Readers Write - Business Ed. Over Diversity Hire

<senorstubs@yahoo.com> wrote:

I see your point in saying that the district said there was no new funds to hire a "diversity specialist" and went to create a new position for a retired person for a job they did as a teacher. It baffles me too. However, without a dedicated person connecting the business and industry with education, it would not happen. Businesses have better things to do than chase public education to see what is happening and connect with a disconnected organization. Expecting a teacher with a full teaching load (which Ms. Everson DID NOT have when she was performing that job) would result in a lesser partnership. Was it right to hire back Ms. Everson and not pass on the duties to someone new? That is a good question and one worth chasing for an answer. To say the partnership is not needed will disconnect the schools from careers even more so than they are now.

We agree on some of your points.

We DO need someone who can work with the businesses...and perhaps it should be a dedicated role.  We just are not overly fond of pulling back a double dipper to fill a role that perhaps could have been filled with an individual in need of a job, and who could provide the district with valuable diversity recruiting strength.  And why are we bringing back a double dipper as an FTE with benefits???  We could have saved over $20K by offering the position as a LTE role. This economy requires us to put people to work...not putting cushy-pensioned retirees BACK to work.  

And where is the cross-training here?  Shouldn't we have been having Ms. Everson mentor someone to assume that role upon her retirement?  Perhaps someone whose salary is not a burden for the district.

At the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves what is most critical: diversity recruitment or business-education liaison.  The diversity of SPASD students only continues to rise, yet we are not as fortunate in attracting qualified diverse candidates.

We also need to do our part to create jobs to keep the economy moving forward.  Hiring a bunch of double-dippers to serve as RTI tutors and fill the Business-Ed role did not create a single new job.  It just allowed retirees to cash their plush pension check (or even pout it off a bit) while still getting a regular check at a decent salary.  Could we really not find any young, energized, unemployed teachers who could assist with RTI efforts?  It's the ultimate "try before you buy" scenario.  If they work out, then they may be great candidates for future job openings.

Perhaps overly optimistic, but we believe we could have shared the wealth and come up with solutions to both our needs.  The Everson re-hire was clearly a stick of political dynamite that everyone shied away from.   Sadly, we should be able to expect better from our commander-in-chief.

Getting Back To Diversity Issues

This one's been brewing on the back burner for a bit.  At the August 16, 2012 public hearing on the budget, there were some public comments related to the need for a more diverse staff.

We've heard rumblings that blame the school board for not investing in diversity.  Let us be clear, that the record reflects that the school board voted to authorize the district --Tim Culver-- to hire a diversity recruitment specialist.  Their only stipulation was that it had to be done within the existing budget.

The district declined, basically saying that "no new money means no diversity specialist".

What we DO find interesting is that if one looks through the DPI list of 2011-12 staff, one should notice that VERY QUIETLY the district hired back Nancy Everson, who retired at the end of 2010-11 school year.

She was apparently brought back as a "double-dipper" at a salary of $44,436 with benefits of an additional $17,593.  Ms. Everson retired at a salary of over $86,000.  That must make for a pretty nice pension.

Noun 1.  double dipper - someone who draws two incomes from the government (usually by combining a salary and a pension)

Now don't get us wrong.  Ms. Everson served an incredibly vital and valuable role as the district's link to businesses to provide learning opportunities for our students.  We're just wondering...couldn't some of those skills have been passed on to existing staff?  Cross-training?  And what's more important to the district?  We seem to recall diversity being a primary goal.  We didn't see business education on that list.

Instead of blaming the school board, we might suggest that people ask Dr. Culver why he opted to spend over $60,000 on the Business-Education Partnership program when he could have invested in a diversity recruitment specialist.

We'd like to hear that answer.

The Diversity Issue: Robbing Peter to Look Like Paul

We apologize in advance for the length and detail of this post.  Those that care about the growing diversity conundrum, however, will want to consider ALL the pertinent data before making any pronouncements or decisions.


At the May 9th school board meeting, the topic of budget parameters came up, which in turn re-opened the discussion regarding hiring a $75,000 Human Resources Specialist focused on staff diversity recruiting. One woman from the community advocated passionately for the position. She appeared to be under the assumption that the HR position had been voted down, since the board was acting on a motion to remove the $75,000 budgeted for the position in 2011-12 from the 2011-12 budget.

