I need a line on cheap hair dye. This board is going to turn me gray prematurely. A simple request to add New/Old board business to our regular agenda turned into a power play by the triumvirate. It is the pettiest move yet. I’m still not sure how my original request will be worded as it had to be clarified 3 or 4 times because the motion to amend old/new board business was too confusing to follow. I’ve requested a tape of the meeting so I can clarify this issue. It’s something along the lines of "new/old board discussion only business." I don’t understand the fear of the board actually being able to action on board items, but the triumvirate has spoken.
The bus garage renovations have also been approved. Even though the bid is $33,000 over the promised price. And it seems as if our "new" bus garage needs completely refurbished. Apparently there is not even a doorknob that we can use. EVERYTHING in this "new" building needs replaced according to the specs I received. I don’t know about you but any contractor I have ever dealt with has never come in at or under estimated costs. It looks like our half million dollar building will need a quarter million dollars of renovations. The busses don’t fit in the building as it is, so we must add garage doors, lower floors, adjust ceilings, buy all new toilets, sinks, urinals (ew guys are these really necessary?), all the office doors need replaced (? I guess because of all the confidential information being conveyed?), we are even removing a ramp to add a ramp in the same place. Needless to say it was a 3-2 vote. Myself and Mrs. Gunter in the minority. Seems like we could have waited a year and built a brand new building. One that the busses could actually fit in. Man I wish somebody would have asked the board to hold off and look at other options.
The gas and oil wells were near the end. Just a little discussion I requested and to set a date for a public forum. It will be at Bolich Middle School August 9th at 7PM. Much to my surprise there was no opposition to this. I hope to see you there. Not just for your input on the wells being drilled, but also your feelings on the CF Foundation receiving the proceeds.
Lastly we once again went into executive session for the wrong reasons. I asked what it was for before hand and was told "I don’t know". I had to immediately call it to a halt when I was told it was to discuss board goals. Why would we discuss board goals in executive session? Are there goals that the public shouldn’t know? So the topic was then switched to contracts. A document was handed out during this discussion that a member of the public requested from me afterward. Actually the person requested all documents from the session that are public but there was only one. I will verify tomorrow that it is public record and I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about it if it is.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Well, What Have we Here?
Thank goodness I finally have official clarification. I had a feeling this issue wasn’t supposed to be a secret. When I questioned our CEO why this must remain a secret he told me it was because we are negotiating a lease agreement. My edition of Roberts Rules and Ohio Revised Code states that lease agreements should NOT be discussed in executive session. The discussion regarding oil/gas wells being installed on our public lands should be discussed in public. I mean after all it’s the public that will have to put up with the noise of drilling, the smell of construction, issues of safety, and property value depreciation. But because lease agreements have always been discussed in private in the past, everyone assumes it’s OK. It’s not. I don’t want this to come up for a vote without sufficient time for input from the public. As usual things are being set up behind closed doors to keep you from having time to react before decisions are set in stone.
I’ve been asking for weeks about this issue and waiting for it to appear on the agenda. The board was asked about letting the CEO know what our feelings were regarding letting the CF Foundation handle the well issue, including the profits. I did not respond to this request for good reason. I felt it was an illegal vote. But once our CEO heard back from some members he moved ahead with this plan. Now I am being accused of voicing concerns after the fact and when wheels are already in motion. This is moving forward without public notice, discussion or a formal board vote. After discussing this issue with the board attorney I decided it was time to blog about it. The board attorney could provide no reasoning that supported keeping this confidential. In fact he provided me with some past insight that I found useful. A former long time CF superintendent hatched this idea 20 years ago or more. It didn’t have any community support back then and I think the administration knows it still wont. Why else would you try to keep a hot potato like this in the back of the oven?
Safety- Who gets sued? Us that’s who. The taxpayer. Think about how many of our properties double as soccer fields, baseballs fields, and parks. What kind of temptation do oil/gas wells pose? I experienced first hand last week at a friends’ house. There is a well on the property they own. My boys’ hopped out of the car and went straight for it. What fun could be had on this mechanical contraption? My 7 year old saw an amusement park ride, my future mechanical engineer saw parts, and his 9 year old friend saw something that needed to be vandalized. He asked if there was spray paint left over from the derby car. 9 years old!
Another thing about this issue is generally when you sign these leases you are also giving up mineral rights. If coal is found…well let’s not even go there. Just make sure to contact you friendly local board member and voice your concerns or support. I sure want to know what you think about them, I’m sure the rest of the board does too.
