For What It's Worth...

You know what's great about today's youth? They're slowly discovering the rock classics and anthems made before they were even a twinkle in Mom and Dad's eye. And what's even cooler? They think THEY discovered them....like, "Hey Dad...have you heard that cool new song by that new band Buffalo Springfield?" Um...newsflash, son...but Buffalo Springfield existed over 30 years ago
.
Which leads us to today's thing that makes you go "hmmm".

Actually listened to an old mp3 ripped from a Bufflo Springfield CD, and the now ancient "For What It's Worth" struck a chord. In his pre-CSN(Y) days, it's like Stephen Stills is singing about what goes on within the Sun Prairie School District. Is Tim Culver "the Man" he's singing about????

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right... if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

I think it's time we stop,
hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
-Buffalo Springfield

Sound eerily familiar? As far as the board and Culver are concerned, everybody's wrong. And we hope everybody DOES stop and look at what's goin' down. Administration and the Board TALK a good game about how much they value safety and security and the teachers that actually do the EDUCATING of our kids.

But then, like our own version of the God, Janus, they pull a 180 when it comes to salaries. Take for instance the whole Youth Advocate deal. They want to pay these people $13.27/hr. LOOK at the job description! They're part social worker, part Jump Street undercover cop, and part nurturing advocate. All for $13.27/hr. For that salary you expect someone to perform "home visits" of students?

Why are they hesitant to pay more? Is it perhaps (note...SPECULATION ALERT here for those out there that are suddenly obsessed with opinion vs. fact) that if they pay these staffer any more they will be butting right up against the base teacher salary? Hmmmm? What's that tell you? We won't engage in supposition here. Wouldn't want to offend. You do the math.


Here are some FACTS for ya, though...to help you work it through:

Of course, let us begin by saying that we're going to venture into that territory that you all TALK about quietly...secretly...but you never want to discuss openly. What is a job worth? Is job X worth more than job Y?

I think we could all agree that the job of a neurosurgeon, or a cardiac specialist should be paid more than, say, a telemarketer cold caller. But that's about the limit of where most of us are willing to take that discussion. So we sit back and accept things only to stew about the results for the rest of time.

We think secretaries perform a valuable service. We know a number of them that excel at their job. But does it seem a little wrong that a starting secretary in the district office earns more than an entry level teacher who is actually going to nurture the minds and spirits of our prized commodity...the kids? We'll be bold and say: We don't think so.

And someone responsible for the safety and security of kids at the high schooll will make even less than that? What's up with that?

That's the facts, Jack. Y'all do the math. And if it don't set well with ya...then pony up the courage to make a stand and say your piece.

There's something happening here...
What it is ain't exactly clear...

N

It's Celebrity Resemblances Time Again!

How could we resist?

Sure...there were other options. But then we had a hankerin' for a tuna slamwich and who spoke to us from the can? None other than Charlie the Tuna. He put in a plug for Cousin "Jimmy the Sea Bass" McCourt.

...and we were drawn to it like moths to a flame.

What better tribute could there be to the school board member who laughs in the face of unprecedented economic and budgetary times. Mr. McCourt must certainly be a financial whiz, cuz he sure felt like the taxpayers OWED him a sea bass dinner last January. There are parallels to the wall street world. Take the taxpayers' money and give out bonuses...or have a $40 sea bass dinner...with shrimp on the side? In fact, you have to believe that McCourt KNEW SP-EYE would be monitoring the annual board dinner on the taxpayers' dime...and yet he nonetheless opted for the pricey sea bass. Yup...a model of leadership for an elected official.

SP-EYE Ain't Monte

From: Monte (monte.c@charter.net)
To: everybody and their brother
5-25-2009 5:30pm

I supported in previous years, Rick Mealy's publishing information on the web via his so called blog. BUT I removed links to his blog from my web sites about a year ago.

On 8-23-2008 I sent him a message: " Please remove the link on your blog to the B4Spin web pages. Thank you!"

I want it clear, I do not support his publications in any way. Mealy has had a statement on his website using the word "we" as if he had the direct backing of a substantial group of district residents that support his blabbering. It reads as follows:

"About Us
SP-EYE
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, United States
We are a group of tax payers who pay attention to what's going on with the school board. We don't like the trends we are seeing.
View my complete profile"

He seems to end up allowing he is a one man show, and fails to disclose who the "we" includes, the names of those supposedly making up this "group of taxpayers".

I am not part of that supposed group.
Monte Couch

---

There you have it, ladies and germs...we ain't Monte. And we're not losing sleep over it. Newsflash, Mr. Couch...Blogger does not allow multiple "profiles". You get ONE user ID. Go figure. Who'd athunk in this day and age, eh?

As WE have said ad nauseam. It is your CHOICE to read this blog...or not. Mr. Couch, though he says he doesn't support "this blabbering", seems to check it quite regularly. He's a regular reader...doesn't appear to miss a post. Why would someone so critical even bother? Toss that one on top of the "Things that make you go 'hmmm" pile.

SP-EYE had no intention of "smearing" either of the Mertes. Janice Mertes is a fine, accomplished teacher. Mr. Mertes, more often than not, swings the editorial pen on the mark. WE received an anonymous hard copy snail mail letter. It raised some concerns. It is SP-EYE's (OUR) opinion that (generally speaking) there is a disconnect in terms of which candidates Mr. Mertes supports for school board vs. those he supports for other offices. That's the facts, Jack....until someone rises facts that support a contrary OPINION. Make what you will of the information.

Not sure what Couch is referencing about "smearing" elected officials. If it's about Mr. Stackhouse and his tax delinquency....sheeeeeahhh....that was a FACT. In fact, said fact was actually provided to US from a community resident. WE would love to claim that we tumbled to it first, but we didn't.