Most of the board didn't know what to do or say. Thankfully, John Welke, who originally made the motion heard round the district (or most of it, anyway), explained that the board vote was to allow the position to be filled within the existing allotment of FTEs. In other words, no new personnel funding would be approved (in light of the tight budget climate). Given that the district already had at least 2 vacant positions, and arguably is over-staffed in Administration and Administrative Support, the board vote represented good compromise.

The district found itself in a quandary. Administration has repeatedly said that this HR Minority Recruitment Specialist was their consensus top priority. Really? Well here was the chance to show it, rather than just mouthing the words. Instead, the district has quietly opted to fill its two vacancies and NOT hire the HR position. We have nothing to suggest that they even CONSIDERED out-of-box thinking, such as job sharing, or making each of the two vacancies and the HR position something like 65% FTE positions each. That could have been done within the board's directive. Isn't something better than nothing? Or was this a case where the district was SAYING they wanted the position, but really didn't value it that highly? Was administration looking to hang their lack of commitment on the school board?

In the end, this district has to follow its own mantra and use RELIABLE data to make the best decision. The data which can spotlight the issue is readily available on the DPI website. In fact, they recently updated their files to include 2010-11 data. That's about as good as it gets. So...time to duct tape the district spin doctors to a chair and look at the uncensored data. We did that. Take a look at the graphics provided in this post. As always, we back up our words with data. The data doesn't lie. We apologize in advance for the length of this post, but there's a lot of stuff to consider here. Time to get it all out on the table. Let's spill the FACTS jar, shall we?

Is the HR position REALLY the answer?
Board members have questioned it, many staff quietly question it, and there is even some indication that the district office itself is not convinced that hiring a Minority Recruitment Specialist is going to solve our our diversity woes.

It's no secret that the district has tried many things already...to no avail. While nobody wants to talk about it, the simple reality is that the Sun Prairie school district community still has a lot to improve upon with respect to establishing itself as a multicultural comfort zone. You can buy all the books and attend all the training on diversity issues, but in the end, attitudes must change universally in order for Sun Prairie to be the minority-friendly school district it desires to be.

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Unless you've been in a coma for the last few months, you must have heard or read that many struggling (read: NOT growing) districts are facing massive staff cuts or layoffs. Janesville, Beloit, and Milwaukee have all been in the news regarding potential cuts. Many of the districts that are in this situation have larger percentages of minority staff. Logic would dictate that at least some of these individuals may be low hanging fruit on the seniority tree. This could in turn create a uniquely large pool of minority candidates.

Without the need for any additional HR recruiting, there is a significant probability that many of these teachers that are either cut or in danger of being laid off or released may seek out a growing district that is actually INCREASING staff. Seems pretty logical...doesn't it? All it would take is a phone call to the teachers union in the affected districts, and we may have a large influx of diverse applicants.

The numbers speak for themselves
Part of the school board's mission statement is to maximize each student’s learning by using data to drive instructional decision-making. In order to use data in decision-making, we need to have data. And let's add to that fact that we need uncensored, RELIABLE data.

The simple fact is that NONE of the 424 public school districts have a staff whose diversity matches that of its students. Certainly, some get closer than others. The problem is: how do we measure whether or not a staff matches the diversity of its students. Must the percentages be the same? Milwaukee, as many would guess comes closest. In that district there are 47 kids of color for every staff member of color. Of the larger districts, Madison ranks 2nd with a ratio of 54, followed by Kenosha(65.7), Beloit (67), and Waukesha (79). Sun prairie sits at a ratio of 87.4.

And these numbers are just totals of ALL minority staff; it doesn't even begin to address the the issue of having a staff that truly mirrors its student body. For that we have to look at percentages of individual ethnicities. If we look at Black/African American licensed staff in public schools statewide, there are a total of 1263 individuals. 960 of them (76%) are employed by the Milwaukee school district. Add in Racine, Madison, and Beloit, and that covers 90% of licensed African American staff. Sun Prairie actually ranks 6th statewide for its percentage of African American staff, and ranks 2nd among the 20 districts similar in size.

Robbing Peter to Look Like Paul?
The simple fact...as borne out by the data...is that there are not enough minority licensed staff to meet the statewide complexion of student bodies. Statewide 25.4% of all public school students are minorities. Comparatively, statewide only 4.5% of licensed staff positions are held by minorities.

