Softball Clinic Raises Many Questions

Thanks to a community member who actually reads the STAR (not passing judgement here), we received this clipping.  The Sun Prairie STAR recently announced a softball clinic to be held at the Patrick Marsh Middle School Gym on Saturday January 12, 2013.  The instructors are reported to be the owner of "On The Rise" Fastpitch and SPHS Class of 2005 graduate (and former professional baseball player) Kevyn Feiner.

There will be three sessions for kids in grades 3-8, with a cost of $50-60 per child per session.

Questions to be answered
Oh so very many questions!  We thought sure that district administration had learned their lessons from the summer camp fiasco.  Perhaps not.  So let's go back down the same line of questioning again.

OTR's website listing

• Is this a non-profit?  Or is someone(s) hiding behind the old "It's for the [softball] kids" mantra?
• Who approved this reservation (who ordered the Code Red?)
• Will the group be charged for the rental of school facilities as per policy KG?
• How much revenue will be generated?
• Where will the money be going?

Don't we have a policy in place for this?
Sure....and it says:

All organizations other than those who qualify under subs. B.2.a. [non-profits are fee exempt during the school year, when students are in attendance, from 1/r hr after school until 9:00 pm] must pay a rental fee for the use of school facilities as outlined more fully herein...

-----Procedure KG-R

This is from the SPASD's Facility Use Calendar

Lets do some math!

According to the fee schedule (KG-E), renting the middle school gym costs $38/hour.

$38.00/hr x 8 hrs = $304
or roughly equivalent to less than 7 registrant fees

If there are 50 registrants for each of the three sessions, the revenue generate would be $8500.
The facility use fee would translate to just 3.6% of the revenue.  Isn't that a mere pittance to pay for facilities one does not have?

According to On the Rise's (OTR) website, it looks like they charge roughly $320/hr for instruction.  So, for 8 hours, OTR earns a cool  $2560 or this "camp".  We're pretty sure that OTR is not a  non-profit entity.  We're not sure what Kevyn Feiner will be paid for his services, but again, we're fairly confident that he is not a  non-profit.

Even if we pay Mr. Feiner the same as OTR ($2,560)...nice for a day's work!....AND the facility use fe is paid (which we're not sure is happening) the total "costs" are $5,424.  With revenues of $8500, SOMEONE is making $3,000 on this deal.  Who is it?



For further information:
Policy KG, Publc Use of School Facilities

KG-E  Facility Use Fee Schedule

Procedure KG-R, Use of School Facilities

The Bottom Line
At the very heart of this issue is that we have an Athletics and Activities Director who has expressed significant concern...publicly...that his budget just cannot cover the needs of the programs.  The logical answer would be that any of these events which are not billed per policy KG is tantamount to taking revenues out of the district.  These revenues could be used to offset/supplant the Athletics budget, or even to help build a fund for Ashley Field improvements or other similar projects.

So, hopefully, the district is back following policy KG.  If not, why not?

Santa has one gift left in his bag

Santa SP-EYE has on remaining gift in his bag. It's for the unofficial "8th Man" at the board table...none other than Dr. Culver.

It's been a trying year at times for Dr. Culver, so Santa thought he needed a diversion.  Therefore he's getting his very own personalized Whack-a-Mole game.

He may wish to have some other moles to whack...we'll leave that up to him.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

On the 7th day of Chringe-mas

How fitting that the last remaining board member name in Santa's hat is none other than Mike Krachey. Kinda close (at least in last name) to Bob Cratchit from Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".  Close enough for government anyway.

For Mr. Krachey, Santa SP-EYE has, first and foremost, the title of Board Treasurer for 2013.  Or gut feel is that the nod was given to John Whalen this year chiefly because of his tenure, and the fall from Board President to just "member" was too hard a shove.  We think now however, that all board members not named Whalen or Diedrich very clearly see now that M. Whalen is not part of the solution.  We need a board treasurer who "gets" it.  And that should be Mike Krachey this April.

What we like about Mr. Krachey is his desire for more data.  He's like the little dude from the movie, "Short Circuit", who constantly seeks  more input.  If there's one area for M. Krachey to work on in his sophomore year, it is to be able to adjust on the fly and make decisions in the absence of all the data one would like to have. In addition, Mike is clearly an outside the box thinker.  He particularly showed that during his tenure on the Elementary Task Force.  Mike came up with an innovative approach to determining class sizes.  It needed some work, but it was an innovative idea with great potential.

To help with that, Santa has the books, "Drinking From the Fire Hose" and "How We Decide" as well desktop piece reminding him of the value he bings to the table by being an outside the box thinker.

Did Diedrich REALLY Say That!????

Click here to access the KSUN video of the meeting.
Click about 65% of the way through.
You want to view the segment
from 58:15 through 62:00 for full effect

SP-EYE always enjoys the last school board meeting of the year because of the delightful performance by the high school madrigal singers.  And, as always, they are a talented bunch!

But there was something else notable about the December 17th meeting.  It seemed that Caren Diedrich, who isn't very stealthily running for re-election, had a few comments to make on (it seemed) every agenda item.   Is that part of her pre-election period ritual?  To suddenly speak out on any and all topics?  To be heard and not just seen?  We've seen her play to the seniors crowd before.  Suddenly, as election time draws near, she starts talking about the taxpayers.  Never mind that her standard votes are usually far from the senior citizen taxpayers' best interests.  Oh but what she had to say on this night caused a few board members' heads to turn.  Lucky for Ms. Diedrich, there was no audience...except for SP-EYE.

