TCSD Cuts Teachers Pay 5%
TCSD sent an email out Thursday letting employees know that their salaries will be cut by 5% starting with the check they were receiving the next day. Wow what a notice. This is to be in effect until 6/30/09. The Board took the same cut in their compensation as well as Superintendent Dyal. I am sure they are doing what they feel they must do, but it is somewhat unfair that everyone has to feel it but union employees. Unions have their purpose and place, but considering the times, maybe they should have fell in with the rest. The floor is yours...open discussion.
Dyal and company now have an unfair labor practice to defend. What a putz! Also what about the new coach and related "goodies" for the new coach. It would seem somewhat short sighted for Putz and company to do all of this with rolling out the red carpet and incentives for this new coach! What other items regarding the new coach is in the shadows? At what expense? What a putz!
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I know some of you are very unsatisfied and are passionate about the school system, but could we please ease off the name calling. There are better ways to say the same thing. Thanks for participating.
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There's the Teachers Union, and the Non-Instructional Union, who does that leave?
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Both unions fought the cut, even though it was clearly necessary (as evidenced by the fact that the non-uion superintendent, the board, and the administrators all took it a month ago). I suppose the district figured out that if they kept fighting with the unions, it would take months to resolve the issue--but cost-savings were needed immediately.
I don't know about the legal ramifications, but I think I've read about other school districts making similar cuts recently. There's definitely a precedent.
My question to any union folks out there would be this... What alternative do you suggest? The district is clearly broke. They've been identified by the state as being in financial distress, so we know this isn't a ploy. Since payroll is their biggest expense, payroll is where most cuts will need to come from. I see two options: reduce salaries, or lay people off. Is it the position of the unions that layoffs would be best?
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Sure seems that way doesn't it.
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Dyal made it clear in the school board meeting that the employee cuts and the payroll cuts do not affect one another. It's very bad that these cuts were made the way they were made, it's atrocious that next Tuesday they will vote to bring in a new coach, a new asst coach, a wife who will have a teaching job and a wife who will have an aide position. Taylor County should be outraged over this, everyone needs to be in Steinhatchee (where the vote will take place) Tuesday night and voice their opinion. Everyone needs to go. We should all be disgusted with these decisions.
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I read in the paper the other day where Dyal had said that payroll cuts weren't tied to layoffs, but that didn't make much sense to me.
How could the two issues be unrelated? The district desperately needs to cut expenses, and quickly. The pay cut will save $422,000, according to Friday's paper.
If the district didn't have the pay cut, what else could they have done in order to save $400,000 in a hurry? I can't think of anything but layoffs.
At this point, the district has implemented a number of the FADSS recommendations. The ones they didn't follow (like closing the school in Steinhatchee and reducing the number of teachers at the other schools) would've resulted in quite a few lost jobs.
Which ones again brings us back to them having to choose between the pay cut and layoffs.
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Teaching in the school system allows you to see "behind the scenes". There is a lot of waste that could have been stopped THIS school year, that would have, at the very least, made the teachers' pay cut lower than the 5% imposed now.
For example, some teachers at the high
school have left this year and their positions shouldn't have been filled, but absorbed by the TCHS teachers who have small classes.
In a faculty meeting it was stated that 5 positions would have to be cut for the '09-'10 school year. We have had two teachers leave already this year and those positions could have been eliminated, creating a savings for this year and also eliminating two positions out of the 5 that will be cut next year anyway. We also have had an athletic director that resigned, but we have hired another athletic director and the word is he is bringing assistant coaches (and their wives have been promised a job in our school system, also). WHY?! When for at least one year we could have saved money by not bringing in a new athletic director, but allowed the Coaches that agreed to run the football program pro bono to do just that.
Most of the job maneuvering has been done for political reasons. It is time for the leaders of the school system, including the school board, to quit the politics and do 100% of what can be done to reduce the deficit without cutting teachers' pay. That hasn't been done, yet.
