Union Questions Begin Here! Question 1

Hi all! I'm attending a forum this afternoon hosted by district union staff at Creekside Place: Staff only, I'm sorry to say. My best efforts to get somebody to host a forum for the general public have failed. A few weeks ago a union rep contacted all board candidates to ask if we would be willing to answer a series of questions. The reason given was that the union leadership decided to invoke its PAC option and select two candidates to endorse, which apparently comes with a small campaign contribution. This has been happening with more frequency in the last few years, I've heard. These are the questions they posed. The forum tonight will likely focus on elaboration of the answers given to fully understand the candidates' postitions on these topics.

Q1: Why are you running for school board?

Before I answer that question, I’d like to address the purpose of a school board. I recently read a comprehensive survey regarding the history, current state and research based evidence for future direction of school boards in the United States.(1) That document notes that an initial reason for creating an elected school board was to establish local governance of public education, governance which reflects the values of the community.  There is evidence to support that the current school board has done a good job taking the community pulse for critical issues such as creating the district Vision Statement. They continue to seek community input on topics ranging from open enrollment to creating a new employee manual for the district. I would like to help the board continue that important aspect of governance.

I’m running for school board because, while I believe that the Evansville Community School District has many good attributes, I envision its excellence. Every child deserves a public school education that prepares them to successfully pursue their dreams, whether those dreams are to attend Harvard Medical School, to become the most outstanding carpenter in the tri-state area or to enlist in a branch of the Armed Services.  When I worked at Wisconsin Energies in Milwaukee many years ago, a vendor who was trying to sell me a million dollar piece of equipment asked me if I was from Missouri “because you don’t believe anything I tell you unless I show you.” That effectively summarizes my approach to everything: Trust but verify.  School board members that provide an independent analysis of educational initiatives are valuable assets to their districts. I believe my data analysis skills were beneficial when I was on the board previously and will continue to be an asset to the board if I am elected again this spring.

The coming years of increased expectations in student achievement through Wisconsin’s new Agenda 2017 combined with widespread budgetary challenges will require board members who are capable of evaluating enormous quantities of data and drawing conclusions from that data. I come before the voters ready to take on that challenge. I am well informed as to the inner workings of often convoluted public school finance. I stay abreast of what’s happening with the state budget and either figure out how it affects the district revenue stream or ask questions until I am satisfied that I do understand it. I make it a priority to stay current with educational trends and seek information regarding the efficacy of those trends. One common problem that often surprises new school board members is the relatively long learning curve on the way to becoming an effective board member. Some board members have noted that they were finally becoming comfortable in their role just as their seat was up for re-election.  I have been continuously monitoring ECSD board business since 2006, first as a citizen activist, then as a board member and finally as a free-lance journalist.  The seven years I have spent in these endeavors exceeds some current board members’ tenures. This will enable me to hit the ground running while preserving an essential eagle’s eye view of where ECSD has been and, more importantly, where it is going and how it can achieve its vision of excellence in all aspects of education.

(1) http://www.csos.jhu.edu/crespar/techReports/Report56.pdf

Union Question 2

Q2.  In what ways might you foster stronger communication between the school board and all school staff?  The school board and the community?

During the process of creating a Vision Statement a few years ago, problems with communication were identified as a pervasive problem facing the district.  Even prior to that time, the board recognized this problem and tried a number of initiatives to encourage meaningful dialog between themselves and their various stakeholders. The board began to host listening sessions preceding the first board meeting each month, rotating board members responsible for this task to better encourage a diverse public attendance. The board carefully planned and executed a comprehensive mechanism to solicit staff and community input to create a comprehensive Vision Statement that reflects the values of the Evansville community. The board encouraged district business manager Doreen Treuden in her efforts to increase the transparency of the budget process by providing public presentations and soliciting community input at various stages.  District Administrator Jerry Roth has reinforced the concept of open and honest interaction in many initiatives he has implemented in his short tenure. I believe the board and the district is on the right track and has shown ownership and a desire to improve in this critical area.  I would encourage them to continue on this path while seeking new ways to foster positive interactions with staff and community. I would recommend a column in the paper by rotating board members with a catchy title like Board Buzz. Or maybe someone else should be in charge of the name… I would encourage the board to reach out through electronic means on the school website, or establishing a blog or something that is interactive with a “FAQ” section, for example. It would require some extra effort on the part of the board to create a product everyone is comfortable with that is both useful and easily utilized by the public.  These are small but concrete ways to help establish a multipronged communication plan that casts a wide net with various media that appeal to different groups of people.