Are You Saying Prairie Phoenix Academy is the Island of Misfit Toys, Ms. Diedrich?
We've all seen the Rudolph video where he winds up at the Island of Misfit Toys.  Perhaps it was especially fitting given that we are in the midst of the holiday season.  How could anyone hear Ms. Diedrich's words and not get the notion that she views the Prairie Phoenix Academy (PPA) as something akin to the Island of Misfit Toys?

 The agenda item was the proposal to add a new writing requirement for graduation.  All the board members seemed very supportive....except for Caren Diedrich that is.  And while she eventually voted to support it, her line of questioning caused a lot of seat squirming.

When I saw this, I said to myself, I'm so glad I'm through with high school because this seems to be hard...it sounded like a hard class..so...and maybe this is for Jennifer...how will it play out at the Prairie Phoenix Academy?  I'm concerning myself with the rigor in both  places.

--School Board member Caren Diedich

_________________________________________________________

Diedrich: I guess to me, the beauty would be in the grading.
Murphy/Apodaca: The grading?
Diedrich: The grading.  Do we ever send Prairie Phoenix Academy paperwork over to the high school to be graded by what I would call [airquotes] regular [airquotes] high school teachers and vice versa?
Apodaca: No.
Diedrich: No? Okay. [facial features and body language speak volumes here]

__________________________________________________
To their incredible credit, both Director of Instruction Alice Murphy and Direct of Student Services Jennifer Apodaca answered all of Ms. Diedrich's questions fully...even though Diedrich didn't think so.  They both deserve kudos for showing exceptional forgiving, if not restraint.

Alternative Learning ≠ Less Rigor

Bon Jovi sang, "You Give Love a Bad Name", but Ms. Diedrich, whether knowingly or not, only succeeded in giving alternative learning centers, like the PPA, a bad name.  As a school board member since many of her fellow board members were still in school, Ms. Diedrich should know that the state has only ONE set of criteria for graduation.

While GED is an option route for students at the PPA, the primary path is for students to earn a high school diploma in an alternative learning setting than the traditional classroom.  Rigor is the same, but learning is facilitated via alternate pathways.  Yes, a GED is frequently viewed as inferior to a diploma, but legally, they are equivalent.  And we DO want kids to succeed...right?

Prairie Phoenix Academy s a growing multifaceted program designed to meet the unique needs of high school students who are seeking an alternative to the traditional high school setting. 
The school offers the opportunity to earn a high school diploma through programs that are designed to meet the needs of our students' varied learning styles and diverse interests. Programs are based on state standards and focus on the core academic areas, so students will still gain the base knowledge they need to meet their future goals.

Disrespecting Teachers and Students in One Fell Swoop
If school board members view the PPA an an inferior option to high school....a place for misfit toys....then why wouldn't the public....and the students?  More to the point, Ms. Diedrich even seems to suggest that the professional educators at PPA are inferior to those at the high school.  That is outrageous, and those teachers, and principal Tavs SHOULD be insulted.

The district COULD certainly choose to use the PPA as a home for wayward/troublesome students....but that's not the portrait that has been painted for us.  Does Diedrich know something the rest of us do not?   I THAT what the district's intent is for PPA? We don't think so.  We believe an apology is in order.

Alternative High School Can...and DO...Work
True story.  SP-EYE can relate a pefect example of how alternative high schools work.  Seveal years back, a fine young lady was struggling at one of Madison's traditional high schools.  She applied to---not was "shuffled off to"--- attend the Malcolm Shabazz alternative high school.  She was accepted and suddenly her grades went from barely passing to A's and B's.  She entered a business education program and after earning a diploma, she worked as an LTE in the public sector.  She then decided to pursue higher education and earned a college degree this year in a field in which her talents were obvious.  THAT, people, is what alternative high schools are all about.

Perhaps Ms. Diedich needs a refresher course.
Shame on her for even suggesting otherwise.

...and on the 6th day of Cringe-mas

The hat contains only  few names.  Santa SP-EYE pulled board VP John Welke's name.
What doe Santa have in hi bag of goodies for Mr. Welke?  Well...he's gotta a few things.

First off, Santa has a "Shock Doctor" mouthguard and a Barry Alvarez autographed mini-helmet.   These are reminders that Mr. Welke is serious about holding people accountable and is not afraid to tip even sacred cows.  He's on a mission to right this ship from a whole lot of things that have strayed off the path for far too long.  He boldly --and rightly-- championed (with Jill Camber-Davidson) reducing the ridiculous hockey fees (275% proposed increase to $550).

In addition, he's working to fix the Ashley Field boondoggle legacy left by David Stackhouse, working to fix problems with facility use rental, and has worked to ensure that the Sound of Sun Prairie program can continue to be all it can be.  There are serious weak links there, not the least of which is that SPASD receive a boatload of revenue from DPI because SOSP is considered summer school, yet we cannot seem to make the numbers of registered students add up.  Welke has also expressed concern that the district may be lacking in  documentation required under Title IX.    That is more than a handful, people; and all of these are tough tasks that could get underneath the skin of those involved...you know...the good old boys and gentlemens' quiet agreements.  With Welke, those folks that willfully stray off the beaten path need to understand that they better have helmets on and mouthguards in.

In line with that, Santa also left Mr. Welke with some light reading that defines his tenure on the board:

• Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right,
• How Did That Happen? (Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way,
• Making Things Right When Things Go Wrong.

Santa wishes Mr. Welke a wonderful 2013 that includes a landslide re-election for a second term.  No board member in our history of the SPASD school board has ever brought forward the number and breadth of Situation Reports as Welke.  THAT is leading by example.

Catching Up With the 8 Days of Cringe-mas

OK...so SP-EYE took a little break to deal with Draco (who came up with that?), preparing for the possibility that the Mayans knew something, and snowblower issues.