We now return you to your regular programming.
N

2008 Graduation hijinx mean changes for 2009

Read Dr. Culver's post regarding newly instituted protocols for Graduation 2009:

http://tinyurl.com/SP-Grad-changes

Read SP-EYE's commentary on last year's graduation hijinx:

http://tinyurl.com/2008Grad

Post-mortem on a questionable decision

Two years ago, as construction for Creekside elementary was beginning and the high school picture was clarifying, discussions about the need for a "construction manager" were held at the school board's FT&T committee. The intent was to hire --actually initial discussions were heavily centered on contracting for services of--someone who could act as the school districts "agent" on the construction site(s) to ensure that we (the district) would get critical input that would ensure quality buildings without "fluff". The intent was that this individual would suggest modifications such as "hey we could use this flooring (or this ceiling tile) instead of what the builder planned and we get better durability at a lower cost" or "if we cut out some of the angles here we could save a great deal of construction cost". They would also monitor invoices to ensure that we get what we pay for. Sounds good so far...right? We agree. But as with everything, whether something is a good idea or not is relevant only when you consider the cost. At 25,000 per year (and if evidence of equivalent or better cost savings is shown): great idea. At $88,000 per year and with no tangible evidence of cost-savings: questionable idea at best.

When it came time to discuss cost is when discussions got hinky. At least one committee member and a construction-savvy board member felt strongly that this was NOT a full-time position, and should be dealt with as a "limited term employment" (LTE) that would not provide benefits, as a cost saving to the district. In fact, former board member and FTT committee chair Mary Ellen Havel-Lang was leading the charge for this to be a full-time position. It would also eliminate the need to pay unemployment when the construction was over and we had no further use for the position.

The discussion (which of course is never captured in meeting minutes and these meetings aren't recorded) was that the construction manager should bring forward regular formal (read: written) reports that basically justified the continuing value of the position. The idea was that the individual would report on the costs savings they had built into the project(s) on a monthly basis that would more than cover the cost of the position. Have we even seen a SINGLE such report?

The district took all this discussion and came to the school board with a recommendation that we hire a permanent (well...at least for the project duration) Construction Manager at a starting salary of $23.17 per hour. (NOTE: that person is almost twice as valuable as a "Youth Advocate based on salary, so how serious are we about safety?). So based on this proposal, we've gone from a part-time position (discussions generally agreed that on the whole this would be a HALF-TIME position at best) to one that bills the district $7,300 per month.

In this economic climate, are we REALLY getting $7300 per month worth of "quality management" from the district's construction manager? Or is this $88,000 we could cut from the district budget and handle with existing staff? If state government can do more with less, why shouldn't the school district?

We're in the midst of unprecedented times. The state is even cutting aid to schools by 2.5%! That decision was announced and we STILL haven't heard any indication of cuts from district administration or the school board. Where is the Sun Prairie school board cutting back? Nowhere. The initial budget report says "no new programs...except 4K". Nothing is being cut. When are we going to start attacking our school district budget with a red pen? What will we do if folks decide they can't afford to live here anymore and they bail? We already saw initial projects of 425 4K students drop to 350. What if ALL enrollments starts dropping?

Decisions such as the Construction Manager position, the $9300 per month we pay to Energy Education Inc. to remind us to turn off lights and lower then thermostat HAVE to be re-visited. We could shave $200,000 off the budget by those two moves alone! We are NOT saying we need to reduce critical things like teaching staff. But the fluff has to be eradicated. We need to hunker down, focus on educating the kids, and cut the sea bass out of our diet.

Peace. Out. On this Memorial Day, please remember those that gave their lives for our country, and the loved ones that lost them.

Update: Retiring from the Sun Prairie Area School District

So many people have inquired about this data, that it was time for an update. We've posted some limited retirement data in the past, but now we have a sizable pool--for teachers at least--from a compilation of retirements in 2008 and 2009.

Based on a dataset of 23, the average teacher in Sun Prairie is retiring at a salary of about $68,500 after about 33 years of teaching. Seems like a LOOONNNNGGG time, doesn't it? Well, if you figure that the minimum retirement age under the state retirement system is 57, and the average fresh out of college teacher is age 24-25, it takes a good 33 years to retire.

Benefits for SPEA members cost roughly 50% of their salary.

In comparison, support staff who are members of the "Local 60" union (based on a smaller data set of n=8) retire at an average wage of just under $17.00 per hour.

Benefits for support staff cost about 25% of their salary.

We also have one member of administration [not quite in the 100K club] ($ 92K) and also one retiree from Administrative support ($ 54K).

Retire at over $68,500?
How is that possible? But...but...teachers are only paid about $30,000 to start.
True...all true. But contracts include what is called a salary grid, with "steps" (1 step = 1 year of experience teaching) and "lanes". Every 6 credits earned moves you into the next "lane". Lane changes include a salary base increase of 1.9%. Step increases are 3.0%. And ,actually, the salary grid is maxed out at about 15 years (earlier for those with a BS/BA and less credits earned towards an MS/MA degree. Those members who are "off" the grid typically get as much as a 3.8% annual "step" increase.

This quick table is based solely on a 3% annual "step" increase and shows the salary progression from year zero (30,000) until retirement after 32 years of service. This kind of gets back to what we've discussed on several occasions. The downside of "percentage increases" is that in terms of new dollars, you get squat in the early years. A 3% increase for a teacher making 30,000 is a whopping $900, or it pays for about 6-8 weeks of groceries. But for someone like Dr. Culver, making over $145,000, a 3% increase means an increase of over $4300! That's vacation cash.

Year Salary
0 30000
1 30900
2 31827
3 32782
4 33765
5 34778
6 35822
7 36896
8 38003
9 39143
10 40317
11 41527
12 42773
13 44056
14 45378
15 46739
16 48141
17 49585
18 51073
19 52605
20 54183
21 55809
22 57483
23 59208
24 60984
25 62813
26 64698
27 66639
28 68638
29 70697
30 72818
31 75002
32 77252

Scholarship numbers/amounts reflective of local growth?