That being said, one must recognize that any successful strategy to foster stronger communication between two groups hinges on the free exchange of ideas and the full disclosure of information in both directions. The board cannot make informed decisions in the absence of either of these components. In order to form a collaborative, unencumbered communication process, an environment of unconditional trust must be established. With trust as the foundation of a relationship, people feel safe to engage in the innovative thinking that is essential to solve the considerable issues that the district continues to face. The board has collaborated with staff, administration and the community to hold the district together through countless blows and financial challenges since 2010.  I would work with the board to continue to build on that growing trust between the board and its many stakeholders. This should be an ongoing goal for the board because, while it takes a lot of energy to create a trusting environment, a startlingly small incident can destroy it. Once implicit mutual trust is established, the board, staff and community are positioned to move from “holding things together” to excellence in all aspects of education as defined in the district Vision Statement. 

Union Question 3

Q3.   In absence of collective bargaining, how would you like to see the board address the concerns of employees about their working conditions and salary?

If Act 10 survives legal challenges, collective bargaining is set to end on June 30 this year. Base salary remains negotiable within the confines of the Consumer Price Index. Limited working condition issues are addressed in the Handbook. The current board is working with staff and administration to create a “Policy and Procedures” manual, or Handbook, to define worker rights, rules and responsibilities in the absence of a comprehensive contract. Mr. Roth created an aggressive schedule to complete the Handbook in a timely fashion so as to provide a seamless transition to the post-collective bargaining era. The process has been collaborative and has included many opportunities for input from all stakeholders. It has rightly dominated board business for the better part of a year. The path has been accompanied by thoughtful dialog wherein board members, staff and administration have engaged in philosophical discussions necessary to arrive at a balanced end product. The grievance procedure laid out in the new Handbook reflects state law, which permits grievance for allowable events concerning discipline, termination and workplace safety.  All of these can be construed to fall under working conditions. The Handbook procedure includes the right to appeal to the board.  I strongly believe every employee should have the right to petition the board in these matters. In addition, a thorough knowledge of employee grievances would inform the board as to employee morale and has the potential to further improve the board-staff communication dynamic.

Even though it’s hard to envision after the last few years of economic hardship, the nature of the beast suggests that “this too shall pass.” I would continue in the current board’s footsteps to help create a Handbook that guides the district equally well through both good and bad economic times.  Producing a thoughtful, comprehensive employee Handbook is the most effective way for the board to address employee concerns under the constraints imposed by Act 10.     

      

Union Question 4

Q4.   Do you think teachers and other school district employees should receive merit pay?  If yes, how should merit pay be measured?

The shift in the model of public educator reimbursement toward aligning salary and benefits with those of the general public has gradually eroded teacher take home pay. The private sector provides the opportunity for many employees to earn a bonus for performance “above and beyond.” The only pay increases many folks have had in recent years have been from these bonuses. It is therefore my belief that if the public sector compensation model is heading toward that of the private sector, then teachers should be eligible to receive bonuses as well. How it is funded and implemented is the bigger question here.

Agenda 2017 has included in it a section that includes a very detailed pathway to increase educator and administrator effectiveness.  To remain eligible for federal funding, Wisconsin public schools have to create an educator assessment instrument that “substantially includes student achievement as a measure.” Pilot programs are ongoing to provide opportunities for improvement prior to full roll-out in 2014-2015. As such, this would be the perfect starting point for any evaluation process that would result in teacher bonuses.

A webinar available on the DPI website defines the processes being put into place to create a fair, standardized assessment of teacher and principal effectiveness. (1) Wisconsin professionals from every part of the process contributed to creating the prototype currently being piloted in volunteer districts. The rubric includes multiple measures to accurately gauge educator performance. The committee decided that a model comprised of 50% student achievement and 50% educator practices was equitable and met federal requirements. The state has worked hard to create an objective, standardized, data-driven system by which all educators and administrators will be evaluated.  The good news is that the board does not have to reinvent the wheel to come up with a fair evaluation tool.

Even better news seems to be that the Governor plans to make a pot of money available for high performing schools to distribute to teachers as they see fit. The board’s role would be to decide how that cash would be distributed, likely by creating a policy to detail the process. I envision such a policy to include something like this. “X% of bonus pay will be distributed to teachers with evaluation scores of Y or higher. A% will be available to principals with evaluation scores of B or higher. Values of Y and B will be directly related to achieving Greatly Exceeds Expectations on the school report cards. (100-X-A)% of the bonus will be equally distributed to all employees in the district with documented exemplary performance because excellence in every area of the district contributes to increased student achievement.”