For the 4th day of Cringe-mas, Caren Diedrich's name came out of the hat.  Caren's big gift is her very on ant farm.  An an farm can  provide hours of fun watching how things really should work.  Plus, Caren has the tools to make life interesting for some of the ants.  We now KNOW that Caren is running for election...again.  If she's re-elected, she will have been on the board since Sun Prairie was truly a small community.  Not quite since the streets were cobblestones...but close.

Not being mean here, but it's time for Caren to find something else to do with her time...volunteer more  in the schools, perhaps run for City Council....or play with the ants.  The board has changed but she has not changed with it.  Like John Whalen, she fully supports anything Tim Culver does.  The flip side of that is more important, however; by blindly supporting Dr. Culver, Caren fully supports what Culver is NOT doing.  There are cracks in the foundation and they need to be repaired before they cause more significant structural issues.

Along those lines, Santa is leaving her a copy of the article, "Life Beyond Superintendency".  Tim Culver is planning for retirement an Caren needs to plan for life beyond the school board.  The days of MaryEllen, Cheryl, and Caren piloting this ship are done.

Last but not least, a stocking stuffer:  a button declaring "Think Before You Speak".   Ms. Diedrich has been increasingly unleashing comment that are even to the left of bizarre.  As long as she remains on the board, Caren needs to put a little thought in before opening her mouth.

<hr>
<hr>
On the 5th day of Cringe-mas, Santa SP-EYE pulled the name of the other lady on the school board: Jill Camber-Davidson.

Santa's big gift for Jill is the meal that the Wizard of Oz gave to the Cowardly Lion.  NOT that we're suggesting that Jill is cowardly.  Far from it.  But she's on a board now full of strong voices, and she is more reserved.  But Santa thinks Jill ha a lot of good comments and questions in her and sometimes she may hold back.  This medal will hopefully remind her that she IS a valued member of this board and she should feel courageous enough to speak out.

Santa also has two other gifts for Jill as a reminder of where she is taking this  district.  Jill rightfully championed nixing the Pepsi contract a while back.  Santa found a vending machine which dispenses only fruits and veggies.  If kids are jonesing for a sack, this could and should be their choice.  We could even have these turned on during school hours.

Lastly we have a book about using a school wellness program to battle childhood obesity.  That is indeed a serious problem, and one we think Jill could really help us pave a path to at least some local solutions.

And on the 3rd Day of Cringing...

Oh...did we type, "Cringing"?  Freudian slip...of course we meant "Christmas".

click to see the full-sized goat-saver

On the 3rd day of cringing, Santa SP-EYE pulled John Whalen's name out of the hat.  Of course Santa SP-EYE might have been spending too much time with the Naughty List because Santa SP-EYE apparently only put Mr. Whalen's name in the hat today!   :-)

They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Well, Santa noticed awhile back that JohnE Whalen had adopted a goatee look.  Some opined that he was imitating the smashingly good look of his favorite blogger!  Then the goat disappeared.  A good goat is hard to manage and so Santa thought that Mr. Whalen might just need something to help him groom the goat.   How about a Goatee Saver!!!  Interesting gadget...it's like a mouthguard one puts in and shaves around. Actually the thing looks kinda Hannibal Lecter -ish, if you ask us.  "Well, Clarice...have the lambs stopped screaming?" 

Mr. Whalen has found his way to the Naughty List, so Santa is bringing him a whole bunch of books to read.  Seems appropriate for a school board member to be a role model and rad, right? And maybe do some soul searching and dive into a little self help, right?  Mr. Whalen suffers from uncontrollable body language issues.  He needs to work on that if he wants to stay in the public eye.  He also appears to have a difficult time maintaining objectivity when listening to people he does not like.  Tsk, tsk, JohnE!  That's not only unprofessional, it reflects poorly on the entire board.   It also eats away at the credibility you have left.  Santa's also giving him a copy of the book, "Toxic Men" to help him cope with the people that are most troublesome for him.



Finally, we understand that some things and some people just make JohnE's skin crawl.  Therefore Santa would be remiss in his duties if he didn't leave JohnE a little stocking stuffer:  a copy of Linkin Park's single, "Crawling".

Merry Xmas!

On the 2nd day of Christmas...

...Board President Tom Weber's name came out of Santa's hat.

Tom has been absolutely awesome as a board president.  Not taking anything away from him...but we really have had poor board presidents going back over 10 years.  Nevertheless, Tom has taking this board to a much higher plane.  And we know that he works diligently to make things even better.  He is a fair an impartial individual, and for that we are thankful.

So what do we have in Santa's bag?

First...we have a couple of fine avocados.  We hear word that Tom appreciates a fine avocado.  We're not sure if he likes them straight off the tree or whether he's a guacamole kinda guy.  So Santa tossed in a little light reading for him:  "When life hands you avocados...make guacamole!"

We also hear whispers that Steve Schroeder is an avocado fan.  Perhaps Tom will share.

As a stocking stuffer, Santa tossed in a copy of "How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less".  No disrespect to Tom; he'll be the first to tell you that he's a talker.  But communication is  a good thing.  Santa jut thinks this little giftie could help streamline board meetings even further.

Merry Christmas, Tom!
And a big SP-EYE thanks for all you have brought to the district.

The 8 Days of Christmas

Thank goodness for vacation time...right?  Ole SP-EYE has been too busy of late, but now some much needed time to do some catching up.

And, with the holiday season upon us, Santa SP-EYE has some gifts to deliver.
We weren't sure how to go about it; so we finally just tossed names in a hat.

First up also happens to be newest board member Steve Schroeder.

For Steve, Santa has a Blu-Ray copy of what we understand is one of his most favorite-est movies:  Driving Ms. Daisy.  We really hope Steve enjoys this!

