Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Carrel Responds...

Letter! We get letters...and e-mails!
Imagine that...Carreel has it within him to admit he made a trivial error... but then insists that his conclusions are still correct. Isn't that kinda like the guy who said, "I thought I was wrong once...but it turns out I wasn't". Not exactly the reach-down-deep-inside response we were looking for. and Jim, we too can admit when we're wrong. But we're not, in this case. Does that have a familiar ring to it?

Jim Carrel has even obtained a legal opinion that his conclusions are correct. But don't you worry Sun Prairie residents, the beautiful thing about the law is that even if it seem apparent that it says one thing, there's always a lawyer out there that believes it says the opposite. Jim Carrel must have found that lawyer.

If you ask SP-EYE, Carrel's logic represents the biggest stretch since Ryan Leaf was selected #2 overall in the 1998 NFL draft.

[SP-EYE does the math: $3,000 for a 2-3 day conference means that their "lost wages" represent as much as $1,000 a day? That would put their "day job" salaries at about $125/hr, or $250K per year. Now THAT is a tall tale! What we like about Carrel is that he doesn't just dream, he dream BIG.]

Is it possible that Carrel (and others) could successfully seek reimbursement for their $2,000 to $3,000 each in lost wages? Sure. Anything's possible. It's been possible each year for a long time that the Cubs would win a World Series...but they haven't.

Two things would have to happen in order for Carrel's scenario to even remotely appear on the threat warning detector.

First, Carrel would have to convince someone that attendance at the annual convention represents a "required duty" of a school board member. The State Statute Carrel DOESN'T point out, 120.12, outlines the legal duties of a school board. There are 26 line items. Funny, not one of them says anything about conference attendance. It's called choices, Mr. Carrel. You can choose to attend, or choose not to. But it's not a pre-requisite of the job.

The second thing that would have to happen (assuming he could ever get past #1) is that at an annual meeting of the electors, the electors would have to vote to approve such a reimbursement. You think THAT's going to happen? It's been tough just getting approval to pay those board members $3,200 per year for their time and effort. What on earth makes Carrel think the electors would vote to reimburse ANY school board member for $3,000 for one conference that's not remotely mandatory. It's more likely the electors would vote to lynch him.
So sleep easy, Sun Prairie. Jim Carrel can boast all he wants. SP-EYE will be here to give you not just the facts, but documentation to support them.

Read for yourself: Ch. 120, State Statutes


Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Boundary Issue back on the agenda!

The rumors were correct, and it was announced at Monday's meeting that the school board will put the controversial boundary issue back on the agenda for its May 12 meeting. President Stackhouse kept a good poker face and didn't give any indication of whether it would be merely to appease those that have lobbied hard...and convincingly...to re-consider the decision.

Will the board simply vote to reaffirm its earlier decision? Or will the boundaries be up for discussion again? Tune in May 12.

Culver controversy put to bed...at last

And no...Tim Culver didn't fall asleep during last night's meeting. After more than 6 months, the school board finally added some documentation to a long standing "undocumented understanding" regarding reimbursement for district administrator Tim Culver's Rotary Club membership. The board voted unanimously to approve payment of the dues, and meals at Rotary meetings "going forward" (whatever that means). We're wondering if that means we'll still pay for it if Culver retires. When exactly does "going forward" stop?

We're on record of supporting the membership...just not how it was documented...i.e., not at all. This district needs to be run more like a business and not using the Loosey Goosey method of fiscal accounting. Culver's contract already includes stipulations that one national and one state membership will be paid for by the District Why not add a local membership...the Rotary. Then it gets tied to his employment, and all "benefits" reside in a single place....the contract. The board signs "side letters to contracts all the time".

The board responded that all checks get approved by the Finance Committee and then the board, so therefore the membership was already approved. Yep...and folks watch those checks really well...don't they? At the last board meeting a check had to be re-issued because it was originally paid out to the wrong vendor. Did anyone notice? Frankly it's only a few citizens and one citizen rep on the Finance Committee that ever ask for explanation of ANY checks. Has anyone ever counted the checks that are written by the District in a single 2-week period? There are a lot of pucks that could get past the goalie.

Ahhhh...but we're not bitter...and we're not taking it personally, Mr. Carrel! Disappointed? Certainly. A citizen poses an equally simple , and arguably more defensible solution, but the board disagrees. No wonder people have been asking if the board simply votes down anything certain citizens speak out about. No...our elected leaders would never do such a thing. Clearly they know better how to manage the District's $65 M finances.