I’ve been asking for weeks about this issue and waiting for it to appear on the agenda. The board was asked about letting the CEO know what our feelings were regarding letting the CF Foundation handle the well issue, including the profits. I did not respond to this request for good reason. I felt it was an illegal vote. But once our CEO heard back from some members he moved ahead with this plan. Now I am being accused of voicing concerns after the fact and when wheels are already in motion. This is moving forward without public notice, discussion or a formal board vote. After discussing this issue with the board attorney I decided it was time to blog about it. The board attorney could provide no reasoning that supported keeping this confidential. In fact he provided me with some past insight that I found useful. A former long time CF superintendent hatched this idea 20 years ago or more. It didn’t have any community support back then and I think the administration knows it still wont. Why else would you try to keep a hot potato like this in the back of the oven?
Safety- Who gets sued? Us that’s who. The taxpayer. Think about how many of our properties double as soccer fields, baseballs fields, and parks. What kind of temptation do oil/gas wells pose? I experienced first hand last week at a friends’ house. There is a well on the property they own. My boys’ hopped out of the car and went straight for it. What fun could be had on this mechanical contraption? My 7 year old saw an amusement park ride, my future mechanical engineer saw parts, and his 9 year old friend saw something that needed to be vandalized. He asked if there was spray paint left over from the derby car. 9 years old!
Another thing about this issue is generally when you sign these leases you are also giving up mineral rights. If coal is found…well let’s not even go there. Just make sure to contact you friendly local board member and voice your concerns or support. I sure want to know what you think about them, I’m sure the rest of the board does too.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Oops We Did it Again
I’ve contemplated and mulled, then I thought about it some more. It just didn’t feel right knowing this and keeping it all in. It gave me a bad feeling inside. And you know when I get a bad feeling I try to resolve it with Pepto Bismol or an attorney. Pepto’s cheaper but attorneys have all the answers. So I called a couple attorneys and asked them about an incident. Several people questioned me as to how our CEO could approach County Council with a tax proposal without me blogging about it. I was told in executive session by our CEO that he still needed to talk to the mayor about it and it was to be kept confidential until it was introduced to Council that following Monday. Once again I trusted our CEO. Only to find out that discussion of tax issues should be taking place in the public eye. Why you ask? Because it’s the only way your elected representatives can find out how their constituents fell about it. How do you propose something to County Council without first knowing if the board approves? The board was asked in executive session if we would support this issue. I said I would need to see the language and see if taxpayers would rather go this route than the typical property tax levy. Why am I one again asked to make up my mind on something I know nothing about? So for the benefit of the public I am going to list the reasons your board of education can go into executive session. I also want to touch on public record. It seems many of you think that questions you have are not deserving of an answer because the BOE is some powerful entity that thinks you’re not worthy. You have the right to request anything you want to know. But be specific. While I wish I could answer every question that everyone asks me, I can’t. You have just as much right to ask our employees for information as a board member does. Of course thanks to those wonderful attorneys there are a few exceptions like student info and employee SS#’s, but they are very limited. So if you want to know how much we pay for gas at the high school, make the request.
Here are your 7 topics for executive session:
ORC 121.22(G)
1. To consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee, official, licensed, or regulated individual unless the public employee, official, licensed, or regulated individual requests a public hearing.
2. To consider the purchase of property for public purposes or for the sale of property at competitive bidding, if premature disclosure of information would give an unfair competitive or bargaining advantage to a person whose personal, private interest is adverse to the general public interest.
3. Conferences with an attorney for the public body concerning disputes involving the public body that are the subject of pending or imminent court action
4. Preparing for, conducting, or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with public employees concerning their compensation or other terms and conditions of their employment.
5. Matters required to be kept confidential by federal law or regulation or state statute.
6. Details relative to the security arrangements and emergency response protocols for a public body or a public office, if disclosure of the matters discussed could reasonably be expected to jeopardize the security of the public body or public office.
7. To consider trade secrets. (Remember these do not only apply to school boards.)
There you have it. The seven magic reasons. I find number two interesting. I’ll let you know why once I get clarification on this issue. I am concerned about some of our "revenue generating resources" and can’t help but wonder if the residents of CF have a limit. Are we willing to sell ourselves to every private school, mega corp. (Sprint, Coke, ChannelOne), prospector, and entrepreneur that comes down the pike? I’m uneasy and taking some Pepto before bed. But I have a feeling I’ll be resorting to those blasted attorney’s in the morning.
Here are your 7 topics for executive session:
ORC 121.22(G)
1. To consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee, official, licensed, or regulated individual unless the public employee, official, licensed, or regulated individual requests a public hearing.
