Tryin' To Reason With the Hurricane Season

(with copious apologies to Jimmy Buffett)

And the award for the Most Confoundedly Enigmatic School Board Member goes to....Caren Diedrich!

In April, she won re-election by receiving nearly 2000 votes, leapfrogging Al Slane by more than 300 votes. This event blew many in the community away. "How could she have been elected over Al Slane, who appeared to be coming into his own as a board member?", many asked...and are still asking.

Here is just a sampling of our too many termed school board member's antics.

Is This Compliant With Political Sign Ordnances?

We have two reported sightings of Diedrich walking about within the community wearing an "Elect Caren Diedrich" t-shirt prior to the April 2010 Election. The aformentioned residents have been duly flogged for not thinking to snap a cell phone pic.

Going Walkabout

This past Monday, Ms. Diedrich attended the FTT Committee's tour of the "Prairie Phoenix Academy"and then proceeded to go walkabout----disappearing in the middle of the tour without saying a word and walking from the to the Municipal Building. WTF?

No Kit Kat Bars for You!

By God after hearing a report that employees were now receiving granola bars on their birthdays instead of KitKat bars, she checked to be sure that employees are not getting either! Diedrich has now successfully wrestled the crown of Birthday Treat Nazi from Rick Mealy.

The Case of the Stinky Smoking Coffee Maker

After clearly being on the wrong end of a Finance Committee 'unofficial' vote to recommend discontinuing personal appliance fees, Diedrich tossed a 'Hail Mary' and requested that the issue be moved to the FTT Committee to review the safety hazard of these personal appliances being left on over the weekend. Hello! Does she really think that having to pay an appliance fee has ANY relationship to remembering to turn said appliances off at night and over the weekend???

Battling against the second Police Liaison Officer (PLO)

Diedrich clearly wasn't pleased with the board's decision to hire a second Police Liaison Officer a year earlier than planned. She was clearly fuming. To make her point, when the official contract came before the board this week, she pored over that contract with a fine-toothed magnifying lens. Perhaps hoping to sway the board to reconsider their decision, or at least serve as a fly in the ointment, Diedrich asked:

---are we paying the PLO for snow days [Yes]

---we're providing the officer with an office? a computer? a phone? [Yes...did you want him to sit in the hallway and pass notes?]

---Does he need a desk phone AND a cell phone [um...YES]

---if the PLO is called away on another police emergency, are we still charged for that time? [Yes...but seriously...how often does that occur?]

---Do we have liability insurance to cover the PLO? We have someone in the schools who has a gun on his hip. [Yes...um...hello...we have for years]

Going Off the Deep End Debacle - the Pool Manager Fiasco

Many are still wondering how we hired a Pool Manager for $51,250 per year ( Yes...a POOL Manager for that amount!) after the school board voted in open session (4-3) to set the salary at $40,000. Well...

Initially Caren Diedrich was on the majority side of a 5-2 public vote to reduce the Pool manager salary to $40,000 (Admin requested $45,000+). Then the closed door sessions began, and by a vote of 4-3, we're told by several community members(who must be talking to board members!) , the board agreed to increase the salary range. It is reported that Caren Diedrich was 1 of 2 board members to flip her vote from the public session. [ Geee...nothing like publicly looking like a fiscal conservative to the taxpayers that elected you , only to flipflop behind closed doors and outside the public eye!] But it doesn't end there!

Remember that there was ANOTHER closed door session called? Reports from multiple sources indicate that Diedrich requested a meeting because she had "changed her mind and wanted to change her vote". Of course what wasn't said (that we know of) was that Diedrich, being the swing vote, essentially held the board hostage because if she changed her vote at the open meeting and voted AGAINST hiring the Pool Manager, the board and district would look really, really, really wacky.

So...in the end...what happens? Diedrich fully votes to hire the Pool Manager at a salary over 25% HIGHER than what she originally voted! This has got open records request written all over it. The truth WILL come out!

.......................................................

We're wondering which version of Ms. Diedrich will manifest itself when raises for Administration are discussed at the board table (or behind closed doors) and Administration Support raises go through her HR committee.

Never a dull moment. Trying to make sense of Ms. Diedrich's actions is like trying to reason with the hurricane season. Batten down the hatches for 3 more years of this.

And now I must confess,

I could use some rest.

I can't run at this pace very long.

Yes, it's quite insane,

I think it hurts my brain.

But it cleans me out and then I can go on.