An article in the May 24 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal tracks locally funded scholarships by area school district. Sadly, Sun Prairie doesn't fare so well.

The article summarizes:

When adjusted for class size, Stoughton High School landed on top. Last year, it
had enough local scholarship money to award the equivalent of $670 to each
graduating senior. Sun Prairie High School was at the other end with the
equivalent of $90 available for each graduating senior.

Lisa Bollinger, an assistant principal at SPHS is quoted as follows:

Sun Prairie High School, which finished last in per-graduate money, has grown so fast in the last few years that it’s been hard for the local investment in scholarships to keep up. The city’s rapid growth also means many people are new to the area and may not yet have a strong attachment to community institutions, she said, and the district’s educational foundation has chosen to focus on funding innovative classroom projects.

So is it that residents and businesses have yet to build a strong bond with the community? Or is it that the residents are strapped for cash? If it's the former...shouldn't the school board be playing a role there? Or a better role? It would seem that one of the reasons we pay for Tim Culver's Rotary club membership is to help "work this room" so to speak. Is that vein tapped out as well?

The article infers that the Sun Prairie Education Foundation is spending their funds on classroom innovations. Is it time to revive that those two parts of the District Mission statement?

We are committed to maximize each student's learning by:

· Partnering with parents, community, & businesses;
· Inspiring lifelong learning for all students and staff;

It's a little easier to be inspired when, on average, you are awarded more than $90 towards "lifelong learning" when even a small state school costs over $10,000 per year in tuition and living costs.

It also appears, compared to other districts that we're taking the scholarship money that is available and funding a very small segment of the senior class. Hedging our bets, are we?

For instance, if you do a little math, about 102 Stoughton graduates received , on average $2,100 each. Now THAT puts a little dent in tuition! On the other hand, about 60 Sun Prairie seniors were awarded, on average, $355 each. That MAY cover book fees for ONE semester..

Once again Sun Prairie...there may certainly be more to this story than meets the eye. But (A) we ain't seein' it, and (B) this data doesn't exactly put a nice glossy finish on Sun Prairie.

Conflict of Interest?

Typically we withhold the names of ALL who write into SP-EYE to protect them from even the potential for retaliation. Those that don't march in lock-step with Tim Culver and his supporters live in fear of administrative reprisal. That is a grim reality. We hear it nearly every day, "I'd love to speak out...but I fear for my job..." We see it most clearly at the annual elector's meeting. With district administration present in force, which district employee wants to come to the meeting and raise their hand in favor of anything that district administration opposes??? So, this past week, SP-EYE received an anonymous letter. Hard copy with no identifying marks... delivered to a go-between's address. Is this what our fine country has come to? Someone so fearful of backlash that they don't even want to rely on their First Amendment right to Free Speech to shield them? Sadly, at least in the Sun Prairie School District, yes.

We offer the following because at its root, it represents a concern shared by many--albeit not a concern that is freely vocalized. Some allegations are made. We neither support nor refute the allegations.

---

Dear SP-EYE
I am a district employee who wishes to remind the SP-EYE people that there is a strong conflict of interest between the STAR and how it deals with school issues. As you know, [STAR editor] Chris Mertes is the husband of Janice Mertes, a high school teacher.

How stories are written, the positions the STAR takes on all school issues [sic]is strongly influenced by what the Mertes's feel will best promote the agenda of Janice Mertes. There are countless examples of this in the past. Janice Mertes is an expert on self-promotion. The reason Tim Culver praised Janice Mertes in his first blog was to win the support of the only newspaper in town.

I would love to sign my name but [I work in the district and] I don't want to be harassed.

Thanks for listening.

p.s. Janice Mertes is the chairperson of the SPEA [teacher's union] negotiations committee; watch how the STAR reports on negotiations.

---

An interesting opinion, no?

The Law.com dictionary defines conflict of interest as:

a situation in which a person has a duty to more than one person or organization, but cannot do justice to the actual or potentially adverse interests of both parties.

Clearly, a case can be made that the STAR frequently reports on school issues, as is expected in a "small town" newspaper. Certainly, Chris Mertes has written editorials on school district issues. Editorials are given a little more latitude, as they are covered by the disclaimer that they may not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper or its parent company. Generally speaking, coverage of school district business and meetings is handled by a STAR reporter. But of course that can be countered with an argument that, as editor, Mr. Mertes reserves the right to edit how that information is reported.

The American Business Media, Editorial Code of Ethics states that,

Editors, reporters and writers employed by American Business Media publications adhere to the highest standards of journalistic practice. In doing so, they pledge to:
a. Maintain honesty, integrity, accuracy, thoroughness and fairness in the reporting and editing of articles, headlines, and graphics.
b. Avoid all conflicts of interest as well as any appearances of such conflicts.

Certainly, there could be an appearance of conflict, of which we're equally certain Mr. Mertes is well aware. I think a ship's captain might say, "Proceed with caution".

We will add one observation that we made years ago, and it still rings true today. File it under your "Things that make you go 'hmmm'" directory.

Longtime readers of the STAR we're sure have noticed that during every election year, the candidates which are endorsed by the STAR are decidedly Republican by trade. Kinda strongly says that either Mr. Mertes, the STAR, or both have a Republican lean on issues. Then there's the School Board races. Now...we know...the office of School Board is non-partisan. Yeeeeaaaaah...right. There are NO politics in school issues. Please! School Board races only non-partisan because you don't have to declare a party for them.

