The Story of Adam (and Eve?)

This is the story of Adam, who commented on our little blog about his girlfriend's (we'll call her Eve) experience getting a teaching position in Madison (we believe).   We sincerely appreciate Adam for coming forward and speaking his piece.  But on the flip side, he underscores that old quote about statistics: What they suggest is intriguing, but what they conceal is vital.   Adam shares some numbers with us...just enough for us to poke a few holes in the logic bag.

ADAM's e-mail comment is provided completely uncut.   All we did is split it up into bite-size chunks and offered our response.

Enjoi!   And much thanks to Adam for bravely going where very few venture.

ADAM:

My girlfriend and I have been together for 3 years, and she is finally moving up to the Madison area.

SP-EYE:

You do not say from where your GF moved "up to Madison".  Is it Janesville? Beloit?  Illinois?  Or some ultra-rich suburb somewhere inbetween.  Makes a difference in salary grids.

You also say "my girlfriend"...NOT my fiance...although you've been together 3 years.  While not trying to pry into things personal, it's important to consider whether this relationship will eventually become a legal merger of both people and finances.  It helps figure out the money thing ...read on.

ADAM:

We started looking for apartments that would cost between 1,000 and 1,1000 a month. After getting her contract, (being a teacher for 10 years mind you), we have now decided that we can afford only 800 dollars a month.

SP-EYE:

OK...now we have some data to work with.  10 yrs removed from college puts her in her at about 32-34 years old.  So we're guessing you're both past the crazy kid-out-o-school splurging on "me" things. Hopefully.

10 years teaching experience translates to a salary in the low to mid-40Ks....with only a B.A.   But since she has 10 years experience she has to have renewed her license...probably twice.   We're guessing she must have accumulated two 6-packs of credits post Bachelors, so we looked at Madison's "Track 2"

Madison' s Track 2 at 10 yrs experience translates to a salary of $43,523 per year  (yes, for 9 months Adam).  On a monthly basis, that translates to gross pay of $3,627 per month (again spread over 12 months).  The guiding philosophy is not to pay more than 25% of your gross towards rent, so...yes....we would agree that SHE should limit an apartment rental rate to $907/month or less.   But if you're living together, don't you have TWO incomes, Adam?  If you're bringing home any bacon at all, then surely you can afford more.  Wait...you ARE working, aren't you?

And actually, she could probably afford a small house or condo and get in before values really start rising and interest rates are still low.  Payments on a $150K mortgage (30 yrs) would be about $675/mo.    Oh yeah...you gotta tack on probably $300 to $350/month for property taxes.  

But let's dig a little deeper.  One teacher we know pretty well has been out of school exactly 2 years....so...you know...low on the salary grid totem pole.  And that would be in the heart of Milwaukee, where the grids aren't very friendly.   But even she can afford $700/month for rent.  So we're having a hard time figuring out how TWO of you, and the teacher with 8 more years on the grid, are struggling to pay $800/month.  Do YOU work, Adam?  Just askin'....cuz the numbers aren't adding up, yo!  Or do you two both drive Mercedes?   Eatin' sushi...or seabass... every night?  Sorry...forgive us for the absolutely shamelessly gratuitous Seabass reference.

ADAM:

 She took a 14,000 pay cut to come to Madison. In case you had not noticed that is about an entire years worth of rent.

SP-EYE:

Zing! Ouch...that stings, Adam!  But, yes, we noticed.  Funny though...we instantly looked at it from the angle that you must be some catch (LJH-esque?) for someone to take a $14,000 pay cut.  And possibly even foot the entire bill for an apartment!  But hey...love is blind, right?   We are very familiar with a damn fine dude who quite his job and moved halfway across country to be with the one he loved.  That didn't end well

But of course while it is implied that she came up here for you, maybe it was for family...or a chance to work in a better school district.  One wouldn't take a pay cut AND choose to work in a worse district, would they?  We think you're probably a pretty good catch, Adam....but THAT good?   Not after 3 years and no ring!  ZING!   How'd that feel, buddy?!  :-) 

ADAM:

Then comes the aspect on working conditions...but that is like trying to explain how to gut a fish to a member of PETA.

SP-EYE:

Working conditions?  Really?.  You make it sound like being a teacher is akin to working 16 hour days in some 3rd world sweat shop for peanuts.  Um...REALLY, Adam?  Much of the rest of the world works 260 days per year.  When was the last time you checked the base pay of ...say...firefighters or police?

Adam...we're afraid to have to tell you, but someone slipped you the Kool-Aid.  We grow tired of this whole "working conditions" crap.   And that' not fair to crap.  

We do dig the PETA/fish gutting analogy though.  That was clever.

 I am sure you are one of those people that say things along the lines of, "don't get me wrong...I don't hate teachers", or "teachers get their summers off so this is more than fair." Truth is, that is exactly what I would expect someone to say that doesn't know a thing about the situation. 

SP-EYE:They say that expectations are only met with disappointment, Adam...and  we wouldn't want to disappoint you. Fact is, Adam...we DO respect and value teachers...at least the ones that aren't whiney.  Oh...did we say that out loud?  We have both publicly and behind the scenes been pushing to raise the floor for teachers' base salaries...but also to establish a cap.

But the whiney ones and the dead wood have to go.  We'd love to get a whole bumper crop of new energized teachers that aren't going to drink the Kool Aid.  Poor working conditions?  Please!  Not sure you' know what poor working conditions were unless it but you on the behinder.  What is needed to create "good" working conditions?  Ice cream socials every Monday?   Only having to teach two classes a day?   We're sure that teaching five classes a day is absolutely inhumane.

ADAM:

Have you gone into a school lately to shadow a teacher to see what they do? I didn't think so.

SP-EYE:
Can't say we've shadowed a teacher for a day Adam...you see we work for a living.  But we did see a teacher's shadow on Groundhog Day this year...do we get half credit?  

Oh...and that's 12 months a year that we work....260 days....not 190.   But we know some teachers very well.  There are teachers (and administrators) in the family.

Honestly Adam..have YOU shadowed a teacher lately?  Of course, if you're not working, maybe you have the time to do that.  Tell you what though...we'd challenge YOU to spending a day in a teacher's class right alongside with us.  Got the stones for that, Adam?  You know our number.

ADAM:

I wish I could say it in a way that would make sense to you, but the truth is, it will never makes sense to you. Fairness is all that you preach about, but can't for one moment understand what fair actually is until you walked a day in their shoes.

Cheers

12:58 p.m., Saturday May 18

SP-EYE:

Geeez if you aren't the pot callin' the kettle black with all the negativity!.  Were you asleep in class when they talked about taking the high road?  Wanna talk about fair, Adam?  We know quite a few folks in the public sector that are paid LESS than people with LESS seniority and LESS productivity in the same job.  Can't say as we've ever heard of such a thing with teachers.