At least we finally have a firm, documented vote/approval on the expenditure instead of a bunch of "yeah...it's come up over the years....we've talked about that...just never taken any action on it".

Whalen Decisions Carrel in 7!

Nope...Monday's school board meeting did not erupt in fisticuffs. But it did take 7 rounds of voting to break a 3-3 tie vote for Vice President of the school board! Board policy is to continue voting until either everyone falls asleep or a majority vote is obtained. We might want to put that particular policy in the "Huh???" column. I mean...seriously....if the President is ill or unable to make a meeting, it's not like the VP takes over as leader of the free school district.

Inquiring minds were postulating that a series of six 3-3 votes is either a sign of yet another split within the board or that Jim Carrel's venomous tirade against fellow board members has not yet been forgotten.

People are also wondering how the 3-3 tie dissolved into a 4-2 Whalen victory. Did Carrel fall on his sword and switch his vote? Or did someone else turn on Carrel.

In other officer election results, David Stackhouse, predictably, was a unanimous choice for President, as was Jim McCourt for Treasurer (after Caren Diedrich declined the nomination). Carrel was voted Clerk and Jill Camber Davidson was voted Deputy Clerk.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Why SP-EYE?

In his STAR editorial, school board member Jim Carrel states (not alleges) that this blog is "filled with hatred for the School Board". Webster's defines hatred as "Strong aversion; intense dislike; hate; an affection of the mind awakened by something regarded as evil. " Mr. Carrel does not understand; in fact, Carrel mimself sat down with SP-EYE back in January for a quite candid, amiable discussion over soft drinks. On a personal level, SP-EYE harbors no malice or ill will towards any board member. There is concern however, that these same people take on very different characteristics when they settle into their board seats. Sometimes the change is so startling, it seems that a call to Buffy the Vampire Slayer is in order.

Board members were each elected to manage the school district from a fiscal and policy angle, while adhering to the voices of the community. Yet, they only listen when droves of people come to meetings to speak out...and sometimes not even then. Community residents are very busy with their own lives and families, and frequently only think about the board when property tax bills arrive or prior to referendum elections. These folks need access to more complete information more regularly. Perhaps if they have ALL the information, they will communicate their feelings to board members directly or at meetings. Change starts small.

Reading this blog represents a choice, just as choosing to disregard some residents is a choice of the school board. Free will and democracy are indeed wonderful things. People have the right to read the information presented here and look further into it (trust but verify) as they see fit. If they don't like the tone or the information, they can choose to read no further. Life is but a series of choices.

While SP-EYE has a number of concerns regarding actions (or inaction) of the school board, fiscal responsibility concerns are firmly ensconced in the top slot. Some folks and board members feel that the issues raised involve petty amounts. Isn't that up to the community to decide? Relative to a $65M budget, some amounts might seem small, but they all add up...and quickly. More importantly, loose control over fiscal matter can lead to fiscal abuse. What are some of the issues?

Fast food expenditures. Last year over $5,000 for fast food at Milio's, Cousins, Pizza Hiut and others. This year (to date) over $3600 has been spent.

Flowers. Over $370.00 has been spent this year(to date), and over $500 last year. We all share thoughts of grief, convalescence, or joy for co-workers, but not on the taxpayers' dime).

Attorney's fees. We pay at least $230/hour to a fiorm on retainer. Do we really need to consult an attorney over whether to release the resumes and applications of candidates for a vacant school board seat? For the release of names and e-mail addresses of citizens serving on a committee? On one bill alone over $2,800 was spent in response to the basketball coach fiasco.
Contract Compliance. Failure to monitor contract limitations and hold the line on reimbursements allowable by contract (Tim Culver). If Culver wanted the Rotary membership and expenses to be covered under his contract, he and the board should have negotiated it. He gets paid plenty. I'm almost surprised we didn't include a monthly Starbucks allotment.

Competitive Bidding. Choosing not to use competitive bidding to award major work such as the architect for Creekside and the new high school. Competition can help get quality AND the best price.

Conference costs. Sending 6 school board members to the annual state school board conference (the infamous $42/person steak dinner; not to mention total conference costs) when 1-2 could have gone and brought back key information represents nothing more than taxpayer waste. Having 6 board members dining with the Administrator (without public notice) could also be viewed as a violation of Open Meetings laws.

