Message from Missouri School Board President
July 31, 2007
Fellow School Board Members:
You know the expression, “What’s in a name?” but when it comes to the Missouri School Boards’ Association, “What’s NOT in a name?” is worth looking at as well. Yes, our basic mission and reason for existence is to help school boards succeed. And though that could be considered a lofty enough goal in itself, it really doesn’t describe the reach of MSBA. In all eight of our legislative platform planks there are references to stepping out of our local school board roles. Consider these statements:
- MSBA strongly opposes any attempt to divert revenue committed to or intended for public education.
- MSBA supports common sense reform and greater local flexibility in the No Child Left Behind Act.
- MSBA supports a statewide accreditation system that reflects high standards and provides for local flexibility in improving student achievement.
- MSBA opposes term limits for board members.
If we as individual board members, or even as whole boards try to accomplish these things alone it would be an impossible task. That’s why it’s so important that as MSBA members we add “Public School Advocates” (PSA) to our name.
Just last week, your officers, staff, and nearly 20 school board members spent two days in D.C. learning about federal issues affecting public education and talking to Missouri’s congressional members about No Child Left Behind, early childhood education and a variety of other topics. These talks don’t center on what’s best specifically for Knob Noster, Farmington, St. Joseph, or Swedeborg, but instead on how to make improvements for ALL public school students in Missouri.
MSBA wants to make sure your board gets all the help it needs in leading your school district in a positive direction. But we also need your help in assuring that what’s best for EVERY public school takes place in Jefferson City and in Washington, D.C. So get involved and make a name for yourself as an MPSA.
To see our platform statements or to read more about our legislative efforts visit MSBA’s advocacy web site at http://www.msbanet.org/web/2007/04/advocacy__landing_page.aspx
Overcoming the Majave Desert
July 28, 2007
The following is an excerpt from my wife Elaine’s conversations with one of her college classmates:
“I am not sure about other states, but in Missouri, state funding for education comes (mainly) from two sources, the state funding formula (a complicated formula based on many different criteria) and property taxes. Some schools are called “hold harmless” in the sense that since 1993, they have received the exact amount of funding for education on an annual basis, $773 per student. That is particularly troubling because the cost of educating children has more than doubled since then. Those residents in those neighborhoods are in turn “double-taxed.” They pay income taxes to the state that does not come back to their schools, but is allocated to low-come districts of low-income neighborhoods; and then they pay additional property taxes that are used to fund their local schools. For example, in our district, Mehlville, 80% of the funding comes from local property taxes, the rest comes from state and federal funding. Some schools are reversed, especially low income neighborhoods.
Lower income families, living in lower income neighborhoods, attending state funded schools are not given the same opportunities as others to learn. They have much more working against them. First, because of their socio-economic status, there are health and wellness issues, parental neglect and abuse issues, predispositions, such as hunger, housing, and concern for safety and security. All of these things contribute to a 70% turnover rate in students on an annual basis, 30% homeless rate, and in the case of the St. Louis Public School system, at least 6000 children are absent from school every day.
Because of this, it cost an estimated 40-70% more to educate children in low-income neighborhoods. Good teachers and administrators look for jobs at other schools. Supplies are in constant demand. While there are always exceptions, students occasionally making it to Harvard for example, that is definitely not the norm. Equality in education is good in theory, but it has never been put in to practice. Being born in to poverty is like learning to walk with broken legs. You can’t even start until you first fix your legs. Being born in to the middle class puts a child in an environment naturally conducive to learning. In most cases, a middle-class white child in America as much less to overcome than their counterparts. There is an old saying that, “You bloom where you are planted.” Imagine you are a clone of the same seed. If you are planted in fertile soil with plenty of sunlight, you will grow with little to no effort from others. If you are planted in the Mojave Desert, you are going to need some assistance, and even then, you are more likely to wilt, whither and rot than not. The latter is given a lesser chance to succeed, as is a child of a low income neighborhood.”
