| Our taxes will be raised 4.5 mills or $343,000. Our board keeps saying that the majority of that 4.5 mills will go to the teachers in the form of a 2.8% raise in their salaries and benefits. Last year we replaced our Superintendent and Director of Curriculum. We are paying the new employees over 14% more in salaries (don't know about benefits) then their predecessors.. This means that over 7% of a 4.5 mill tax increase represents raises in salaries for just 2 of our administrator positions!! Talk about rising costs. How long will this board try to blame the teachers for the tax increase? You know- "It wasn't us! It was those gready teachers!" bit. There are plenty of reasons to not vote for the incumbents! |
| Board Update 7-7-01 |
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| Sabbatical’s Over – I’m Back Glad to see that it’s business as usual – so here’s an update on what happened at Monday’s Board meeting. The top story is the adoption of math textbooks. You’ve all read the Butler Eagle’s article, so now let’s look at the record. Dr. Nogay worked in her tireless fashion to bring a group of teachers together on June 28th to select math books for the coming year. They examined PSSA scores, read textbook reviews, heard from vendors, had discussions and recommended the books they wanted. Just like a real school district would do. That’s a good thing, the committee did a good job, and I’m sure they’re fine textbooks. The Record Last Year You’ll remember last summer’s debacle. First the Board refused to adopt the new math curriculum proposed and prepared by the teachers, then refused to adopt the new math books. At the 11th hour, when school was a week away, the Board finally voted to adopt books for the new classes (after first voting against it), but that was it. Copies of current texts were ordered so everyone would have books. School began without enough books. The major stumbling block? Christmann wasn’t given a chance to review the books before voting on them. And then after it was all over, he found a website that condemned the Glencoe books the teachers wanted. Professional intuition and luck, I guess. This Year The Educational Programming Committee met on at 2:00 on Friday, July 20th. Christmann and Bruno were there (Smith was absent), along with Nogay and Beil. Dr. Nogay described the process, praised the teachers, and gave the Board members a couple of textbook reviews, a list of books, the cost of the books, and the value of all the “free” things the publishers were giving the District. If ordered by August 1st, she said, they’d arrive in time for the first day of school. The books themselves weren’t in the library where the meeting was held. Looks good, Christmann and Bruno said. On Monday night, Board members had their very first chance to hear about the proposed textbooks. Added to the agenda (meaning they hadn’t seen it in the copy mailed to them on July 18th) was item 9: “Approve adoption of Math textbooks, as proposed by the Educational Programming Committee, at a cost of $99,769.65”. Did the Board have a chance to review the books? No. They didn’t even have the opportunity to see the book covers since the books were nowhere in sight. Bruno said he’d had the opportunity “to look over” the books. Christmann said he’d “reviewed” the books. I suppose they could have gone to Nogay’s office to look at them after the meeting adjourned on Friday around 2:30. After all, how long could it take to review 16 separate textbooks for grades k-12? I wonder if they used that evaluation sheet that Nogay had the teachers use? Hmm… Anyway, everyone involved in the process seems to have forgotten one slight detail – Board Policy. Last year the Board wanted to make sure that they would never have to vote on something they hadn’t had a chance to review, so our Board passed a Textbook Adoption policy. All Districts have them. Most Districts follow them. Our policy requires that a month elapse between the time books recommended and the time books are adopted. During that month, the textbooks are to be available for Board members and the public to examine. Not to question the recommendation, but to allow everyone to be part of one of the most important decisions a community can make. Around here it's called local control. What you talkin 'bout- Willis? So on Monday night, citizen Deborah Wells had a simple question for the Board: Would they be able to follow Board policy and have books available when school begins? She read the part in the policy about thoughtful examination by the Board and the Public and the month that books are on display. No comment. When the issue came up for a vote, though, there was a great deal of discussion. Christmann said it wasn’t an overnight decision, that the Educational Programming Committee had met several times (what he didn’t say was that the books considered for adoption were never discussed until Friday, July 20th). Bruno said he didn’t know there was a policy (that’s right, he’s only been on the Board for 7 month – and he’s on the Educational Programming Committee). Giesler asked if there was a policy. Beaton, too, seemed to be ignorant of the policy and sent Mr. Cessar to fetch a policy manual (Heaven knows you wouldn’t ever want to bring one of those things to a Board meeting). The District administrators were quite defensive. Nogay said the Educational Programming Committee had been discussing the matter since January. Well let’s see. The policy that created the Educational Programming Committee didn’t pass until February 19. So unless there were secret and illegal meetings, the Ed. Programming Committee couldn’t have met until late February. Even though the Ed. Programming Committee has discussed the need for new math books, the teachers didn’t even recommend books until June 28…. so no, the books considered for adoption were never discussed by the Committee until Friday, July 20th – the Friday before the Monday