This was something on John Whalen's list, but Mr. Whalen is on Santa SP-EYE's naughty list.  Mr. Whalen won't be getting coal in his stocking though.  Santa has some other things in mind.  :)

Time to Blow the Ballast Tanks

Time to blow the ballast tanks and resolve the issue
of field and fieldhouse usage for camps without paying.

This one has been dragging for six months now.  It's pretty clear that at the very least, coaches camps for football, and both girls and boys basketball were held this year as they have been in the past.  These camps are not free.  The coaches use school district facilities, allegedly without paying for them as required by board policy KG.

We reviewed district records of checks and deposits for all of 2012 and most of 2011.  We could not find any indication that these "camps" reimbursed the school district for cost of the fields.

Y'all remember how bad this summer was?  By many accounts, the football fields were in severely stressed state, yet the GridIron camp and Joint Sun Prairie-Waunakee football camps (a)bused these fields.  How much damage was done to these fields?

The problem is that we could find no record of any invoice submitted to those running these camps.  Based on cost per athlete and the number of participants, a significant chunk of change was collected.  Where did the money go?  We'd hate to think that a large portion of it goes to lining the pockets of coaches.  There MUST be rules or even law against that!

To his credit, school board VP John Welke has asked the questions, or at least started down the line of questioning, at public meetings.  Yet we've heard not one peep.  In late September, we heard from one of the coaches, who indicated that all coaches were informed of an intent to bill them for field usage.  Did that ever happen?  If not...why not?  Who authorized use of these fields/the fieldhouse without payment as required by Policy KG? In short...

Who ordered the Code Red?

Who ordered the Code Red?

Someone must have said..."hey...no problem...go ahead and use the fields; we'll waive the fee". Right?  hat would clearly be the code red.  But who ordered it? It sure looks like a duck, and seems to quack like a duck.  There are very few individuals with the access to bypass the system and facilitate usage of district fields and facilities at no cost.   Note that we didn't say "authority" to do so, because we can't find any wording in policy KG that gives ANYONE the authority to waive field/facility usage fees.

Meanwhile, we are hearing unconfirmed reports that other groups within the district are being charged for facility usage when Policy KG would make them exempt from paying the fees.  Why would we be charging groups who meet the exemption criteria but NOT charging the groups that do no?  What in the tarnation is going on here?

This issue has been running silent and deep for far too long.  It's time to blow the ballast tanks, get this one to bubble to the surface and answer the burning questions.  Here's hoping that happens soon.

2012-13 Administrator Increases and Pay

It seems only fair that if the teacher salaries were published, then we also publish the salaries for administrators.

We've got 10 members of the $100K club plus one that's right on the edge.

The question in our minds right now is that a 2% pool was set aside for administrators, admin support, and Local 60.  The average increases was 2% for these groups.

Click for a full-sized view

For the teachers (Professional Educators), however, the board proposed using a significant portion of the 2% pool to raise the base wage paid to teachers.

We fully support any move by the school board to raise the floor and create a reasonable ceiling on teacher wages.   We're just a little concerned how that comes off in the waking of approving a flat 2% for other groups.  We realize that administrator increases are doled out by Dr. Culver based on his performance evaluations, so it's not quite the same.  We remain concerned, however, that board members could cave in on their position with the teachers and lose the ground they could--and should--gain.   Perhaps its unfounded concern, but we're keepin' it real.

Time to Move the Timetable Up for Secure Entrances

The recent horrific event in Connecticut has touched us all.  This time, it was mere babies.  As difficult as it is, we do need to step away from grieving and take this opportunity to ask whether all our schools have secure entrances.

The reality is that two schools remain on the list for modifications to improve security.  For obvious reasons, we'll not identify those schools here.  These modifications are on the schedule for this summer and next.  That's no longer good enough.  The time is now.  Yes, it will cost upwards of $360,000, but the board has to direct administration to either find the money or take it out of fund balance and COMPLETE THESE PROJECTS ASAP.

This is not an expense with which anyone can take issue.  These are our children...our future.

Dear School Board....

Let's make this happen.

In Living Color

Didja miss us?
We got a message from a few that were "missing the blog".

Not to worry...we ain't going' away....yet! Indeed, sometimes life DOES get in the way.  And SP-EYE needed a much deserved (if we do say so ourselves) break.

Besides...it's not like the old days, when we couldn't turn our backs on the school board for even a second.  This school board of ours gets it.  Well, 71.4% of them anyway.  They are engaged. They don't even own rubber stamps.  They are interested in making solid decisions based on solid, untainted data.

Hell...this board makes our job easy.  We CAN take a break.

But that doesn't mean some issues won't crop up. Rest assured, John Whalen, we ain't going nowhere.  We're watching and learning.  And when we need to get on something...or share something of interest, we will.

And They're Off!

Today is December 1, and that means one thing....candidates for spring elections can begin to circulate nomination papers.

The three school board members whose seats are up are:

Vice President John Welke,
Caren Diedrich, and
Steve Schroeder

We suspect all three will be running for re-election.  Caren Diedrich has been publicly heard to be wavering, but she always does this.  If you watch closely at the next school board meeting, we're betting that you'll see her quietly passing her nomination papers to other board members before the meeting begins.

We like what Welke has done.  He's a natural leader who's not afraid to ask the tough questions and hold people accountable.  He's brought forward more situation reports than any other board member.  He just plain gets things done.  And done right.

We also like Steve Schroeder's business approach to managing the district.  Steve is also not shy about asking difficult questions.  Steve took over the remainder of Jim McCourt's seat after he shuffled off to land of Rice a Roni.  He deserves election to a full three year term.