Go back and check the STAR records, and the STAR inevitably supports school board candidates that are (A) supported by the teacher's union and (B) those that don't come off as fiscal conservatives. Anyone remember a couple of years back when the STAR endorsement column was titled, in bold, "Anyone but Gibbs" [for school board]? Gibbs did, notably, go on to win re-election with the highest vote total in SP history for a school board race. Gibbs was (and is) a strong fiscal conservative that deeply supports education...but didn't particularly care for the fluff built into school district budgets. Mertes might say that his dislike for Gibbs was due to [opinion] the tone of board meetings at the time. But someone else might say that Gibbs provided the lone voice of 'common sense' and that he had to struggle mightily to even have his opinion heard.

Why would Mertes almost routinely support Republican candidiates for elected offices and then support candidates of a more Democratic stance when it comes to school board? Is he just a staunchly pro-education Republican? Or is it that the Mrs. is a member of the teacher's union whose star is on the rise and supporting pro-union board candidates ensures nice raises? This is where things get a little squidgy. Particularly now that Ms. Mertes is on the SPEA Negotiations team, what may have been a clouded appearance of potential conflict of interest is getting a little clearer as to the potential. It would not be out of line for someone to express concern that the STAR will be less inclined to vigorously report transgressions of the school board and school district when it may be feared that doing so may hamper Ms. Mertes' chances for continued advancement, or negotiations with the teacher's union.

With respect to politics and teachers unions, an article from the Brookings Institute states
Politicians generally view teachers unions according to their political affiliation — Republicans are critical, Democrats are supportive.

An article from the Rasmussen Reports states
While 78% of Republicans and 66% of unaffiliated voters say teachers’ jobs are the chief focus of the unions, only 55% of Democrats agree. Two-thirds of U.S. voters (66%) say the teachers’ unions – the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers – are more interested in protecting their members’ jobs than in the quality of education. Only 23% of voters say educational quality comes first for the unions, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national survey.

Only time will tell. But clearly people are watching and putting two and two together.

Charges Filed in Stackhouse Case

On Thursday, charges against former library aide (and son of the former school board president) Richard Stackhouse were formally filed. Stackhouse faces three counts of a class H felony for Sex Assault of Student by School Staff . His initial court appearances is slated for Monday May 18, 2009. The Wisconsin State Journal article indicates:

The complaint states that Stackhouse told police he knows the girl is 16 and that he had researched the "age of consent" in Wisconsin. He claimed the student had reached that age, the complaint states. Under state law, however, it is a misdemeanor to have sexual contact with anyone between the ages of 16 and 18. Sexual contact with anyone under 16 is a felony. Another law makes it a felony for any school employee to have sex with a student who is 16 or older. If convicted, Stackhouse faces a penalty of up to six years of combined prison and extended supervision on each count. The criminal complaint does not indicate how the school or police learned of the situation.

Memo to Mr. Stackhouse (the younger): Next time you do research, you may want to broaden your search. As with any internet research...your results are only as good as the quality of your query. Your research into the "age of consent" neglected to find something called 1995 WISCONSIN ACT 456, enacted June 27, 1996. Act 456 created section 948.095 of the statutes relating to sexual assault (the revised umbrella term which includes the former "statutory rape") of a student by school employees. Of particular interest here is subsection (3)(a)

(3) (a) A person who has attained the age of 21 years and who
engages in an occupation or participates in a volunteer position
that requires him or her to work or interact directly with children
may not have sexual contact or sexual intercourse with a child who
has attained the age of 16 years, who is not the person’s spouse,
and with whom the person works or interacts through that occupation
or volunteer position.
(b) Whoever violates par. (a) is guilty of a Class H felony.
History: 1995 a. 456; 2001 a. 109; 2005 a. 274; 2007 a. 97.
An "employee" and persons "under contract" are examples of persons included within the group of people that provide services to a school or school board within the definition of school staff under sub. (1) (b). These phrases are illustrative, and do not limit the definition of "a person who provides services." State v. Kaster, 2003 WI App 105, 264 Wis. 2d 751, 663 N.W.2d.

S. 939.50, Stats covers the potential penalties:
(3) Penalties for felonies are as follows:
(h) For a Class H felony, a fine not to exceed $10,000 or imprisonment
not to exceed 6 years, or both.

This issue has cause a sizable stir within the community (and justifiably so). The articles have also generated numerous comments from readers. One such "forumite, "Bea" hits the nail dead on the head (IOHO) with her comments [partially in response to a forumite who had commented that "Bea" was coming off as "a bitter teacher that has a problem with those in authority"]:

So Stackhouse the school board president has still not resigned?
Message to Dad: Do the words "conflict of interest" mean anything to you? If the
son was hired AFTER the father took office and the father voted to hire the son,
or even told him about the job, that is simply a shady practice. I don't know
what is happening to ethics and high standards in our society but it bothers me
that this is a difficult concept for you to grasp.

P.S. Not a teacher, sorry.
Always on the management team. Just looking for high standards and exemplary behavior from elected officials.

Just looking for "high standards and exemplary behavior from elected officials". How well and succinctly phrased. It's what we've been trying to say for years.

We're wondering what the school district, who seems to love in-service training, has done to counsel new employees about engaging in any ill-advised contact with students. It seems that a refresher might be in order. Or did this incident serve as the refresher?

Papa's Got a Brand New Blog

"Papa" Tim Culver (Sun Prairie School District Administrator) has got a brand new bag....and it's a blog! That's right, admittedly a "digital immigrant", Culver has grasped the digital bull by the horns and has started his own blog designed to offer the softer side of the Sun Prairie School District happenings. And he chose the same blog host as us! Ain't that sweet?

http://inspirED-sunprairieschools.blogspot.com/

In his first step into the digital revolution, Dr, Culver took a moment to gently lash back at some members (who go nameless) of the community and even, perhaps, students. Dr. Culver took a left turn in midst of his anecdotal musings on the inspiration behind his newfound voice by addressing gossip, "hurtful" cynicism, and even cyber-bullying. Offering no indication of the source of this "negativity", we only have to wonder: is he calling out certain community members? students? teachers? Alas, it seems we won't get to know.