SUNSHINE Week – Sunshine Week 2007 Online Gallery
July 27, 2007
Smoking just one cannabis joint raises danger of mental illness by 40% | the Daily Mail
July 27, 2007
Smoking just one cannabis joint raises danger of mental illness by 40% | the Daily Mail
Just in case any of our kids are reading.
As good as can be expected – Messenger Delivery
July 27, 2007
Last night, at our July 26th board meeting, we had to make a decision as to how we were going to proceed with our delivery method of the Mehlville Messenger. For the last year, we have delivered the Mehlville Messenger as an insert in the Suburban Journals. As of last night, that process will continue on a month-by-month basis until we have a better grasp on the effectiveness of our delivery method. How we determine that is still to be determined.
My motion was, “Move to suspend printing and delivery of the Mehlville Messenger indefinitely until we have a better feel for the effectiveness of our delivery method,” and that was seconded by Venki Palamand. At that point, there was a long discussion as to what everyone wanted to do.
I cited my communications with several people in the community, as did a couple of other board members that proves to me that people are just not receiving the Messenger, or don’t realize that it is inserted in the Journal. Some of the criticism of my communications with the community is that it just is not representative of our community as a whole. However, in my opinion, the results were so overwhelming that there is no question in my mind that our current delivery method is not effective. Sometimes you just know things to be true, and this is one of those times for me.
There are probably a dozen or so reasons not to send the Mehlville Messenger in the Journal, but there is only one reason to do it. Money. It cost half as much to send the Messenger in the Journal as opposed to residential mailboxes. However, a dollar is not always a dollar. Is it worth it to cut your cost in half if your readership decreases by 60-90%? Likewise, is it worth it to spend double to communicate your message to two, three, or four times more readers? The latter is a judgment call. It depends on how important it is to the Mehlville School District to communicate with their constituents. If you would say that it is important, then mailing the Messenger is the only option that makes sense.
Karl Frank, Jr.
Vice President
Mehlville School District
Revolution in School Board Communication
July 26, 2007
At our recent board retreat, I proposed a new form of communication for the Mehlville School District board of education. It is only revolutionary and innovative in the sense that no public entity that I know of has taken advantage of it yet. Essentially, all I am proposing is to host an online forum for the board of education to post (write) to that would allow us to communicate in a more efficient and ongoing, yet public manner.
The Sunshine Law in Missouri (Missouri Open Meetings and Records Law) is fantastic in the sense that it provides oversight and accountability to the elected officials of the State of Missouri. The same law applies to the Mehlville School District. It prevents school board members and administrators from making decisions in private, or “behind closed doors,” as some would say. It also restricts electronic communications of board members in the sense that board member 1 cannot email board members 2, 3, and 4 and then board member 4 emails 5, 6, and 7. That is a practice called “daisy-chaining,” which is a violation of the Sunshine Law because it is public business done in private.
What is great about the Sunshine Law is also a weakness. Most failures of group interaction and decision-making are results of lack of communication and groupthink. When you cannot effectively communicate with each other, poor decisions often result. The Sunshine Law prevents on-going, fluid conversation from taking place, effectively strengthening the chances of a board making poor decisions.
The proposed online forum would provide a way for board members of a public entity to have the kind of fluid conversation needed to make better decisions for their respective organization, lending itself to making the right decisions for our children and our community. The way it would work is that an agenda would be posted on a weekly basis that would cover the topics to be discussed on the forum. While the entire community would have public viewing rights of the forum, only the elected members of the board of education would be able to make posts to the web site. It is also important to note that decisions will not be made on this forum by the board. It would only serve as a repository for thoughts, ideas, inquiries, and general communications between the various members of the Mehlville board of education. This would satisfy the public meeting notice requirements, while still allowing us to keep a continuous and positive flow of communication alive between board members.
