Fuzzy Math Again?

It’s been a while. I needed a summer break so I took a month off. I guess it’s time to get back into the swing of things. I have many people ask me if the board is off for the summer. No we are not. It is business as usual for the Board of Education. No rest for the wicked, as grandma used to say.
I’ve had a lot of emails and phone calls regarding the high school dance team. It seems a much-loved coach’s job is on the chopping block so a certified employee may take over as per union contract. I only know one thing. There are many girls involved in this “club” and I hope the involvement continues. I can’t speak as to whom is the better candidate as their qualifications are not something I can compare. I thought about requesting they compete in a dance contest but this would probably be deemed unprofessional. So I will use this as a litmus test. Please realize that the board really has no say in the employment procedures. This is a duty assigned to the CEO. We can give input and opinions, but for the most part these things are a done deal before the board knows anything is happening. This has been a successful program for ten years. Built and babied by the same person. I’m always told if it aint broke don’t fix it and it seems to be a good policy to me. So like I said, this year will be a litmus test for me. I hope the district continues to have a successful program.
As usual it gets murkier. We are hiring an interim high school principal. Besides having been my high school principal and partying all weekend together at my high school reunion, he is the father in law of above mentioned 10-year dance team coach. So my vote at the Aug. 1st board meeting should come as no surprise to anyone.
But regardless of the above connections let me tell you why this interim stuff bothers me. I have always wanted people to try to save money. So I made a suggestion. We have an administrator that is retiring effective Dec. 31. We have created a temporary position for this person to fulfill the contract and employ a new guy. The new guy will cost us $75,000 plus the cost of the new position created for the old guy. (Approximately $60,000). My suggestion was to ask the old guy to stay an extra 6 months, eliminating the need for the new guy and the created position. It would cost about $60,000. And give us plenty of time to do one of two things. Either begin a search to fill the old guys position when he finishes the school year, or plan B and my favorite plan by the way: Retool the high school for 3 principals instead of 4. My main argument for this the fact that there are half as many kids there than 20 years ago but the same amount principals and double the administrators overall. That would be a savings of over $125,000 per year!! We could survive with one main principal and two unit principals serving two grades each. One unit gets even year grads and the other gets odd year grads. Woo hoo the money we could save!
But I have a feeling we'll be working on important issues such as if the board should get as raise from $80 per meeting to $125 per meeting. Thats a grand total of $1350 per member at the maximum of 30 meetings per year. So I guess the $6750 the district would save by the board not taking the raise seems substantial to some members but $75,000 and more isn't worth considering. Hmmmmm......