--Jimmy Buffet: "Trying to Reason With the Hurricane Season"

Second Verse...Same as the First

We received this from a resident who either attended or caught the video re-run of the recent budget hearing held on June 21st. Enjoy.

........................

All indications are that the district spent this year doing the same thing they did last year—motivating the “wrong” people to show up to the October meeting. Between now and October it appears that they will overpay for a pool manager. Though it is difficult for most people to evaluate the wisdom of most expenditures made by the district, each of us has a pretty good idea of what a pool manager should make. If someone really cares, they could do a job search and find out what pool managers are making these days.

What they would find is that Milwaukee YMCA is hiring a manager for aquatic facilities at 2 locations, with a budget of more than a half million dollars and responsibility to about 10,000 members. They are hiring this individual in the $38k-44k range. Further searches show that that is about average nationwide for the position (a position less complicated than the one we need to fill).

On June 14th, the school board unanimously approved spending $51,250

to fill a pool manager position that pays 20% less everywhere else in the world. Since this is a number that is pretty easy to evaluate, it serves as a proxy for how smart they are being with our money. If they are being that careless with that money, they are probably overpaying other places too. Actions like this will make the October meeting a tough one for board members.

................................

SP-EYE's take. We agree with what this resident presents. However, one teensey weensy little fact makes up for the apparent discrepancy in the hiring salary. You see...our Pool Manager (sorry...we're not falling for the touchy feely, use-big-words-to-justify-an-exorbitant-salary trick) will be an employee of a school district (ours). School districts are the Exxon-Mobils of the education game. Recession proof. Big Pay. Oh... and the CEOs cost us a fortune.

School Board Facepalm

You know it's bad when despite all meetings being held in closed session, we've heard the precise details of the Pool Manager hiring process from nearly a dozen community members. How could they know? NOTHING has been publicly announced!

And to prove it, we thought we'd post this BEFORE the school board package gets posted tomorrow. Check out the Personnel table.

We know WHO was hired. (hint: Middleton had a pool manager).

We know WHEN the offer was made....and when it was accepted.

We know HOW MUCH the offer was for (less than $51,001; more than $49,999).

We know that Terry Shimek is no longer the Flip Flop king.

We know that the actual decisions were made during the 1st closed session.

Somebody (or bodies) is (are) talking outside of school!

Welcome to Sun Prairie, sir.

Did we mention that Family Circle named us one of the top 5 places for families?

Houston, we have a Pool Manager

...or so we're told by a community member who appears to be "in the know".
Word is that the offer was made and accepted this past Monday.

" The job was offered at a very high salary originally, but the second closed session was due to Caren Diedrich flipping her vote and [the Board] did not want it to be offered and then pulled when it came to open session. Not sure where the offer ended up. "
---The Cigarette Smoking Man

Assuming our source has good information, we're wondering if all the school board members are aware of this update. Apparently, at least SOME of the school board members know...for how else would a community member know?

Also interesting is that this indicates that Caren Diedrich was effectively the "swing vote", which means that the original votes was 4-3. Hmmm...the board member who claims to be a staunchly fiscal conservative? Wonder which way she voted???? Oh wait...she most have voted BOTH ways.

Oops, They Did It Again...

So many possibilities for title to this entry:

• WTF!
• Here They Go (Yet) Again
• Everybody (Back) Into the Pool (Manager)

What's the hub you ask bub?
How could anyone forget the shenanigans associated with the hiring/compensation of the Aquatics Facility [Pool] Manager?

Well...after the board met in closed session Monday night...and presumably came to some conclusion...they're doing it all over again tomorrow (Thurs May 27) nite!



So...what happened Monday? It has been eerily quiet.
We know the board met. We suspect decisions were made and actions taken.
Then why the need for ANOTHER closed session for the SAME purpose as Monday night?

Do they just enjoy those backroom, closed sessions so much that they're doing it all over again?
Did the person they tried to hire decline the job?
Was it STILL not enough money (after they presumably upped the ante)?

We can't wait to hear the results of all this.
You just KNOW it's gonna be a gigglefest.
Perhaps the Dark Forces of Mordor should hang out for this session tomorrow night...

Did anyone notice...
That the "Notice" was sent by Culver for "psoting" on Tuesday...but wasn't sent to Key Communicators until 24 hours later? WTF!
And what that means is whatever happened Monday night...they knew fairly quickly Tuesday that something else had to happen and another meeting was needed.