I also propose having links to email addresses of board members on the same page so that if community members did want to respond to board members and their comments, they could. Some possible drawbacks are that once it is typed and posted, it cannot be edited or withdrawn. The post is there forever, for all to see. Issues such as grammar and spelling may become a problem, as some people might use it against us as an entity of public education. However, I believe that the benefits of an online forum far outweigh the negatives. I believe we should do everything we can to improve the mode of communication in school district operations for the benefit of all of our stakeholders.
For coverage of this idea at the retreat, as well as some other communications, click here to read the article in Call Newspapers.
To have an open forum, to not have an open forum
July 24, 2007
I submitted a letter to my fellow board members as a communication to the board encouraging them to reconsider their stance on whether or not they believe an open forum would be a good thing.
Click here to view my letter.
Thank you,
Karl Frank, Jr.
Vice President
Mehlville Board of Education
Mehlville School District
Public Agenda: About Polling
July 19, 2007
This is a link about the questions people should ask about polls. For instance, what makes a poll scientific or unscientific, etc.
So, 62 Surveys Completed
July 17, 2007
And the Preliminary Results are: (I did these quickly and need to double-check the numbers)
More Surveys Coming
July 16, 2007
Tom Diehl and I have been working on collecting more surveys.
We are trying to get 30 additional surveys from a subdivision off of Christopher and 30 more surveys from a subdivision off the North end of Telegraph.
It is supposed to be in the high 90’s all week, so it has been a bit challenging. Especially for Tom. 
So far we have 14 additional Christopher surveys completed. Preliminary data shows that 7% thought the Mehlville Messenger comes in the Journal/Post, but they were not really sure. 86% either don’t know or said they received it in the mail. 7% said they read it online.
Thank you,
Karl Frank, Jr.
Vice President
Board of Education
Mehlville School District
Straw Poll of my subdivision on communications
July 14, 2007
I like to make data-driven decisions as much as possible. The board will discuss renewing our contract with the Suburban Journals to print and distribute the Mehlville Messenger for the Mehlville School District.
The questions I asked, as well as the answers and some analysis are provided.
It requires Excel to view the files. If you would like to have a pdf version, just email me at karlfrankjr@gmail.com and I can get it to you right away.
For the Excel version, click here.
Thank you,
Karl Frank, Jr.
Test Sunshine Law Library
July 13, 2007
This is a sample description of the file that was uploaded. If you would click the Sunshine Law or Facilities tags on the right, they will both take you to this post. For related files, click on the tags/labels above this post.
Facility Naming Guidelines
KSDK NewsChannel 5 – New Web Site Lets People Search Missouri Expenses
I would love to be able to do this for our district web site some day. It falls right in line for my idea of a Sunshine Law library…
New Web Site Lets People Search Missouri Expenses
Created: 7/12/2007 11:25:47 AM
Last updated: 7/12/2007 11:27:14 AM
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Want to know how the state is spending your money?
A new government Web site makes it easier to figure out.
| Advertisement OAS_AD(‘ArticleFlex_1′);  |
An Internet site launched Wesdnesday allows people to search a database of state expenditures.
The site breaks down expenses by broad categories and by specific businesses or individuals.
For example, a simple search shows the state spent $70 million on fuel and utilities last year. Half of that went toward electricity, and about half of that went to St. Louis-based Ameren Corp.
The Web site is called the Missouri Accountability Portal.
It’s updated with new numbers at the end of each business day. Gov. Matt Blunt’s office says it’s one of the first comprehensive searchable databases based on real-time financial records.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
STLtoday – News – Columnists
July 11, 2007
Occasionally I like to post something that is not directly related to the business of Mehlville but provides some interesting insights to education in general, as well as the world around us. I think this fits, and it’s a little funny too!
My high school theory of picking presidents
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
07/09/2007
 Bill McClellan [More columns] [Bill's Biography] |
If all of life is really just an extended high school, I’ve had enough of the private school kids running the country.