Here's a little life lesson, Adam...life is quite frequently unfair.  It's how one deals with it that is the true measure of a man or woman.  

SPASD Wall of Shame Announces 2013 Inductees...

...Dr. Culver and the SPASD Management Team!

Which we understand to be comprised of:

     Tim Culver
     Phil Frei

     Alice Murphy
     Jenifer Apodaca
     Annette Mikula


And it's really a downright shame, because we genuinely like and appreciate at least a few members of the Senior Management Team.

Why are they being awarded this dubious distinction?
Because they are responsible for reviewing and approving all budget proposals that are brought forward to the pubic and the school board.  And Athletics & Activities Director Jim McClowry prepared a 4-part budget proposal (including hiring himself an Assistant AD!!! ) which was incredibly poorly written, incomplete and lacking any real substantiation or supporting data/rationale in most areas.

DOESN'T ANYBODY REVIEW THIS CRAP?!

Somebody should be keelhauled and hung from a yardarm for even allowing this to be presented.  Why expect good quality work when you are clearly accepting of piss poor shoddy performance?

We don't know what the vote was within the Management Team ranks, but we're willing to bet that there was not unanimous support for including Mr. McClowry' proposals.  That means it falls on Dr, Culver's head.  Funny....at one point during the meeting Dr. Culver even asked "It says see attached data.  Where's the data?".  Hello!  It wasn't there the first go around and you let this fly.  NOW you want to know where the data is?  Maybe you should have read the proposal MONTHS ago!

What's especially troubling is that Culver recently made a decision, based on the poor quality of data presented, that ALL reports and data to be presented by Mr McClowry would require Management Team review.   Gee...guess that was a hollow sanctioning.  And once again...SPASD Administration says one thing and does another.

Newsflash Dr. C....that's not how you go about building community trust.  And you just might need the community to trust what you say when you say you need to go to referendum for an 8th elementary school in the next 1.5-2 years.  Might want to ponder that a bit.

What we do  not know is where Lisa Heipp fis in here.  As Mr. McClowry's 1st line supervisor, one would THINK that she reviewed his proposals first.   But there's something about Mr. McClowry that makes us suspect that Ms. Heipp was bypassed.  But we could be wrong.

Where in the World is....

Lisa Heipp???!!!

As the Stylistics once melodiously wondered...

Have you seen her...Tell me have you seen her?

Why do we ask, you ask?

Well...because once again, Athletics and Activities Director Jim "Jimmy Mac" McClowry was on the public stage presenting the rest of his woefully inadequate budget proposals, and his supervisor was nowhere to be found.

Given the past history McClowry has for making presentations to the public (and the poor quality thereof), once would have thunk that Ms. Heipp might have a vested interest in attending.  We could offer her the benefit of the doubt...maybe she had more pressing matters which needed attending to....but she missed his last performance as well.

Even the good Dr. Culver apparently woke up (literally!) and realized that the proposal that his senior Management Team approved was sadly lacking in substance and rationale.

The Ballad of Joe Palooka: Can You Smell What the District is Cookin'?

If you're paying attention....something's been happening at the district with respect to athletic, particular field and facility scheduling.


We've heard anecdotal reports from community members that they legitimately sign up to use one of the district fields only to find that someone else has been given authority to use the same field at the same time.

How could that be you ask?  Didn't Athletics (Oh, and Activities) Director Jim McClowry tell us in public about the spanky field scheduling software program he brought on line recently?
How could such a zippy new tech tool fail us and allow double booking of fields?

The answer, of course, is ...it can't.  This therefore suddenly gave us credible evidence of the existence

of the Double Secret Probation Field Scheduling Calendar!  That's right!  We have heard from multiple sources that Mr. McClowry's office has maintained at least one additional calendar for his coaches to use.   Geee....that's nice.  So a member of the public can sign up to reserve a field, get their team members all lined up only to find that someone else had the field reserved!!!!   And then it's left for the two coaches to work things out?  WE DONT FRICKIN' THINK SO!

 Further evidence of the (former) Double Secret Probation Field Reservation Calendar comes from the virtual plethora (there...now we feel like an NFL announcer because we used plethora in a sentence) of magically new field reservations that now appear on the District's facility use calendar.

It sure appears that Joe Powelka has come out fighting.  Joe has finally decided that the nonsense shall stop.  He shall therefore be dubbed "Joe Palooka" in honor of the cartoon character of the same name.  Joe Palooka would always prefer not to fight, but when push comes to shove, he does what is necessary.  It's not perfect; some users still appear to not be being charged due to the hallowed SPLL clause.   And some that are scheduled to be billed, we await to see (A) if that happens, and (B) will they pay.  We also need the coaches who ran athletic camps last year and perhaps the year before to pony up for the field use fees.  But overall...we're making progress.

In the meantime...

Say Dr. Culver...can we address the Conflict of Interest Issue?

Why is Athletics (and Activities) Director McClowry allowed to (continue to) serve on the Board of Directors of Sun Prairie Little League? Shouldn't he represent ALL sports (and activities) equally?

Would any other public sector employee be allowed to serve on a Board with such obvious conflict of interest?

We did notice a slight change however.  Up until mid last week, Mr. McClowry listed his school district e-mail and phone number.  Hmm....doing Little League business while at the district?   No wonder he is requesting a 1/2 FTE Assistant Director position!

Wethinks, however, that Jimmy Mc got a trip to the 'Splainin' Room where the lesson for the day was NOT to list his school district contact info.   Unfortunately, the 'splainin' fell short of where it needed to go: directing Jimmy Mac to resign his position (or serve on ALL the sports boards).  Here's a tip....someone else probably needs to have that same discussion.

Difference Makers: School Board VP Welke and Police Chief Anhalt

Understandably, our attentions have been diverted to the tragedies which occurred in Boston and Texas over the past week, but we'd be remiss if we didn't highlight this recent action.

In the wake to the Newtown tragedy, school board VP John Welke, who has a law enforcement background linked up with Sun Prairie police chief Pat Anhalt to see what they could do for our community.  The result is a program to offer free gunlocks to community members.  And it doesn't raise your property
taxes.

Sometimes guns are too accessible, and during an emotional upheaval, things can go wrong in a hurry.  Often deadly wrong.  People....please make use of this opportunity.  Keep your guns safe and secure.

If this program saves even one life, it will make it all worthwhile.  Sometimes it's the little things that speak loudest; and this one speaks volumes.

Here's to Mr. Welke and Chief Anhalt for making things happen....for making a difference.

Read the complete letter

Read the complete letter

The IFTK Exemption

One loophole that needs to be immediately excised is the IFTK (It's For the Kids!) exemption.

District Staffer: "You want to reserve ball field? That will be $25/hour.  For 3 hours use, that would be $75."

Prospective Field User: "$25/hr?  But....but...it's for the kids..." 

District Staffer: "Oh...why didn't you say so!  There'll be no charge."