Ours's a tale that can't be told,
Open government we hold dear;
How years ago in days of old
Since shenanigans filled the air,
T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor
we cherished transparency so fair.
But Seabass, and the evil one crept up
And slipped away with her.
---all apologies to Led Zeppelin for fracturing their classic "Ramble On"

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.

Shenanigans Encore - The Pool Manager Salary

In our last episode, the school board had planned a closed door session to discuss the hiring and compensation for the Pool Manager (OK, the more officious title is "Aquatics Facility Manager"...but let's not split hairs, it's a Pool Manager.)

We posted our concerns that this was a stage 5 Shenanigans alert, and a number of community residents wrote or called to share their concerns. The main question was, "How can the school board set the Pool Manager salary --in fact LOWERING it $5000 from what Administration recommended---in open session one night (Monday May 10) and then schedule a closed session (May 19) to re-consider the compensation!!!!

So they cancel the May 19th meeting. We never heard a reason, but we're willing to bet that Culver and the board received a few e-mails and phone calls declaring "Shenanigans"---not to mention a significant potential for a case of violation of open meetings laws. But now they have RE-scheduled a closed session for tomorrow, May 24th at the conclusion of the school board meeting.

What's the Difference This Time?
The devil is in the details, as the say. And here, the detail is in the phrasing used. What should stand out

"...consider the employment and compensation of specific applicant for the position of Aquatics Facility Manager"

Seems rather innocuous...doesn't it? But the difference means a great deal in meeting the letter of the laws that exempt certain meetings from being held in open session.

What do the Open Meeting Laws Require?
The statute in question is chapter 19, specifically, 19.85(1)(c). The law states that...

19.85 Exemptions.
(1) Any meeting of a governmental body, upon motion duly made and carried, may be convened in closed session under one or more of the exemptions provided in this section. … A closed session may be held for any of the following purposes:

(c) Considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility.

History:
Sub. (1) (c) does not permit closed sessions to consider employment, compensation, promotion, or performance evaluation policies to be applied to a position of employment in general. 80 Atty. Gen. 176.

---

The devil in the details here is that there is no Aquatics Facility Manager yet, so there is no public employee. The reason for the allowed secrecy is to protect the privacy of the employee...particularly if they are being "called on the carpet".

The meeting can now--legally--be held in closed session because they specifically spelled out the fact the meeting is to discuss hiring salary for a specific applicant, rather than a generic salary for the position, as was voted on 2 weeks ago. Arguably, this was the intent all along--even for the 19th--but the public meeting notice was not written in a manner that clearly met the letter of the statutory exemptions.

So the shenanigans remain, but this time, its legal shenanigans.

By the way...a shout goes out to Sun Prairie's very own Nancy Harms, who we understand is a candidate for the "Aquatics Facility Manager". Ms. Harms coaches the girls swim team, and has been very involved with swimming. She and her husband Matt, owner of Harms Insurance, also get kudos for their very recent donation of $16,000 by Harms Insurance for the naming rights to the pool scoreboard. From the interaction we've observed between Ms. Harms and Tim Culver and some board members during some committee meetings as the Pool Manager position description has been solidified, it seems she would work very well with the Administrative team. Good Luck, Ms. Harms!

You Can Put Lipstick on a Pool Manager...

OK...we can't get this whole Pool Manager salary thing out of our craw. That's right...Pool Manager. As our President so eloquently put it when he launched one of those quotes that will be forever etched in history:

" You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. "

So you can use your creative writing skills to call a "Pool Manager" an "Aquatic Facilities Manager"....but at the end of the day, they still manage a frickin' pool!

Call us crazy...but it would seem that there are far more critical, far more challenging occupations in our district for which we pay far less. And apparently, we're OK with that...so why do we feel the need to "make it rain" for administrative positions?

Why is it that the minute we include a position under the umbrella of "Administration" or Administrative Support", there is a sense of entitlement to a whopping salary?

More importantly, the second a position falls under school district administration, it seems to carry with it a premium salary. Just a quick scan of the internet located a "Swimming Pool Manager" opening for the City of San Diego--that's right, in high priced southern Cali. It pays--drum roll--$15.12 to $18.19 per hour

Swimming Pool Managers lead, evaluate and supervise

the work of subordinates and volunteers; administer and teach

swimming classes; perform pool maintenance; administer first aid

and CPR as needed; keep records and write reports; publicize and market

new and existing aquatic programs; develop fund raising activities;

plan and conduct special aquatic events; coordinate staffing

schedules; conduct specialized staff training; and provide

information to the public...

Tell us how this position differ so much from our own "Pool Manager" position.