Other expensditures. Approving $2,226 for the Academic Decathlon team to spend 1? 2? nights at the Concourse hotel) exactly 11 miles away from SPHS is really a questionable expense. Yes, this team did an awesome job. But we have other sports teams that perform equally gruelling tasks (on a physical level) yet they come home on a long bus ride late at night. Check #85470 $2226 Concourse Hotel 3/11/08 . Lodging for HS Acadec state competition for six students and their advisor. The students paid for half of the hotel cost and the district paid for the other half. $2,226 for 7 people = $318/person. Location : 1 W Dayton St. Madison; 11.64 miles Time: 26 mins from SPHS.

This case in particular begs further review. In theory, a request was made (and approved) by the high school principal. From there, approval (or approvals) was (were) obtained from district administration. Someone should have said "I'm sorry, but we can't approve this". The problem is that once it got to the school board's Finance Committee, the charges had already been made. What were they going to do, deny the check? So, instead of taking formal action to ensure that such a deicison does not occur again, they rationalized approval. Someone must be held accountable. Has this step now set a precedent? When our sports teams travel to Janeville or Beloit, much further away, and finish up late at night prior to a school day, do we put them up in a hotel?

These are arguably merely the tip of the iceberg. But we'll never know what else is going on until people start looking at financial data and administrative decisions in detail, and then taking the difficult, but necessary, corrective action to change the status quo.

It's time to make fiscal responsibility a higher priority in this school district. No more glossing over the checks written twice each month.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

School Board to elect new officers

At the Monday April 28, 2008, new board members Jill Camber-Davidson and Terry Shimek will take their oath of office. The other big business item will be election of board officers.

Click to download the board package

Friday, April 25, 2008

Carrel whines; "Let us wine & dine! (on the taxpayer dime)"

Jim Carrel used the STAR this week to "set the record straight". Kinda sounded a lot like his e-mail about a year ago, where he said, " I'm not sure what his agenda is, but I would recommend you contact me and not others anytime you have a question....".

Only once again, Mr. Carrel says to listen to his facts, not those in "some blog". It was a moving opinion piece. Too bad he got it all wrong (again).

Carrel cites state statute (or law). We only hope he doesn't read critical school board materials like he reads statutes, because he got it all wrong. In fact, the section of statutes he quoted has nothing to do with school boards! He apparently was so driven to find some way to substantiate his $42 steak dinner (and threaten ability to charge more) that he didn't read the introduction to the section he quoted. When he found these sections he surely must have had one helluva case of premature elation.

Here's what the statute language immediately PRIOR to his citations clarifies:

19.59(1)(g)1. In this paragraph:
19.59(1)(g)1.a. "District" means a local professional baseball park district created under subch. III of ch. 229 or a local professional football stadium district created under subch. IV of ch. 229.
19.59(1)(g)1.b. "District board member" means a member of the district board of a district.

Sorry, Jim...but you're a school district board member...not a Pro baseball or football park district board member. Your facts are in error, and you have no right to threaten that you COULD charge "$2,000 or 3,000" to the taxpayers.

But see for yourself. Don't blindly listen to anyone. Instead, opt to find a source of information and then practice the fine art of "trust, but verify". Read for yourself the sections of state statute he quoted. Several of us are pretty well versed in reading statute and administrative code. It doesn't appear that Mr. Carrel is.


Ch. 19, WI Statutes


Strike 2, Mr. Carrel.

Your 2nd error was your interpretation of the statutes related to reimbursement of school board members' expenses. The statute says:

120.10 Powers of annual meeting. The annual meeting of a common or union high
school district may:

120.10(4) Authorize the payment of actual and necessary expenses of a school
board member when traveling in the performance of
duties
and the reimbursement of a school board member for actual
loss of earnings when duties require the school board member to be absent from
regular employment.

A. The statute offers an option: "may". That means the electors MAY choose to authorize a reimbursement. If it were a "shall", then it would be something that ONLY the electors can do. But it doesn't address setting a policy for maximum reimbursement. The BOARD does that. Wait. The Board SHOULD do that...since they did for teachers and Local 60 members.

B. It is arguable at best that attending an OPTIONAL conference represents "traveling in the performance of duties". We're pretty sure the duties of a school board member do not say "must attend conferences".

STRIKE 3; YOU'RE OUT!