The current bunch remind me of the Country Day crowd. There is a certain sense of entitlement that some of the Country Day kids have that meshes perfectly with the current administration.
If George W. Bush were a St. Louisan, he’d be a Country Day guy. No question about that. In fact, his old business partner, Bill DeWitt, went to Country Day. Karl Rove would have gone to Country Day on a scholarship, and there might have been a small scandal — carefully controlled, of course — about Rove doing term papers for some of the other kids. Rush Limbaugh would have gone to Country Day and there might have been a small scandal — carefully controlled, of course — about drug use. John Bolton and Paul Wolfowitz and Dick Cheney would have gone to Country Day. And Lewis Libby? Any adult who is still called “Scooter” is a Country Day alum.
Who thought these guys could run a country? They have made a mess of things.
Of course, the first George Bush — George the Greater — was a Country Day type, and he did a nice job as president. At least he knew enough not to invade Iraq.
Before the Country Day crowd took over, we had Bill Clinton and his friends from John Burroughs. There is a certain sense of moral superiority that some of the John Burroughs kids have that meshes perfectly with the Clinton crowd.
The kids from John Burroughs are very liberal and concerned about all the right things, but in an impersonal sort of a way. They’re concerned about the environment, but drive SUVs. Al Gore would have been class president at Burroughs. He practically invented Global Warming and it is his mission to do something about it, but he himself needs to live large, in a carbon-footprint kind of way. Donna Shalala, Robert Reich and Madeleine Albright all would have gone to John Burroughs. And Hillary, of course.
They had eight years at the helm of the country, and by the end of that eight years, I was sick of them. Now they want to run things again.
That means we would have had four years of Country Day, eight years of John Burroughs, eight more years of Country Day, and then we’d go back to the kids from Burroughs for at least four more years. By then, Jeb Bush, another Country Day kid, would probably want to run.
Why can’t we try something else for a change?
I wonder where Barack Obama would have gone to high school had he grown up around here. Maybe he would have lived in the city and taken part in the desegregation program. In real life, he started school in Jakarta and then finished grade school and high school at a private school in Hawaii.
How about Bill Richardson? He went to Middlesex. That sounds a little sketchy to me — You have to be one sex or the other if you want to be president of this country! — but Middlesex turns out to be a place rather than a gender, and it is home to an exclusive boarding school. We don’t have one of those, so had he grown up here, he probably would have gone to Country Day or John Burroughs. Maybe Whitfield.
Fred Thompson was a public school kid. So was John Edwards.
Rudy Giuliani went to Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School. That sounds like Bishop DuBourg High School. We haven’t had a Bishop Dubourg kid as president yet.
Christopher Dodd went to Georgetown Prep in Maryland. That’s a Jesuit school. Had he grown up here, he would have gone to St. Louis University High School. That’s impressive. Also, Paul Simon recently sang at one of his rallies. That’s a good sign. Maybe we ought to pay a little more attention to Dodd.
Welcome Message from Terry Noble
July 10, 2007
As seen in the July 2007 edition of the Mehlville Messenger...
I want to begin by sharing my sincere appreciation to the Mehlville R-IX Board of Education for providing me with the opportunity to serve as your Superintendent of Schools. In addition, I want to thank Dr. Jerry Chambers and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost for their excellent leadership during the past year. Thanks to their efforts, we are experiencing a smooth transition into the new school year. Dr. Chambers and Dr. Knost have been instrumental in setting the stage for what I believe are the many great things yet to come for the Mehlville R-IX School District.
I believe the Mehlville R-IX School District is on the verge of accomplishing much in the midst of some already impressive achievements. The Mehlville R-IX Board of Education and staff are to be commended for making student achievement our top priority and for the committed efforts being extended on behalf of our students. In the small amount of time I’ve had the opportunity to visit with the Board and staff, I have seen student achievement as the primary focus, and I know there exists a unified purpose that will keep student achievement at the forefront.
