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.