Others may use writing, digital or not, to gossip, cyber-bully, or promote hurtful cynicism. I intend to use this blog to shed some light for the community on the superintendent-eye view of things. Some things should be celebrated and replicated. Some things need to be challenged (or we need to know what [sic]challenge us). Some things need to be improved. Our schools, and most certainly I, are not perfect. Sometimes the playground chips need to be checked or re-filled.

- from the maiden post of "inspirED", Tim Culver's new blog

You forgot about those of us that use writing --digital or not-- to light a fire under the collective buttocks of you and the school board in order that you'll resolve issues deemed critical by the COMMUNITY. The record clearly reflects, Dr. Culver, that this community has tried to engage you and the school board on COUNTLESS occasions. Instead of opening negotiations to reach some common ground, you and the board have steamrolled YOUR issues. Perhaps we could opine that you all thought that we would just go away. Sorry. Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent. You see...contrary to what you might believe, we care about education, too. We just disagree on the best, most cost-effective means to that end.

You also clearly see cynicism as inherently negative or bad. Kind of a slap in the face to something that arose from disciples of Socrates, don't you think? Cynicism might be the ichor oozing from the wound, but perhaps we need to ask the underlying cause of the wound? Instead of venting about the cynicism...perhaps your efforts would be better focused on determining and healing the wounds that caused it. And such a journey is a two-way street...not the one way avenue you historically have preferred to travel. Great leaders seek out those that don't see things similarly and try to work for common ground in which we all can share ownership. Instead, your body language at board meetings is seen as metaphorically flicking us away like a toddler would flick away an offending booger.

But otherwise....a great first post. We like "feel good" anecdotes as much as the next person. We are pleased to see you grow as a person. We see the need for some additional, perhaps more pressing growth than development of blogging skills. As the fictional agent Clarice Starling once commented, You see a lot, Doctor. But are you strong enough to point that high-powered perception at yourself? What about it? Why don't you look at yourself and write down what you see? Or maybe you're afraid to.

We also wish you would focus this driving inspiration within you to inspire yourself to stop defending the district's frequent forays outside the lines of the Open Meetings Laws.

A wise individual once said that if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.

Dear Dr. Culver…Do we need to review Open Meetings Laws again?

First off…and we may have missed it…but we do not recall anyone asking you whether or not you agreed with Mr. Mealy’s allegation that the vagueness of the agenda item related to “Youth Advocates” represented a violation of noticing requirements under the Open Meetings laws. Furthermore, a significant number of community residents would prefer that you remember that these are school board meetings, of which you are NOT a member. Remember? You are the employee…the board is the employer?

Second, we’re wondering how difficult it must be for you to dance between positions. At one point during Monday’s meeting you clearly counseled board members (your employers) that any members planning on attending an upcoming meeting need to alert Gwen King in order that she can generate a public meeting notice, if an equivalent of a quorum planned to attend, to satisfy Open Meetings Laws noticing requirements. So, on the one hand you’re going out of your way to alert the board to situations that potentially fall under the jurisdiction of Open Meetings Laws. A conservative position, one would say. On the other hand, you’re arguing that burying an underlying, critical issue regarding security at the high school under the innocuous agenda title of, Youth Advocates Job Description and FTE, does NOT represent a violation of Open Meeting Laws. Where did that conservatism go?

Logic Analysis
Let’s look at the logic (or lack thereof) in your argument that the agenda item was NOT a violation of Open Meetings Laws. Administration’s plan was/is to replace security guards with Youth Advocates. The board agenda item related to approval of the Youth Advocate job description. A separate board decision would be required to discontinue Security Guards, replacing them with Youth Advocates. Therefore, Mr. Spock would tell you that it is illogical to begin by approving a job description since the creation of those positions was dependent on the board FIRST approving the switch from Security Guards to Youth Advocates. What if they agreed to approve the job description but not the switch? That wouldn't make sense? It only makes sense to decide on whether or not to use Youth Advocates instead of Security Guards. THEN you move forward with a job description. Of course the decision to switch should consider a maximum amount to be invested in Youth Advocates to keep the plan cost neutral.

You put the cart before the horse. The first action SHOULD have been to allow the public to know about and have input on the decision of whether or not to discontinue the practice of using Security Guards.

Do we have any doubt that you’ll find an attorney who’ll support your position? Nope. After all…attorneys get paid by the hour to argue contrary positions. How do you get an attorney to argue an unreasonable position? Pay ‘em!!!!

What does the Law say?
The law ( Open Meetings Laws Guide 2007, III.A.2.a.) states that Wis. Stat. § 19.84(2) sets forth a reasonableness standard [for clarity of public notices] , and that such a standard strikes the proper balance contemplated in Wis. Stat. §§ 19.81(1) and (4) between the public’s right to information and the government’s need to efficiently conduct its business.” The document states further that the reasonableness standard “requires a case specific analysis” and “whether notice is sufficiently specific will depend upon what is reasonable under the circumstances.”

In making that determination, the factors to be considered include:
“[1] the burden of providing more detailed notice,
[ How much effort would it have been to have the agenda item read, Replacing Security Guards at the High School with new positions, titled, Youth Advocates???]

[2] whether the subject is of particular public interest, and
Hello! You KNOW there has been significant public concern about violence at the high school!

[3] whether it involves non-routine action that the public would be unlikely to anticipate.”
This is the easiest. We have contracted Security Guards for several years now, so this is a non-routine action. Further, there is no way the public could make the leap in logic from approving a job description for “Youth Advocates” to replacing Security Guards with these positions.

Poor form, Dr. Culver. The law is clear. Your logic was equally clearly flawed. That public notice violated the requirements of Open Meetings Laws. Save us a few hundred dollars and skip the attorney consult to which you alluded, will you please?