By not looking carefully at the cost waste at each school site with a non-political view and by maneuvering to protect some people and programs, Mr. Dyal, Mr. Whiddon, Mr. Southerland, Mr. Dennis, Mrs. Carlton and Mr. Lundy are taking the school district's employees' money away from them.
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One thing we have to remember is that Dyal only took office in November--well into the district's fiscal and school years. There are cuts that need to be made that aren't practical to make in the middle of the year, so Dyal's hands have been somewhat tied.
I know that Dyal has given a series of presentations to the board--and has more scheduled--covering a variety of cost-cutting topics. I may be naive, but I get the sense that everything is being looked at. Nothing seems to be off-limits (other than high school football).
In fact, Dyal and the board have made a number of unpopular decisions. For instance, the changes to transportation and the special meals for kids whose parents don't pay their lunch bills. I have to give them credit for their boldness with those moves--they did it because they felt it was necessary, even though it was politically unpopular.
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The logic that the 5% pay cut was clearly necessary (as evidenced by the fact that the non-union superintendent, the board, and the administrators all took it a month ago) is illogical. I think the "Union Folk" are trying to ask "Why didn't the Superintendent follow the recommendations set forth in the FADSS report". Following those recommendations would have prevented a pay cut. The present board voted to spend the money that got us into the financial mess we are in now...spending down the rainy day fund we had and putting us in a deficit before the economy soured.
The School Board approved money to be spent where it shouldn't have and is now taking money away from where it shouldn't take...teachers' wallets.
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http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/41235377.html
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Read the article and I have to agree with Barbara Bratcher in that blind-sided is a good word to describe the cut. I mean the how and when it was done, you have to admit, was a pretty crappy way to do it. I also have to disagree with the other resident that said it would drive away good teachers. Where are they going to go? This a state wide epidemic. It is happening everywhere. I am sure you couldn't find a district that is hiring right now.
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The district has been talking about this since February, so it wasn't totally out of the blue. In fact, employees had been advised to go ahead and set aside 5% from each paycheck in anticipation that the cuts would eventually come, and that once they did they would be retroactive to February.
It's interesting to note that Ms. Bratcher was the only teacher quoted in the article. I've talked to other teachers around town, and got the feeling from them that they didn't want the union to keep fighting the cuts. I'm not sure the union was representing the will of the majority.
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Thanks for the link, that really explains a lot for me, isn't Ms. Bratcher the employee that sued the county for harrassment, and then ran the Adult Meal Program, don't know why she left there, I wondered what happened to her.
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I was under the impression that school was for learning the ABC's, not sports.
Sports are an added benefit--
If it is top priority then let the players, family and alumni pay-as-you-play. The teaching facility (teachers, school, text etc) should not suffer for the "side-show".
It is discussed on this site often about the poor leadership in government, and how the NAME receives the job. School should be teaching and training these students to be able to step up to the plate later in life and change things.
If they see the same old, same old, where is the incentive to be pro-active and make their community better.
Mom and Pop who want their kids to stay in Taylor County have to start paving the roadway for their success after college.
If collage is not in someones' future there still is opportunity for them. The library is full of books to advance themselves, and the internet is a self teacher on hundreds of subjects.
The teacher's of this county should be top notch, more so than some unknown coach, to get the children on a better path of success. Their pay should be better than best,to attract young graduating teachers to the area, and give incentive for the experienced teachers to stay and help foster the learning curve above and beyond the norm.
Taylor County should have its eye on the future to be the best of the 67 counties in the state academically, then and (only then) should sports take a highlighted position.
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How could this "run the good teachers away?" Where will they go? Larger school districts in the state that are laying off teachers by the dozens or even hundreds? What most consider to be good and eager teachers are usually young and fresh out of college. If the pay cuts hadn't been made, THOSE teachers would be the first to lose their jobs.
As for complaining about the new coach, I think we are barking up the wrong tree here. Replacing the head coach that resigned is NOT adding any jobs here. Has an actual decision-making official stated that two wives will have jobs here? Or is everyone just jumping to conclusions without knowing all the details? I highly doubt we are creating new positions just for them.