IFTK is deceptively beautiful.  All one has to do is cry, "IFTK!", and the guy on the other side of the issue immediately has to defend himself against the ultimate allegation:  (s)he is anti-kids.  Who wants to wear that crown of thorns?

Do field /facility fees really break the bank?
$25 per hour is all it takes to reserve the top fields in the Sun Prairie school district.  That is if the Little League program lets you use them.  They already have locked out use of the two softball fields from June through August.  That's right...whether or not they'll actually use them doesn't matter.  They've reserved them.  Check that...they are squatting on them (figuratively, of course).  And they won't pay one red cent, despite the fact that some of those dates fall outside of the "Little League agreement".  Despite the fact that the "Little League agreement doesn't even mention the word "softball".

Poor Poor Pitiful Coaches
We can't honestly expect the coaches who run athletic camps to pay for the use of these fields, can we?  It'll take money out of their pocket.  It would make the cost of the camps unaffordable to "the kids".  Really?  You guys charge anywhere from $50 to $175 for these "camps" and the cost of the field rental might add $1 to that?

The Rental Fee doesn't even cover maintenance cost!
The athletic community is raging about having to pay for the use of fields (which by the way, they should have been paying for all long, but the district through a series of nods and winks and handshake deals has never charged them).  But we hear too many reports about the disgusting shape the fields/facilities are left in.  Sunflower seed packages and hulls, trash, and even tobacco slugs.  (Wait....why is tobacco even being used n a district field?).  The cost of a district maintenance worker to clean this crap up, including benefits and vehicle usage, comes to far ore than $25 per hour.  So the district and taxpayers are only deeper in the hole.  But..1.it is for the kids...right?

Rampant Abuse
The abuse of IFTK is running rampant in Sun Prairie, and Tim Culver, despite being the ultimate authority for all things school district, is clearly not going to do anything about it.  And why should he?  He doesn't want to be "the bad guy".  After all, he's the SuperNintendo!

Joe Powelka, the new Buildings&Grounds Manager (at least according to policy...oh wait...we don't follow policy unless it serves our needs) is the district goalie who ensures that field and facility renters pay the fees established by policy KG.  But he's more like Swiss cheese.  And...for now...we won't hang him for that.  He's probably still on probation, likes his job (pretty decent pay and benefits), and doesn't want to blow it all by standing too firmly.

But that's not doing anybody any good.  This needs to stop, dammit!  Sadly, it's going to take four school board members who have the kahungas to stand tall and knock IFTK from the bully pulpit.

It's for the kids!

Budget Proposal to Purchase 623 iPads: Just Push Pause

Steven Tyler would have us just push "Play"...and Dr. Culver would probably be right there with him.  Hmmm...can you imagine a Dr. Culver - Steven Tyler lunch date?  What WOULD they talk about?  Would Steven be wearing his famous PJs?



Ok...seriously, now.
We think technology is great.  A necessary component of classroom learning.  BUT.....and it's a large one....sometimes this district just plunges in instead of dipping a toe in the water first.

Classic example: administration rolled out its proposal to purchase 623 iPads at a total cost of $360,000 and now we're hearing (Performance & Operations Committee 4-15-13)  that in addition to these iPads, we'll be spending $333,000 on computer replacement for 2013-14 and then a tad over $900,000 for computer replacement over the following two years.

How many iPads will we be buying next year?
Oh...wait...the iPad 2 will be discontinued next year.  So what WILL we buy?
Will whatever we buy next year mesh with the iPads we buy this year?

And this proposal only puts 5 iPads in each elementary school classroom.
You have to know that the ultimate goal is 1 iPad for each of the 3,000 plus elementary school kids.
In the meantime...how does this work?

Really, we just have questions...so very many questions.  
Perhaps the district has considered the following questions and has good answers.  But we didn't see such in the proposal.


Are we buying 623?  Or 673?
Because we were informed that the budget for Apps was $25/iPad at a total cost of $16,825.  But $16,825/25 = 673.   That's apps for 50 more iPads?  More magical math from the district?

What about insurance for these?  Will they be covered under the district umbrella purchase?  Or do we need to purchase insurance for each.  The warranty for an iPad covers simple "it won't work".  What if they're dropped?  Insurance can cost anywhere from $39 to $99 per device for a year....some 2 years.

Will there be sharing battles?  [Miss ____, Johnny won't let me use the iPad]
How will a classroom work when 5 out of the 18-25 kids have an iPad and the others do not?
Will we have to pay for a sub to teach the rest of the class while the "five" get to go iPadding?

How much WILL we spend on Apps?
How will App purchases be approved?  Or can teachers just buy what they like.
Will there be district-wide apps...or will different schools buy different ones?

Who will be monitoring the use of iPad cameras?  We can imagine some crazy $#!@ goin' down with cameras and video.
Is there a need for them?  Maybe disable them?

What exactly does a 5 year old do with an iPad?
Have we considered the need to disinfect these before/after use?

Has any consideration been given to buying 175 instead of 623?  That would provide 25 per elementary school, which would allow an entire to class to use the devices simultaneously.

Do we have 623 outlets available?  Or will we need to buy a charging station/cart?

Will we know all the add-on costs BEFORE we purchase the tablets?  Or will it be a case of "Well, now we have them and we really need ______"?

Are we certain that having all these iPads won't adversely affect the district broadband or Wi-Fi?  We've seen first hand novices stumbling and opening multiple browser windows and seen Wi-Fi signal go south quickly.

Alternatives?
The question was asked when this proposal was brought forward several weeks back:  why iPads.  The district response didn't discuss alternatives.  It seemed that the accelerator was stuck on iPad.  NOW, however, when we asked the question informally, we learn that,

The iPad 2 will probably be discontinued before next year, so the proposal will be updated with the technology that is available at the time. For example, since this proposal was written, there have been new tablet devices released for schools.  The Learnpad is appealing for schools since it allows for more management than the iPad does.  ...we will look at all options before placing an order, especially since it is unknown what will be available for purchase next year.

Whoa...wait....huh?  The "Learnpad"?  Why didn't we even hear about that at the Committee level?
Is it just us...or does it seem like the collective has changed its mind already without even notifying the committee or the public?  If that doesn't reek of the need to push "PAUSE" we don't know hat does!

We also need to call a little bullspit here.  The LearnPad has been available--and used in schools-- for over a year.  So maybe the district just found out about it...which would suggest that the research done on this proposal is inadequate. We do agree, however, that new devices are constantly being made available.  Maybe we should pause and decide on a plan of what we want to do with this technology FIRST and then decide what to purchase?  We know a guy that offers something called "Choosing By Advantage"....maybe there's a need for that.