2. To consider the purchase of property for public purposes or for the sale of property at competitive bidding, if premature disclosure of information would give an unfair competitive or bargaining advantage to a person whose personal, private interest is adverse to the general public interest.
3. Conferences with an attorney for the public body concerning disputes involving the public body that are the subject of pending or imminent court action
4. Preparing for, conducting, or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with public employees concerning their compensation or other terms and conditions of their employment.
5. Matters required to be kept confidential by federal law or regulation or state statute.
6. Details relative to the security arrangements and emergency response protocols for a public body or a public office, if disclosure of the matters discussed could reasonably be expected to jeopardize the security of the public body or public office.
7. To consider trade secrets. (Remember these do not only apply to school boards.)
There you have it. The seven magic reasons. I find number two interesting. I’ll let you know why once I get clarification on this issue. I am concerned about some of our "revenue generating resources" and can’t help but wonder if the residents of CF have a limit. Are we willing to sell ourselves to every private school, mega corp. (Sprint, Coke, ChannelOne), prospector, and entrepreneur that comes down the pike? I’m uneasy and taking some Pepto before bed. But I have a feeling I’ll be resorting to those blasted attorney’s in the morning.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Chocolate and vanilla are my double dips, how 'bout you?
I’ll try to bring everyone up to speed on what is going on. The board received a report on April 13th stating our CEO would be teaching at a semi-local university. He stated his current contract permits the teaching. As I understand it, fellow board member Barb Gunter recalled that the CEO’s contract required board approval for the teaching and asked several times to have this item added to the agenda. This item was requested as an addition to the agenda before the draft was even typed. But our fearless board president once again took a dictatorial attitude and ignored the request. I guess he is unaware that it was not actually a request by Mrs. Gunter, it was the polite way of having something added. Board members do not need permission from anyone to have an item added. Furthermore it is highly unusual for the CEO and CFO to be composing the agenda. In most the districts the boards sets the agenda with input from the two. But in our district we are handed the agenda and expected to approve what’s on it. Any place for board business on the agenda? No. Any place to bring back tabled items? No. Well that’s because it never happens.
But my real concern with this issue is the time spent away from the district by our CEO. We have granted permission for our CEO to attend superintendents’ consortium three days per month with the taxpayer footing the gas bill. Now, the board approved another four days per week, four and a half hrs per day of Cuyahoga Falls School district time teaching at Ashland University. As a taxpayer representing taxpayers, I am not crazy about paying someone 105K per year to work for someone else. Especially with the problems we are facing here. Like the bus garage issues, bussing issues, class size inequities, and the closing of the fiscal year.
Another thing happened that I’d like to touch on. We pay a secretary to our CEO a good bit of money to do her job. So why is a fellow board member proofreading and correcting the CEO’s LEADERS handbook? This isn’t the first "work" done for our employees. Is this proper? I think it would be hard to be unbiased in making decisions on items you have worked on. Should our administration use board members for this type of work? It makes me uncomfortable.
Now let’s talk about the LEADERS handbook. Everything involving the school district is an acronym so get used to it. Basically the LEADERS handbook is the administrative and supervisory employee benefits and compensation plan. For starters free insurance. I think the last people in the United States that still get free insurance. Added bonus- if a spouse works for the district we pay them back up to $1000.00 if they opt for the family plan. They can accumulate up to 325 days of sick time. Only three personal days. There are also many monetary retirement incentives. While a majority of companies have moved to the use it or lose it attitude regarding sick leave accumulation, our district will buy back what is not used. We also give a bonus for not using it. We give a bonus to do what we hired them to do- come to work. Last but not least, the professional improvement leave. This is a provision that allows an administrator to take up to two years leave, get paid the difference in his or her salary from the person hired to replace them, and retain full fringe benefits minus sick leave accumulation. Raise your hand if your benefit package is comparable. City, county, state, and federal government agency workers put your hands down. I bet that leaves no one with their hands up.
See, most of us live pay check to pay check, we pay through the nose for insurance if we have insurance, we hope we get a raise this year but most of us wont. Our employers won’t pay us to work somewhere else, we pay for our continuing education out of our own pockets as well as the gas to get there and back.
But my real concern with this issue is the time spent away from the district by our CEO. We have granted permission for our CEO to attend superintendents’ consortium three days per month with the taxpayer footing the gas bill. Now, the board approved another four days per week, four and a half hrs per day of Cuyahoga Falls School district time teaching at Ashland University. As a taxpayer representing taxpayers, I am not crazy about paying someone 105K per year to work for someone else. Especially with the problems we are facing here. Like the bus garage issues, bussing issues, class size inequities, and the closing of the fiscal year.