Carrel stated,

"Some of the blogs are written by individuals or groups full of bitterness and rage and offer nothing more than hatred." and [Chris Mertes] accurately quoted from a local blog which is filled with hatred for the School Board."

For an elected official, Mr. Carrel sure operates off of a lot of supposition. Does that make for a good board member? Mr. Carrel has no idea what emotions drive this blog. In fact he claims he doesn't even read it. When looking for the requisite qualities in a school board member we must have missed the part where it says, "a good board member will subjectively label things of which s/he has no knowledge or without even reading them."

Is SP-EYE frustrated with actions of our school board? Sure. But according to the election results, SP-EYE is not alone in that emotion. What does drive SP-EYE is a profound lack respect for those that cannot simply take responsibility for a bad action on their part. Rather than saying, "You know what? Maybe that $42 steak dinner was a bad idea.", Carrel and others are on a never ending quest to somehow justify what they do. In fact, in this recent editorial, Carrel even (incorrectly) suggested that they COULD charge us for lost wages!

Here's hoping Jill Camber-Davidson and Terry Shimek bring a different approach to these issues.



I guess this constitutes another finger pointing. Wonder which one?

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Culver Controversy Continues...

It's been well over 6 months since it was pointed out by a citizen at a school board Finance Committee meeting, and later at full board meetings, that Tim Culver's reimbursement for Rotary Club dues exceed the terms of his contract.

Finance Committee chair Jim McCourt isn't concerned. Off the record, another current board member stated that it should be addressed, but "likely we [the school board] will simply vote to amend Culver's contract to include the Rotary Club dues".

Some wonder how sweet a deal does our District Administrator have to get before our elected school board members, cry foul? A contract is a contract, and if this one is being exceeded, what else is being exceeded? Are the school district's finances an open-air chicken coop?

Culver's contract calls for :

$135, 454 salary ( $11,288/mo)
$ 3,900 ($ 325/m0) for use of his car within Dane Co
$ 1,500 ($ 125/mo) for "miscellaneous out of pocket expenses"

We, the taxpayers, already pay for two memberships, as per the contract.

Should Culver's $125/month, automatic pay, for "miscellaneous expenditures" be used to cover his $25/quarter Rotary dues? Last year taxpayers paid just over $400 for his Rotary Club dues and meals during their meetings. Isn't that precisely the kind of expense for which he's already paid $125 per month?

We're sure this is one of those small insignificant amounts that new board member Terry Shimek indicated that he wasn't concerned about during the elections. Wonder if he'd feel that way if it were coming out of HIS own pocket?

Friday, April 18, 2008

Retiring from the Sun Prairie School District

[pt 4. in a series exploring the contractual differences between Administrators, teachers (SPEA) and support staff (AFSCME Local 60)]

Retirement. It's what we all look forward to as age creeps up on us. For most folks, the nagging question, "Will I have enough money to live comfortably in retirement?" is overshadowed by the larger question: "How will I pay for my health insurance premiums when I retire."

If you can stave off retirement until age 65, you'll be eligible for Medicare (of course that's not exactly free is it?). But what if you've worked hard from a young age and would like to truly enjoy retirement? What if you want to punch out at say age 55 or age 60? In this part of our series on contractual equity, we look at how the contracts for these 3 groups of District employees factor into the retirement equation.

Health Insurance Premiums


The table at right compares retirement benefits for the 3 groups.

First stop is the Local 60 group. These folks are awarded a whopping $3,600 to be placed in a fund to pay for health insurance premiums. At today's district rates for monthly premiums for a family,at todays rates, at best that buys them 3-4 months of health insurance before they have to pony up the full $1200-1400/month. Better wait till age 65 to retire and roll the dice with Medicare.

Next stop is the SPEA (teachers) 60 group. These folks are funded according to a more generous system that, with only 20 years in and with the contract maximum accrued leave, pays them t least 10 TIMES what the Local 60 folks get, or $36,000 for health insurance premiums. At today's district rates for monthly premiums for a family, that buys them about 3 years of health insurance before they have to pony up the full $1200-1400/month. These folks could easily retire at 62 and pay not a dime until Medicare kicks in. Noteworthy as well is that, in addition to the health insurance funding, an additional $9,600 is placed in a retirement annuity account.