Lastly, there's Caren Diedrich, who will be running for her umpteenth term.  She's been on the school board since chalkboards were all the rage.  Caren will tell you that she provides valuable history of the board.  We were not big history buffs.  We like Caren as a person, but it's time to close the book on that part of board history and get some fresh ideas.

The BIG question...
Will we see the return of Gary Alan Naud...who quickly vanished after last years election?  Will the SPARClers put up a candidate or two?

Jeopardy Answer: $210,000

Oh...you want the question?

(1 of 3) 2012-13 Position replacements
(click for full-screen image) 

That would be, "What is the total amount of 2012-13 salary savings if one added up the 'Salary Difference' columns on School Board Personnel Reports since July 1, 2012?"

The producers would also have given credit if you answered, "What is the total value of Phil Frei's last (???) sock full o' money?"

Now...this needs lots of clarifying.  And perhaps we need a better, more accurate, and more frequent tabulation (hint, hint).  This is that "funny money" that suddenly gets both "found" and used at the end of the year.

We admit in advance that were not able to get some answers that would help clarify things before going to press.  Still, it's valuable information that we've kept our eye on for a number of years now.  That being said, the only column which is not completely factual is the "Total Cost/Savings column, in which we attempt to put a dollar value on the savings from Local 60 (Support Staff) replacements.  With a few clarifications, we think it's pretty solid.  As always of course, we welcome any factual information to support, refute, or supplement our findings.

Clarification #1:  The salary difference column appears to be the difference in base wages paid for a given position.  Therefore it assumes the difference over the full 2012-13 school year.  But that's not quite accurate, because these positions become vacant and are re-filled (at a lower rate) during the school year, so we do not realize the full savings unless the person leaves before the year (and salary checks) begin.

(2 of 3) 2012-13 Position replacements(click for full-screen image)  

Clarification #2: Although not often, some positions remain unfilled for some length of time.  During that time, we are expending ZERO dollars for salaries/benefits.  In those situations we are saving a whole LOT more money because of the period of time over which we incur no salary/benefit costs.

Clarification #3:  For "Support Staff", our estimate of annualized savings is determined by multiplying the hourly rate difference x the # of FTE x 8 hrs/day work schedule x 185 days of work.  Of course that is not true in every case, but we needed some point of reference...since one is not provided.

And there's nearly $200K MORE!!  

(3 of 3) 2012-13 Position replacements

The $210,000 "surplus" also does not include the 1.47 unfilled "Certified staff" or 4.72 unfilled "Support staff" positions.  Based on our analysis of an average support staff wage of $15.41 per hour, and assuming 8 hours per day and 185 days per year, that would mean an additional $106,000 (excluding benefits savings) from the Support Staff positions and about $73,500 for the Certified staff positions.  So that's like another $200K in projected surplus.  Certainly, if half the year is gone, we already have saved $100K from these 6+ unfilled positions.

All told, the potential surplus from personnel savings could approach $400,000.

Now that would buy a lot of RTI support...or....seabass dinners, both haute couture and high in Omega 3 fatty acids.   Put all this in your pipe and smoke it.

Peace. Out.

2012-13 Budgeted position allotments (11-12-12)

On Tap for Monday: Administrator "Raise Pool"

On Monday, November 26, 2012 (6:30 PM, Municipal Bldg) the Sun Prairie School Board is poised to take action to approve a 2% across the board raise for administrators.

FINANCIAL/BUDGET/OTHER RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS:

The 2012-2013 budget adopted by the School Board includes $51,157 designated for administrative salary increases.   This amount is equivalent to the 2% salary pool necessary to fund the motion of the committee.

RECOMMENDATION:

“To increase administration salary pool by 2 percent to be distributed by the District Administrator according to the performance evaluation system.”

On the School Board side of negotiations:

School Board’s Administrative Compensation and Benefits Committee, Caren Diedrich, Tom Weber, and John Whalen

On the Administrator side:  Craig Coulthart, Nancy Hery, Liz Merrick and Wendi Tavs.

We have two comments based on the information provided:

(1) The recommendation indicates that the "administration salary pool" is to be "increased by 2%".  How much was in there already?  Is there MORE than the $51,157?

(2) Bear in mind that 2/3 of the school board side of negotiations were noted Tim Culver lap dogs John Whalen and Caren Diedrich.  Look...we get it...When in the (*heartburn moment*) Board Treasurer, and Diedrich is the Chair of the former Human Resources Committee.  

The 4% vs. the 96%

OK...we lied...we have one more comment to make.

The total dollar increase for [the Local 60] settlement (11-12-12) was $176,744.00 

shared by 333.64 employees

or $529.74 each

vs. the administrator team, which would get $51,157

shared by 28.5 FTE

or $1,794.98 each

Really?  Did we not hear over the last 4 months about the wealthy getting wealthier at the expense of the middle and lower classes?

The Local 60 group includes 11.7 times the number of employees as the administrators' group...

yet they will collectively receive only 3.45 times as much salary dollars.

Super-Size Admin Salaries; Just Plain Super-Size the Rest of The Work Force

That's about $10 more each week (pre-tax) that Local 60 workers will get.  Maybe enough to splurge for a family night out at McDonald's ...if one sticks to the Dollar Menu.  Meanwhile, each Administrator ,on average-pretax, would see an increase of about $35.00...enough for a decent sit down dinner somewhere.  

Why does it have to be about food?  Hey...we didn't start the "translating tax levy increase to pizzas" .  We like to assess blame for poor food choices and the obesity epidemic.  And some rightly so.  But you know what?  We are helping to create this situation...and we need to own that.  The folks earning $90,000 per year (and that's just ONE bread-earner's income) have no trouble making their rent/mortgage payments and they can afford to make good food choices.  They can also afford a membership to the local athletic club and even a personal trainer.

