Unfair Labor Charges Brought Against TCSD
I received a couple of public documents citing unfair labor charges brought against the TCSD by the Taylor Education Association. According to the documents, the charges are sufficient enough for the suit to continue and a hearing to be held within 30 days. You can view the documents by Clicking Here and then clicking the appropriate links.
Also including on that page is a link to the Special Magistrate's Non-Binding Opinion on the impasse of three issues between the Union and the TCSD.
It's interesting to see the union fighting these pay cuts so hard.
When you talk face-to-face to people who work for the district, they say the pay cuts are preferable to further job cuts. And yet the union's actions seem to indicate the opposite.
There are two possibilities I see.
One is that what people say face-to-face doesn't represent how they really feel; that is, that in reality they would rather see more layoffs in order to maintain their salaries.
The other possibility is that the union is not, in fact, representing the will of its members.
I find both possibilities disturbing.
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OMG, how selfish of teachers and staff to think they shouldn't give up 5% of their salary! Get rid of all of them instead of 60-something and start all over. Surely they aren't worth what they are being paid now.
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Are you willing to give up 5% of your salary? Or do you not work at all and we that are working, are paying for you to sit at home. I am not a teacher but if you talk to any teacher that is good, kind and cares for the students, you will find out that most of them spend between $300 and $1,000 of their own HARD EARNED money in their classroom. So to give up 5% more hurts them. How much have you given to the schools if you have any children? 0% of you time and money. Put you money where your mouth is. You don't know what you are talking about.
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If you knew the teachers and the staff
you would know that they deserve much more than they are paid. Go work one day in their place. Start all over?
you must be dreaming-who do you think wants to come to work in this school
system? Talk to the teachers, visit the
schools and find out what is really going on.
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I have visited the schools, I was at the Taylor County High School today... I know a lot of the teachers personally. I do feel for the teachers... literally most of the teachers that are teaching now are the ones that educated me... but, it has nothing to do with that... its the fact that the board is doing EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING they can to weather the storm. But you have to realize there is a storm. A little of something is better than nothing. But this stupid charge against the board is ridiculous all it is going to do is take more money away from what already is a little amount of money... when they lose that money what do you think is going to happen then... you got it... more cuts...
Like I said before if you have a better solution, then speak it... but don't chastise for no reason... constructive criticism is good... but when there is no solution behind it, what does it help.
I want everyone to be happy believe me I really do... but like I also said before... we are in a RECESSION... everyone is feeling it... Businesses, Home-owners, the homeless, everyone... get over it... its happening and there is nothing really do be done except to weather the storm... the current board or super did not go to the state and suggest that we start making cuts to the budget or did they ask for this recession... if you really want to blame someone, blame yourself and your neighbors... we all are the reason for this recession.. we are the ones that took out mortgages that we could not pay, we are the ones with outrages credit card debt and we are the reason the state does not have the money to fund the school properly... so basically what I am saying is that me and you and our friends and family and everyone else that lives in this great country are the reason that the teachers are cuts... not the board...
-God Bless Taylor County!
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I think part of the issue involving the unfair labor charges brought against the TCSD is the way Dyal handled the situation so unprofessionally. There was a hearing set to discuss the salary cut and Dyal sent out that now famous email notifying everyone about the cuts when a hearing was to be held in a few days to make the cuts appropriately. What the issue is now is not the cuts as much as the "unfair labor practice" of making the cuts via an email. In the now famous Steinhatchee school board meeting the union rep from Tallahassee stated that he had not seen such an "egregious" act by a school board and superintendent in his 30 years working wit school unions. I think the act of making the cuts when you have a scheduled hearing to discuss and make the cuts shows lack of good faith on Dyals part. The real "crime" here is that the school board will have to pay attorney's fees and related costs of the union due to Dyal's lack of understanding of the process. Dyal has essentially cost the district valuable resources in a time when resources are scarce. I believe that teachers would prefer keeping jobs vs. the 5% cut. They may be "selfish" but they are not stupid. A good point by the prior poster, the union has always represented the interests of a few long-term members!
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The e-mail notification with one day's advance notice wasn't the best move, I agree. Although it can't be said that it caught people off guard; everyone knew the cuts were pretty much a sure thing.
And the problem is had the district worked around the union's schedule, at least one more pay period would've passed before the cuts could be implemented. And that would've meant taking even MORE money out of teachers' checks for the remainder of the school year--something I don't think they'd have been happy about.
The pay cuts suck, to be sure. But as the magistrate said, they HAD to happen in the absence of additional job cuts (something difficult to do in the middle of the school year, and Dyal came into office in November). The union, by fighting the cuts, comes across looking petty and selfish. They need to just accept them and move on, in the best interest of the district as a whole.
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All people involved knew the cuts were coming, you a small few, like 37% representing all the teachers. As always they seem to think they are above the norm. Everyone across the country is getting cut in some way, Dyal saved a number of jobs with the cut, be realistic it was only 5% over the 4 month period, which calculates to 1.66 over their whole salary for the year. What astounds me is that the few would rather see the friends lose their job than giving up a little.
