Actions speak louder than words

Back in November 2014 I noticed a couple of administrative staff members received bonuses from reading the school board minutes.  This has never happened in the history of De Pere school district and I was curious to the rationale behind the decision, especially in light of receiving a 2% raise that year that worked out to an insulting 20 cents.

So I researched the various board members, and decided to contact the clerk, who also made an appearance that year for education week held in November in our building.  He seemed like an approachable guy.

My initial impression of his response was a bit to touchy-feely for me.  Heavy emphasis along the lines of "Let me assure you that the board and district cares what you do and you are valued... For what its worth, we can't do a damn thing without you."  Blah-blah...

Now to the part relating to my question/concern:

"As you know, and as you made mention to, the salary increases have been frozen, then reinstated to a minimum over the last several years.  As our funding from the state has decreased, we have had to made adjustments and changes in the way we operate.  Slowly, those funds are returning and we are able to show wage increases, thanks to budget work within the district..."

"Now in regards to bonuses, this is something we are looking at in all areas of the district.  I do feel at times if an individual is going about and beyond their normal duties we can support something in the way of a bonus...."

"In this particular case, I felt, along with others, that a bonus was justified.  We are reviewing this with all employees moving forward.  We want to recognize and reward those individuals who have exceeded expectation...."

Almost a year later and no other bonuses have issued to anyone that I can see from reviewing board minutes.

An open records request shows administration received a 4.4 % raise for the 2014-15 school year when compared to data for 2013-14.  Yet the October 20, 2014 school board agenda indicates Support Staff, Teaching Staff, and Administrative Staff salary increases were made the same day, and on all three report 2%.

I had a lot of other dialog with this board member, and unfortunately it all pretty much followed the same district theme of image before accountability.   Suffice to day, I wasn't really impressed with the guy unfortunately, as he gave me a pretty strong indication that he didn't want to hear anymore of what I had to say.

The Lift Part 2

The Lift - Part 2

Back in 2011 the Grounds Department rented a scissor lift.

This summer at the Middle School, it was pointed out to Edith that at the very top of the gym on the air duct work it is excessively dusty.

Each building has a one man lift, which doesn't get you all the way to top of the gym.  So it seems logical every so many years (7?) when the gym floor is to be sanded down in lue of just the normal finishing, that a decent lift should be rented as that sanding makes a royal mess.

It was also pointed out that a number of the halogen lights were out in the Middle school gym.  She called Thomas Electric (the Curriculum Director's husbands company), and she said they have their own lift, but it will not fit though a standard door.  And went on to state that it's odd that the mullion wasn't removable as many other places in the building it is.

Edith said she arranged with Dan Bins to rent a lift.  (Dan no longer works with Fred Rents, and is now with Sunbelt Rentals of De Pere.)

Thomas Electric shows up and the lift has problems, so they have to get another one.

There is a removable mullion on one of the Gym doors.

Some things never change. 

Difference Between a Boss and Leader

Redbird logo debacle of 2005

Alright so we all know the Director of Technology screwed up.

But does anyone remember the 2005 debacle with the Redbird mascot logo?

De Pere received a cease-and-desist order on the grounds that its mascot was copyrighted material of Illinois State University.  The school eventually redesigned the logo so as to not violate the copyright.

Shortly after the De Pere athletic director started in the late 90's he modernized the Redbird.  When really he should have know the ramifications of that action.

State spending on outside service contracts still rises

Somewhat interesting commentary in the January 19 2015 Press Gazette column by Bill Lueders.

Each year state law requires the Wisconsin Department of Administration to track outsourced tasks spending by state funded agencies.   Municipal workers have long argued that they could be doing many of these jobs for less.

The latest report shows spending on outside services is up for the fourth straight year. This has happened despite the Act 10 benefit changes under Gov. Scott Walker that arguably make state workers more cost-effective, compared to the private sector.

Bill Franks points out “During a time of alleged austerity, the administration continues to spend taxpayers’ money like an inebriated sailor.” 

It should have been obvious all along that the Administration is the ones making the the dumb decisions.  But of course rather than deal confront the people responsible for the actions made, Walker and everyone these days seems to opt for the blanket approach.