Meanwhile, those folks that earn only $12 or $13/hour have seriously difficult choices to make: pay the rent to keep a home, or eat well.  But nobody wants to talk about that.  Many of those folks eat poorly because it beats not eating.  An athletic club membership?  Personal trainer.  Please!!!!  Not even on the radar screen for most.  But nobody wants to talk about that either.

What we fail to consider, in our haste to keep our administrator and teacher salaries on par with the Jones', is that we have 333 Local 60 employees and we rarely hear any talk of a need to "be competitive" for those jobs.  In fact, it may be that the best selling point for a Local 60 opening is, "Hey...it beats the pay you'd earn at McDonald's".

At some point we have to look at this equation...and that's not limited to Sun Prairie.  That extends to the entire state and the nation.  Do the administrators do a good job?  Sure...some of them are absolutely awesome (and most know who those are).  Others.....meh....not so much.

At what point do we say....hey....on average, each administrator earns $89,750 (do the math....if 2% of the total administrator salary is $51,157 and there are 28.5 FTE).  Is that a good wage?  Sure...the cost of living increases each year....but aren't these people well ahead of the curve to begin with?  But these are the people that earn enough to have, in addition to a fine primary home, a nice cabin up north and a boat and other luxuries, while many in Local 60 have trouble making ends meet.

We've finally been hit on the head with enough coconuts to understand that many teachers "off the salary grid" are earning a pretty damn spanky living, while those fresh out of school are underpaid.  The proposal made to the teachers raises the floor and earmarks the majority of the "2% allocation" to those teachers with less than 6 years experience.  The contract proposal offers a small stipend --non-base building) for those teachers in the middle and upper end.  If we're starting to move towards creating some sort of ceiling for teachers, at what point do we do the same for administrators?

And how do we really tie raises to performance?  The administrative pool is dished out as Tim Culver sees fit, based on his "evaluations" of the administrators.  Look at the past data.  It's clear there are favorites and its clear that some are in the doghouse (sometimes rightfully so).

Aaaaaahhhhhhh...we could go on and on...but you either get it...or you don't.  This country DOES need a fiscal wake up....just not the menu being offered by the Mitten Man.   So go on and award 2% raises to people that do not need it...and to some who do not deserve it.   And while we're at it, let's be sure to make those raises "base-building" so that they can in turn be raised by future increases.  

Henny Penny Declares: "The SPEA is Stalling!"

For a group that was squawking that the school board and district administration refused to come to the table to bargain, it sure seems like the shoe is now squarely on the other foot.

We've checked and the two sentence, 44 word "offer" reported previously is the only offer made by SPEA despite several "negotiation" meetings.

What's up with that?

Are they hanging their slim hopes on a Dane County judge?
Delaying till after January...when larger payments to retirement are required?
Hoping to vote out current members of the school board and replacing them with a "teacher friendly" board?
Do they really think this inaction is endearing them with the board?

We don't get it, frankly.  For a hyper-educated group that desperately wants to be viewed as  "professional educators", we're not seeing a lot of professionalism.

On the other hand, we have to take a moment and applaud the Local 60 folks.  This year, the historical red-headed stepchild of employee groups showed themselves to be a much more grateful and reasonable group to work with.  Sure they would have liked a 3.1% wage hike...but they were happy to take what they received.  They were patient and now are reaping the benefits.

That's something we can respect.  And something with which the board can work.

71.4% Thankful

As we all reflect on the gifts in our lives that make us thankful, here at SP-EYE, we'd like to acknowledge our school board.  Well at least 71.4% of it.

After 7 long years, we finally find ourselves with a top shelf board.  Gone are the days of rubber stamping and 15 minute Finance meetings.  We have five board members that do their homework.  They trust, but verify through independent thinking.  They are not afraid of questioning, understanding that questions only help the public understand the issue at hand.

We may not always agree with their votes (although generally we do)...but it's never been about 100% agreement.  We've just been looking for a board that will do something other than mail in their votes.

And we have one now.  And for that, we are truly thankful.  We KNOW how much time and effort it takes to research the issues...trust us.  But they do it, and that is commendable.  So for those board members whose names do not rhyme with Whalen or Diedrich, know that we thank your for your efforts.

To the other two...know that change is not coming...it is here.  And we think it's here to stay.

Peace. Out

SPASD Offers Contract Proposal to Teachers (SPEA)

Click for full screen

While the teacher's union negotiation team did not put very much effort or thought into their "counter" offer, the school board/ district clear put a lot of time and effort into working out an arrangement that addresses what has previously been discussed as a primary goal of SPEA.

Dispelling myths & legends
We've heard from a number of sources that the district spent $300,000 to help build the SPYHA's new ice rink, yet is giving the teachers a giant goose egg.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  From the get go,  at least $552,392 (2% of total 2011-12 SPEA member salaries) has been earmarked for 2012-13 SPEA wage increases.  This amount was included within the 2012-13 budget as presented at the annual elector's meeting and approved by the electors.


Raises the floor
SPEA, and across the state other teachers' unions, have long spoken out about the low wage paid to entry level teachers.  In the past, the "grid" has impeded the district's ability to single out one group of SPEA members for above average pay increases.  In addition, SPEA, like many teachers unions, establishes a "negotiations committee" which is heavily (if not totally) comprised of teachers earning wages either at the far end of the salary grid, or even "off" the grid.   It can be argued that these "negotiators" are looking out more for their own interests than those of their lesser paid brethren.

Click to enlarge

Act 10, however, changed all that.  And SPASD administration and members of the school board worked diligently to develop an offer that would earmark roughly one-third of the budgeted $552,392 towards raising the base wage for all entry level teachers. The new starting salary would be raised from $32,505 to $35,000 for a Bachelor's Degree and $38,000 for a Master's Degree.  96 SPEA members (roughly 17% of all SPEA members) would see their base wages increased to $35,000.

