Back in 1998-99 Mike "Kaz" proposed that there be difference between the benefits from the district differ between the teachers the union and support staff union. He as president of the De Pere teachers union at the time.
I also wrote Mike back in 2002, when I was concerned that the lack of support staff union meetings and the support from above, the UNE office that he was the president of at the time.
He wrote back explaining that while the what was written in the contact that was differing in practice wasn't as "simple issue," and that the "deviation was a critical issue to the district in maintaining its open door, community-based school system."
I of course am referring to a practice where on non-school days they (who ever they are) expected someone (not specified anywhere) to adjust their normally scheduled work hours to accommodate whatever was going on in the evening at the school (in lieu of offering it as overtime).
This of course was seen by others (myself included, and later the new business manager, Sue Buchholz) as a conflict of the fair labor standards act, as a device to evade overtime.
From then till 2011, there were a number of other bad union experiences.
Many years netted less than 1 union meeting held. And we never had that annual financial disclosure that our bylaws said was to be a yearly thing.
So when Scott Walker came along with Act 10 , in 2011 most members really saw no benefit to what they had been paying for.
In the years preceding this there were a number efforts from the membership to get the union to shape up and fly right. Petitions were circulated just so membership meetings were held. I suggested we go through, revise and understand our own bylaws. There was a membership movement to replace some of the long time officers, like Sue Smits (treasurer). While she was replaced, only a short time later she was re-powered when another officer stepped down mid-term and then the president (Janice Counihan) appointed Sue to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.
Overall the thing on a local level was run like a good old boys club, and the lack of support from above spelled its ultimate demise.
Toward the end that good old boys club stuff was obvious to everyone. Basically local officers were in it, for the paid trips (and drinks/lodging) to meetings in Madison, etc.. Yet there was never a general membership meeting following those trips to share what they learned at the meeting etc. So members nothing productive was coming from those. I proposed rather take any money that would have been spent on such foolishness and contribute that to the scholarship fund that the teachers union had. I also encourage we work closer with the teachers union. Something that I saw happen in the Denmark District towards the bitter end, and in the grand scheme of thing makes sense. That or I suggested we find a regional union that better reflected us, like AFSCME.
$448 dollars a year in union dues to WEAC wasn't work that we were getting out of it. And should something really stupid come from the new governor, I would fight tooth and nail against any type of forced rejoining without the ability for the local to set their own dues policy. Ultimately I'd be totally against dealing with the old uniserv officer, Sue Britz ever again. I am all for trying another union, but it has to be totally controlled by the membership.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Compensation Schedules?
From the August 6, 2018 School Board Special Meeting Agenda:
Personnel Committee
1. Review of Employee Exit Surveys (Pages 16-20)
From the September 17, 2018 School Board Business Meeting Agenda:
7. Presentations of Compensations Schedules (pages 16-22)
From the March 4, 2018 School Board Committee Meeting Agenda:
B. Personnel Committee
1. Presentations of Compensations Schedules (pages 20-26)
From the March 18, 2019 School Board Business Meeting Agenda:
III. Action and/or Discussion Items:
5. Motion to Approve New Compensation Schedules Beginning with the 2019-20 School Year and to Approve Adjustment Plan for Selected Staff (pages 7-8)
From the May 20, 2019 Board Business Meeting Agenda:
III. Action and/or Discussion Items:
7. Motion to Approve 2019-20 Tentative Agreement with the De Pere Education Association (pages 12-15)
8. Motion to Approve Salary Increases for District Support Personnel for the 2019-20 School Year (pages 16-17)
9. Motion to Approve Salary Increases for District Exempt and Administrative Staff for the 2019-20 School Year (page 18)
Since 2016 I have been asking someone at the district level to inform support staff of their raises. The typical fashion has been that one can expect to not hear a word of any results till it appear or doesn't appear on ones pay check. And creating a "Communications Director" position won't fix this.