vote). Superintendent Beaton had another angle. Committee meetings are advertised and open to the public. Anyone could come. (And citizen Wells has been there). When Mr. Cessar arrived with the policy book, attorney King read aloud the same quote Wells had just read…the part about textbooks being available for a month for the Board and the public for thoughtful review. Yes, committee meetings are advertised and open to the public, King said, but does that comport with the spirit of your policy? The Board can do otherwise and get the books, but that would be changing Board policy. Well, that must’ve set Beaton off…Let’s make sure everyone knows where this came from, she said (I guess she was referring to Wells’ question about following policy and having books on time). I recommend we follow our own policy…and we’ll just get ‘em late…We’ll be criticized for that… To which Giesler responded, Let’s be rational and approve the textbooks. But Beaton wasn’t through. Let’s put them on display, she continued. And see who actually came to view them. Make a list of who came. In the end, the textbooks were adopted and students should have books when school begins. That’s good, but do the ends justify the means? Could it be that a superintendent, an assistant superintendent and members of the Board’s Educational Programming committee didn’t even think about having Board members and the public review textbooks up for adoption? Even if there’s not a policy, it’s standard educational practice. Many districts even have Board members and the public involved with the selection of books that are to be piloted. Not here, that’s for sure. Then, to think that all those people didn’t even know a policy existed. I would think that it’s also standard educational practice to consult the policy book. So to have books on time, the Board had to violate policy and spend close to $100,000 on something the majority never even looked at. Just push it through late enough and they’ll have to vote on it...Where’s Adams when you need him? (He missed this meeting). So teachers, next time an administrator says you’ve violated policy – just play dumb. All you have to say is, We have a policy? Then blame the administrator. It’s your fault, anyway. I’m going to tell everyone it was you who said we had to follow the rules. Why if you didn’t know about the rule, we wouldn’t have to follow it. And we still don’t have a curriculum...But that’s another story. Asbestos at Har-Mer? A representative from Neshkin Construction reported that work at Har-Mer came to a standstill when the state Labor and Industry inspector came in and asked what was happening with the asbestos tile on the floor in the building. Nothing, he was told. Then you’re not coming in, the inspector replied. The guys in white suits have already been to remove some of the asbestos at Har-Mer, so removal of the asbestos tile came as a surprise. The plan was to “encapsulate” the tile by leaving it in place and laying another floor on top of it. The District hopes to have an occupancy certificate for the building by August 14th, but there will be a 2-3 week delay if the tiles must be removed. The additional cost could be as much as $120,000. Or everything could be ok and the new floor can be in by the 10th and furniture moved in on the 14th. Solicitor King recommended some immediate steps. Call the asbestos inspectors, check with the architect to see if this what was in the plan, call the Bureau of Labor and Industry to see what can legally be done, and call PDE to see if they’ll allow it and if it will be reimbursed. Youngman thought getting it “the heck out of there” made the best sense, but the Board voted to encapsulate the floor if it was permissible. Driveways and Sewer Lines School Districts don’t have to get three bids for anything that costs less than $10,000; all they have to do is contact three companies to see who wants the contract. So on Monday, the Board awarded contracts for repaving driveways at the High school, Middle school, Moraine and Franklin. And they approved a contract for installing a new sewer line at the High School. Wonder what would have happened if they voted no? Weird thing is, the sewer line was already in and the repaving had already begun. Seems that it would have cost $5000 more for the sewer line if they hadn’t done the job right then. Now. Seems like we have all heard that if a salesperson tells you you have to buy that car today to get it at this low price then you are being hustled. Just a thought. Giesler wondered if they couldn’t just have telephone meetings if special meetings were needed for things like this. Well yes, said King, but you still need a public meeting to approve bids. Looks to me like being a Board member sure is complicated with all those dang policies and regulations! In Other Business…Evolution? Creationism? Mr. Giesler expressed his displeasure with the State Board’s decision to remove creationism from the proposed Science standards. I’m not happy with it, he said, and I don’t think the people in the District would be happy if they knew (amazing how this Board cares about the public when it serves their own interests). Superintendent Beaton told him the Board could add other things to the Science curriculum and could easily put in evolution, creation, and the big bang theory (Well, I’m not sure how easy it is to do anything in the name of curriculum in this District, but that’s beside the point). It’s better if it’s left up to the District, Beaton said, and children are exposed to different things. Could this be a plug for Core Knowledge? Seems like I remember lots of emphasis on creationism - Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, etc. Is this what Giesler had in mind???!!! |
| Board Update 7-26-01 |
| HOME ALUMNI INFO ARCHIVES CONTACT ME CURRENT ISSUES EDUCATOR AWARDS LINKS PHONE NUMBERS PRIVACY VIOLATIONS BOARD SCHEDULE JUST IN! ELECTION INFO POLLS MESSAGE BOARD |