How could SPEA's negotiation team argue against such a plan?  It's a no-brainer, right? Raising the floor would allow SPASD to be more competitive and attract the best and brightest teachers to work in the district.  And that's consistent with SPEA's desires...right?

Maintains step and lane increases (at least for 2012-13)
The package offered by the board/district also provides for step/lane movements, at least for the 2012-13 year.  Frankly, we believe that step/lane changes need to go away.  Instead, teachers should be held to what the rest of the world is:  an annual offer for wage adjustment to the extent that the fiscal climate can support one.

This is not peanuts here, either.  The district projects shelling out about $155,000 for step/lane increases.  That's not chump change, folks.  Recall that a step increase (annual while "on the grid") represents a 3% salary increase.   Lane movements, for which members are eligible after 6 credits earned beyond their current degree/credits, represents a 2% increase.

For reference, state employees are getting ZERO for this year and likely ZERO for the next two years.  Seniors, living in Social Security, will only see a 1.7% increase in January.

Provides a little something for other teachers
The board/district proposal also offers a little something for the more tenured staff.  Yes, they can thumb their noses at receiving only $461 each, and yes, (as proposed) it is not a base building (added to their permanent salary).   Indeed, it is proposed as a lump sum "stipend".  But it is better than nothing, and it still costs $220,000 to fund.

Suddenly that $300,000 agreement with youth hockey doesn't look so terrible, does it?

We need to keep very firmly in our minds that:

• 128 SPEA members had total compensation of $60,000 or more in 2011-12.
• At 190 contract days, that's for working LESS than 9 months per year.
• Another 129 SPEA members earned total compensation between $50-$60,000.128+129
• That means that nearly 50% of teachers earn at least $50K.
• The average compensation earned by this top half is a little over $63,000!!
• For the average Joe working 260 days per year, that translates to compensation of $86,000. 

That's not too shabby.  For comparison, the SPEA members with less than 6 years (total) experience earned an average total compensation of about $38,500 last year.

Keeps SPASD competitive
Sun Prairie has fallen behind other districts, particularly the larger districts in Dane County.  For the 2011-12 school year, Sun Prairie ranked 8th out of the 11 largest Dance Co. school districts in terms of base wage for an entry level teacher with a Bachelor's degree.

This package will increase the base bay of teachers with a Bachelor's degree to $35,000  and $38,000 for a Master's Degree.  I have attached the comparable data that we used.

Click to enlarge

Still not keeping up with the Jones
Unfortunately, we're not really breaking new ground here; other districts are trying to do the same things.
Upon request, the district office also provided the information they have obtained from other Dane Co, districts as they work towards contracts for 2012-13.  Looking at districts for which data has been obtained, Sun Prairie remains slightly below the average for 2012-2013 of $35,040 for starting pay.

Timing is everything, and this has dragged on so long that other districts have again leapfrogged us.  So it seems that the board needs to continue working on this plan.  We need to control the ceiling and raise the floor till all teachers earn a respectable wage.  We don not need to be creating one percenters here, but we need to remain competitive and compress the salary ranges.  Certainly a ceiling could be raised over time, but let's not get crazy here.

It's simply not sustainable
We cannot...repeat...cannot sustain a system in which a 5th grade teacher has a Ph.D. and earns total compensation of $91,000 (excluding benefits!).  

What on earth does a 5th grade teacher need a Ph.D. for?   And, while they are entitled to earn whatever degree/credits they choose, it does not make sense for us to have to compensate teachers for degrees and credits earned which really do not improve the quality of their teaching.

Let's get real, people, teachers know it, and they should know that we know it.  Additional education has largely been undertaken merely to boost salaries.

The bottom line
This was...IS...a VERY fair offer that supports raising the base wage for starting teachers.  That is something that SPEA has been vocal about.  So why would they not like this offer?  Is it perhaps that the members doing the negotiating are more tenured and look out for themselves first?

An across the board 2% wage increase would put exactly $650 in the pockets of our teachers on the first run of the salary grid.  They would jump from $32,505 to a whopping $33,155.

Meanwhile, our grossly over-educated 5th grade teacher would see a nice $1,723 added to their fat salary of $86,161, for a new salary of $87,884.
Is that fair?  Equitable?  Gee...you'd almost think that our 5th grade teacher is a member of the SPEA negotiation team. 

Ladies and gents, we would submit to you that this is precisely how the rich get richer.  On paper, everyone gets the same PERCENT increase.  But the folks on top receive 265% of the increase that those on the bottom receive.

Sun Prairie Teachers Make Contract Offer

Actually, this is a counter-offer to the district's proposal, but we felt it's brevity and content deserved top billing.

We obtained the document above from the district office this week.

File this under "Unmitigated gall"
Really?  You really think that under the new climate in Wisconsin that your existing contract should be allowed to stand?  What the teachers union needs to come to grips with is that its getting harder and harder for the public to support their petulant positioning.

Can you name one...just one...occupation that gets an automatic 3% pay raise every year just for being a year older?  And then...on TOP of that, you expect a big raise from the school board as well?  About 4-6 weeks ago, you fine folks made a plea for a 3.1% increase.  Those on "the grid" would then receive a 6.1% increase.  What other occupation still gets an annual "step increase for basically continuing to work and having a birthday.

You want to keep your old contract?  Maybe you didn't hear about Dane County workers approving a 1.9% DECREASE in pay or benefits in exchange for maintaining their contract.   You folks want to keep the contract AND get a big pay boost.   You want your cake and you everybody else's cake and then you want to have a feast.