My opinion is that we need to be patient and let the new superintendent do his job. Sacrifices are being made, but this is happening ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. We need to let our elected officials make the decisions that we elected them to make.
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Here's the catch with the coach thing... Actual decision-making officials haven't said ANYTHING. This is why rumors are running rampant, and have been for months. If the district were more open about the process, the gossip would scale back.
There's one thing we know for sure... The district already has a head coach who has a contract through the end of the year. If a new coach is appointed at the next board meeting (conveniently located in Steinhatchee, so attendance--and possible opposition--will be minimal), then the district will be paying TWO head coaches until the current one leaves.
There's also the issue that current coaches have volunteered to coach football for free. The district clearly doesn't care for that idea. However, they haven't told the community why that is. They haven't explained to people why they believe it's better to pay someone.
It could be that the district is doing the right thing with the coaches. But they're certainly NOT doing the right thing when it comes to managing communication and PR. This is true of both external communication (e.g., the public having no clue what's going on in the coach-hring process) and internal (e.g., employees not knowing what was going on with the 5% cut).
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To tcc,
#1. First lets address the coach- as I have found out, the district has been looking for a coach since December, when the previous coach resigned. They have had a serch on for the best possible person, this person will make less than the previous coach, therefore saving monies. Your interpertation as costing more monies is absurd-you have stateed in past blogs you thought he would be making more money. As for hiring an assistant coach, he was told that he could bring one asst. with him, trhere is no guarantee that this person will come or if this person's wife will even have a job. As for the head coach's wife getting a job, she does not even work now-she is a stay at home mom.
2. As for the volunteer coaches that would work for free- that is a laugh. The one coach who volunteered has worked for 4 years- and would be guaranteed a professional contract if he was kept, therfore eliminating another position. He is a good man, but when you change coaches, most new coaches want a clean slate of coaches so to instill a new thought process in the kids. The other person who was going to volunteer for free as you said only wanted a job, because this is his first year withy the district and his only chance of keeping a jod would be to work this kind of deal, (I am in no way saying these are not good men, but they may have had alterrior motives in their offer). Now you have not heard that from them, but they also asked for theier existing supplement, so it was not for free.
#. As for not getting info out front from the district, I have many times called the superintendant and he has answered all my questions honestly and openly. It is not anyones method of hiring to publically anounce their hiring goings on as they are in the process of doing so.
4. As for the meeting being be in Steinhatchee, they always meet in steinhatchee and shady grove two times a year, and these meetings are set in November I believe.
5. How did I get this information, I called and asked, That is all you would have to do..
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Ok #1 is a good and logical information, he's bringing an asst. with him, however you loose me on #2. I don't know either of the gentlemen you are talking about, but it seems to me they are loosing thier jobs, I know they were slated to loose the jobs, but if this coach were not coming, and they could fill the position, they could keep their jobs. Then you say a New Head Coach wants a clean slate of coaches so to instill new thought processes, where will these new coaches and their salaries come from? Next the district is in financial trouble, deep trouble, deep cuts are needed, why wouldn't you just cut a failing program untill you were on more stable finanacial ground, or scale back and let the "volunteers" handle the job untill the district is on more stable ground,I mean the main thing the school system should focus on is classroom education, that is what it's all about right. So if you wanted to continue the football program, let the two "volunteers" keep their jobs, you or whoever you spoke to make it sound like these men were "conspiring" some evil to keep their jobs. So I guess what I'm saying is, it does sounds like you talked to someone in charge.
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From a communications standpoint, which makes more sense: Having 20,000 residents of the county call the superintendent to ask about this, or having the district proactively put something in the newspaper, on its web site, etc. addressing the issues?
If the district were a privately-owned company, I would have no problem with it no publicly announcing its hiring processes. But it's not; it's a taxpayer-funded institution. There are virtually no secrets with this type of organization; transparency is the name of the game.
I know Steinhatchee meetings are a somewhat regular occurance. I don't take issue with that. I just think it's probably not a coincidence that that's the meeting that has the new coach on the agenda (and I'm usually not a cynic.)