BOTTOM LINE
Technology is a great thing, and we DO want our school district to incorporate technology into the curriculum.  Our concern however is that we sometimes approach this with a perceived "Technology for Technology's Sake" attitude.  We need a well defined plan of implementation which also considers that technology quickly becomes obsolete.  We just haven't seen such a philosophy (if it's there...please let it out!), and, until we do there are better uses of $360K.  Hell...we want to be sure that there in't one damn hole in any damn roof...right, Caren?

Some resources that should be checked out

http://edudemic.com/2012/09/5-critical-mistakes-schools-ipads-and-correct-them/

http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/2011/04/ipad-accessories-for-learning.html

http://www.yuschoolpartnership.org/documents/1toPlanning.pdf

http://edresources.com/Blog-iPad-or-LearnPad.aspx

http://www.agent4change.net/bett-week/learning-platforms/1846-ipad-rival-with-better-price-and-flexibility-learnpad2.html

Time to Pop This Zit

Sorry for the disgusting analogy, but policy KG has gotten so out of hand, it IS disgusting.

What am I? Click to see the classic clip!

As a friend of ours used to say..."it's a grounder...you gotta squeeze it to get it to surface".

District administration (remember...Dr. Culver is ultimately accountable) simply refuses to deal with the issue. There is a policy in place, but nobody wants to enforce it.  It's unfair to hang this on Joe Powelka, who took over Buildings an Grounds last summer.  He's trying to do the right thing.  We think.  But he's getting no support from on high.

We've spoken with people involve in this whole shady deal and we're told of backroom deals and "negotiations"....you know...nudge, nudge, wink , wink....that ensure that the good folks of SPLL will never be charge while we have no trouble at all charging the Madison Downs Syndrome Society.  Shame on you all!

Show us your "Get Out of Jail Free" card
We've heard rumors of past precedent and "the way things work".  Bullspit!  Show us in writing where it says you can use facilities other than high school fields...even on weekends...and before school competition is complete---without paying a fee.  But please...have something tangible...not some story or blaming of past Buildings and Grounds Managers.

Excerpt from the Sun Prairie Little League facility use agreement

Yes, we have an agreement with the Sun Prairie Little League (SPLL) to use the fields. And yes they are paying us $85,000 over time for 23 years of field use. But that is for the HIGH SCHOOL FIELDs....AFTER the competition season is complete.  It does not apply to indoor facilities; nor does it apply to Ashley field, fields at CHUMS, or any other fields.  We're sorry that this weird spring has forced people to head indoors to practice, but your agreement doesn't cover that.

Lost field/facility maintenance revenue:  $27,625 for ONE field!

SPLL "squatting" on softball fields...AGAIN!

The SPLL has laid claim to the varsity softball field from 8 am to 9 pm EVERY DAY between June 1 and August 24th!   At no cost!  Because, of course...they are giving u $85,000.   That $85,000 over 23 years amounts to a whopping $3,700 per year to cover field maintenance and upkeep.   At field usage fees (Policy KG) we are losing $27,625 in potential maintenance/field facility revenues every single year for JUST THIS ONE FIELD!  Suddenly that $85,000 doesn't seem like such a good deal...does it?

And they also have the JV softball field locked up as well.  Worse, yet...they did this last year; it was called out, and nothing has changed.  We're back doing the same thing all over again!

Shouldn't SOMEONE ask about conflict of interest on Jim McClowry's part?
Athletics and Activities Director Jim McClowry (yep...Jimmy Mac is back in the headlights again!) is the personal contact for a whole set of facility uses under the Little League umbrella. And did we mention that he serves on the board of directors for the SPLL?   Doesn't that in some way, shape, or form constitute a conflict of interest?  Dr. Culver?  Ferris Beuler?  ANYONE?

It' no wonder he hasn't taken the time to learn about the potential new sport, lacrosse, or read their application in detail.  It seems abundantly clear that Mr. McClowry is all about baseball.  Hmmmm...even the turf on Ashley Field project is suddenly being hijacked by the desire for a new baseball field at the cost of $350K+. Is it right for an AD to be that involved in a single sport?  More to the point....to be so un-involved in other sports/activities?   It's no wonder why Jimmy Mac is looking to hire a 1/2 time Assistant AD.  He does't have enough time for baseball!

There are also some reservations made for SPLL under the names of certain high school coaches that list the coach's school district address, phone, and e-mail.  Some community residents may wonder whether our staff are doing SPLL business on the district's dime.

Little League Tournaments
We see several SPLL Tournaments scheduled on OUR fields as well.  You suppose they bring in more than $3,700 in revenue from these?

Geee....we wonder what kind of revenue the district could generate from holding ...say... a softball tournament.  Oh...wait...we can't.  SPLL is squatting on the JV and varsity softball fields all summer.

Can we talk about insurance policies (or lack thereof)?
The other thing of note is that more often than not if you call up a reservation, you see a red flag that there is no current insurance certificate on file.  Again...are we following policy at all?

Bottom Line: For $3,700 a year, SPLL gets to use all of our facilities whenever they like?
Are you KiddinG (ing) us?

How a new SPHS sport is launched

And now you know....the rest of the story

A Closer Look - Athletics/Activities Budget Proposals

Hold onto your hats, kiddies, this is gonna be an E-ticket ride fer sure!

Athletics and Activities Director Jim McClowry has offered four separate proposals.  We'll look at each in a little more depth.  Upon scrutiny, they do not hold up.  The big questions are:

• Why does district administration continue to allow such poor quality information to be presented to the public?  
• Why does the school board allow it?
• Did we learn NOTHING from the hockey fee fiasco?
• Where is HS Principal Lisa Heipp in all this?  As McClowry's direct line supervisor, shouldn't she have reviewed this?
• Is this the best we can do?  
• REALLY?

ATHLETICS AND ACTIVITIES PART A:
 0.5 FTE ASSISTANT ATHLETIC & ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR – HIGH SCHOOL
Cost: $36,194.00

Forgive us, but we're a teensy bit tired hearing about how over-worked Mr. McClowry is. He has said numerous times that it's all about the kids and the connections they make, yet first out of the chute is a proposal to get some help for himself.  With all the technology in this school district, you're telling us that the only solution to scheduling and accessing facilities needs is to add a body?

"It is suggested that this position be in line with current Sun Prairie Area School district positions, such as, the Aquatics Program and Facilities Manager in terms of salary and benefits. At .50 F
TE, the salary would range from $25,625-$31,356. Some administrative responsibilities would include: Evaluating staff, accessing facility and equipment needs, creating and facilitating professional development programs, administering large multi-team events and scheduling JV and 9th grade non-conference athletic events.
[Hmmm...we don't see anything about clubs.  Is it all about athletics?]

In 2006, there was a coaching staff of less than 100. Now, the coaching staff is regularly over 120 members with only 60% being district staff. This makes the orientation, training, education, supervision and evaluation of these coaches even more critical to providing safe and positive experiences for our students.
[We're sorry, but we don't see how a 20% increase in coaching staff OVER 7 YEARS is a ton of additional work.   Nor do we understand why "external" staff require more training, education and supervision.  What...every coach that doesnt teach at Sun Prairie is a moron that requires hand holding?]