Huh? Are We Still Beating Our Teachers?
SPEA" reserves the right" to negotiate benefits and wages once "working conditions are established"?  You'd think that we were running one of those third world sweat shops used to manufacture top "American" apparel and running shoes.

Is district administration herding teachers into some back storage room once school lets out and waterboarding them?

Seriously...what the hell kind of comment is that... "once working conditions are established"?  Hello!  McFly!  These downtrodden professional educators, with their 190 contract work days,  get their summers off and still make (most of them anyway) a wage that is considered pretty decent for even a 260 day employee.  We're in the middle of what some call "No School November".  How many of you get paid days off for not only Thanksgiving but the day before AND after?   Teachers have also had the past two Mondays off from teaching: having professional development OPTIONS--not required--- (they could just take the day off with pay), and then parent-teacher conferences from 11:30 to 7:30  this past Monday.

...and THIS is what we are to expect from "professionals"?   Complaining about working conditions that many would kill for?  Boo frickin' hoo.

Get over Act 10...OK?
Act 10 will be tied up in courts for months, and the likelihood of it remaining overturned is pretty slim.   In case our teachers were too busy enjoying their summer off, a recall election was held in June and Gov. Walker was election was re-confirmed.  You need to get used to seeing him and dealing with him for at least two more years.  This past week Republicans also took back all control of state government.

Maybe you folks didn't get the memo, but change has arrived.  And it didn't come by train.

Trying our collective patience
First, and foremost, this "offer" may not actually endear you with the people that have to approve any agreement...you know...the school board?

In addition, you're quickly losing the support of community members that may have previously been in your corner.

We value teachers; but we do not cotton to unrealistic demands.

First look at new school board committee structures

Tomorrow evening (November 5), the first meeting of the new school board committees takes place.  The "Planning Committee" will focus on "down the road", both long and short) issues.  This committee is chaired by board VP John Welke.

You'll note a couple of changes with the new structure.  Committees will be larger, as 4 committees become two.  You'll also note that they have added approximate agenda item start times to their meetings.  That's a nice guideline for folks that wish to hear only a specific segment.  It may also help keep the discussion from getting bogged down.

More good things from a very different school board.

Not too shabby

How many are wondering how Sun Prairie High really ranks against its peers?  Did anyone look?  How many can't wait until November 7th to get past all these ads?

Well we took a look at the "report card" data for comparable high schools.  Now, Dr. Culver would want us to state clearly what comparable we seek.  So...to be clear...we are NOT going to compare Sun Prairie High to other Dane Co. schools.  There's simply far too much variability there for any comparison to be worthwhile.

Instead we looked at the 20 school districts closest in size to Sun Prairie in terms of total enrollment.   These will be moderate to large sized cities who, at least in  theory, face many of the same challenges as Sun Prairie.   For the record, there is a school board policy which states that administrator salary ranges are to be based on averages from the 14 school districts closest in size to Sun Prairie.  We figure that if it's a good enough basis for administrator salaries, it must be good for student performance...right?

So...ho did we fare?  Not too shabby. 6th out of 31 high schools to be exact.  That's really pretty good...so why don't we have more National Merit scholars?

We looked at the data to see if there were any significant correlations between accountability scores and  school enrollment (NO!), percent of minority students (inverse correlation, statistically significant), and percentage of socio-economically disadvantaged kids (inverse correlation, extreme statistical significance).

As the clock ticks ever closer towards election day, perhaps one measure of a candidate's strength is the ability to fight poverty.  Coming in a very close second is the likelihood that a candidate will properly fund schools to deal with achievement gaps.

Here's a tip...making the rich richer is not part of the equation.

New State Report Cards Offer a Look at Statewide High Schools

Schools will be graded on Reading and Math achievement,
closing the gaps on reading, math, and graduation rates, and
post-secondary readiness, focusing on graduation rates, and
participation in college entry exams.

First Impressions
 Wisconsin high schools look pretty good...right?  Only 17 of over 400 high schools "Fail to Meet Expectations".  Over 86% of all WI public high schools meet or exceed expectations.  Life is good...yes?

And it looks like a good plan to evaluate districts/schools on more than just test scores....right?

One think to keep in mind that 40 high schools received overall scores of "Not Rated" due to either suspected errors, or insufficient data.


Second Thoughts
Hold on just a sec....over 37% of high schools EXCEED expectations? Not that that isn't a good thing...but weren't we told to expect gloom and doom with the new evaluation system?

The plot of high schools vs. overall assessment seems  a little right slanted, wouldn't you say?  In the NFL, they call this a trips right formation.

What we find interesting, however, is that if you score the overall report card grades as a letter grade using standard grading conventions.  Things do not look so good.  The plot now becomes left leaning (trips left).

We still have a skewed set of data...and that bears some monitoring.  Which is it do you think? Trips left? Or trips right?  One will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling about the status of education isn Wisconsin.  Should we just go with that one, then?


Third Degree

Are we now grading on the curve?  Or have we merely lowered our expectations?  Hear us out here.  The maximum accountability score is 100%.  That sure looks like a standard grading chart.

But the new scoring rubric seems a little unappetizing.  A score of 63-72.9 yields an evaluation of "Meets Expectations"?  Really?  If your kid came home with a score of 63% on a test, would you say, "Ohhh...Johnny, you've met expectations, we're so proud of you!"?
Yeah...we didn't think so.

So have we just dumbed this all down to make us all feel better while districts are quietly told to clean up their acts?  Of course...what would be the incentive?  Hey...we met expectations...what more do you want?  Should we be concerned that only 4 high schools "significantly" meet expectations?

Perhaps this is some good watercooler conversation fodder.