Another thing happened that I’d like to touch on. We pay a secretary to our CEO a good bit of money to do her job. So why is a fellow board member proofreading and correcting the CEO’s LEADERS handbook? This isn’t the first "work" done for our employees. Is this proper? I think it would be hard to be unbiased in making decisions on items you have worked on. Should our administration use board members for this type of work? It makes me uncomfortable.
Now let’s talk about the LEADERS handbook. Everything involving the school district is an acronym so get used to it. Basically the LEADERS handbook is the administrative and supervisory employee benefits and compensation plan. For starters free insurance. I think the last people in the United States that still get free insurance. Added bonus- if a spouse works for the district we pay them back up to $1000.00 if they opt for the family plan. They can accumulate up to 325 days of sick time. Only three personal days. There are also many monetary retirement incentives. While a majority of companies have moved to the use it or lose it attitude regarding sick leave accumulation, our district will buy back what is not used. We also give a bonus for not using it. We give a bonus to do what we hired them to do- come to work. Last but not least, the professional improvement leave. This is a provision that allows an administrator to take up to two years leave, get paid the difference in his or her salary from the person hired to replace them, and retain full fringe benefits minus sick leave accumulation. Raise your hand if your benefit package is comparable. City, county, state, and federal government agency workers put your hands down. I bet that leaves no one with their hands up.
See, most of us live pay check to pay check, we pay through the nose for insurance if we have insurance, we hope we get a raise this year but most of us wont. Our employers won’t pay us to work somewhere else, we pay for our continuing education out of our own pockets as well as the gas to get there and back.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Please help me I'm falling in debt with you
Well just when you think everything is running smoothly something always has to come along and muck it all up. I have reviewed my board report and I am distressed. I don’t even know where to begin. Slowly but surely, as Madam Kellie predicted positions are creeping back into our district. Our bottom line for the end of the fiscal year is 1.5 million less than forecasted. And even though our bottom line is in the red in two short years, additional sports programs are apparently needed.
Let’s start with the additional positions. First back in the game are 3 special ed teachers and a home-ec teacher for Bolich. Next up are 2 tutors. Silver Lake (rated excellent) and Richardson do not qualify for Title I tutors but you know, they need them anyway. Add two more elementary teachers (we have some elementary schools with class sizes of 17 or less.) to lower class sizes of 30+ somewhere un-named. And let’s not forget those administrative positions. Two Technology Specialists are needed but our CEO says they can scrape by with one more. Add to all this the coaches that we will have to pay for the additional basketball teams at the middle schools (an additional $4000 or so) and I would say we are on our way back to January 2005.
Shouldn’t we be doing some reconfiguring and sticking to project recovery and doing something with the Plan for Excellence? Or was all that a waste of everyone’s time? I mean I don’t know about you but I thought the committees were going to give us plans and cost benefit analysis’ and rearrange buildings and utilize our teachers and make things run efficiently with the tax payer in mind. Here it is, one and a half years after the crisis and nothing has changed except that taxpayers who supported our districts levy’s are screwed out of two neighborhood schools and must pay to play on top of your taxes. I hope all you levy supporters are geared up to start campaigning again. After all, our forecast shows us in the hole again in 2008. Tax and spend is the order of the day.
Was project recovery just fluff for the Statey’s? Keeping us out of "fiscal watch" long enough to buy new shovels and dig ourselves back in? Was the Plan for Excellence a bunch of hooey? It all sounds nice and happy but nothing was actually done. But most importantly, none of the above "plans" involves citizen input or attempts to look at savings. Sorry guys, a committee of administrators, teachers, and PTA parents are NOT a cross section of our community. Somebody please wake me up from this nightmare.
Let’s start with the additional positions. First back in the game are 3 special ed teachers and a home-ec teacher for Bolich. Next up are 2 tutors. Silver Lake (rated excellent) and Richardson do not qualify for Title I tutors but you know, they need them anyway. Add two more elementary teachers (we have some elementary schools with class sizes of 17 or less.) to lower class sizes of 30+ somewhere un-named. And let’s not forget those administrative positions. Two Technology Specialists are needed but our CEO says they can scrape by with one more. Add to all this the coaches that we will have to pay for the additional basketball teams at the middle schools (an additional $4000 or so) and I would say we are on our way back to January 2005.