There’s no need to check with the attorneys and cost the taxpayers money. Simply open your copy of the WISCONSIN OPEN MEETINGS LAW A COMPLIANCE GUIDE 2007 (OML 2007) and read section III A 2.a. Then resurrect that conservative approach you presented when trying to protect the school board’s collective keesters earlier in the meeting.

Dr. Culver…you hung President John Whalen’s keester out on this issue, because –as you know—you are immune from any sanctions related to violation of Open Meetings Laws. Only elected officials can be taken to the woodshed. But rest assured, John. We already know that DA Blanchard is waaaaaaay too busy to deal with Open Meetings complaints. He still has one in the hopper on which he has yet to adjudicate.

Board Votes to Hold Off on Cutting Security Guards at the High School

At Monday's board meeting, the school board listened and came to the conclusion that the best decision was to table the Security Guard issue for its Tuesday May 26, 2009 meeting. We appreciate the votes of Jill Camber-Davidson, Caren Diedrich, Al Slane, David Stackhouse, and John Whalen to table the issue. Jim McCourt and Terry Shimek voted against tabling the decision. Do we detect a change in board philosophy? If so, we like what we're seeing! It's not about voting to support or slam what any citizen presents. It's about listening to what's being presented and asking if it makes sense. Then it simply defaults to doing what's right for the community.

To recap, the root issue here was buried underneath the innocuous agenda title, "Youth Advocates Job Description and FTE". [SP-EYE: C'mon....did ANYONE without fore knowledge read this agenda item and realize that it meant no more security guards at the troubled SPHS???] It sure seemed like Administration was playing a clever game of bait and switch wanting us to believe that the agenda item SOLELY involved approving the job description, allowing HR head Annette Mikula to formally negotiate salary with the Local 60 union. David Stackhouse, however, correctly pointed out that never has he seen a case where once a job description was approved, administration did not immediately move to hire.

And that brings us up to the "ulterior motive" behind this agenda item.....remember ulterior motives, Dr. Culver? You should, since you accused a citizen of operating similarly last fall. What could NOT be gleaned from the agenda item was that behind this proposal is the idea to discontinue the employment of two contractor security guards at the high school. Instead, the district plan is to hire two "Youth Advocates" whose role will be more of a counseling, supporting, advising, rapport- development one. Call them walking social workers. It's a Dr. FeelGood, kinder gentler approach. We're just not sure how the emphasis on "Non-violent Crisis Intervention" strategy plays out when one of the frequent "altercations" breaks out at the high school.

Youth Advocate: "Excuse me, kids? Could you please stop altercating?"

Sure...this MIGHT work (emphasis on MIGHT)...but the community has been very concerned about safety at the high school; and, from our conversations, most folks are a little leery about the prospect of success for this change. So...community members...if you care...

...mark your calendars for Tuesday May 26. Please attend the school board meeting and have your vice be heard. If you cant attend, please phone or e-mail (at right) board members with your comments/concerns.

Once again...THANK YOU, school board members (well...the five of you) for seeing the logic in delaying any decision for two weeks. It does no harm to sit back for 2 weeks and think this through carefully before proceeding. The proposal certainly isn't cost neutral...but delaying action doesn't cost you a thing and quite likely buys back a notch or two of community trust and support.

Security Guard ⇒ Youth Advocate

And you thought the age of political correctness was over!

Let the DAMN Meeting Begin
At tomorrow night' s (May 11, 2009) meeting of the School Board (excuse us, it's probably more politically correct to call it the Affirmation of District Administration Management Needs -- or A DAMN! meeting), a seemingly innocuous agenda item appears, entitled " Youth Advocate Job Description and FTE". It's buried down in the meeting agenda---we almost missed it ourselves.

Yet it reflects a fundamental change in the way of handling security at the high school. Something we're all pretty sensitized to. Certainly, change is in order. But this represents a radical change that should NOT be simply rubber stamped into existence. We need to think this one through. A hint of malingering odor is detected from the smell test.

Instead of just forging ahead with a job description at the HR committee...shouldn't the issue be discussed FIRST in public forum by the school board where the public can watch it , attend it, or obtain a video copy?

Once again, this "idea" is a plan that is ready to be rubber stamped, with opportunity for 3 minutes of public input only IF you are savvy and engaged enough to read the meeting agenda and realize that something very important is at stake here.

An audible emission of intestinal gases is still a ...
When we first read this situation report, our first thought was that the parallel here to the world of water treatment is both ironic and comical. Nobody likes to talk about poop. We live in a 'flush and forget' society. What began as Sewage Treatment works has slowly morphed into Wastewater Treatment and even to Water Pollution Control management. There is even one local community that has named its facilities the "Water Recycling Center" . Look...we get that. Totally. But let's do it with a conscious focus and do it with some structure and abide by some rules. Let the public in on exactly what we're doing. Let's give them more than just a slim shot at providing input, and let's tell them exactly what it means in terms of costs. Hey...what do you know? The community might even get on board with the DAMN idea. But if you try to slip one by the goalie...even unintentionally...the reputation of the A DAMN board will only continue to grow.

What's in a Word? Morphing from Security Guard to Youth Advocate
So we start with Security Guard.
Security: means freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety.
Guard: means to give protection; keep watch; be watchful.

...now consider 'Youth Advocate'
Youth: we get it...it means 'kids"
Advocate: means: one that supports or promotes the interests of another

So, we're transitioning from having trained security guards being watchful over and protecting safety to employees whose role is to support or promote the interests of the kids? Huh? We're all for building rapport with the kids, but security does not equate to social work. Those are two very distinct issues.

Security Guard? Youth Advocate? Social Worker?
Things get more disconcerting when you look at the job description for these "Youth Advocates". Are these "requirements" really in line with what's needed at the high school? Here are just a few tidbits:

• Must have experience in similar backgrounds as the youth who are being served.
• Must have experience in or full understanding of urban cultures, diverse cultures, and/or large high schools.
• Must have knowledge and appreciation for adolescent development and a desire to serve young people.
• Must have completed or willing to be trained in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention.
  