(1)   http://dpimedia.wi.gov/main/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=c39e53f1f6ee44728808b0966a5a24db

Union Question 5

Q5.   Where would you look for new revenues?  What criteria will you use when faced with budgetary cuts?

NEW REVENUE:

Achieving a new revenue source for public education has limited options. The revenue cap was decimated two years ago and only had a slight increase this year. The governor has frozen the cap at current levels until 2015. The only realistic way for the district to increase revenue under these circumstances is by increasing enrollment. The open enrollment data for the district has become increasingly problematic over the last six years. The net loss of enrollment from open enrollment has increased from 3 in 2006 to 43 this year. The cumulative loss in revenue amounts to over $838,315, eerily similar to next year’s projected shortfall of $840,000.

  

Increasing enrollment must be approached using a balancing act to work within the framework of the current facilities’ capacities. The community is adamant about being unwilling to face another referendum any time soon. But even if the district only achieves a net zero change due to open enrollment next year, that would add about $280,000 in revenue. This goal would require a concerted effort on the part of every district employee and board member to actively promote the district. It would be of enormous help to know which group or groups to target that would maximize results. Once we recapture that lost enrollment, we must walk the talk of excellence to keep them here. It’s a buyer’s market out there and people will go to great lengths to get their children an outstanding education, as evidenced by the 85 people who are willing to spend considerable time and resources to send their kids to schools outside of this district.

CRITERIA FOR CUTS:

The ultimate goal of the visioning process a few years ago was to create a community oriented District Strategic Plan to help guide the many decisions and oft-times difficult choices the board must make. With the retirement of Ms. Carvin and the hire of Mr. Roth, this project was put on the back burner. I believe the district’s lack of a Strategic Plan makes the board and the administration vulnerable to making hasty, reactionary decisions imposed by the political issue du jour. It detracts from the board’s true goal of working in collaboration with all stakeholders to attain its Vision of excellence. To solve this issue, I would encourage the board to use the data collected at the many public listening sessions during the visioning process to complete a Strategic Plan for the district to help guide them in both good times and bad.

In the absence of a strategic plan, the board urged the administration to define the cut criteria early in the budget process in anticipation of a substantial shortfall. The administration proposed and the board approved on January 28, 2013 a document entitled “ECSD Budget Development Process 2013-2014.”  It provides sort of a triage procedure to best preserve functions serving the life sustaining organs of the district, the kids. I have reproduced most of the document below to facilitate my comments.

“Budget Reduction Principles

The Board of Education and the Administration have established a set of guiding principles that will shape options available to the District to prudently manage a reduced operating budget for next year.

Budget Reduction Principles

1. Act in alignment with District Mission/Vision

2. Address sustainability: both financial and programmatic

3. Consider attrition and realignment in staff reductions rather than layoffs

4. Staff in alignment with enrollment

5. Focus college and career ready instruction over other instruction

6. Implement program delivery efficiencies vs. program elimination

7. Assess program or activity elimination where multiple data sources support (e.g. enrollment, class

selection)

8. Reduce or freeze non-instruction budget centers before instructional

9. Reduce where trends/data warrant in large budget centers (e.g. salaries, benefits)

10. Engage in good faith decision making based on multiple data sources (e.g. budget listening sessions,

online comments, survey responses)

Process for evaluating budget expenditures – The Administrative Team will review each expenditure using the principles from above for building the 2013-2014 Budget”

I agree that such a document is essential to help make “the best bad decisions” to paraphrase the movie Argo. I also agree with the philosophy to minimize negative impact to students embraced by the document. The board and the administration have done their best to minimize the impact of the harsh economy on the students in our district by using a similar approach for the last two years. This approach is necessary but does not inspire confidence that the district can achieve its Vision of excellence in all areas of education. Three consecutive years of financial deficits approaching or exceeding a million dollars have left only grim choices to make unless revolutionary ways of doing business are discovered.

