Uh oh, Dr. C!

May 30, 2013 - SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, closed, 5:30 p.m. at the District Office (Room 220), 501 S. Bird St.

Discuss and Review the District Administrator's Performance Evaluation

A really good joke here would be....
WHAT Performance?
Why do you hold  meeting to discuss something that didn't happen?

Sorry, Dr. Culver....we couldn't resist.

But REALLY, people.  How about changing the agenda item to discuss Dr. Culver's NON-performance?
We have Jimmy Mac playing it footloose and fancy free.  On paper he reports to Lisa Heipp, but apparently he's allowed to run to Dr. Culver. Can't you jut hear it?

"Dr. Culver.....Ms. Heipp won't let me do thing my way!"

Dr. Culver even put in a new requirement that all Jimmy Mac's reports had to be reviewed and approved by the Management Team.  Guess that didn't work because that team approved a horrifically, embarrassingly incomplete--not to mention inaccurate and poorly supported-- request for budget proposals.

If the Board had not stepped in, we could have made another epicly poor decision on par with the hockey fees scandal.  We might not have added Lacrosse as a school sponsored sport.  Good old loyal-to-Administration-to-a-fault John Whalen even questioned why we would elevate lacrosse to the school sponsored tier when it i not WIAA-sanctioned.  Gee JohnE....(as VP Welke so tactfully pointed out) then why is SOSP school sponsored?  Cheer?

The athletics calendar is a complete mess.  We have teams that legitimately scheduled field use being bumped by teams that use the coaches only double secret probation calendar.  Is it really that difficult to schedule field and facility use.  Wait....we need to add to that ...when you use only a single public calendar?

Dr. Culver is allowing policy to be violated by not billing coaches who ran athletic camps in oh...FOREVER...according to policy.

There are grave questions about what would we find if anybody chose to dig into booster clubs and how much they REALLY donate to the school.  Yet another policy that has been ignored on Dr. Culver's watch.

And Dr. Culver declared himself publicly to be responsible for Title IX compliance when we haven't really looked at it...have we?  Oh wait...let's answer the way Admin would if their feet were held to the fire:  they look at the aspects of Title IX where we can show we are OK...and turn a blind eye to the ones suspect (know?) we are not.

These are just a few of the things that have been going on.  Maybe Dr. Culver should spend a little less time taking Dr. Feelgood pictures of kids in classrooms and more time actually getting a grip on what's going on in the district.

So....school board...will you have a non-discussion with Dr. Culver?  Or will you have the conversation that needs to be had.  Warning: big boy (and girl) pants required.

Time to Cry Over Spilt Milk?

Though they'll never publicly admit it, top members of SPASD Administration my finally be seeing what we tried to prognosticate to them during our last construction phase.  To wit:  What are we really getting for the $7,300 per month we paid for a Construction Manager?

$7,300 dollars per month!

That could pay for several families' entire monthly bills.

And what did we get for it?   It's probably easier to answer what we DIDN'T get for it!

The high school fields need serious work to improve drainage...wait...shouldn't that have been part of construction?
Have you seen the backstop at Summit Field?  Even in the gust front we had two weeks ago, they aren't supposed to bend that way.   What about the whole outfield fence?  Who's going to pay to replace signs for those that donated?

Remember the bleachers fiasco?

What about the wrong diving board for the pool?

There are MANY more items on the list.

What do the rest of us do when we pay a lot of money to have something done and it fails?  Of COURSE we call that contractor back and say , "FIX IT".  Some (not all) of that may be happening behind the scenes now, but up until THIS school board, and folks like Joe Palooka, the district just used to open its checkbook and pay to have something done twice.  Your tax dollars at work.  Hell, not even the SPARClers would agree with that mentality (we think...hope).

Here's what we said back when....when Phil Frei and Tim Culver looked at us like we had six heads.   A couple or three chins maybe...bit only one head.

The money we spent on a Construction Manager may have been better spent paying down the 5+% interest on the State Trust loan!  Certainly we spent a lot of money on that position, and while they'll publicly say what a wonderful job was done, they know the truth.  Like most public personae though...they can't handle the truth.


http://sp-eye.blogspot.com/2010/05/cutting-cord.html

http://sp-eye.blogspot.com/2009/05/post-mortem-on-questionable-decision.html

http://sp-eye.blogspot.com/2007/10/construction-manager-position-snakes.html

The Story of Adam (and Eve?)

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

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

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

ADAM:

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

SP-EYE:

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

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

ADAM:

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

SP-EYE:

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

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

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

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

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

ADAM:

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

SP-EYE:

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

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

ADAM:

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

SP-EYE:

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

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

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

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

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

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

ADAM:

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

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

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

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

ADAM:

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

Cheers

12:58 p.m., Saturday May 18

SP-EYE:

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

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

SPASD Wall of Shame Announces 2013 Inductees...

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

Which we understand to be comprised of:

     Tim Culver
     Phil Frei

     Alice Murphy
     Jenifer Apodaca
     Annette Mikula


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

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

DOESN'T ANYBODY REVIEW THIS CRAP?!

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

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

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

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

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

Where in the World is....

Lisa Heipp???!!!

As the Stylistics once melodiously wondered...

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

Why do we ask, you ask?

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

In the meantime...

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

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

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

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

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