Readers Write: The Pool Manager Shenanigans

From a reader who wishes to remain confidential...

People may not understand why someone would be so worked up over a small salary increase for an aquatic center manager. After all, it is $5,000.00 out of a $75,000,000 budget, so what's the big deal? A couple of observations:

1) That extra $5,000 does not include the extra FICA, workers comp, and other expenses that go along with a raise every time someone gets one. Then, every year in the future that a (for example) 2% raise is given, that is 2% of a larger number. In just a few years, the $5,000.00 has grown by half, and keeps growing. It also applies upward pressure to similar positions in the district. If a pool manager is worth $45k, then MY job is worth...

2) Notwithstanding #1 (since even if the $5k climbs a substantial amount it is not a huge deal considering the size of the budget), there is an unwritten, unspoken social compact between the community and the school district that has been broken. The community pledges (albeit under threat of seizure of their property) to support the education of the students in the district. Smart kids make good citizens and good communities (for the compassionate and altruistic), and good communities help property values (for the more cynical). The district's end of the bargain is to spend the community's money in a responsible, open, and accountable manner. The board, in open session, assigned the administration the task of finding a pool manager and gave them $40k/yr with which to do it. The administration held a search, identified (a) candidate(s), and is now wanting to go into closed session to up the salary. The justification finally given is that they have somebody they reeeeealllly like.

At this point, the right way to do things is to go into open session and the administration should explain in front of Mr. Whalen and everybody why they have failed in their quest to find a qualified $40k pool manager. After outlining the unsuccessful efforts and explaining why they were unsuccessful, they need to make a case that the board was short-sighted in giving them so little money. They need to point out that an aquatic center manager in Virginia with 3 pools and 64 employees makes $38,800, but that this is not a good comparison. They need to run down a few more examples of places that were able to find sub-$40k aquatic center managers for facilities and situations much more demanding than we have and explain why they don't apply either. If the primary reason is that they really like a particular guy/gal for the job, then AND ONLY THEN should they retire to the smokefilled backrooms to make the deal that they will consummate after emerging from behind the curtain. I can appreciate that Dr. Culver has found his Speedo-clad soulmate, but if he wants the board to reconsider a thoughtful and reasoned decision on the salary for the position he had better bring more to the table than than love-at-first-interview. And he should make his case to the community as well. I would like to get Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff to co-manage the pool (pretty good swimmers and people like them), but we won't because they won't work for what the position pays. The alternative is to find someone who will. If we fail in our quest, we ask the personnel committee to help with recruiting suitable candidates, and if that doesn't work we put on our best Oliver Twist face and THEN give 'em the ol' "please Sir, might I have some more???"

That's not what happened here. The entire process looks like someone was trying to accomplish something without the community being fully aware of the situation. Only after realizing they had a pathetically inadequate notice given for the closed session did the notice of the hearing change to something that would almost pass for an appropriate use of closed session (still no mention in it of a plan to increase the salary for the position). Note to the board: Discussion of upgrading the position is open session talk; discussion of a particular candidate is closed session talk. Keep that in mind when you start pulling the levers behind the curtain.

Maybe the candidate they have identified is worth the money, and maybe the position justifies a higher salary (in spite of the fact that everyone else seems to get by for less), but this case needs to be made to the board in the daylight to the extent that respect for that individual's privacy will allow. Who knows, the Taj Mahighschool is the most expensive school in Wisconsin, maybe it needs the most expensive pool manager. Convince us.