Last stop: Administrators. All these folks have to do is work at least 12 years and their health care account is funded with 100% of their salary at retirement. Right now these folks average about $90,000/year. That's nearly 3x what SPEA gets and over 25 times what Local 60 gets. At today's district rates for monthly premiums for a family, that buys them about 8 years of health insurance before they have to pony up the full $1200-1400/month. These folks could easily retire at 58 and pay not a dime until Medicare kicks in.

That's the story on retirement benefits. Some have a very sweet deal; others definitely do not fare so well. The only thing that is equal for all 3 groups is that they are part of the Wisconsin Retirement system. That's definitely a nice perk...depending on your salary at retirement and years of service.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Bray & Sun Prairie - Just how cozy are we?

Cozy enough that we buy THEM lunch...not vice versa! Imagine that. WE (the taxpayers) buy the architect (who we payed over $3M just for their work on the new high school) lunch!

That's right. Buried within pages and pages of checks written by the school district is one to Milio's. Thanks to the questioning of a detailed community member, an inquiry was made regarding check number 855855 in the amount of $209.11 to Milio's for the dreaded "Multiple Invoices".


What does "Multiple Invoices mean? Well it means you have go to another file "the Check Detail for 04-14-08". From this we get the information at right. That this is actually THREE checks made out to Milio's (SP-EYE: see the BAFFLE report for more info on that subject).
http://sp-eye.blogspot.com/2007/08/more-pizza-and-subs-for-district.html

Step 3 of the convoluted process is that someone has to make an inquiry to find out exactly what $44.70 for "HS Office Supplies" really means. Deputy District Administrator Phil Frei explained,


"Bray and Paul Keats met with staff regarding the new high school. In the past Paul Keats (via the district) would pick-up the bill for subs for the architect for one lunch and then Bray would pick-up the next bill."


The good news is that Frei added, "In the future all parties will pay for themselves each time."

The not-so-good news is that how did we come to this decision ONLY after an inquiry from a resident? Why isn't the Finance Committee looking into these expenditures? No one on Finance or the School Board even batted an eye, let alone asked a question. For new board member Terry Shimek, this is just one of those little expenses that he doesn't worry about. Who cares about $45 of taxpayer dollars? Who cares about a $300+ steak dinner for school board members? [SP-EYE note...why does it always seem to involve food???] As he indicated during his campaign, he's only concerned about the really big expenses. Newsflash, Terry. The little ones add up. And abuse is abuse. whether its a "small" one or a mega-scale one. And...shouldn't we be addressing the small abuses BEFORE they become large ones? You think former Governor Spitzer started out with $4500 call girls? Or did it start with something innocent like a lunch on the taxpayers?

Is this really only the tip of the iceberg? What other cozy arrangements are hidden inside our $65M annual budget.

What really should get one to wondering is how at Monday night's school board meeting, it was announced (with pride I might add) that it is anticipated that the new high school project will be under budget by....get this....about enough to build that pool (and operate it!) that got voted down in the recent referendum.

Many of us are not opposed to a pool, but, as Chris Mertes says, "This one doesn't pass the smell test".

Ok...so $45 lunches that we buy for the architect don't cause you any heartburn? Fine. Then how about this:

Despite School Board Policy DJ (Purchasing) which states,


Because the Board cannot relinquish its responsibility and accountability as an agent of the state and to the citizenry of the district, the following guidelines are established with regard to purchasing:
1. Bidding Approval
The Board shall approve any bids or quotations as required by state or federal law, and all quotations and/or bids greater than $25,000, except as otherwise provided. Any bid needing Board approval will first go to a Board sub-committee, when practical, for approval and then to the Board, unless it is an emergency purchase.

and in Procedure DJ-R(1) (Purchasing Procedures)

2. Except as provided in sub-section 1 (see below), no purchases shall be made for supplies, services, or equipment costing $25,000 or more unless competitive quotations or bids for those items are obtained, provided the purchase is a budgeted item and the purchase is approved by the Board.

1. Bids are not required for:
a. Instructional materials
b. Miscellaneous and operational supplies less than $5,000 or replacement parts
c. Prices from single source vendors.
d. Municipal/government/state or federal contracts.
e. Maintenance contracts of one year or less duration and less than $25,000
f. Used equipment ...
g. Negotiated purchases. ....where multiple bidders are not available

See anything there which suggests that the board isn't required to bid the architect out?