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Well let's ask the school board to put a full page ad in the newspaper. Then we can start another discussion on here about how ridiculous it was to waste money like that. Then, we can get all the people who hire and fire the city and county workers to explain to the masses their processes of hiring and firing the positions. Obviously, putting everything out there for the public's convenience is not the way things always work (yes, even for positions paid by taxes!)
By the way, it sounds to me like you tend to be more cynical than anything else.
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No need to pay; the newspaper, WCTV, etc. have covered this issue for free. They've just been given very little info by the district.
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Actually it would cost nothing, they don't have to take out a full page add, they can just do like they did the cuts it was in the paper, it didn't cost anything, unless the paper is charging for it's stories these days. It's easy to inform the public, if you want to, especially the County Commissioners, County Manager, City Manager, School Board, and Superintendent. They have stories just about every week in the paper. Your right though, putting things out for public information is not the way things work here. Not cynical just facts.
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To TCC, (cynic)- that is all you do, is critisize and complain. I would love to see you came out and show whoi you are. I would love to see if you have in fact tried to make an impact in some part of Taylor County. You believe that you know everything about all the goings on in Taylor County. A friend once told me that the most dangerous to themselves and to other people are those who know a little about most things, butr not all about one.
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If you think that all I do is to criticize and that I don't offer suggestions along with any criticism I make, you must not be reading my posts.
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To Student, you my friend are wiser than your years, maybe others should follow your words and be patient.
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TaylorCountyCitizen, since you are everywhere all the time with your answers,here,wctv and you surely think that you have all the answers,why do you hide behind a moniker? Why not tell all who you are so we can be aware that we have a *know it all* in our mist.What have you got to be afraid of? I think you are wasteing your talents here, Washington needs you....BYE
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That's funny, coming from someone who posts under the name "Anonymous."
Look, I'll be glad to discuss/debate a specific issue with you if you have something on your mind. But if all you're going to do is take pot shots at someone you don't know, I'm not interested. Go find somewhere else to troll.
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I am posting this for new participants that may not have read the kind of etiquette I ask of this site. This site is for everyone and we will not always agree with the thoughts and opinions of another and one of the top pet peeves of mine regarding participation is mutual respect. There is no place here for negative comments or personal attacks on another simply because you don't agree with them. This is a place to say you agree or disagree and either post your facts and opinions to debate your position or simply say you disagree. I want everyone to feel comfortable to come here and say what is on their mind and have quality, friendly debates or discussions, and when you don't do that and simply attack one another, participation will dwindle. I have seen it in the past and do not want to see it again. Thanks to all of you for participating and I hope you continue.
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I know Ms. Bratcher and she did not sue the County for harassment, as you say. The suit was for discrimination. She was the Interim County Manager at the time she applied for the County Manager position. The BOCC, not once but twice, overlooked her to hire a man, when she was clearly qualified for the position. The process agreed with her and she received a settlement. Second, only after the director of the senior services center committed suicide did she go to work for that board. She was asked to work for them, not the other way around. The financial situation there was also dire. In fact, they were $100K in the red. While trying to resolve that situation, the BOCC agreed to help the center out financially. When the senior services Board of Directors (at that time) agreed to take the money, the BOCC wanted some oversight to make sure the money would be used for senior program, but the BOD would have none of that. The agency for aging (who had been telling the BOD) there was a problem with money for more than a year (under the previous director's administration) decided since the BOD would not work with the BOCC, then they didn't need the state's money either. The agency withdrew their funding from the BOD. Ms. Bratacher was only been there three months. Ironically, after the state withdrew their funding, some Board members resigned and Ms. Bratcher became a member of the TCSS Board of Directors, and within a year, the TCSS had paid all of their outstanding bills and ended with a positive balance. Ms. Bratcher began teaching three years ago. Her job is also in jeopardy because she in on annual contract. She has been a member of the union since she began teaching.
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Thanks for correcting that, wondered what happen to her, she used to work for the state before all of that.