SP-EYE: This seems like pretty specific experience...whose got it? Does that mean that anyone who graduated from like Deerfield High need not apply? And do they have to have a degree? taken a class? in adolescent development? What's that mean? And the only REAL training required is "Non-Violent Crisis Intervention"??? Hello? Have you BEEN to high school lately?

Or, how about this from the Essential Duties And Responsibilities section of the position description. Doesn't this sound more like a Social Worker? If we can get this kind of social work for $13.27/hr....WOW!

• Identifies, monitors, and assists students who may be disengaged from school.
• Meets with students who are chronically late to school.
• Contacts home and/or makes home visits to help identify issues affecting poor attendance.
• Refers students to community agencies or student services as needed.
• Participates in teacher-student, parent-student, and student-student mediation scheduled throughout the day to identify and resolve issues causing disruption within the school and during class time.
• Builds relationships through presence, visibility, and student engagement during non-classroom time at school (before and after school, lunch time).
  

SP-EYE- WOW! And NO social worker training is required? These people can --and are supposed to--conduct home visits, mediation, make referrals to community services? Local 60...are you seeing this? SPEA...isn't this more suited to someone with special licensing or training?

• Develops and maintains an awareness of potential neighborhood rivalries or conflicts, potential gang related issues, and other community issues that may impact schools.
• Intervenes in altercations between students, staff and public as needed to maintain safety and security.

SP-EYE--Ah...the "intervening in altercations" part...that would be the non-violent intervention kind...right? Just speak firmly and logicallylike Spock and they'll stop altercating...right? Or is it a Jedi mind trick kind of thing? Oh...and they have to become knowledgeable in gang activities, too? And we're going to get this for $13.27 per hour????.

What's it going to cost?
The plan is to discontinue the practice of hiring two private contractor security guards. Instead, we'll create two positions, called Youth Advocates, with the funding coming from what historically was used for the security guards.

Let us be the first to state this CLEARLY. Economy bad. Creating positions good. Got that? We like the idea of creating jobs. It's the rest of it that is giving us some heartburn (or was it those peppers in the omelet this morning?).

If one looks at the biweekly check register...one sees that we spend about $2,500-2,600 every 2 weeks. That means about $1270 per week....which translates to about $31.25 per hour. Divide that by 2 security guards, and you get about $16.00 hr that we pay for them. We do NOT pay for benefits. Those are paid out of what we pay the contractor.

The plan (which hasn't been approved by Local 60) is to hire 2 full time (FTE) "Youth Advocates" at a beginning salary of $13.27/hr (again, IF Local 60 agrees). But that doesn't include benefits which typically cost the district (taxpayers) about 50% of salary costs. That means 'bennies' will cost another $6.63 per hr...for a grand total of $19.90/hr. $19.90 per hour X 2 Youth Advocates X 80 hrs per two weeks comes to a cost of $3,184, which represents an increase of 22.5%.

So...let us get this right. The national economy is still faltering, the state budget has gone down the point-of-use waste recycling outlet, and management wants to increase the cost of doing business by 22.5%???? Hold on to that thought while you learn the rest of this scheme.

And if we decide this isn't going to work, we then have to cut positions (people) and then pay unemployment? HELLO! Can you say "TRIAL BASIS"? Did you think to maybe do this as an LTE (no benefits) initially? Those are both fiscally sound procedures for handling untried plans.

---

Dear school board:

Let's put this in simple terms.

Economy bad. Generating jobs, good.
Costing more not so good.
Job descriptions that sound like 'Social Worker' but paid far less not good.
Plan needs more thought and public input.

In other words, and please forgive our concerted tact avoidance, proceeding with an affirmation of the Decorum Maintenance Coordination plan known as "Youth Advocates" without additional public input represents an act of cranial-rectal inversion. The plan is factually unencumbered, and fecally plenary.

Got all that? We now need to proceed expeditiously to conduct an unplanned re-examination of recent food choices.

Love,

SP-EYE

Swine Flu is here....but please don't panic

This from a report just released via the SPASD Key Communicators List:

District e-News to Key Communicators:

We were informed after school was released on Wednesday that there has been a confirmed case of H1N1 Influenza (swine flu) at Westside Elementary School. Sending this information via email is the best way we had to get information to you as quickly as possible.

Westside will remain open, as usual. After-school activities will go on as scheduled. It is important for all of us to continue with business as usual so our children have the comfort of routine and continue learning. We have been informed by staff at Public Health – Madison & Dane County that it now appears that this influenza is not as dangerous as was once feared. It is not a cause for undo alarm.

Still, people with H1N1 are often uncomfortably sick. Also, people with other health problems may get sicker with this influenza, just as they would with the annual, seasonal influenza. Initially in this outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that when H1N1 influenza was diagnosed in a child or school staff, that the school be closed. They now know that closing schools does not prevent spread of the disease.

This child has not attended school this week and has been instructed to stay home for 7 days or until 24 hours after their symptoms have disappeared, whichever is longest. This is being done to help prevent the spread of disease to others. However, this influenza might spread before anyone knows that they are ill, so more cases might occur. Here’s what you can do to help prevent further spread of this disease:

• Wash your hands and make sure your children are washing their hands even more frequently than usual


• If you are coughing, cover your mouth – preferably by coughing into your sleeve


• If anyone in your family develops symptoms of influenza, they should stay home and not have visitors. Call your doctor. If you do not have health insurance, call Public Health – Madison and Dane County at 266-4821.