When asked, Caren Diedrich's response was that because Bray is the only architect "that really knows the school district's buildings" (gee...that's not because they built them all, is it?) then Bray qualifies as an exemption from bidding as a "sole source vendor" under 2.c above.

The school board did not put the architect out for bids. The jobs were handed to Bray without even thinking about getting a better price through a policy-mandated (never mind common sense fiscal responsibility!) competitive bid project .


...and THAT is what a $45 lunch of Milio's subs gets you.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Re-vote on Boundary Issue Coming????

Even before last night's school board meeting, several individuals reported that they had discussions with officials. Word is that the board will be re-considering the boundary issue during the May 12, 2008 school board meeting.

That may bode well as a sign that the remnants of the school board's "old guard" are finally listening to the public. Beyond the issue of WHAT decisions were made, HOW those decisions were made raised a stench within the community.

Unfortunately, this news raises further questions about the inner workings of the school board. How is the agenda for a meeting set? Who decides what gets on the agenda? How can someone know what will be on the agenda before the agenda is made public? Isn't this dangerously close to a "walking quorum"?

#2 Rewarding Career that Lets You Have a Life...

From Yahoo ...

While many Americans enjoy a mere one or two weeks of vacation time each year, some professionals spend two to three months of each year away from the job.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that the following five careers will experience some of the fastest job growth of all careers over the next decade. Each one of these career paths offers its own set of perks in addition to seasonal scheduling:



"2. Teacher K-12
Many teachers use the summer to catch up with family, enjoy long vacations, and complete additional online education courses. Even with three months off, many K-12 teachers earn over $41,000 per year. [SP-EYE: and that's just salary; it doesn't consider benefits, including "supplemental pay more. More on that to come.]




Changes in recruitment policies now mean that you can start a teaching job in many places before completing a degree in education.

New state and federal mandates require job applicants to complete at least a few online education courses before beginning their teaching careers. Many school districts have even invested in dedicated recruitment programs designed to help professionals from other fields earn education degrees. For retirees, a teaching career offers the chance to stay active while earning an income and enjoying summers off."

Read the full article:
http://education.yahoo.net/degrees/articles/featured_top_5_extra_time_off_careers.html

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Contract Parity - Salary & Health Insurance

(pt. 3 in a series)

Union contracts frequently get glossed over by the school board, and certainly are nearly invisible when buried amid the annual budget voted on at the annual elector's meeting. SP-EYE wonders if anyone is really looking at this information to see how our district employees are compensated.

After reviewing the current contracts for supports staff (Local 60), teachers (SPEA) and administrators, a table has been prepared which attempts to capture the nuances of each of these contracts. Presented in this format, it allows one to also compare certain contract aspects across the unions.

Salary comparison

Support staff, which are certainly mission critical to the success of teaching staff and administrators are clearly paid on a significantly lower scale. Did anyone see them picket a school board meeting crying out for a "fair contract"?

The broad salary range is somewhat deceptive; only 3 classifications (representing a handful of positions) earn an entry salary more than $15.00/hr.

Note also that while teachers' unions across the nation always present their case for poor wages in terms of average or base salaries, there are a preponderance of options available to them in terms of "supplemental" or extra/co-curricular pay. Lastly, and it is not presented here, teaching staff may also add to their salaries by serving as summer school teaching staff.

Local 60 members are eligible for longevity pay, but only initially get 3% of their 39 month salary (not their CURRENT salary) after 4.5 years. Meanwhile, teachers receive a "step" increase of 3% every year.




Health Insurance comparison
The most obvious question to ask is how fair is it to expect the lowest paid staff to pay for 9% of health insurance benefits when teachers and administrators generally will pay for 2% or less. The cost of the premium does not change between groups; it's merely the dollar share that one group pays vs. another. Similarly, Local 60 members pay just under 15% of the cost of their dental premiums, while these plans are paid 100% by taxpayers for administrators and for single SPEA members. SPEA members only pay 5% of the family dental premium.

Why do we pay for life insurance premiums at 4 times the administrators salaries, while only at 1X for SPEA and Local 60? That's 1/2 million dollars of insurance for the top administrators! How many taxpayers have life insurance policies worth $500K...and pay nothing for them????


The Hidden Paycheck (pt. 2 in a series)

How much are your benefits worth? How much do you pay for your benefits...particularly your health insurance premiums?