Over 1,000 student athletes are processed for compliance over three athletic seasons in a given school year. The increase in transfer students and foreign exchange students wishing to participate in athletics has become more demanding as well.
This number just seems a tad high given the number of kids in the high school.  Plus there's the history of Mr. McClowry not providing the most reliable information.  How many of the "1,000" are multi-sport athletes?  What kind of processing does that require?  One would think that ethics codes are per student...not per sport.  We'd like to see the number of actual UNIQUE, individual student athletes.

 During the 2011-12 school year, 1,320 students participated in a school-based club which represents 67% of students in high school that are participating in a club.athletics has become more demanding as well.
Again, the devil is always in the detail when it comes from Jimmy Mac.  Over 1,320 kids participated in clubs last year.  Is that unique kids?  How many kids participate in multiple clubs?  And the wording suggests that the number REPRESENTS 67% of students in the high school.  Most will read that as 67% of high school kids participate in one or more club.  But that's not really what it says...is it?  Is this more of the district or McClowry being purposefully obtuse?  Why do we care?  Because if 2/3 of the kids in high school are participating in extracurricular activities, that's awesome.  But is that really the case?  Or do they hope that's what we'll believe by reading those words quickly and not asking questions?  Again, we want to know...how many individual unique students participate in one or more clubs?  With all our technology, is that too difficult a question to answer?

2. Please provide data supporting your rationale for this proposal.
" High school:
Conservatively, the district hosts over hundreds of athletic and activity events each school year. Each event has its own unique needs, but all events need proper supervision, emergency response plans and coordination.
It is likely that we will be adding two to four new levels of a spring sport in the near future. That will add another 12-24 home sporting events. These would add to an already very cumbersome and full spring schedule for athletics."
2 to 4 new levels of a spring sport "in the near future"?  He's only proposing girls varsity lacrosse NEXT year and boys varsity lacrosse the year after that.  Those are turn-key operations.  Why on earth does he need help for that?
How about some data?  Jimmy Mac ducked the question about whether schools of similar size have an assistant AD.   That smells like it struck a nerve.

ATHLETICS AND ACTIVITIES PART B:
ADDITIONAL DISTRICTWIDE CLUB ADVISOR STIPEND ADDITIONS
Cost: $27,840.00

The proposal is to increase club stipends in each building across the district. The rate of 2% of Full Time Equivalency (FTE) would be used as a universal amount for all stipends.
[NOTE: This amounts to $580 per year per advisor)

2. Please provide data supporting your rationale for this proposal. 
See attached data.
(there is none!)

3. How will the outcomes of this proposal be evaluated after 12 months? Three years?
Elementary - TBD 
Middle School/Prairie Phoenix Academy (PPA) - TBD
High School - TBD

Really? So....how will it be determined?  Does Jimmy Mac even have a plan?  No plan...no approval!



ATHLETICS AND ACTIVITIES PART C:
ADDITIONAL HIGH SCHOOL COACHING POSITIONS
Cost: $7,106.00

Proposal: Add two swim coaching assistant positions; one for boys, and one for girls.
Swim Assistant Coaches Stipends: 7% or $2,030 x 2 = $4,060

Proposal: Add two cross-country assistant coaching positions; one for boys, and one for girls.
Cross-Country Assistant Coach Stipends: 5.25% or $1,523 x 2 = $3,046

2. Please provide data supporting your rationale for this proposal.
1. Provides a more appropriate student-to-coach ratio.
2. Provides proper safety and supervision of student-athletes.
3. Provides more diversified skill development and connection with sub-varsity student-athletes.
4. Provides a high quality experience for students in existing programs.

Participation Numbers for last 4 years:
Boys Swim 17, 29, 33, 45
Girls Swim 18, 28, 34, 48
Boys CC 43, 49, 35, 38
Girls CC 29, 33, 32, 38

Look carefully at these numbers!  Boys cross country participation has actually DECLINED, while girls have remained fairly steady with a very slight increase this year.  Swimming, on the other hand, is clearly on the rise.
Here's a case where the data support PART of the proposal:  additional coaches for swimming.

ATHLETICS AND ACTIVITIES PART D:
INTRODUCING VARSITY HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE
Cost: $11,010.00 (Year 1) $11,280.00 (Year 2)

There is a desire in the community for the school district to sponsor boys' and girls' lacrosse teams. This proposal rolls out a plan to do so.
A "desire in the community"? Really?  This makes it sound like a few old guys in lawn chairs sippin' brewskis came up with the wild idea to develop a varsity lacrosse team.   That is worlds apart from  concerted effort by a large and growing club sport to be recognized as a full school-sponsored sport!  Disingenuous doesn't even begin to describe this.

Spring 2013-14: introduce a girls varsity lacrosse team
Spring 2014-15: A boys' varsity lacrosse team would be introduced.

2. Please provide data supporting your rationale for this proposal.
See data attached.
Once again...NO DATA!  This is beyond embarrassing.  It's downright shoddy work.  And Mr. McClowry knows full well that the lacrosse program has been requesting this for months, so there is no excuse for not doing a better job.  In fact, we happen to know (and have seen a copy) that the lacrosse folks put together a very detailed report to support this proposal.  Did McClowry use any of it?   Why not?  Does he have some personal issue with lacrosse?  For someone that speaks frequently about the importance of giving kids opportunities and the value of sports, McClowry doesn't seem all that interested in adding lacrosse. 

A participation fee of $85 for all SPHS lacrosse members would be accessed. All other expenses would be the responsibility of SPASD. The expected cost of running a lacrosse program for boys would be approximately $11,280. The Sun Prairie Lacrosse Club (SPLC) has agreed to donate $10,000 for start up costs and to purchase uniforms.

On Jan. 24 the Secondary Principals level met and ranked this proposal 2 out of the 4 submitted at this level. Projected participation fees $85 x 40 = $3,400

Does ANYBODY Review What Comes out of the Athletic Dept?

We had to start somewhere in reviewing these budget proposals...what better place than athletics.  If you glance at the budget proposals most include some level of detail and rationale.  Jim McClowry's do not.  We got bupkis.

We happen to have some inside information that, following the poor information presented regarding hockey fees, that any future reports to be presented by Mr. McClowry would be reviewed by the entire management team.  Did they?  Either way, the Management Team comes off looking poorly here because either (A) they reviewed--and approved--this proposal, or (B) they didn't review it and let it go to the public as is (again).

How can we trust ANY budget information coming out of the district when such poor quality reports such as this are released?  This district if going to need an 8th elementary school within 4-5 years and that will cost $18-20 M (or more).  Did anyone notice that most of the building referenda got slammed last week?  If one wants this community to support another big ticket venture, one might want to foc on putting one best and most quality foot forward when it comes to information.