As for the union rep-he is the worse joke of them all, he is just bleeding the union for money, ask him if his company has cut jobs and wages, bet you would be suprised at the answer.
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I don't know why people are crying about the pay cuts our biggest concern should be our children. If your child lives within a 2 mile circle that was drawn on a map and is in 6-12 grade they are stuck finding their own way to school. This means the parents that can have to drive them to school- but the child is still stuck finding a way home due to most parents working past 2:30pm. And the kids that don't have that option have to walk, which means crossing 19/98 - is the county paying for the crossing guards to make sure children don't get hit by cars? Not only is that an issue what about all the sex offends in our county that our children have to watch out for. Do you think the county could afford to deal with a child getting hurt, molested or end up missing ?
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whah, whah, whah! so kids (6-12) have to walk home. don't they know how to cross the street by themselves? stop thinking YOU and YOUR CHILDREN are entitled to ride for free when the district doesn't get funds for riders within 2 miles. that is why i don't understand how the powers that be logically say we will lose students if we close steinhatchee school because parents are more willing to drive their kids 14 miles one way when they whine about 2 miles! go figure!!!
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As a parent, I DO NOT appreiate that comment at all!! Do you not have children? My children are (for the most part) well behaved, well rounded children but not what I consider "street smart" enough to cross Hwy 19, 98, OR 27. And for that matter, do you not pay attention on the roads to see that no matter if our 6th grade children can cross a street by themselves that has nothing whatsoever to do with DRIVERS! Just because I pay attention and drive as safe as possible doesnt mean everyone does. Then you have your teenage drivers who are more worried about loud music, talking to friends, OR talking on their cell phone. I ABSOLUTELY dont think that parents are asking for a free ride but I also know that there are not going to be additional crossing guards to watch these kids.
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I don't think 19, 98, or 27 are within 2 miles of TCMS, so kids shouldn't need to cross those highways under the new plan.
Also, school transportation laws have special provisions for dangerous roads.
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since it is only 1.66% of their annual salary, why not donate that portion of your salary to help save jobs?
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Has anyone heard if the other union is going to file a similar suit against the board?
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Come on...2 miles...hopefully that was a diameter circle but still, 1 mile is a bit long for a walk to school. Wouldn't their stop be an obvious drop-off and pick-up point since the buses would need to pass by their general area too and from the school. Maybe rerouting the buses to accomodate everyone and having larger area bus stops could work. There should be some type of mapquest type analysis tool out there to figure this out. I'd be pissed if I had to walk to school a mile. How big is this town anyway...5 square miles?
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The problem is that the state doesn't pay the district to transport kids within that range, which means that the district has to eat that cost itself. And as we all know, the district is broke at the moment.
In middle and high school, I had to either walk or ride my bike to school--and it was around two miles. It really wasn't a big deal.
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We have gotten off the subject, but if you check out WCTV's website, Florida High just let 37 annual contract teachers go, this is going on all over the State. Dyal may be a genius by saving jobs with the pay cut, wake up teachers.
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I would not give Dyal kudos just yet. Dyal made an administrative error in the "cut". If he had only waited until the hearing that was set the following week for that purpose he would not have been found to have committed an unfair labor practice and liable for the union's attorney fees and costs.
A bit penny wise and pound foolish. If he had not jumped the gun on the cut, he would not be costing the district in the long run with these problems. I do not how much it will ultimately cost the district, but if you figure the diect cost of the unfair labor practice, the indirect costs - loss of moral and productivity and cost of defending the court case that would need to be deducted from what ever he has calculated as "savings".
I agree with the previous suggestion that the teachers are not opposed to the cuts vs. losing the job, it is really about how disingenuous Dyal's actions have been. I would hope that since Dyal obviously lacks the experience and credability with the district employees, he would be more open to let the district personnel assist with developing solutions. Solutions that can not be obtained with the moron that is Bill Montford.
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But waiting just one more week would've meant waiting an entire additional pay period before implementing the cuts, which would've meant having to slash salaries even more deeply, which would've placed an even greater burden on teachers.
In the end, the blame for any legal fees that come as a result of this move lies squarely on the shoulders of the union--not Dyal. It's the union that's choosing to go this route, presumably to make a point. It's not acting in the best interest of its members or the district as a whole by doing so, though.
That said, Dyal has made some missteps since taking office. That's to be expected from a new superintendent, though. I'm not sure who he's taking advice from--I suspect it may be the same crew that advised Oscar Howard, and we all know how THAT turned out.
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Dyal has created this mess, not the union. And I am not a teacher or a member of the union. A hearing was set and Dyal implemented the cuts prior to the hearing for some unknown reason via an email. Dyal is the super and the buck stops at his desk, although I agree he does not have much of a dynamic management team. Dyal also appears to be taking advice from the portly and stupid Bill Montford-School Board Association. This coupled with Dyal's ignorance / unwillingness to follow clear set out policies and procedures has "the blame for any legal fees" for the school board and the union and other fees. When the dust settles I wonder if the total cost would have defrayed the cost of an 11-month teacher's salary. Dyal needs to take additional time in decision making and use some type of strategy to make sound decisions, not knee-jerk decisions, which seem to be all he can do up to this point.