Albert Einstein once defined insanity as continuing to do the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. The district has investigated a number of ways to plow new ground. The staff and administration are evaluating insurance plans to save substantial money. A new Handbook is being implemented that may result in savings. It’s possible to increase enrollment by discovering and providing or enhancing services to groups as yet to be identified. I would add one more idea to that list. It is not a new idea but a reevaluation of an old idea:  explore a return to the traditional seven-period instructional day. Studies consistently indicate a savings of 5-10% can be achieved while continuing to provide identical class offerings. The data also suggest that student achievement could improve under a block schedule, but it’s inconsistent and requires further scrutiny. After the last few years, the district must be brave enough to explore new frontiers to achieve the magnitude of savings necessary to balance the budget while striving toward instructional excellence.

(1)   http://www.ecsdnet.org/subsites/Doreen-Treuden/documents/2013-2014%20Budget%20Information/ECSD%20Budget%20Development%20Process%20for%202013-14%201-28-2013.pdf

Union Question 6

Q6.     How do you perceive the support staff in our buildings and their importance to how the school functions?

Every employee group in the district provides a unique and indispensable service in the Evansville Community School District.  In most of my previous workplaces, the support staff was the cornerstone of the company. I have had the privilege of working with many of the district support staff for fourteen years as a parent, a board member and a journalist.  That experience has largely reflected my previous work experience. Many groups have been consolidated into “support staff” as a result of the Handbook development process. These people are the first ones to greet children as they enter a building. They take care of them when they get sick at school and wait for a parent to take them home. They help maintain building security as they monitor people entering the building and remind them to sign in and fetch a name tag. They are often the first and last impression new people to the district have when visiting. They provide invaluable service to our most vulnerable students. Their kindness and love for their charges is palpable. They keep the building clean and sanitary to help keep our kids healthy. They provide nutritious meals to students and staff. And they accomplish all this while performing a long litany of tasks to keep the building humming smoothly, with a “whatever it takes” attitude. This group has made countless contributions to past district success. Achieving the increased expectations set by Agenda 2017 will depend on this group’s continued dedication to excellence.

I have followed the Handbook development process and hope that the end product works to make compensation for all support staff commensurate with other area districts. I would work toward that goal if elected this spring. Through this small act, the board and the district conveys to this important group that their continued loyalty and hard work is valued.

Q5 Why should the voters hire you?

Q5 Four of you are running for two open seats. Why should the citizens of the ECSD hire you? (Published on page 6 of the March 6th edition of the Evansville Review).

Thanks again to The Evansville Review for the opportunity to outline my platform to your readers over the last few weeks. A compelling reason for the voters to check my name on the ballot is that I present a complete package to the voters of the ECSD, ready to engage in board business from Day One. I have been actively engaged in board business for seven years, first as a citizen activist, then as a board member and finally as a journalist.  I understand the fundamentals of finance, student achievement data and how board business must be conducted by law. The board won’t have to spend time training me on these basics. If I am elected, that time will be used instead to immediately focus on the many challenges on the horizon, such as Agenda 2017 initiatives, the deficit, Strategic Planning, open enrollment issues and school security.

Agenda 2017 promises to revolutionize public education in Wisconsin in the next five years. I have the experience, skills and desire to help guide the district through the turbulent times ahead. I am passionate about catering to the abilities of the children in the district to empower them to reach their potential. The board must have unwavering dedication to its Vision of excellence to enable the district to lay this foundation for our children. I am fully vested in that Vision and I’m ready to help the board push toward that goal while grappling with financial concerns.  I will encourage fellow board members to complete the Strategic Plan for the district in order to realize the Vision of excellence on which so much future success relies.

I am aware of the substantial time commitment required to effectively serve on the board. My family supports my campaign for another term on the board of education. I am completely independent of the district with no financial or familial connections with the district staff or administration.  I will be able to engage in every vote without causing public concern for potential conflict of interest.  Because of that independence, I will be the advocate for your kids you expect a board member to be. I am persistent. My voice is strong and confident and I will always ask questions until I am satisfied that I have all of the information on which to base my decision. I am a hard and efficient worker. I am willing to put in the significant time and effort to do the job right.  I’ve missed less than 10 meetings in seven years, even when I was only attending as a reporter. That’s a 92.4% attendance rate and that doesn’t include the extra board meetings for committees, planning, retreats, conventions, negotiation and student expulsion hearings, none of which I remember missing. One of my great strengths is my data analysis skills, which are applicable to nearly every challenge facing the board. This adds a historical dimension to decision making that can inform where to concentrate limited resources, a consideration that has become increasingly important in the last three years.

Finally, and probably most importantly, I am a good listener and will represent the community values and concerns as I help the board direct policy that will guide the district to its Vision of excellence.