And who exactly IS the district "Management Team"?  We assume it would include Tim Culver, Phil Frei, and Alice Murphy.  One would hope that HR Director Annette Mikula is also part of the team.  But that makes only 4 and most teams have an odd number to ensure no tie votes.  Is there a 5th?  Perhaps Student Services Manager Jennifer Apodaca?

Our next question is...do they vote on issues like this?  Knowing these folks, SOME of them HAD to take issue with Mr. McClowry's report.  Did they simply get over-ruled?  Really?  Someone actually thought the Athletics and Actvities Budget Proposals were well written and supported by data?  Or did some members of the Team simply not read it (and we can understand why)?

See attached ( Non-existent ) data
Two out of Jimmy Mac's 4 budget proposals, in response to the instruction, "2. Please provide data supporting your rationale for this proposal." were annotated with "See attached data".  Yet there was no data attached...at least any data that remotely responded to the directive.

Really?  Nobody caught that?  Who's responsible?  (ahem...Tim Culver)

Let's take only the left front wheel instead of a complete  turn key operation
Mr. McClowry...the district?....is proposing to add girls varsity lacrosse next spring.  Yippeee.  Seriously ...that's great.  And there's even a proposal to add boys varsity lacrosse th year after.  But hat about JV?  Freshmen? Lacrosse is by and large the number one growing sport in the country (although Jimmy Mac's report includes nothing about that).  It already would be better populated than several existing school sponsored sports...but we'll take just girls varsity and then boys varsity?  Really?

From the Why Don't We Show Growth Numbers That Don'T Support Our Proposal Dept.
...and then we have the request to add two assistant coaches each for swimming and cross country. Swimming...we get  The data bears that out.   But just look at the cross country data.   It does not support ANY additional coaches!

McClowry Needs Help
Out personal favorite is batting in the leadoff position.  In which McClowry asks for a half FTE (at a hefty salary) an Assistant Athletics and Activities Director.  Mr. McClowry has publicly stated that he's really, really busy.

At .50 FTE, the salary would range from $25,625-$31,356. Some administrative responsibilities would include:
Evaluating staff, accessing facility and equipment needs, creating and facilitating professional development programs, administering large multi-team events and scheduling JV and 9th grade nonconference athletic events.

Hmmm... not seeing much about activities there?

We hear Bon Jovi's releasing an updated version of one of their old hits.  It will be called "You Give SP A Bad Name".

Budget Proposals: An All Or None Proposition?

This week we heard (at least until the meeting had to be suspended after 3 hrs) about the districts new proposals for the 2013-14 budget year.

RECOMMENDATION:

On March 19, 2013, Management Team recommended the following steps, taking into consideration the pending state budget and the related uncertainty of school funding:

1. If the state budget is approved with no dollar increase to the per pupil spending (Governor Walker’s proposal), all new proposals would be delayed until future years. Based on current projections, they could not be sustained.
2. If the state budget is approved with a $150 increase, or close to that amount, the budget proposals would be implemented as shown on Attachment 1, starting in 2013-14, and Year 2 and 3 would be considered in future budgets.
3. If other revenue becomes available in the 2013-14 budget, the budget proposals would be implemented as shown on Attachment 1, starting in 2013-14, and Year 2 and 3 would be considered in future budgets.

Kinda has a "We want them all or none of them" ring to it, doesn't it?  As in "if we can't all play, then one of us plays".   We don't know if that was the intent, but that's how we read it and how several folks we asked read it.

We know this is really crazy...really OUT THERE...but do you suppose....do you you leave any room for the possibility that just maybe the school board might feel strongly about one or more of these that they would approve them regardless of the state budget scenario?  Just wonderin'.

We'll take a look at each in more detail...some more detail than others, of course, but these are just a few of the thing that just sacked us in the face about the proposals, shotgun style:

• It adds a lot of personnel (12.7 FTE by our count).  Many illnesses can be cured with a little antibiotic, but like some STDs, FTEs are forever.  Isn't the idea that technology allows you to do more with less bodies?
• 3.5 FTE for "Instructional Coaches".  The paint is still wet on the forerunner to this initiative.  Can we maybe let the paint dry and see how things play out before jumping t this?
• 623 Ipads?  REALLY?  SIX HUNDRED AND TWENTY THREE?   And why do they have to be I-Pads?   WI-FI and retina display? For grades K-5?  Can we think this through?   
• Expand/Re-structure Youth Advocates.  We can almost see this one.  If we're truly doing all the training now...why exactly are we paying someone else to provide these positions?  The $64,000 question (or actually roughly $100K question is:  does offering the district benefit package make a $14 dollar/hr wage more palatable?
• Athletics & Activities.  Lots of buried treasure here.  Jim "Jimmy Mac" McClowry wants to add more club advisors and coaches, pay them more, get himself a half-time assistant AD...oh yeah...and maybe add girls varsity lacrosse next year.  Did anyone even review his proposal?  He talks about attached data that we didn't see.  Other folks looking to add positions provide PDs.  Jimmy Mac did not.  In fact, there's no substance here.  And lacrosse seems to be a finely tuned turn-key operation.  So why is Jimmy Mac proposing to simply take ONLY the right front tire?  And why start wi girl?  That funk kinds reeks of a Title IX concern....dontcha think?
• PBIS Coaches.  This is the least expensive and arguably most needed of all the proposals. 
• Add 1.5 FTE Support staff at CHUMS.  Not huge fans of adding FTE, but at least the proposal includes clear data to support the need.  Unlike Jimmy Macs (hint, hint).
• Add 2 groundskeepers.  Wait...after last summer, don't we have LESS grass to deal with?  Just kidding!   Far better data to support it although we wonder why we should be swayed by Florida or Washington models.  Being that we're SO much like those states.
• Add 0.5FTE for Business Services and 0.5 FTE for Human Resources.  The former gives us some heartburn while the latter is more understandable.  Several years back our Business Services Manager received a $5.00 per hour increase that due to complaints the school board split p over 2 years.  Still, we pay that position a LOT of money and now they need help?  It's tarting to look like the people that get paid the big bucks don't do very much and we need to hire lesser paid positions to do their work. Sorry to be blunt, but w're just sayin' what everyone else is thinkin'.  Maybe if Phil Frei focused on the business end more and let others deal with the non-business things (like technology and buildings/grounds), we wouldn't need this position.

Enjoy!

http://schoolboard.spasd.k12.wi.us/Board.nsf/files/966PZY671906/$file/Att.2-Complete%20Set%20of%20Proposals.pdf

Super-Size Me. Ashley Field Plan Now Projected at $5. to $57 MILLION

Sorry folks.  We WISH this were an April Fool's joke, seeing as this is on the agenda for tomorrow's Planning Committee meeting.