Statewide there are a total of 3074 minority public school licensed staff. To match the overall diversity, we would need to replace 14,222 licensed staff with minority candidates. That would mean just shy of a 500% increase in diversified candidates! Where are we going to find these people? Arguably, that would be the role of the HR Minority Recruitment Specialist. But still...what is that person going to do? Raid other districts and entice their staff to come to Sun Prairie? With what as a bargaining chip (other than a Taj MahHighSchool)?  It's not like they could offer them a hiring bonus. That would also be tantamount to robbing Peter so that we could look more like Paul...in a manner of speaking. Only...if we lure minority candidates, then THAT district's minority picture changes. Is it really every district for itself? Screw the other guy...we need to improve OUR diversity even at a cost to yours!??? Or should it more appropriately be a cooperative venture? Robbing Peter to look like Paul helps one set of kids, but at the sacrifice of kids elsewhere.

Isn't this the kind of thing that the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) could (should?) be helping with? Is the problem the lack of minorities earning Education degrees?  One would think that we need to answer that question.  And, if so, how do we steer young people of color into the teaching profession?

The Bottom Line
It just seems that, until the pool of candidates is better filled with minorities, throwing a position at the problem is not the answer. The district is spending $30,000 on this new AVID program which theoretically will be spent to provide options for about 30 Talented and Gifted kids. While we agree that is important, is it perhaps more important to spend that money to do SOMETHING for the 2000+ kids of color?

Clearly we need to do something...but the HR Specialist position is not the answer.  One thing we DO need to do is to provide the SPASD HR Department with the necessary tools to be effective.  Exit interviews are great...but if they aren't captured in a database, how can the information ever be effectively--and efficiently--used?


Don't Just Blindly Trust Us. Look at the Data for Yourselves.
2011 Public Enrollment by District by Ethnicity
2011 Statewide (by District) Licensed Staff Ethnicity Report
2011 Statewide (by District) Administrator Ethnicity Report

Positions are counted based on FTE (full-time equivalency), not head count.

“Licensed staff” is defined (DPI) to include: Department Head, Educational Interpreter, Guidance Counselor, Instructional Technology Integrator, Librarian, Library Media Specialist, Program Coordinator, Reading Specialist, School Audiologist, School Nurse, School Occupational Therapist, School Physical Therapist, School Psychologist, School Social Worker, Speech/Language Pathologist, Subject Coordinator, Teacher, Teacher In Charge.

HR Position Tabled AGAIN-- Whalen Putting $$ Where His Mouth Is

In his 5-year tenure with the school board, has John Whalen EVER seen an expenditure he couldn't pass up? Has he EVER used the word "cut" in a sentence that didn't have food as its subject? At Monday's school Board meeting, Whalen surprised us all. Apparently he is SO convinced that hiring a new Human Relations and Recruitment Specialist position (to the tune of $75-80,000 in salary and benefits) is the the preeminent panacea to solve the district's growing diversity puzzle--- that he used the "C" word.  

“This is an item that I am willing to support right now.  I am willing to cut other items in order to make it work. We have talked about this for a long time, we can continue doing that, but it is an item I feel like I need to put my money where my mouth is, and I’ll support it again.”
---Board President John Whalen

Whalen's voting buddy Jim McCourt used the "C" word during a plea to support an earlier agenda item.
"We need to cuts somewhere else to [implement the district's new AVID program]"
---Board Treasurer Jim McCourt

How did other Board members react?


We have to start taking action on this.  Our track record [for recruiting and retaining teachers of color] is abysmal, and I think we have to make it better. Regardless of what happens in the budget, we are going to have turnover of teachers. We have turnover of teachers every year. I think we have got to get this person in here now and not wait.”
---Jim McCourt

"I was against this before and I haven't seen anything to change my mind."
--David Stackhouse

"I encouraged bring this forward, but as I look through the action plan, a lot of the things we've tried have not been overly successful.  I'm not sure throwing a position with no sunset date will fix it.  I, too, would like to postpone [this decision]."

"A couple of you  have talked about cuts; I look forward to hearing them on Monday [Feb. 21st, scheduled School Board Work-study session on the budget]."