At right is data for the 2005-school year, for area school districts, along with averages statewide. The Wisconsin Association of School Boards, of which Sun Prairie--as is true for most districts--is a member, USED to publish salary and compensation data reported by districts statewide on their website. Interestingly enough, that data is now only available to "members" who can log-in and obtain the data.

Historically, Sun Prairie teachers have paid NOTHING toward the cost of their health insurance premiums. [SP-EYE note: Beginning July 1, 2008, teachers will pay about 1% of the cost; 2% if they choose not to participate in a health risk assessment monitoring program.]

As the data shows, Sun Prairie teachers contribute far less than the average of both area schools and statewide towards their health insurance premiums. In the Madison teachers' union current contract, teachers pay 10% of their premiums. Most state employees, who historically paid nothing towards their health insurance benefits (in lieu of lower salaries relative to the private sector) now are paying between 6 and 10% of the costs. And that percentage has increased with each new biennial contract.

Are teachers underpaid? Perhaps a case could be made, particularly for new (1st year) teachers. Are teachers under-compensated? That is the real question to be asking. We really can't fully answer the first question without considering all the pieces of the pie.

A good article, published in 2001, addresses the compensation issue. It may be a few years dated, but conceptually the points raised remain valid.

http://www.wpri.org/WIInterest/Vol10No3/Hruz10.3.pdf

A few key excerpts from this article are provided below:

"Teachers earn considerably more than most workers in the state, and do so for a job that only involves, at most, ten months of full-time employment."

"It is only to salaries that proponents of higher teacher compensation draw attention, while they remain silent on the value of the benefits that public school teachers are afforded. This focus is deceptive but necessary if the teachers’ union is to be able to convince anyone of the claim that its teachers are not remunerated well."

- WISCONSIN TEACHER COMPENSATION: A Bum Deal or a Plum Deal?
Thomas Hruz - Wisconsin Interest Fall 2001

"It is within the realm of employee benefit compensation that public school teachers, like most public employees, own the privilege of being some of the highest compensated. Put simply, the financial benefits that flow to public school teachers are very nice both in absolute terms and — to play the teachers’ unions game — in relative terms. Public school teachers in Wisconsin receive some of the best health care coverage experienced by workers in the state, and are they are also welcomed into the generous pension payments of the Wisconsin Retirement System for government employees."

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Are Sun Prairie teachers underpaid? (part 1 of a series)

Teachers picket January 2008
The Jeopardy answer is: "Teacher pay".

The question is: "What is it that no one wants to talk about?"

Ever since the teachers' union (SPEA) picketed a school board meeting en masse this past January, the question has lingered. Now that a contract has been signed, it's time people did talk about it. It's like one of those dark family secrets that no one ever wants to be the first to discuss. The result? It festers like an untreated infection.

We now have two new school board members, both of which have served on the Finance Committee, and one of which works for a major financial institution. Maybe we'll finally have fresh eyes to review the financial picture.

According to the 2007-2008 Annual Meeting Report, [SP-EYE note: try to find THAT document on the district website!] the total budget for Sun Prairie schools is $61.9M. $37.3M of that goes to salaries, and another $17.3M goes to benefits. That's a combined $54.6M -- 88.1% ---of the District budget that goes directly to salaries and benefits.

According to the City of Sun Prairie's website, the median income for Sun Prairie households is $51,345. The average salary of all teachers in Sun Prairie is about $ 46,400. That means that a single teacher in a SP household represents 90% of the MEDIAN (not the mean; the median means 50% of salaries are greater and 50% are lower ) household income!

If one takes the time to look at biweekly "school board packets" on the District website, and specifically peruses the "Personnel" information, they would see that in the past several weeks, seven (7) teachers have announced their plans to retire. Their salaries are presented at right. Now, an average salary for ONE person, of $70,000, is 36% higher than the median household income in the city. Those are damn fine salaries at which to retire, particularly if you have an understanding of the Wisconsin Retirement System.

SP-EYE is not opposed to a fair wage for our teachers. Educating our children is an important function. But at the same time, let's not be naive. Teacher's contracts call for 190 days of work per year. The average worker works 260 days per year. Do the math. That means that teachers' salaries should really be multiplied by 36% to adjust them for comparison with other workers.

What many point to is the low pay for entry level teachers. According to the contract just signed, that pay is $29,706 for the 2008-09 school year. Adjusted for 190 days and 8 hours per day, that comes to $19.54/hour. That average salary at retirement of $70,000 clocks in at just over $46/hour.