As an introduction to all of you, I want to attempt to answer the following question: What can you expect of me as your superintendent? First of all, I view every one of our children as my own. I am a lifelong educator who believes this has been my calling in life. Working in the field of public education provides me with real purpose in life and is the reason I get out of bed each day. I love kids and want nothing less than the very best for each one.
Secondly, I believe it is my job to earn your trust and confidence and do not expect it to be handed to me. It is my responsibility to demonstrate to you such personal qualities as truthfulness, sincerity, honesty, fairness and competence by the manner in which I conduct my personal and professional life. I respect your right to reserve judgment until such time I have proven myself to you.
Thirdly, my vision for the Mehlville R-IX School District must be a shared vision among all key stakeholders. Who are the key stakeholders of our district? They are all who reside within the boundaries of this district. This includes the students, parents, patrons and staff. It includes our senior citizens as well as the parents and students of our private and parochial schools. It includes the business community. A quality community life is extremely dependent upon the presence of a strong and vibrant public school system. It is my job to work to build and maintain the kind of school/community partnerships that welcome the active participation of every member of our community.
Fourthly, I will practice and promote democratic decision making. I believe the most effective decisions are those that are made “from the bottom up.” Our hard working and experienced staff who work in the trenches each day have the answers to many of our problems. It’s simply a matter of providing them with an avenue for input. This will result in practical and timely solutions to problems as they arise and, in many cases, will serve as a means of preventing concerns before they occur. I am a strong proponent of open and honest communications that flow both directions.
Next, one of my most important duties is to work to acquire the necessary resources for our district. This will be a primary focus for me as your superintendent. A school district’s most valuable resource is its staff. The competition for quality teachers, counselors and administrators is very intense. We must be able to compete with our neighbors so that we can recruit and retain the very best staff available. In addition, our staff must be equipped with the necessary tools to empower them to do their jobs to the best of their ability. This not only includes curriculum supplies and materials, but a professional development program that involves ongoing and continuous analysis, reflection and growth. Strong leadership at all levels of administration is a critical element to our success as a school district. I will work closely with our administrators to promote and develop the kind of leadership that will enable our students and staff to reach their full potential.
Finally, I will promise to be highly visible throughout the school district and the community. I will do my best to represent our school district with pride and dignity as an active member of the community.
I look forward to sharing more of my ideas and vision for the Mehlville R-IX School District in future articles. Meanwhile, I urge each of you to join together in the united purpose of making our school district the very best we can be.
Sincerely,
Terry Noble
Superintendent of Schools
New Feature
July 8, 2007
On the right hand side you will find a “Tag Cloud” or archives by category. The more posts that I have tagged with a particular category, the larger the font will appear. If you mouse over a category, you should receive a screen tip with a count of how many posts actually fall under that category.
2007/2008 Budget for Mehlville
July 8, 2007
As Reported in Call Newspapers at www.callnewspapers.com
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| July 04, 2007 – A budget for the 2007-2008 school year that projects more than $3.2 million in deficit spending was adopted last week by the Mehlville Board of Education with a unanimous vote.