Who knows....Maybe it IS just a [Athletics Director]  Jim McClowry joke.
We're afraid it's no such thing.

http://schoolboard.spasd.k12.wi.us/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=95YJA84C332C

Stackhouse is tossed underneath the bus, ran over and then the bus put in reverse and run over him again.  Granted, the "Stackhouse plan" was a tad swiss cheesy, but we dont think he deserves to be hung with all this.  This plan has gone from $1.6 M to $5.7M.  Even the STAR's Chris Mertes has got to come off of the fence and rip this one to shreds.

It' our understanding that the entire cost of ALL the fields at the new high school came to about $6M.
But that's a number that Jim McClowry didn't provide.  We get it though.  His numbers haven't been...shall we say...overly impressive.

$5.7MILLION?

Are you fricking kidding us?

Screw Ashley Field!

Policy "KG" Brings Coaches Out in Force

We're baaaa-aaaack!

Who woulda thunk?
The Planning Committee meeting agenda seemed rather vanilla...but lurking within was a revision being proposed to Policy KG - Use of School Facilities.  And someone gave a heads up to school district coaching staff and local youth programs, because a rough head count of 24 attendees --all coaches and youth program folks---was made.

Something smells funky here.
It's almost like someone stuffed a bunch of really damp, sweaty gym clothes in a hole in the wall, spackled it over and painted it up. It's good as new...right?  At least until the temperatures start soaring.     That's what the revisions to Policy KG do.  We have a problem folks, and the district is simply opting not to address it.

Let's charge fees to the Madison Down's Syndrome Society to use our facilities, but let's not charge the coaches that are running a camp that takes in an estimated $17,500...to (air condition and) use the fieldhouse, right?  It's all about the kids, so we shouldn't be charging camps to use our fields/facilities.  It' all about the kids....just not THOSE kids.  How dare you!!!!

Oh wait...NOW you don't want to charge a fee to ANYBODY...right?   The fine taxpayers of Sun Prairie (and yes, some of you are also coaches) provided at least $6 MILLION dollars for athletic fields (no to mention indoor facilities).  These things require maintenance and upkeep, and policy KG simpy charged a nominal fee to cover those costs.  But it's cutting into SOMEONE's profits.

Don't we already have a policy?
Why yes...why yes we do.  And SP-EYE looked at facility/field reservation and use over the past 2 years an we did not see a SINGLE athletic camp reimbursing the district for field/facility use.   Were they even billed?   Hmmm.  We hear that fees were waived.  Is that true?  Because we do not see anything in existing policy that would allow fees to be waived.  No one has that authority.  So if it happened (and we believe it did)...WHO ORDERED THE CODE RED?

Look folks, we have a policy now that is not being followed.  What makes anyone believe that changing th policy is going to result in compliance?  Compliance can only occur when someone is enforcing the policy.  That' not happening.  And it was clear Monday night that the district want to ignore the past and focus on the future.

Phil Frei lacks the information...again
School board member Steve Schroeder very astutely asked Phil Frei what revenues we received for field/facility use.   Frei was very quick wit
h figures for revenue generated by the pool ($24K) and the Performing Art Center ($15K).   Schroeder asked , "What about for fields?"   Frei looked away and said that he didn't have that information.

Really?  You have pool and PAC revenues on the tip of your tongue and at a meeting when all the coaches appear to talk about field rental fees, you don't have that information"?  REALLY?  Once again, the district doesn't look so hot.  One has to ask the obvious question....did Frei REALLY not know?  Or did he know but did not wish to air it publicly because it would not look very good.

We don't want to pay to use facilities!
It was abundantly clear that coaches feel they should not have to pay a dime to use district facilities.  Of curse, we can't find any indication that many coaches have actually been paying. As Brian Kaminski stated, "I'm fine with paying for the lining of fields, but not field use fees."  Really, coach?  Have you PAID for the cost of lining those fields in even the past 2 years?  Ever?

Kaminski admits that coaches DO get paid
Football coach Brian Kaminski may have unwittingly admitted something else that we are hearing most coaches are denying:  that coaches receive payment for their involvement in camps.  Perhaps he got caught up in the moment, but Kaminksi blurted out, "The amount of money we make as coaches [at these summer camps] is minimal".   Well, Brian, I guess what constitutes "minimal" may be in the eye of the beholder.  But you DO receive pay.  You DO profit.  What we're wondering is: how much did it cost the taxpayers to line those fields and then restore them after they were subject to weeks of drought last summer and then your football camp, which includes not jut Sun Prairie, but Waunakee football?

Taking Title IX a little too lightly?
At one point the spectre of Title IX was invoked.  There are some folks concerned that if we do not know where the money is going for these camps, then we run the risk of developing inequity in funding for male vs. female sports and activities.

Coach and SPEA president Brad Lutes responded to the resident's concern by stating that the SP Quarterback Club recently donated a number of new football helmets for the football program.   Lutes indicated that he did not believe that the girls volleyball or softball teams would have any interest in an equivalent number of football helmets.

Mister Lutes (we think) was being funny, tossing in a wisecrack.  Forgive us if we do not share his the humor in light-hearted jab.  Title IX is serious business.   No, perhaps the girls teams have no use for football helmets, but we bet they WOULD leap at the opportunity of securing funding equivalent to the cost of those helmets!

We see those cool "Gators" being used to drive (what else) Gator Aid and other equipment onto the football field.  We've often wondered who paid for those?  Are they just reserved for football use?  Because  we're pretty sure that the girls softball team might appreciate the use of them to drive bats and balls over to their field, assuming they don't already.

That's what Title IX is about, Brad...making sure that program equities exist for both boys and girls (and coed) sports.

Being Purposely Obtuse?
God bless the STAR for they don't seem to get it.  The article about this meeting wasn't even bland...it aspired to be bland.  Despite the concern raised bout Title IX, no mention was made.

In the end, the committee wisely decided to table the issue.  Of course, then the question comes back to...why haven't we collected money for field use by camps over the past 2 years?  Hmmmm...we smell an Open Records Request simmering on the front burner.  Cn you say, "Open Records Request" boys and girls?  There.  We knew you could!

SP-EYE has NOT Left the Building!!!

For those dedicated readers out there, we appreciate your patience.
You've probably noted a decline in posting.  Not to worry!!!
SP-EYE HQ has been quite busy relocating our base of operations.

Some of you have missed the blog...and we assure you, the blog misses you.

Please bear with us as the endzone (for HQ relocation anyway) is in plain sight.

There is MUCH going on behind the scenes that y'all should be aware of...and as things bubble up to the surface, we will alert you.  Again...thanks for your infinite patience.

Screw Ashley Field!

And we're not referring to some vulgar act with some coed by that name.  Shame on you for even thinking such a thought.

It's simply time, people.  Hell...it's long past time.
There's clearly some hidden agenda that's operating behind the scenes, and like Mr. T, we ain't got time for the jibbajabba.