Well after years of basically bitching about this, this is the first year they informed everyone. I'd almost say hooray, except that there was that much bureaucratic red tape for such a simple request and that is essentially an issue of basic human decency. So no hooray... Next time/ next issue should be a proactive thing where they, the guys making the big bucks think of this and take care of it, without anyone having to nag them to do it.
"Openness, accountability, and honesty define government transparency. In a free society, transparency is government's obligation to share information with citizens. It is at the heart of how citizens hold their public officials accountable."
In light of some board/adminstative actions in years past, you'd think these dunderheads would try to work on that transparency/trust thing.... nah.. they are too good for that.
And that is really what I see as an underlying problem to all of De Pere.
Report Card
Student: USDD
Communications: F-
-
This seems to be a once in every 20 or so years sort of thing where they look into wages deeper than the annual rate approval. Sadly for support staff this yielded increases between 28 and 46 cents. And that high end position is only held by one person, the payroll person, so more like between 28 and 36 cents. Sadly most people learned this was happening from the newspaper, instead of from their own employer.
In my opinion this kind of raise is the level that should be regular, not the 20 year adjustment exception to the rule. It's inline with Green Bay and Manitowoc's raises in the last year.
Personnel Committee
1. Review of Employee Exit Surveys (Pages 16-20)
From the September 17, 2018 School Board Business Meeting Agenda:
7. Presentations of Compensations Schedules (pages 16-22)
From the March 4, 2018 School Board Committee Meeting Agenda:
B. Personnel Committee
1. Presentations of Compensations Schedules (pages 20-26)
From the March 18, 2019 School Board Business Meeting Agenda:
III. Action and/or Discussion Items:
5. Motion to Approve New Compensation Schedules Beginning with the 2019-20 School Year and to Approve Adjustment Plan for Selected Staff (pages 7-8)
From the May 20, 2019 Board Business Meeting Agenda:
III. Action and/or Discussion Items:
7. Motion to Approve 2019-20 Tentative Agreement with the De Pere Education Association (pages 12-15)
8. Motion to Approve Salary Increases for District Support Personnel for the 2019-20 School Year (pages 16-17)
9. Motion to Approve Salary Increases for District Exempt and Administrative Staff for the 2019-20 School Year (page 18)
Since 2016 I have been asking someone at the district level to inform support staff of their raises. The typical fashion has been that one can expect to not hear a word of any results till it appear or doesn't appear on ones pay check. And creating a "Communications Director" position won't fix this.
Well after years of basically bitching about this, this is the first year they informed everyone. I'd almost say hooray, except that there was that much bureaucratic red tape for such a simple request and that is essentially an issue of basic human decency. So no hooray... Next time/ next issue should be a proactive thing where they, the guys making the big bucks think of this and take care of it, without anyone having to nag them to do it.
"Openness, accountability, and honesty define government transparency. In a free society, transparency is government's obligation to share information with citizens. It is at the heart of how citizens hold their public officials accountable."
In light of some board/adminstative actions in years past, you'd think these dunderheads would try to work on that transparency/trust thing.... nah.. they are too good for that.
And that is really what I see as an underlying problem to all of De Pere.
Report Card
Student: USDD
Communications: F-
-
This seems to be a once in every 20 or so years sort of thing where they look into wages deeper than the annual rate approval. Sadly for support staff this yielded increases between 28 and 46 cents. And that high end position is only held by one person, the payroll person, so more like between 28 and 36 cents. Sadly most people learned this was happening from the newspaper, instead of from their own employer.
In my opinion this kind of raise is the level that should be regular, not the 20 year adjustment exception to the rule. It's inline with Green Bay and Manitowoc's raises in the last year.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Leon Tart
So I hear they are trying a temp service again at the high school. Someone up an quit, along with whatever other vacancies still exist.
It would seem apparent what they pay and how they advertise positions should be reviewed and adjusted. But whatever.