--- John Welke

"I'm not going to vote for it tonight.  There's too much uncertainty [in the state budget picture].

---Board Vice President Terry Shimek

“I still am uncertain as to how hiring one person is going to change the culture of our school district.  We need to be looking at exit surveys. We don’t need to hire someone to do that. We should have that in place right now.  The last thing I want is to turn around and say we don’t have the money to support the position, and we need to let you go.  That is the worst thing we need."
---Jill Camber-Davidson

_______________________________________________________________________
(3rd) MOTION: TO POSTPONE ACTION ON THIS ITEM TO THE FEBRUARY 28 SB MEETING

Motion by Terry Shimek, second by John M Welke. Final Resolution: Motion Carried

In Favor: Caren Diedrich, Jill Camber Davidson, John M Welke, Terry Shimek

Opposed: David Stackhouse, Jim McCourt, John Whalen

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Note1: Don't be misled by Stackhouse voting against postponing the motion.  He clearly does not support hiring the position.  We believe his vote reflects a desire to vote the position down and be done with it.)

(Note 2: In  Caren Diedrich's characteristic tradition for zaniness, she initially made the motion to approve the position.  Then --after seeing that wouldn't be flying---she withdrew her original motion and made a second motion to postpone the issue until the board's March 14th meeting.  That motion failed on a 2-5 vote.)

Nothing Else Works? Throw a Position at It!

On Monday night the school board will vote whether or not to hire a new "Human Relations and Recruitment Specialist at a salary of $55,000 per year (plus about $25,000 in benefits).  The goal of this position is to:

"...work to identify minority candidates through outreach efforts within the community and the broader employment market, and then work with Principals and the candidates to increase the diversity in our applicant pools.  This individual with also work with our current minority employees to establish support groups to provide ongoing connections with the larger school community designed to increase employee retention."

Since August of 2007, the school district has engaged in a plan to increase minority recruitment (and retention).  Despite action taken to date, it has been related by HR Director Annette Mikula, that the sum total of efforts yielded 1 minority hire out of 40 new hires this past year.


What has never been shared with the public....and one can likely surmise why....is how many minority hires have "left the building" for one reason or another in recent years.  Is too tall an order for even the legendary little Dutch boy?


While we fully support the goal of a more diverse workforce to better reflect the diversity of our community and school district, we have some concern that we're just throwing a position at a problem.  Our question is a simple one:
 "How can ONE individual-- in a school district of about 1,000 employees and 7,000 students-- repair what 3 years of efforts could not?"

It seems that we need to repair the intra-district culture before we continue with any plan.  As Yoda might opine, one person cannot a culture change.  What's the plan if this doesn't work out?  Is there an exit strategy?

Cart Before the Horse...Again?

Tomorrow night the HR Committee will discuss --again-- the hiring of a new position...a Human Relations and Recruitment Specialist.  The concept of the position is, and has been, quite good.  The main stumbling block that does not appear to have been removed is:  What is the plan for this position?  How can one individual single-handedly change the culture of a 1000-staff, 7,000 student school district?


This is the 3rd time the position has been discussed.  Each time, it failed not only for lack of funding, but also because the grand scheme has never been revealed.  Last fall, HR Director Annette Mikula related that of 40 new hirees, only one new teacher (2.5%) was not Caucasian.   Currently the district’s student population is about 25 percent students of color, while the staff population is 6 percent employees of color.

RECOMMENDATION:

Hire a 1.0 FTE, 260 day per year, Human Relations and Recruitment Specialist for the remainder of the 2010-11 school year as soon as practical using the attached job description so that we will be able to build a program to address the diversity of our workforce within the SPASD.  This position would be in the Administrative Support Staff group at a salary of $55,016.00 ($26.45 per hour) per school year.  The funding will come from the un-spent, unallocated FTE that is currently in the 2010-2011 budget

Key Aspect from the District's"Minority Recruitment Plan" 

Tasks/Action Steps

13.  Propose a district level position with an emphasis on minority recruitment and retention. Responsibilities 

Executive Director of Human Resources Management Team

Resources 

$42,9000 salary and benefits with a January 2009 start date

(2 years later and with our booming economy, the proposed salary increases 28.2% to $55,019

Timeline

Ongoing with potential budget proposal for November 2008

Questions:

1. District Commitment

If this is such a major need position....and given the single-handed responsibilities, why is it considered "Administrative SUPPORT"?  And why is the pay roughly equivalent to that of the district communications manager ($26.19 per hour as of the 2009-10 school year).   Doesn't the position description seem rather monumental?  While we're sensitive to salary costs...does  the salary reflective of commitment?