The 2007-2008 budget projects total expenditures of $104,810,862 with anticipated revenue of $101,588,219 — a deficit of $3,222,643. Despite the projected deficit, the district will not go into the red, but will dip into its reserves. Based on an anticipated fiscal 2006-2007 balance of $19,029,543, an overall fund balance of $15,806,900 is projected on June 30, 2008. The Board of Education last year adopted a 2006-2007 budget that anticipated total expenditures of $96,977,601 with projected revenue of $98,539,140 — a surplus of $1,561,539. Based on an anticipated balance of $13,107,401 for the 2005-2006 school year, a balance of $14,668,940 originally was projected on June 30, 2007. However, the revised budget for the 2006-2007 school year projects total expenditures of $110,893,909 with anticipated revenue of $113,328,498 — a surplus of $2,434,589. Based on an actual balance of $16,594,953 for the 2005-2006 school year, a balance of $19,029,542 was projected on June 30, 2007. That’s $4,360,602 more than originally projected. The approved budget for the 2007-2008 school year projects operating expenditures of $89,417,646 with anticipated revenue of $86,142,576 — a deficit of $3,275,070. However, with an operating fund balance of $10,305,894 anticipated on June 30, 2007, an operating fund balance of $7,030,824 — 7.86 percent — is projected on June 30, 2008. That balance includes food service, activities and athletics. Under state law, a school district is required to maintain a 3-percent balance in its operating fund — a combination of the general fund and the teachers’ fund — or be considered a “distressed” district. When the original 2006-2007 school year budget was adopted, operating expenditures of $84,393,534 were projected with anticipated revenue of $84,508,912 — a surplus of $115,378. After transferring $150,000 to the capital projects fund, an operating fund balance of $5,806,283 — 6.88 percent — was projected on June 30, 2007. That balance includes food service, activities and athletics. But the revised 2006-2007 operating budget projects expenditures of $82,985,213 with anticipated revenue of $84,850,604 — a surplus of $1,865,391. After transferring $150,000 to the capital projects fund, an operating fund balance of $10,305,895 — 12.42 percent — was projected on June 30, 2007. That balance includes food service, activities and athletics. The 2007-2008 budget includes a 6-percent salary increase for teachers, classified staff and all but three returning administrators. The budget also increases the certified staff by 20 positions, plus additional maintenance and security positions. Other provisions in the budget for the coming school year include: • Reestablishing the three-tier bus system. • Increasing the maintenance budget to enhance staffing and equipment. • Reducing the cost of insurance premiums to staff members and their dependents. District coverage will include orthodics for employees and an increase in the durable medical equipment benefit. Based on initial revenue and expenditure projections and after the defeat of a proposed 97-cent tax-rate increase in February 2006, the administration early in 2006 had recommended a target of $4 million in cuts be made for the 2006-2007 school year. At one point in early 2006, the board had approved cuts totaling $3,497,550, including the decision to begin charging $375 per student for bus transportation for those living within 3.5 miles of their school. Charging for transportation was among the recommendations made by task force study groups appointed by former Superintendent Tim Ricker to explore expenditure reductions in the event the 97-cent tax-rate increase was not approved. After the April 2006 school-board election in which two incumbents were defeated, board members voted April 19, 2006, to reinstate free bus transportation with then-board President Ken Leach, Vice President Karl Frank Jr., Tom Diehl and Micheal Ocello in favor. Opposed were then-Secretary Tom Correnti, Cindy Christopher and Rita Diekemper. Diekemper and Correnti did not seek re-election this year. Though the board voted last year to reinstate free transportation, a four-tier system was utilized, resulting in fewer bus stops, longer walks for students and a change in starting and dismissal times at some schools. The approved 2007-2008 budget restores a three-tier system that is similar — but not exactly the same — as the previous three-tier system. Diehl, current board president, told the Call he was pleased with the adoption of the 2007-2008 budget, particularly with the in-crease in the number of teaching positions. “I am happy that we will be able to restore a number of teaching positions that were cut in prior years. We will also be able to make a significant purchase of textbooks once again and take care of some building maintenance issues,” he said. “While we still have unmet needs and a desire to improve our curriculum delivery, it feels good to be able to approve a budget that will improve our educational program for our school children, reward our teachers and employees for their hard work and maintain a sufficient balance to work without an atmosphere of overwhelming anxiety and pessimism,” Diehl added. |
Welcome to Terry Noble
July 7, 2007
It seems like Mr. Terry Noble has already been around for quite awhile, but he is just now taking the reins as Superintendent. I am not sure if there is anyone more excited about it than me. I believe that Mehlville is in for a special treat. Mr. Noble is a very sincere, honest and engaging man who is data driven and open-minded.