The problem is temp service people are fairly unreliable. And you never know what you are getting since you didn't interview them yourself. (Not that I really think the district knows what they are doing in terms of hiring)
Anyone remember this guy? He worked at De Pere High School in 2004 thru a temp service when a normal employee was off on a long term medical leave.
"A De Pere man is charged with first-degree attempted homicide and sexual assault. Brown County deputies say Leon Tart, 44, raped a woman on a rural road near Greenleaf early Saturday morning..."
-
Speaking of the district not knowing what they are doing in terms of hiring....
Jack H...... started as temp and made it to become a district employee. The problem was the poor guy was so unhealthy he died with less than 2 weeks into the job.
Jeff A.... This guy was decent if you could overlook him being legally blind. Poor guy also died within a year after leaving the job. This diabetes got the best of him.
Connie E........ There isn't much to say because this was more recent and this woman was certifiably nuts. I wouldn't be surprised that De Pere recruited her from Bellin Psychiatric. Either way it was so obvious this woman would be basket case of problems that you'd have to be a complete moron to hire her.
Bruce N..... Another even more recent hire for the High School. Again this guy seemed alright, and I doubt he would have been a problem person. The thing against him was his own feet. There is no way he'd meet the physical demands of the job. The guy was a genius. The very first thing he did after his insurance kicked in was took a FLMA leave and had his feet fixed. And here is where the genius part comes, after that he left good old retarded De Pere and took a better job.
You see De Pere doesn't concern it self with job knowledge, definitely not productivity. Sadly after that very sternly written job recommendation letter I wrote for Dan L.., they didn't learn anything. I am talking about that irritating part that upset them, where I suggested they focused on hiring better people, since they are horrible at fixing any personnel problems.
It would seem apparent what they pay and how they advertise positions should be reviewed and adjusted. But whatever.
The problem is temp service people are fairly unreliable. And you never know what you are getting since you didn't interview them yourself. (Not that I really think the district knows what they are doing in terms of hiring)
"A De Pere man is charged with first-degree attempted homicide and sexual assault. Brown County deputies say Leon Tart, 44, raped a woman on a rural road near Greenleaf early Saturday morning..."
-
Speaking of the district not knowing what they are doing in terms of hiring....
Jack H...... started as temp and made it to become a district employee. The problem was the poor guy was so unhealthy he died with less than 2 weeks into the job.
Jeff A.... This guy was decent if you could overlook him being legally blind. Poor guy also died within a year after leaving the job. This diabetes got the best of him.
Connie E........ There isn't much to say because this was more recent and this woman was certifiably nuts. I wouldn't be surprised that De Pere recruited her from Bellin Psychiatric. Either way it was so obvious this woman would be basket case of problems that you'd have to be a complete moron to hire her.
Bruce N..... Another even more recent hire for the High School. Again this guy seemed alright, and I doubt he would have been a problem person. The thing against him was his own feet. There is no way he'd meet the physical demands of the job. The guy was a genius. The very first thing he did after his insurance kicked in was took a FLMA leave and had his feet fixed. And here is where the genius part comes, after that he left good old retarded De Pere and took a better job.
You see De Pere doesn't concern it self with job knowledge, definitely not productivity. Sadly after that very sternly written job recommendation letter I wrote for Dan L.., they didn't learn anything. I am talking about that irritating part that upset them, where I suggested they focused on hiring better people, since they are horrible at fixing any personnel problems.
Monday, February 11, 2019
That 4.4 precent raise
Back during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school year, due to Scott Walker's Act 10 support staff members felt it was best to take a wage freeze for those two years. This voluntary act of concessions was probably in hopes the guy would back off from messing with collective bargaining, compensation, retirement, health insurance, and sick leave of public sector employees, etc.
2011-12: Admin: 1.5%, Support Staff: 0%
2012-13: Admin and Support Staff 0%
2013-14: Admin 0%, Support Staff 2.06%
2014-15: Admin 4.4%, Support Staff 2%
2015 and after all approved at the same time
More recently (after this was questioned) all the raises are now approved at the same school board meeting. Back then months might be in between the support staff, teachers, and administrators.