Who called this meeting, anyway?
So...did school board president John E Whalen call Tim Culver and say, "Hey Tim....set up a meeting, we need to rethink that salary that I got outvoted on" ? Or did Culver just set the meeting up because the "fish on the line" declined the salary after learning that the school board lowered it? Ya know...is the tail wagging the dog here? Or did the 5 school board members who voted to reduce the salary call John E up and say, "Hey John...can we hold a closed door session to rethink that Pool Manager salary"? Just askin'.....

Channelling Chopped Liver Here!
Um...hello...as school board members head into their closed door session to discuss "beefing up" the Pool Manager salary to "get their person", we suggest they keep in mind the teachers. The starting salary for a teacher...you know...those people that actually EDUCATE our kids...earn less than $32,000. But we're paying a Pool Manager $40,000? And the "desired candidate" apparently has turned the offer down --likely because they peruse the website and know that the original salary was slated to be $45,300.
Think about that.

Job Specs
The "Pool Manger" job description is:
A.Manages and supervises employees to assure that the facility and programs are staffed as required to provide safe and effective programs.
B. Manages the aquatic facility.
C. Coordinates all aquatic program activities.
D. Maintains compliance with state regulations and certification standards.

Compare that if you will to a bare bones position description for a teacher.
- Formulate lesson plans
- Teach 15-25 kids, at varying ability levels, per class for 7-8 classes every day
- Maintain certifications
- upgrade curriculum as district standards change
- attend training as required

Really? a pool manager is worth 25% MORE than a teacher as the school board already voted?
And now the "desired candidate" thinks the job is worth more like 40% more compensation than that of a teacher?

We don't think so.

Oh Yeah! Even MORE Shenanigans!

A funny thing happened on the way to hiring the Aquatics Facility Manager....

First of all...the district pushed hard (and of course the school board agreed) to running parallel processes: the district would recruit for an Aquatics Facility Manager (aka Pool Manager) even while the job description was still being formulated.
That's right....the district was trying to hire someone for a job description that was still very draft. Oh...and no salary had been discussed. Well aren't they just the models of efficiency!

Act 1 - the OPEN meeting agenda
On Monday May 10, the school board had as an agenda item, the finalized job description and salary for said Pool Manager:

7.10 Aquatics Program and Facility Manager Job Description
Meeting: 05/10/2010 REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING (Revised)

The proposed starting pay is $21.78 per hour or $45,302 per year.

Act 2 - the OPEN meeting decision

During the school board meeting, the board voted 5-2 (Whalen and McCourt voting "NO", i.e. wanting the higher salary) to approve the job description for the aquatics program and facility manager, but lowered the salary to $19.23 per hour, or $40,000 per year .

Act 3 - the CLOSED meeting Shenanigans

Now fast forward to Thursday May 13.

Suddenly a "Special" school board meeting is announced for next Wednesday, May 19, only this time the meeting is closed to the public.

Agenda for 05/19/2010

SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING,

8:00 p.m. at the High School, 888 Grove St., Sun Prairie.

3. Closed Session
3.01 Go into closed session for the purpose of considering the employment and compensation of an Aquatics Facility Manager [Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(c)].

So clearly they had/have a fish on the line, so to speak, all along. 'Cause we KNOW they didn't just recruit, interview and decide to make an offer between Monday and Thursday...right?

So...what happens when NORMALLY makes a new hire. You know...that is all dealt with by the Director of Human Resources...right. They type up an offer letter, and welcome the person on board...right?

Not so fast, Everlast! Why on earth would the school board have to have any meeting at all--let alone a closed session---to discuss the hiring of a new staff member? What exactly is there to "discuss" about the compensation? Perhaps we could see that some concerns may have been raised regarding the potential candidate...concerns which should appropriately be aired only behind closed doors. But "compensation"? Those are OUR tax dollars you're playing with. And the only reason for closed doors when discussing compensation is...well...shenanigans.

Oh...golly gee...you don't suppose that the "fish on the line" noticed that the salary was reduced and has said, "Thanks, but I wanted the $45K"...do you? What does that tell you about this wonderful "parallel process" idea? Perhaps in the future, you don't even POST a position until the job description is complete and the salary is cast in stone.

And so, the school board has to have a closed session, so the public can't make any comments when they completely reverse their decision of May 10, and re-up the offer to 45K.

And who decided that this salary was even negotiable? It's not like we're making a pitch to hire Steve Jobs! We're hiring a Pool Manager.

Consider Captain Picard's take...