I could not imagine a better fit for Mehlville at this time in our history. There is no one too small for him to give his time and effort, and no one so big that he cannot talk with them in an confident and effective manner. In one conversation in particular he impressed me with the fact that he believes in “bottom-up management,” which is exactly what I believe Mehlville has needed for a long time.
All in all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Time will ultimately tell Terry Noble’s contribution to the children of this community, as well as the community as a whole, but I put the odds on a incremental increase in the quality of education to be had by those who will participate in our system.
Good Luck Terry!
Remember where you came from friends…
July 2, 2007
It seems as though some of my colleagues need some reminding of what got them here…
group·think (grūp‘thĭngk‘) 
n.
The act or practice of reasoning or decision-making by a group, especially when characterized by uncritical acceptance or conformity to prevailing points of view.
Of course I realize that someone could make the argument “anything other than what Karl believes is groupthink.” However, that would be incorrect. I am not saying that everyone has to agree with me. All I am saying is that don’t expect me to sit idly by when I believe we are making dire decisions for our district.
I don’t believe that I have said anything disrespectful. Everyone needs to just calm down and remember, my web site is a way for me to communicate with the people who elected me. They have come to expect explanations for my votes on my web site. When anyone wants to know how I feel about something in particular, they come to http://mehlville.karlfrankjr.com. It’s not like I have a huge readership, so just relax.
It’s similar to the minority report of the Supreme Court. They may lose the vote, but they still get the opportunity to explain themselves.
Administrator Salaries – by Karl Frank, Jr.
July 1, 2007
Of all of the contentious issues that we face in the Mehlville School District, administrator salaries is probably the most divisive. People can not wrap their brains around the fact that school principals and central office administrators are making an average of $100,000 a year. I am working on a letter to the editor to Call Newspapers about how six-figure salaries are not what they used to be and will post that if it is published. In the meantime, I am just going to talk about the decision by the board of education to raise most administrator salaries by 6% as it relates to how it effects the long-term vision of our current board of education.
The overlying rationale from those who approved the raises were that we gave the teachers 6%, and if we are going to give our teachers 6%, we should give our administrators 6% to be equitable. This way we will not damage the morale amongst all district employees that is currently described and generally accepted by those close to the situation as “positive.” I don’t necessarily disagree with that statement; however, I think as a whole, teacher salaries across the country are comparatively low considering what they actually contribute to the health of our democratic society. In addition, my research and investigations have proven to me that administrator salaries are relatively fair and sufficient for what they do for our school districts.
I believe each department should be looked at individually for what they do and what they receive in compensation. It is counterintuitive to say that in all cases, if one group of employees get something then every group deserves the same. If our administrators were disproportionately underpaid for what they do then I would advocate for them just as I do our teachers. That being said, I do believe it is necessary to have firm policies and procedures in place for how each employee group will be handled. This is necessary so that all employees know what to expect when they accept employment.
In a perfect world, every employee group and school district/company would be in an economic position that we could just give blanket raises to all groups and feel good about it as a board of education. However, when it is identified that one group has been historically underpaid, that is when equitable raises become unequal.
Now for the issue of climate and environment. We are not operating in vacuum. There are extenuating circumstances that must be taken in to consideration when making decisions. An example used in this debate with several board members was to compare Bourbon, Missouri and Las Vegas, Nevada. If you were to open a club in Bourbon and a club in Las Vegas, you would have to take the business climate and social environment into consideration as it relates to what you hope to accomplish with it. You can get away with things in Vegas that you could not even dream of getting away with in Bourbon.
A quick study of Mehlville’s past will show that our community has a history of punishing us as a district when we give large raises to employees that are perceived by our community to already be compensated fairly for what they do. In all fairness, there are plenty of people who feel that our teachers are well paid; however, their ire is never raised with them as it is when we bump up administrators.