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Anyone who says teachers should stop whining about the pay cuts should spend time in the classroom. Parents send their best kids to school but some of those kids are so disruptive in the classroom, teachers spend less time teaching and more time dealing with the behavior problems. More and more kids are starting school not knowing the basics. How many employees, or employers for that fact, spend hundreds of dollars of their own money to make sure kids have snacks to eat or basic school supplies to work in the classroom. Some parents think the few supplies they buy at the beginning of the year are sufficient for the entire school year. Think again! Take a day off your job and volunteer to work with a teacher in the classroom, any classroom. If you don't have children in the school system, volunteer to be an aide. Teachers sure can use them. People want teachers to take less money to resolve the budget woes, but how many citizens in our community are actually volunteering their time? Volunteer-that means they won't get "paid" to spend 7.5 hours a day to work in a classroom. Believe me, people are not lined up outside the school doors to do that. The board members should volunteer some of their time in the classroom too! Then maybe teachers and school staff would be appreciated for the jobs they do every day. Yes, they choose that profession, but without teachers, no other profession would be possible. If you are reading this or responding here, thank a teacher you can read and write.
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Last year, the district cut instructional and noninstructional positions to balance the budget. This year they are reducing salaries to balance the budget. What are they going to do next year, with the district looking at a $3.3 million shortfall, to balance the budget? Reduce salaries even more or cut more positions? All these presentations are "feel good" presentations, but I want to see the money. When will they actually present the budget to the public for comment? Oh, that's right, after school is out and they have cut, cut, cut. I don't believe folks in Steinhatchee would be more willing to drive 16 miles to take their children to school is the Steinhatchee school closes when people in Perry don't want to drive 2 miles!
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To all Taylor County citizens,MOVE, RELOCATE pERRY IS GOING DOWN THE TUBES FAST.RIGHT NOW THE SCHOOLS ARE IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL,WHICH IS NOT GOING TO END.THE MILL HAS ALREADY STARTED IT'S DOWNWARD SPIRAL,AND IT IS NOT GOING TO GET ANY BETTER BUT ALOT WORSE.IF YOU THINK BUCKEYE WILL NOT CLOSE THAT MILL TO SAVE THE COMPANY AS A WHOLE,YOU WILL GO DOWN WITH IT!THINK OF YOUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE!HECK THINK OF YOUR OWN!IT IS COMING!
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I read the presentation to the legislature by Dyal and company and not only are the employees having to reduce their salaries to correct the district's financial incompetency, at least 34 staff positions (mind you NOT ADMINISTRATORS) have been deleted for 2009/2010. Some of the ADMINISTRATOR positions would equal several front line staff positions - the contract services of Ken Olson ($92K+), Mr. Montgomery ($78K+), and Sandy MacDonald ($68K+), just to name a few. Get rid of these annual contract folks and keep teachers and support staff. I guess it is easier to get rid of front line employees rather than the chosen few. How many good teachers are going by the wayside to pacify the few? And Steinhatchee still remains open even though there are less than 100 students but there is a full time principal, a kitchen staff, six or seven teachers. If students are going to leave, they are going to leave. Apparently, the district can't calculate a reasonable number of students leaving because we keep losing hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the past several years for overprojecting. The entire administration staff needs to be reorganized rather than front line staff. I know I will not be voting for my school district representative next election. Apparently, they are the only ones NOT getting the boot! Maybe they should quit their cushy jobs and go into the classrooms, lunchrooms, drive buses, and work in the front offices to see how the real school employees function. Deal with unruly and disrespectful children daily as well as their irate parents. I don't think they could last a month! Am I angry, you bet I am. And this finance director is a JOKE! Incompetence all around but those employees continue to work, making big bucks. They (the elected officials) haven't got a clue and can't blame past finance directors. Can we blame OSCAR HOWARD, we sure can. His incompetence and back room deals (the good ol' boy syndrome) helped put this district in financial distress(hope his conscience bothers him each and every night) for years to come. Dyal is trying to fix it in his first year and in my opinion has lost the confidence of staff and taxpayers. It's time these losers leave! I wonder if we can demand their resignation like the voters of California did to Gov. Gray 10 years ago?
