as he states that this check is his only means of living and paying the bills including mortgage, electric and light. He states that it is difficult to find a job that will pay well and that he does not know what he will do when or if his benefits run out.

Those whose benefits will end sooner than later will be notified of this phase out by mail. Sean hopes that he is not one of those whose benefits will be cut short.

Every two weeks, it’s the same: I call my local nail salon, Millenia Nails and Day Spa to schedule my bi-weekly appointment for a manicure with my favorite person: Kimmy. I first stumbled upon this location and gem of a manicurist in December when I failed to get a manicure from any one of my hometown salons. After one appointment with Kimmy I was hooked. We instantly bonded and talked about everything from men to shopping. This appointment begins the same as always, what color for my nails and then straight into how my week was and how I’ve been. As I answer, she begins to remove my previous nail color and begins the task of shortening and filing my nails. As she does this, I begin to ask her about her life.

From Laos to Orlando

Kimmy was born 37 years ago in Laos, Thailand where she lived until the age of 15. The last two years of her time spent in Thailand she lived in a refugee camp before being sponsored by a church in Bowling Green, Kentucky sponsored by a church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I was curious as to why not California as most from Asia often immigrate to California first. She explained “If you have family living here in America then you can move to where they are located but if you do not then you are sponsored by a church and you have to move to the city the church is located.” She further stated “Although I wish it was California as there are more resources available to me for education, etc.”

From Kentucky, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 17 where she met the father of her two children, Sydney and Danny and they were married for eleven years. She began her career as a nail technician when her daughter Sydney was six months old making about $350.00 per week. Seven years after her first child was born, she divorced and remarried which lasted five years. In order to get a fresh start, she decided to move to Orlando two years ago. I asked why and she said “because my second marriage still had unfinished business and in order to get away, I moved to Orlando.”

Recently, she mentioned that a guy friend said that she needs a man in her life to help out with bills, etc. She said she doesn’t need a man to help and that she has been doing just fine on her own for quite some time now. With that, my manicure was done to perfection as always.

You graduate college eager to start your adult life: your career, living on your own and more. Then six months later you get that bill, you know the one, that pesky bill that showcases how much you spent on your college education. The time for repayment has started except is it fair? Should you really be forced to pay back those loans that helped get you to where you are now as a working member of society in a job that required a four-year degree? I disagree and feel that we should not be penalized and so does Representative Hansen Clarke. Rep. Clarke who proposed The Student Loan Forgiveness Act 2012 on March 8, 2012, that will forgive your loans after 10 years of repayment.

Photo Credit: http://www.forgivemystudentloans.com

The Student Loan Forgiveness Act or H.R. 4170, would forgive student loan debt and would cap interest at the current rate of 3.4% as stated by Huffington Post. This Act is geared towards individuals who will go into teaching; public service or practice medicine in underserved areas would have their debt forgiven after only five years. As U.S. Rep Clarke stated “everyone tells us to go to school and work hard and be rewarded for our dedication, but the promise of a dream can turn into a nightmare for so many people.” I agree with this bill 100%. I feel that our loans should be forgiven as a reward for the hard work completed during four years of undergraduate study and more for others who pursue a higher education. It is a burden to have a huge majority of your take home income go towards something that was intended to help you get a better paying job. Instead, we are forced to pay off a loan that was needed during college to pay for tuition and living expenses.

Student Loan Forgiveness Act Broken Down

Infographic by Josh Coppenbarger, www.forgivestudentloandebt.com

The chart above gives you a breakdown of the proposed bill to give you a better understanding, so if your like me and want to see your loans forgiven then head here and sign the Petition so that our U.S. Government can see we deserve to be rewarded for our years of hard work.

Downtown Winter Garden

On Saturday, April 14, 2012 and Sunday, April 15, 2012 the Bloom & Grow Garden Society presented its 12^th annual Spring Fever in the Garden in Winter Garden, Florida. The Spring Fever in the Garden is an annual celebration of flowers, crafts, garden accessories, music and food.  This festival was held in picturesque downtown Winter Garden.

The Bloom & Grow Garden Society founded the Spring Fever in the Garden in 2000 while trying to determine ideas for a fundraising event. Helen Kennedy, who is a member of the committee proposed the idea of a garden festival, suggested the idea. On March 31, 2001, the Bloom & Grow Garden society presented the first annual Spring Fever in the Garden, which has continuously been co-sponsored by the City of Winter Garden.

When looking for something to do this weekend, I perused Orlando Sentinel in the hopes of finding something fun, entertaining and free. I came upon this event in the Entertainment section. It is a great event for people of all ages as it gives everyone a little bit of something to do at a low cost with plenty of entertainment, food and fun.

On this gloomy Saturday afternoon, the festival was in full swing with a mixture of people both old and young.  Upon my arrival by the free shuttle offered by the First United Methodist Church of Winter Garden, Mark, the volunteer shuttle driver, offered me some options to enjoy when I arrived at the festival. The first of the three booths was a prayer request booth; a booth that sold hot, buttered corn and the third sold pulled pork. Mark said “Unfortunately the third booth with the pulled pork is no longer available so sadly I cannot offer you that but do enjoy the hot, buttered corn.” I heard the music of the Castillo Kids, a group of five young musicians who performed a mixture of pop, oldies such as The Jackson Five. One festival attendee, Summer was enthused and enjoyed the musical performance of these five talented children.

The festival also offered a silent auction, information booths from energy saving by Lake Apopka Gas to booths offering items for sale such as homemade honey, homemade jam, and lots and lots of plants. One festival goer, Mason was at the homemade jam booth and joyously exclaimed that he heard about the fresh made jam and knew that he had to come and see it for himself as well as purchase some.

Chalk Contest

There was also a chalk contest where people were drawing images of people or nature. I was thoroughly impressed and awed when watching these talented people create these images with just chalk.

Upon leaving the festival, I spoke with Mark again and he informed me that he does the shuttle driving yearly to help raise money for the youth missions trips that his son is a part of. Mark left me with “This festival has become a destination event for quite a bit of people.”

Welcome to alliep.com and the first post! I’m Allison, your enthusiastic guide, with an insane love for technology (Apple iPad3 is next on my gadget list) and fashion. I’m your typical girl, but my love for shiny new gadgets, especially Apple products, sets me apart.

I am a paralegal by day and blogger by night and, as a Florida girl, my time is spent shopping, hanging out with Mickey and tanning, as well as, spending time with my family (I am the oldest of four). You can also find me surfing the Internet where I am looking up Apple rumors or just grabbing ideas for fashion. I am also constantly attached to my iPhone sending numerous updates to twitter (@alliep).

I am beyond excited to finally be launching my own website. This will be your go-to for information on just about anything: new tech, reviews, and miscellaneous thoughts. I’ll share with you my love for handbags, Apple and everything in between, all while offering my personal opinions on all as well as well-researched recommendations from Apple to Zara.

Think of this site as your instant access to your BFF 24/7. If you have a question, just ask. If you want a review, just ask. That is what alliep.com is all about. If you have any requests, do not hesitate to ask and I will answer. I’m open to ideas, comments, etc. to make alliep.com an exciting place to visit.