Knowing this, I did everything I could, including begging, to convince my fellow board members that this was not the right thing to do for the Mehlville School District. Administrators are well aware of our climate and environment when they come to work here. Maybe in the future, with baby-steps, we can slowly change the meme of our society to believe that we need to obtain and retain the best of the best in all positions regardless of cost, but that is not the case in 2007.
As a result of our decision on Thursday night, I believe that our community will once again punish us. Especially after our community placed at least four of our current board members on the board because they believed that we would not do exactly what we did, give the administration 6% raises.
That being said, Mr. Palamand and I did try to make a compromise. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, over the last twelve months, inflation was 2.7 percent. Since the beginning of the year, it was 5.5 percent. During a discussion of individually identifiable employees, “We offered a 3% compromise that was defeated 5-2 in closed session.” I did believe it was more than fair to provide a cost of living pay raise. Everyone has a standard of living according to what they make and I wanted to honor that. In addition to it being a cost of living raise, it would have been equitable dollar for dollar to what the teachers received. With a 6% raise for the teachers, they will receive roughly $3000 for additional pay for ‘07/’08. With a 3% raise for the administration, they would have received roughly $3000 in additional pay for ‘07/’08. $3000 and $3000. Granted $3000 means more to the teachers than it does the administrators, but that says just as much to me as any other part of this argument.
In the future, it does appear that we will be changing some things. We most likely will not be giving administrators blanket pay raises. They will be based mostly on their individual performance as well as their academic and professional development. We are also considering including verbiage in new administrative hire contracts for the next year that language be included that states that not only are we proposing a starting salary to them, but the administrator will also receive whatever average increases we provide our current administrators once that amount is determined by the board of education. This way it will not appear that we are giving raises to administrators before they have even started one day of work.
In summary, what damage is to be done by this decision is done. There is nothing we can do about it now. Unfortunately, I believe that this decision alone will be enough to make most of what we have accomplished over the last year in gaining our community’s trust nothing more than a mirage. That doesn’t mean that we will not eventually be able to overcome it, it only means that we just keep making it harder on ourselves. As a good friend of mine said, “How many times does Mehlville have to shoot itself in its foot?”
Some decisions that amount to only several thousand dollars in our budget routinely end up costing our children millions. That is just something I wasn’t willing to do, hence my vote not to give administration 6% pay raises.
It has nothing to do with whether or not they deserve what they get paid, which for the record, I believe that most of them do, it only has to do with that I believe this will negatively affect the availability of additional resources that we as a district desire to obtain to accomplish our educational goals for our children.
School Parking
July 1, 2007
At the last board meeting I moved to reduce parking fees by $100 to $125, seconded by Secretary Michael Ocello. Ken Leach promptly moved to amend the motion to $100 a year; after which I seconded. The motion passed 7-0 with no further discussion.
I thought it would be helpful for me to post my rationale for upping the parking for to $225 to begin with and then go from there…
1. Every student has access to free bus transportation. 2. Even at $225, it is only about a dollar a day to park. 3. Not everyone has access to parking even if they are willing to pay for it. 4. At $225, we still had no problem filling the parking spots. 5. Even at $225, it doesn’t even come close to what it costs to maintain the parking lots. 6. Some of the parking costs were supposed to offset the Driver’s Ed expense so that we could continue offering classes…that never happened. 7. At the time, because of budget restraints, raising the parking fee to $225 was an alternative to every student having to pay $350 a year to ride the bus, even if they were only going to ride it once or twice and you would not get a multiple student discount. Imagine the hit on the three, four and five child families.
However, since then, things have changed. As it turns out, we weren’t broke and more revenue came in than anticipated and Driver’s Education was not restored. It just didn’t make sense to leave the parking fees at $225.
That being said, the parking fees are still double what they were for the ‘05/’06 school year at Oakville and Mehlville High Schools.
I believe that $100 per spot is more than fair.