It has been argued that teachers deserve better salaries because of the critical role they play. We find that logic to be borderline offensive, because it comes dangerously close to a "we're more important than other occupations" mentality. What about our police force, who make far less than teachers? What about the Local 60 union folks that provide "support services" for the District? Could the teachers and administration function without them? What about public works staff that clean the wastewater that you flush away each day without a thought? If they didn't do their job, our rivers and streams would be a toxic dump. What about those that ensure we have clean water to drink? How about the farmers that grow or raise the food we eat? The question of who deserves more is a slippery slope indeed that quickly becomes offensive to all, and amounts little to a "chicken before the egg" argument.

How many of you make even close to $46/hour? Do YOU think teachers are underpaid? Since teacher salaries alone account for 40% of our $62M district budget, is it time our school board paid closer attention to these contracts?

In our upcoming parts of this series, we'll talk about the other big issues: benefits (including health insurance), extracurricular pay, and parity of contracts between Local 60 (support staff, SPEA (Teachers), and administrators.

Monday, April 7, 2008

What's the 411 on the Community Engagement Task Force?

A meeting of the Community Engagement Task Force scheduled for this Tuesday has been canceled via an e-mail sent only to Task Force members. The e-mail actually creates more questions than it answers:




  • Will the Task Force even continue in its current form? Some school board members were not exactly thrilled with the idea of another task force.

  • Assuming the task force continues, will Mary Ellen Havel-Lang continue as a member (now as a citizen?

  • Will a new school board member be appointed to serve in the role formerly filled by Havel-Lang?

  • Should this notice have been posted publicly?

  • Could this e-mail be considered a "violation" of open meeting laws? Several board committee citizen representatives have been publicly chastised at board/committee meetings for sending e-correspondence to other committee members. Is this really any different? (Oh...wait...of COURSE the board will find some rationale to justify it!)

  • Are materials which are sent to committee members (as referenced in this correspondence) made available to the public at the same time?

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Expulsions up 400%

OK. Elections are over. It's time to get down to brass tacks (maybe). Here's a subject we've been wondering about, but about which we've heard very little. Sure, expulsion hearings are "posted", but certainly not printed in the paper. You would only know about them if you watch the school board's "Upcoming School Board Meetings" page: http://www.spasd.k12.wi.us/web/glking/stories/storyReader$26
(SP-EYE question for another day: How can the public ever find out about these things if they have names like "storyReader$26" anyway? Maybe the Task Force for community engagement could answer that? Oh...wait...THAT committee is on hold for now...but you weren't told about THAT decision either).

Following an open records request for information related to expulsions over the past 2 school years (Grade level and reason for expulsion), we learned the following:

2006-07 school year
4 expulsions
- 3 for fighting/violence
- 1 for insubordination/threats


1 expulsion in each of grades 9-12

2007-08 school year
15 expulsions (1 more scheduled this week)
- 7 for drugs (possession and/or sale)

- 7 for weapons (2 knives; 5 BB guns)
- 1 for violence/threats

1 expulsion in elementary school (grade 5)
6 expulsions in middle school (1 in grade 6, 5 in grade 8)
8 expulsions in high school (2 in Gr. 9; 3 in Gr.10; 1 in Gr. 11; 2 in Gr. 12)

Why isn't the school board talking bout this?

Our board fought hard at several school board and finance committee meetings, essentially stalemating any agreement on limiting reimbursement expenses for school board members' meals while at conferences. How shameful that the board is willing to expend such time and effort defending something as ludicrous as their right to a $42 steak dinner but then avoid discussing the rise in expulsions at the board table.

This is the heart of what's wrong with the school board, the district, and to some extent, the city as a whole. It's time we stopped stuffing these things in the closet and started talking about them. It's time our school board came up with something other than Dr. FeelGood, plain vanilla agenda items.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Ding Dong! Havel-Lang rejected by voters.

It was no April Fool's joke. Sun Prairie voters made a firm statement for change on our school board, voting out 4-term incumbent Mary Ellen Havel-Lang.


Election Results
Sun Prairie School Board (3 Seats)

Jill Davidson......................2,259.......24%....- 3 yr term
(I) David Stackhouse.........2,232.......24%....- 3 yr term
Terry Shimek.....................2,041.......22%......1 yr term
(I) Mary Havel-Lang.................1,481..........16%
Al Slane........................................1,326..........14%