Shouldn’t we be doing some reconfiguring and sticking to project recovery and doing something with the Plan for Excellence? Or was all that a waste of everyone’s time? I mean I don’t know about you but I thought the committees were going to give us plans and cost benefit analysis’ and rearrange buildings and utilize our teachers and make things run efficiently with the tax payer in mind. Here it is, one and a half years after the crisis and nothing has changed except that taxpayers who supported our districts levy’s are screwed out of two neighborhood schools and must pay to play on top of your taxes. I hope all you levy supporters are geared up to start campaigning again. After all, our forecast shows us in the hole again in 2008. Tax and spend is the order of the day.
Was project recovery just fluff for the Statey’s? Keeping us out of "fiscal watch" long enough to buy new shovels and dig ourselves back in? Was the Plan for Excellence a bunch of hooey? It all sounds nice and happy but nothing was actually done. But most importantly, none of the above "plans" involves citizen input or attempts to look at savings. Sorry guys, a committee of administrators, teachers, and PTA parents are NOT a cross section of our community. Somebody please wake me up from this nightmare.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Pomp and Circumstance
Oh what a night. Picture a balmy evening at Blossom Music Center. The birds were chirping, the smell of teenager in the air. Ahhhh. Congratulations to the class of ’06. Graduation came off without a hitch. Thank you to all the people who put so much time and effort into making it a night to remember for the graduates and their families. I never realized the little things that go on behind the scenes that make it so nice. I am so proud of our kids. Not one misbehaver among them! I can’t tell you how thrilling it was to give a diploma to the few kids I personally know. One mom even called to thank me. (Wiping a tear now).
Several people have questioned why I was the only person on stage not wearing a hood with my gown. No, it was not the administrations way of punishing me. It’s because I am way to cool to wear one. Seriously though, it’s because I am not a college graduate. I know it’s shocking but true. I am a mere vocational school graduate. BUT- I proudly wore my naked gown. My gowns bareness is a testament to the 70% of our kids that will not graduate from college. You can succeed in life and accomplish what some will tell you is impossible. For those who know that college is not an option for whatever reason, please know this- Your life is what you make it. Learn a skill or practice a trade that you enjoy. Make a hobby or interest your job. Don’t think you cannot be successful at something.
I also attended Schnee Learning Center’s graduation. I was brought to tears several times. Eric Mansfield from the Time Warner Akron News was the guest speaker. He said the same thing I said above only he said it better and more. Find a mentor. If you want to be a teacher, talk to a teacher, if you want to grow flowers, start hanging out at a nursery. This is a time in your life when the world is at your fingertips. Develop a strong work ethic and accept the fact that life isn’t easy or fair. You are the person responsible for your circumstances now. You make your life what it will be.
So, I guess to sum this up I will say that while I was a little nervous having to walk out on stage being the only "naked " official, I realized that my lack of college colors spoke to the large percentage of students that needed to see it. I hope they noticed I was proud of the fact that I was standing where I was without a degree hood thingy on and not ashamed of it. Actually I felt sorry for everyone that had to wear one. It was wayyyyyy to hot and the colors seemed to attract the birds.
Several people have questioned why I was the only person on stage not wearing a hood with my gown. No, it was not the administrations way of punishing me. It’s because I am way to cool to wear one. Seriously though, it’s because I am not a college graduate. I know it’s shocking but true. I am a mere vocational school graduate. BUT- I proudly wore my naked gown. My gowns bareness is a testament to the 70% of our kids that will not graduate from college. You can succeed in life and accomplish what some will tell you is impossible. For those who know that college is not an option for whatever reason, please know this- Your life is what you make it. Learn a skill or practice a trade that you enjoy. Make a hobby or interest your job. Don’t think you cannot be successful at something.
I also attended Schnee Learning Center’s graduation. I was brought to tears several times. Eric Mansfield from the Time Warner Akron News was the guest speaker. He said the same thing I said above only he said it better and more. Find a mentor. If you want to be a teacher, talk to a teacher, if you want to grow flowers, start hanging out at a nursery. This is a time in your life when the world is at your fingertips. Develop a strong work ethic and accept the fact that life isn’t easy or fair. You are the person responsible for your circumstances now. You make your life what it will be.
So, I guess to sum this up I will say that while I was a little nervous having to walk out on stage being the only "naked " official, I realized that my lack of college colors spoke to the large percentage of students that needed to see it. I hope they noticed I was proud of the fact that I was standing where I was without a degree hood thingy on and not ashamed of it. Actually I felt sorry for everyone that had to wear one. It was wayyyyyy to hot and the colors seemed to attract the birds.
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