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I really hate that the teachers are facing the cuts. As you say, the financial mess isn't their fault.
However, the reality is that the district is overstaffed. The FADSS report shows that they had way too many teachers because they kept hiring right on hiring more and more people even though they had fewer and fewer students. I don't see that the district has any choice but to let people go at this point. The number of teachers has to reflect the number of students.
I'm not inclined to blame the admininistrators for this, so much as the (former) superintendent and (current) board. Well, with the exception of the administrator in charge of personnel, since it's that person's responsibility to make sure the district isn't hiring too many (or too few) people. They apparently were asleep at the wheel.
I agree that Dyal has lose the confidence of many people. Some of this is due to him having a mess that he didn't create (i.e., a years-old deficit combined with cuts in state funding as a result of the recession)--it's hard for anyone to stay popular in that environment. And some of it is due to mistakes he has made, like doing a poor job of communicating with employees and appearing to not operate fully in the sunshine. But he's only a few months into a four-year term, and I think next year will go better because he'll have gotten the district's finances under control and hopefully learned from his mistakes.
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By the way, employee salaries are public record. Check it out if you really want their salaries.
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A person only has one chance to make a good impression. He started out pretty good, but I think he has thrown the instructional and noninstructional staff under the bus. I believe that will be remembered more than any good he might do for the next four years.
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Seems Dyal will do anything to get out from under the watchful eye of the state even to the point of eliminating staff positions, primarily instructional and noninstructional if we are to believe the report he presented at the legislative hearing. He recommended cutting a total of 27 positions, only 2 of which were in the administrative complex -- a data entry clerk and benefits specialist. Start cutting at the top, that's where the large salaries are! The TTI Director's salary and benefits package alone would save 3 beginning teacher salaries. It's not rocket science, or maybe it is, that is why none of our leaders can't figure it out. It will be interesting to see if the board approves his contract again next school year. Stop rewarding incompetence by moving people around from school to school. Its almost like the catholic church protecting pedophile priests. Now that would be funny if it weren't so sad!
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Well, I really wouldn't have expected the administrative complex to have big cuts since that's not where the overstaffing was. The FADSS report shows that the district has been on a hiring spree the past few years even though the number of students has been shrinking--but it's not administrative people they were hiring. It was mostly teachers and aides, so it only make sense that that's where most of the cuts would come from.
Someone has to run TTI. I agree that the current leader has to go, but I don't see that there are big savings to be had there since the district will have to bring in a replacement. They could lower the pay for the position to reflect the small size of the school, maybe saving $10k-$15k.
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Here's a thought: Split the leadership between TTI and Steinhatchee. Get rid of the dead weight like Montgomery whose position was created after no one wanted him to be the principal at the newly built TCES more than 6 years ago. Between Olsen and Montgomery, that should save the district a good chunk of money. I'd like to see Dyal make changes like that. It might save 5-7 employee positions at our schools. PS: Rumor has it Jim Brannen (former TLC leader) might be the next TTI leader
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As to the last "rumor", I hope not! The district needs to step back and re-evaluate what they would like TTI to be in the next 5 years, 10 years. Since Ann Cooper and many others left years ago there has not been much going on at TTI. No grants. Ect...
Maybe that is not any current administrators fault, but one thing is for certain, TTI needs to find some direction. Is it going to be a high school completion point? A technical center? A community education center? Or what.
TTI will not survuve with the same old tired stuff. Some would say for some time TTI has been a dumping ground for bad employees, last chance students and dated programs.
Lively Vo-tech in Tallahassee touted an aircraft maintenance program this past week in the Tallahassee Democrat. What is TTI doing for the future? You would think since the current director has sat in and created an "empty chair" on the TCDA Board there would be something new that would relate back to new or exisitng jobs.
I say follow the report that suggested closing TTI, primarily due to the fact that the school can not seem to find any direction. If it stays open something is going to give.
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