Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Teacher Shortage, Firefighter Shortage, and Winning the Drought
Here in California, more than 80,000 jobs were lost in public schools during the recession. Now, as the budget picture improves, school districts are looking to fill more than 20,000 positions...but it’s not going to be easy. And in the fourth year of a drought, California may be thirsty, but it’s also resilient. Is California 'winning the drought.'
By Madeleine Brand • • 50m ListenIt’s the first day of the new school year for LA public schools, and there’s good news for teachers: they aren’t being laid off anymore. In fact, cities across the country are having the opposite problem: they can’t hire enough of them. And the situation looks like it could get worse in the future. Then, the wildfire situation is so bad in the West, national fire officials have announced they’re bringing in soldiers to help fight the flames. And in the fourth year of a serious California drought, you’d think the Golden State might shrivel up and keel over. Yes, there are some serious ramifications from the lack of rain and snowfall. But while California may be thirsty, it’s also resilient. Finally, Many of us dread making a customer service phone call. In response, companies have turned to interactive voice response systems. But these systems are increasingly complicated and ineffective. Now, some companies are trying to change the dynamic and let the customer dictate the terms of the service call.