So "the story" is the financial projections from the state looked different when support staff got the 2% vs months later when they got that nice 4.4%.
Bottom line: That bullheaded move created a lot of distrust between admin and everyone else.
2011-12: Admin: 1.5%, Support Staff: 0%
2012-13: Admin and Support Staff 0%
2013-14: Admin 0%, Support Staff 2.06%
2014-15: Admin 4.4%, Support Staff 2%
2015 and after all approved at the same time
More recently (after this was questioned) all the raises are now approved at the same school board meeting. Back then months might be in between the support staff, teachers, and administrators.
So "the story" is the financial projections from the state looked different when support staff got the 2% vs months later when they got that nice 4.4%.
Bottom line: That bullheaded move created a lot of distrust between admin and everyone else.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
De Pere School District Review
Perhaps you are considering employment with the Unified School District of De Pere..
Pros:
For the most-part if you are self-starter, management stays out of your hair. They trust you will do what you need to. There are exceptions to this at a building level. However if they think you are a problem they will basically single you out in an attempt to get you to leave. If you can find a decent group of people to work with the place isn't horrible if you aren't focused on pay.
Cons:
I'd venture to say the entire community of De Pere conceited to some extent. It's evident by the continued separation of the two school districts. A lot of it has to do with the people of De Pere being upscale, and you (as support staff) are effectively viewed as subservient to them. Management overall does a poor job at communications, transparency and follow through.
Pros:
For the most-part if you are self-starter, management stays out of your hair. They trust you will do what you need to. There are exceptions to this at a building level. However if they think you are a problem they will basically single you out in an attempt to get you to leave. If you can find a decent group of people to work with the place isn't horrible if you aren't focused on pay.
Cons:
I'd venture to say the entire community of De Pere conceited to some extent. It's evident by the continued separation of the two school districts. A lot of it has to do with the people of De Pere being upscale, and you (as support staff) are effectively viewed as subservient to them. Management overall does a poor job at communications, transparency and follow through.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Five bucks says...
When Edith R**** left she was making $60,189.64 per year. And when Sue B****** left as the prior business manager she was making $107,775 per year per public records.
Susan Buchholz 2016-17 $107,775
Dawn Foeller 2017-2018 $114,008
For the 2017-18 year there was a 2.25% raise.. except in this case of the business manger where it appears to be 5.78%
When the DPI releases their Administrative Salary Report can we expect to see what we should, or is there a chance they started the new replacements for these folks who left at some number above what we'd expect?
PS.
With the massive snow fall that dumped the area mid April, part of the roof of EconoLodge in Ashwaubenon collapsed on Sunday the 15th. Monday the 16th there was no school as this was largely a snow cleanup day though the city. As far as I know it wasn't till normal staff observed and reported the gym curtain's dragging on the 17th. And then the gyms were closed and roof snow removal began (Apr 18-19). And by Thurs the 19th, we were already seeing temps in the 50's, so good melting was well on its way. They got the okay to reopen after engineers talked with the insurance companies, Wed Apr 25th. A good question for someone in change would have been why it took so long for someone to think about that much snow posing a problem on our own roofs. The removal process could have easily started the 16th, if not maybe even the 15th. Seems like more of a knee jerk response than anything proactive.
Well Bruce N***** didn't last long. Seemed like a nice guy. But had some issues walking/bending etc. So I never really understood why they hired him in the first place.
Obviously didn't meet this qualification:
Physical capabilities include bending, twisting, repetitive side-to-side motion and repetitive wrist motion, as well as the ability to reach, carry, push, pull, lift and handle item(s) weighing up to 100 pounds while performing work duties. Position requires unrestricted mobility on a regular and consistent basis for the majority of the workday.
So seem that list of qualifications they post is bull, or they really can't find people that meet them for what they pay.