A sick person should stay home for 7 days or until 24 hours after their symptoms have disappeared, whichever is longest.
Symptoms of H1N1 Influenza are fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. The best sources of information about H1N1 influenza are these websites:

www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu

and http://www.publichealthmdc.com/



If you have further questions about H1N1 influenza, call 211 or Public Health – Madison and Dane County at 266-4821.

The safety and well being of our students and staff is our greatest priority. We know this is an anxious time and appreciate your cooperation as we all work to protect our community. We are working closely with health officials and will keep parents updated with any important information.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.


Dr. Tim Culver
District Administrator

Thomas L. Schlenker, Director
Public Health Madison & Dane County

Deb Brown, R.N.
District Nurse, Sun Prairie Area School District

Celebrity Resemblances pt 3

This was a tough call....lots of suggestions. Mr. Stackhouse, himself even contacted us and suggested who we should use for him. Play fair now, David!!! Neither Mr. Whalen nor Mr. Shimek got to choose. And...where would the fun be if we take away the wondering...the excitement....that pins and needles, edge of the seat feeling?



OK...so we went with a suggestion from some readers.

Not sure we see the facial similarities they see....and we tried. Perhaps they see some resemblance that we're missing?

The Kids Are Alright...

It's that time of year again. WKCE (Wisconsin Knowledge & Concepts Exam) results came out this past week. It's what we wait almost 6 months for after the kids take the tests each fall. Honestly, historically, results have not been very good....at least they have not been what one would expect given the glowing, gushing statements coming out of the district and the school board.

For the past 5 years, SP-EYE has been monitoring the WKCE results and evaluating them in an unbiased fashion. Yep, we strip off all the spin-doctoring and vapid praise and get down and dirty with the data. We want to "keep it real" for you. So, we follow up on the annual State Journal comparisons of the 16 area school districts and review how Sun Prairie measures up. We strip off the percentages (which reflect the percentage of students that achieve a score of "Proficient" or "Advanced" for a given exam (the District-wide goal is to have all students at or above 90% at each grade level and subject), and just rank the schools from high to low. Sometimes it's hard to do that just by looking at 16 school districts x 5 exams x 7 grades.

Since only grades 4, 8, and 10 are evaluated on all 5 subject areas (grades 3, 5, 6, and 7 are only evaluated on Reading and Math), we've limited our summaries to those key grades.

Overall, very few grade levels achieved the goal of 90% students at "Proficient" or "Advanced". However, how we measure up across the county and vs. the statewide averages is what really tells the tale. As the school district indicates, it takes a lot of time and effort to review this data in fine detail. So we're giving you the view from 20,000 feet. There have been numerous concerns about how the high school has fared relative to the rest of the county over the last five years. This year, SPHS ranked #3 for the 10th grade exams. That is a remarkable accomplishment. The teachers are the front-line warriors in this battle, with support provided from the puzzle palace at 501 South Bird St. Well done, folks. And great work, students! (But let's not celebrate with a bunch of pizza parties, eh?)

For Further Reading

Wisconsin State Journal article 4/28/09

2009 Dane Co. Reading & Math scores

2009 Dane Co. Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies scores

link to SP-EYE post on 2007-08 WKCE scores

School District Press Release on 2008-09 Results

2009 performance at Grades 10, 8, and 4

5-year historical trends at Grades 10, 8, and 4

So...Sun Prairie, it seems that we are moving onto the right track. Things could be better in the lower grades, but the cake ain't done cooking 'til you take it out of the oven (and even then it continues to cook a bit longer), and if we can sustain this year's performance at Grade 10, we'll be in good shape. For the last three years we were mired in the middle of the 16 Dane County school districts. Five years ago, our scores were at rock bottom. The results for Grade 10 are particularly impressive. Perhaps this will be further reflected down the road in post-graduation and follow-up surveys regarding preparedness for life beyond high school.

Sun Prairie has always been known as a sports town, but perhaps now we're on the path to being renowned for academics as well. That would be nice. We also find that, all in all, the kids really are alright. Life is not without its speed bumps, of course, but our kids do persevere...although we believe that is often IN SPITE of , rather than BECAUSE of the school board.

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Sun Prairie High School senior Jennifer Anderson for being named a 2009 Wisconsin All-State Scholar and recipient of a Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship.

Sun Prairie has had a rather lengthy drought from having a student achieve this honor. Certainly we haven't had a winner in at least the past 3 years. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) offers this information about the All-State Scholars Program:

Wisconsin All-State Scholars Program
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin State Journal, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, and the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators' Foundation for Educational Administration annually sponsor the Wisconsin All-State Scholars/Robert C. Byrd Scholarship Program. This recognition program was begun in 1986 (the Robert C. Byrd scholarship was added in 1987) and has been an outstanding success each year. Each year over 500 high school senior students are nominated by their principals to be named All-State Scholars. Every nominee receives a beautiful certificate and statewide publicity in a special Sunday supplement in the Wisconsin State Journal. Over one hundred students traditionally receive scholarships.

Wisconsin All-State Scholars/Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship recipients are chosen by a committee of school administrators with equal representation from each congressional district. Recipients are chosen based on their overall grade point averages and ACT/SAT test score. Pending full funding at the federal level, Byrd scholarships may provide a scholarship of $1,500 per year for up to four years. The student may use this scholarship at any post-secondary educational institution in the United States.

2009 all-state scholars

Not only is Ms. Anderson a fine scholar, but a little birdie tells us that she is also an accomplished martial artist, holding a 2nd degree black belt. Congratulations Jennifer and SPHS!

Why are the Police at the High School?

Ever since we posted the numbers of police calls to the Sun Prairie High School, people commented things like, "A lot of those calls are just for lock-outs or other minor things."

Good point. Which is why we requested a breakdown of information on the types of calls for service being made. That data was made available for 2009 to-date. Because it was a rather lengthy, convoluted lists, we took the liberty of trying to "lump" those calls that appear to be of a similar nature.

You be the judge. Do we have a problem, Houston?