"--Develops and implements a plan to promote the cultural competence and educational practices of employees creating an inclusive learning environment for all students.
--Develops and presents new initiatives in the area of minority and high need recruitment, retention, and career development"

---- from the HR Committee's Position Description

2. Where's the Plan, Stan?

As usual, the district offers no specifics....even after the board voted against hiring this same position last fall BECAUSE of the lack of a plan in place.

“I see the need, I see the value. It seems like we’re moving very quickly without a goal in place. I sit here with a bit of uneasiness because there doesn’t seem to be a comprehensive plan to address the issue... 

The biggest conflict I have is the budget and funding on it. The other piece of it is where have we been and where are going. I don’t have that today. If I don’t support it, it’s not because it’s not a good idea. I want to make sure we have all the pieces in place.”

-----John Welke (Sun Prairie STAR 9-30-10

Do we need to better match the diversity of our district staff and teachers to that of our students?  Unequivocally, YES.  That being said, however, the district tends to attempt to solve all of its problems one-dimensionally:   Let's throw a position at it!  The grim reality is that once a person is hired, it ceases to become a position, and instead becomes a real human being.  What if the plan doesn't come to fruition?  Do we then sever ties and send this individual packing?  It's precisely this question why board member John Welke is correct to be cautious about leaping into something without a concrete plan.  Perhaps there IS a plan...but if there is...the sun hasn't shone upon it.

Perhaps more to the point, there have been numerous side discussions that suggest that the district culture is not exactly inviting to individuals of more diverse cultural backgrounds.  These of course are sensitive discussions that the district would prefer to keep solidly locked in the dirty laundry closet.  But....these cans of worms have to be opened and not allowed to fester.  If the 3rd time is the charm, and the board decides to hire this position, the individual has to have a fighting chance of success.  Many quietly believe that old Sisyphus had a better odds.

Lastly, the inquiring public is interested in knowing of the success we have had to date with our minority recruitment and retention efforts.  A Recruitment Specialist is designed to bring minority hirees into the fold.  But then it's up to the district to have a commitment to giving these individuals the necessary tools to succeed. There have been reports of minority hirings only to have those teachers contracts not renewed.  That would be disconcerting if there is any element of truth to those rumors.  Unfortunately, we haven't seen any data from the district regarding the RETENTION of its minority hires.  Seems like that would be a good place to start.  Before we forge ahead, we need to know the level of carnage already in our wake.  

GO PACK GO

...And the Line Holds

Many of you may have turned off the Packer game in disgust to check in on the school board.


The main issue of the night was DO WE or DO WE NOT hire a new administrative Human Resources position specializing in minority relations and recruitment.


As board member went around the table, it sure started to look like John Welke would stand alone in his no vote.  But Stackhouse was pretty quiet and that';s usually an indication that he's not supporting something.  Then Jill Camber-Davidson, who had apparently been leaning to vote Yes, voted "no:.   So here it was:  McCourt/Diedrich and Whalen in favor of hiring the $69K position and Welke/Stackhouse/Camber-Davidson opposed.

What would Shimek do?  In a surprising move, Mr. Shimek voted "NO"---as he did two weeks ago-- and the line held firm at the goal line.  Kudos to Mr. Shimek for standing pat like a newbie holding a pair of kings at the blackjack table.


Do we--as a district-- need to clean our own house a bit as it relates to multi-cultural acceptance?  Absolutely.  But hiring a new HR position is not going to solve that problem.  That message needs to comes from the top: Tim Culver.  And it has to be a message of zero tolerance that is backed up by the HR equivalent of a trip to the woodshed.


People in this district, and some in the community, need to come to grips with the reality that Sun Prairie has not been a farm town populated by European or Scandinavian descendants for quite some time.  The world is a melting pot, and Sun Prairie is just a bowl from that pot.  Having a minority recruitment specialist is not going to change peoples' attitudes.  Attitude adjustment therapy needs to come from the top.