Seems maybe the Personnel Committee will soon be reviewing those exit surveys:
Aug 6, 2018:
Personnel Committee
Review of Employee Exit Surveys (pages 16-20)
Susan Buchholz 2016-17 $107,775
Dawn Foeller 2017-2018 $114,008
For the 2017-18 year there was a 2.25% raise.. except in this case of the business manger where it appears to be 5.78%
When the DPI releases their Administrative Salary Report can we expect to see what we should, or is there a chance they started the new replacements for these folks who left at some number above what we'd expect?
PS.
With the massive snow fall that dumped the area mid April, part of the roof of EconoLodge in Ashwaubenon collapsed on Sunday the 15th. Monday the 16th there was no school as this was largely a snow cleanup day though the city. As far as I know it wasn't till normal staff observed and reported the gym curtain's dragging on the 17th. And then the gyms were closed and roof snow removal began (Apr 18-19). And by Thurs the 19th, we were already seeing temps in the 50's, so good melting was well on its way. They got the okay to reopen after engineers talked with the insurance companies, Wed Apr 25th. A good question for someone in change would have been why it took so long for someone to think about that much snow posing a problem on our own roofs. The removal process could have easily started the 16th, if not maybe even the 15th. Seems like more of a knee jerk response than anything proactive.
Well Bruce N***** didn't last long. Seemed like a nice guy. But had some issues walking/bending etc. So I never really understood why they hired him in the first place.
Obviously didn't meet this qualification:
Physical capabilities include bending, twisting, repetitive side-to-side motion and repetitive wrist motion, as well as the ability to reach, carry, push, pull, lift and handle item(s) weighing up to 100 pounds while performing work duties. Position requires unrestricted mobility on a regular and consistent basis for the majority of the workday.
So seem that list of qualifications they post is bull, or they really can't find people that meet them for what they pay.
Seems maybe the Personnel Committee will soon be reviewing those exit surveys:
Aug 6, 2018:
Personnel Committee
Review of Employee Exit Surveys (pages 16-20)
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Fire alarm and VM
A couple days ago there was an extended fire alarm at Foxview. This is another thing that could have been avoided if someone was on the ball. Basically there is a room above the auditorium that still has some moisture/humidity issues. And that excessive moisture caused the smoke detector in that room to freak out.
If you recall back in 2011 when I was stupid enough to care about my job, I attempted to try and do something about the water penetration problem in the building. Since then, there was a referendum that addressed the roof and building tuck pointing. Anyway I still say; do not close the door to that auditorium room, air needs to flow. Cut a hole in the door and install a louvered vent like all the other classrooms. To date this has still feel on deaf ears. Whatever.
Another asinine thing is with technology this year. Basically what I get out of it is they don't apparently test things in a sandbox environment before doing a widespread roll out. So they went to update some of their virtual machine software, and that has been causing wide spread network disruption since. Classic case of too many eggs in one basket in my opinion.
On a more positive note, this summer the water heater project finally got finished. Last school year they removed and cut up the junk one, and it sat just like you see it for the longest time. To bad there were three sources of energy (water pressure, gas and electric) that were not locked out during that time.
If you recall back in 2011 when I was stupid enough to care about my job, I attempted to try and do something about the water penetration problem in the building. Since then, there was a referendum that addressed the roof and building tuck pointing. Anyway I still say; do not close the door to that auditorium room, air needs to flow. Cut a hole in the door and install a louvered vent like all the other classrooms. To date this has still feel on deaf ears. Whatever.
Another asinine thing is with technology this year. Basically what I get out of it is they don't apparently test things in a sandbox environment before doing a widespread roll out. So they went to update some of their virtual machine software, and that has been causing wide spread network disruption since. Classic case of too many eggs in one basket in my opinion.
On a more positive note, this summer the water heater project finally got finished. Last school year they removed and cut up the junk one, and it sat just like you see it for the longest time. To bad there were three sources of energy (water pressure, gas and electric) that were not locked out during that time.
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