I see this very scenario all the time, where virtually everything gets farmed out.  I have a very hard time with this.   Sometimes I try and think there are rational reasons like liability insurance concerns or something.  Other times I think it is a posh De Pere thing.

I am a big Do It Yourself (DIY) type.  It is likely due to how I was raised, with not a lot of money. 

So may I suggest if you want to save money, when you go go to screen candidates for administrative employment potions, ask if they are hands on.  Ask if they cut their own lawn.  Ask if they know how to check their oil.  If they are thrifty in their personal life, they are probably going to be able to save your company money.

Or you can continue to hire a guy in a suite who probably hasn't the first clue how to save money.

Teachers union boss loses 40,000 members, gets a raise

Partial excerpt from: https://web.archive.org/web/20170404033629/http://watchdog.org/184668/nea-lose-members/

National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel received a huge pay raise this year while the teachers union lost more than 40,000 members.

Van Roekel, who retired this summer, was paid $541,632 during NEA’s fiscal year ending Aug. 31 — a $130,000 increase from last year, driven by a gross salary hike from $306,286 to $429,509. NEA membership dropped from 3,003,885 last August to 2,963,121 this August.

NEA, the nation’s largest labor union, has lost 272,014 members since 2009. The union paid Van Roekel $2.2 million from 2010-2014.....

I suggest you read the whole thing so that you can have that taste of puke in the back of your throat.

Sick isn't it?  When Act 10 was on the table, I though for a second this might just be the wake up call WEAC/NEA needs.

Now realize I was wrong.  That would assume people in high positions are responsible, ethical people, who realize that their actions do trickle down.   Most have superiority complex that feel enables them to special treatment.

For a second I forgot Amerkia, no longer means land of the free, where all people are equal.

Seriously stop and think about the superiority complex problem.  What about the recent police issues (ie. Ferguson, Missouri, etc)?  And now Bill Cosby, and going back the famous O.J. Simpson case.

Sorry, I haven't made many blog entries since that our local union went away.  It was a big source of uselessness and created more turmoil than it solved.  But when I saw this article, I had to point it out.

Now the biggest source of uselessness and turmoil left is administration.  So you'll likely see me pointing that out here.

Expecting some sort of  blind obedience is not right.  A job title means nothing, and you are insane if you expect some sort of behavior that your own personal integrity does not instill.


I have blogged on the dilemma before.  Citing the do as I say, not as I do problem and pointing out there is a problem with people being in charge but not being responsible.

Supporting authority while completely disregarding the morality of that authority is a disconnection from reality.  That dilemma and epidemic in today's America is the underlying basis of this blog.. And if you want to get right to the point, is likely the most critical problem facing the education of our youth.

Support staff the inferior class of people?

It's bad enough that our raises do not compound with years of service.  Rather they are applied to the start/base wage.

But never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that we consistently do not receive the same percentage increase, despite it being applied differently.

Step one; Goto the DPI website and download the Administrative Salary reports for a number of years back.

Step two: Open each file and look for your school district.  Calculate the percent increase from the last years salary.

Step three: Go through your old contracts and notes to compare what was awarded to support staff.

Step four:  Be angry. but keep your cool and sing the "Master has got me working song" at work.

Over a seven year period support staff in De Pere has consistently received an average of 1/2 percent less per year.

Why?

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Income inequality is a term used a lot in politics the last few years.  While there is likely some exaggeration to help bring attention to the issue, there is also a lot of truth. 

From: "Pay without Performance- The Unfulfilled Promise of Executive Compensation."

In 1991, the average large-company CEO received approximately 140 times the pay of an average worker; in 2003, the ratio was about 500:1

Ref: Janice Revell, “Mo’ Money, Fewer Problems; Is It a Good Idea to Get Rid of the $1 Million CEO Pay Ceiling?” Fortune, March 31, 2003, 34.

In the school system, sadly isn't not much different.

Ref: School Administrator Raises Outpace Teachers - August 17, 2013 Green Bay Press Gazette 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_income_inequality_in_the_United_States

Locally I have show that percentage based raise increase do over time widen the gap from the top to bottom paying positions (expected).