Just over a year ago, the spectre of Ashley Field renovations was raised yet again.  In that episode, we learned that not one penny had been collected towards the "Turf Ashley Field" project.  David Stackhouse became the scapegoat.  But, you know what?   Stackhouse's plan is starting to sound a whole lot more reasonable!   And yes...that IS pretty scary.

Click to enlarge and see the budget

We leaned this summer that the "plan" would result in the loss of the baseball field portion of Ashley.  And we also learned that replacing said field would cots about $375,000 MORE than the already estimated cost of $2.4 MILLION. $3M? $4M? More?

Now we're hearing its going to cost EVEN MORE!

What really bothers us is that each of this years (2012-13) and next year's budgets included $25,000 for the Ashley Field entrance.  We also understand that $25K won't even put a dent in the actual cost for that part.  We're not seriously going to dump that money into the Ashley Field money pit...are we?

The football people have not raised anything.  Zip. Zero. Zed.  There are rumors that the baseball people are holding the plan hostage until they are assured of getting a replacement field.  Interestingly enough, SPASD Athletics Director Jim McClowry serves on the Board of Directors for SP Little League (http://www.eteamz.com/sunprairielittleleague/board/).  Not that we're suggesting that presents a conflict of interest or anything.  Hmmm...wonder if he also serves on the youth football board?  Hockey?...oh...wait...probably not; never mind.  Apparently people way smarter than us have reviewed his serving on the SPLL board and don't see a problem.  But..do you really think this plan has a snowball's chance of coming to fruition?  We do not.  We say...

Does ANYBODY Review ANYTHING here?

OK....people make mistakes.  We get that.  But is there anyone else that sees that the Sun Prairie school district seems to make mistakes at a highly accelerated rate compared to others?

This e-mail message went out to families of Patrick Marsh students this past week.
You'd think that something with the good Dr. Culver's name on it....
... given the pretty hefty salary we pay to a Communications Manager...
... and after all the poor quality information (which clearly has not received adequate review) coming out of the district...
... that SOMEONE would have proofread this simple e-mail message!

Right?
Or was this a contest?  You know...parents, please fill in the blank of who you'd like to see as interim Assistant Principal?

This isn't a personnel matter you have interest in.

And what's REALLY noteworthy is that NO ONE is even talking about WHY Mr. Luessman is suddenly called upon to take over as interim Creekside principal.  This one has a rather fishy odor to it.  For this level of secrecy, it must involve a rather touchy subject.  Were any of the kids at any risk?  Teachers?

Poof! And Our Creekside Principal is GONE!

The coconut telegraph is buzzing as we learn that Jeremiah Holiday, principal at Creekside has suddenly "left the building".  A few e-mails sent to parents were shared with us.  What we do know is that Jeremiah is gone baby, gone.   Clark Luessman will be replacing him for the rest of the year and Asst. Principal Cory Shefchik will serve as interim Patrick March principal.

When things happen this quickly and secretly, it's never good.

Well...that didn't last long!  Not even two years.  The question of why we didn't hire Rainey Briggs comes back again.  For whatever reason(s) Dr Culver didn't offer the position to our own Mr. Briggs, Madison didn't wait long at all to scoop him up and make him principal.

Things that should make you go, "Hmmmmm"

What's in a Title?

We've gone through this before.  Time Culver wanted to be "Superintendent" instead of "District Administrator".  Now "Teachers" want to be known as "Professional Educators".  Why?  Is this more title envy?  If we make it sound better, will that ensure better pay?  And who exactly, other than teachers, believes that their pay isn't pretty darn good (except for entry level teachers)?

Actually, the national teacher organizations have done a pretty good job of selling a sob story to those in the public who take things at face value.  And there are a lot of them.  Recently we asked our favorite mini-mart du jour person (Lord only knows what THEIR title is) about teachers, (since there a a front page article about Act 10).  We asked them what they thought the average pay for a teacher is.  They answered, "Oh, teachers are like the only people that get paid less than we make here."  We replied, "Really!   How much do you think the average teacher earns".  Their answer, " I don't know...but reading the paper an listening to people talk...they can't be making very much...maybe around $20,000 to $25,000 per year?"

Boy were they blown away when we shared with them the average pay, starting salary, and amount that top shelf teachers earn.  You know what?  It wasn't really shock...it was a little anger.  They were kinda PO'd that they'd been led to believe something very different.

Give yourselves a round of applause teacher, WEAC, AFT, NEA....you've done a great job. John Q. Public BELIEVES your hype.

We're getting caught up in some huge media hype designed to do one and only one thing: increase perceived value. Hell, we endowed redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel with the moniker  "Johnny Football" and he parlayed it into a Heisman trophy--the first ever for a "freshman".  Yeah...he did play some great football.  But the hype drove it.  Is he the next Peyton Manning?  Or will he be the next Ryan Leaf?  WE DON'T KNOW!

But we digress.back to the new title...Professional Educator".  The problem is that adding "Professional" in front of a title does not guarantee professionalism.  And having  better title doesn't make you better.  You earn respect based on what you deliver.  No smoke and mirrors; no hype.  Just pure results.

Superfoot Wallace: No black belt needed

There's an old (and true) story we like to tell bout Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace.  Google him is you like.  One of the mot accomplished martial artists in the country.  Not-so-fun factoid:  he was also John Belushi's personal trainer, the one who discovered Belushi's overdose and death.  Anyway,we  happened upon Mr. Wallace a number of years ago at a martial arts tournament.  Wallace was running a seminar before the tournament.  One of the kids asked him why if he was a black belt.  Wallace answered that he was indeed a black belt.  The child then asked that if that was so, how come he doesn't wear his black belt (Wallace wore no belt at the time).  Wallace responded that he doesn't feel the need to display a belt to declare his prowess; he believed that when people see what he is capable of, they KNOW he is a black belt.  And then he proceeded (at age 50) to put on an incredible display of power and control.  He made a studly young black belt warrior look silly in the ring.

So...before we start getting crazy with this whole Professional Educator thing, look at what we lose.



I got it bad, got it bad, got it bad,
I'm hot for Professional Educator.
---Van Halen

Well the dawn was coming,
Heard him ringing on my bell.
He said, ``My name's the Professional Educator,
That is what I call myself.
And I have a lesson
That I must impart to you.
It's an old expression
But I must insist it's true.
---Jethro Tull 

 Professional Educator, Professional Educator, can you professionally educate me?
Can you tell me all I need to know?
Professional Educator, Professional Educator, can you reach me?
Or will I fall when you let me go?
Oh no.
---38 Special 

Professionally educate 
your children well
Their father's hell
Will slowly go by
---Graham Nash 

There once was a Professional Educator of great renown
Whose words were like the tablets of stone
Because it's easier to learn than unlearn
Because we've passed the point of no return
Gather your goods and follow me
Or you will surely die
--Paul Simon