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The union can't be absolved of responsibility; they're the ones who initiated the legal challenge. No one forced them to--they chose to, even knowing that the district is financially strapped.
And why? They've simply been fighting the inevitable; there's no doubt that the salary cuts were necessary. The magistrate said as much in his opinion. Anyone looking at the district's financial condition can easily recognize it. Waiting another pay period would've meant cutting even more money out of teachers' checks for the remainder of the year. I assume that Dyal didn't feel like that was in the best interest of the teachers, and I can see his point.
I'm not a teacher or a member of the union either, but I get the distinct impression that most teachers are unhappy with how the union has handled this. They seem to recognize the necessity of the cuts, and see the futility and wastefulness of fighting them.
The union needs to drop its fight, accept the painful but necessary reality, and help to put this difficult chapter behind the district. Everyone's salary will be restored in July, most likely, and they can move on.
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either way teachers are losing jobs. dyal is no genius. just another politician!
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Oscar always worked the union angle against the school board, and when he was under Ms. Gardner he worked the union angle against her as well. Oscar would always tell the union one thing then the school board another. Dyal does not have the political savy to and shear nerve yet. Dyal has yet to figure how to work all sides while serving his own agenda. You know kind of an oscarism.
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Well you also have to figure in that teachers are only on a 10 or 11 month contract. That is a double edge sword and cuts both ways.
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I attended the board meeting tonight. Everyone keeps blaming the union(s) for fighting the 5% cut. The school board approved whatever Oscar recommended or what was in their meeting packets without asking questions. They, not the teachers, are responsible for this financial situation the district is in. To make things perfectly clear, if you attended the meeting tonight as I did, you will find that the 5% salary cuts will not save jobs. Dyal's presentation looks bleak and anticipate additional cuts next school year. FYI-the 5% salary cuts were to fix this year's budget and had nothing to do with next year's budget. I believe the district planned on cutting positions whether the unions agreed to the salary cuts or not because they got the money anyways and are still cutting positions. If more people attended the school board meetings, they would be better informed. I am not a teacher, just a concerned taxpayer!
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Your are funny. I was also at this meeting that you speak of, and not once during the whole meeting was 5% brought up so don't say it was. It was brought up during Mr. Dyal's presentation that there "MIGHT" be more cuts, or there could be some positions coming back, depending on how much of the budget is going to the salaries of the teachers. These numbers are not completely done!
-These cuts have to happen. Look at the school district like a business. If you work for a company and that company can not pay you because times are tough, what happens? Thats right, people get laid off. So stop whining and just face the facts that our economy is in a recession right now and there is not and I will quote Mr. Dyal from his presentation today, "not enough sales tax or property tax revenue" to have the kind of funding we did 2 years ago. If you have a better way to get the money in order to pay all these positions, please do everyone a huge favor and instead of sitting the your chair the whole time during the meeting, get up and say something. Because unless you are Mr. Tirelli, you did not get up and say one thing about the cuts or the "saving of jobs", so are you Mr. Tirelli? But if you have no better advice than to come on TCT and rant about almost nothing, really nothing you said in your post is something that hasn't already been said like 50 times.
And I love this so I am going to quote you Mr. concerned taxpayer:
"The school board approved whatever Oscar recommended or what was in their meeting packets without asking questions. They, not the teachers, are responsible for this financial situation the district is in."
No one ever said the teachers were the reason for the financial situation, where did this come from. And from what I can gather, the school board gets there packets in advance to the meetings in order to familiarize themselves with it and in order to do any type of research they want. Do they? I do not know and will not speak for them. Go ask them yourself, or research some on your own and then ask them questions, kinda a way to check and balance them since you are so worried about it.
Another quote that I love:
"Dyal's presentation looks bleak and anticipate additional cuts next school year."
Did you not listen to his whole presentation or read the handout that was available to the public with his presentation on it, in his presentation he stated that the cuts were to be expected, not by him, but by the FSA, and the FSBA (I believe this is the correct abbr., if I am wrong please someone correct me, it is the Florida Superintendents Association, and the Florida School Board Association). They have advised all school districts to told back up to 5% or at lease 3% in case there is cuts throughout next year in the budget, and THERE WILL BE. This is not the 5 members of the school boards fault, this is not Paul Dyal's fault. This is because of one key word that everyone is using these days, the ECONOMY!...
-God Bless Taylor County!
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Guess What? The board doesn't read their packets before hand. Like you said, "Go to a meeting and you will find this out". They open it right before the meeting even though they get it maybe 1-2 weeks before the meeting. Not sure on that so don't quote me. They will pass things without checking them out and then the next day, they don't remember passing it. People have questioned them but they don't have an answer, I will get back to you, never works. They never call you back. Good luck to the teachers and staff of the Taylor County School System. You are going to need it. A new board is needed with people who will research, they will visit the schools and talk to employees in private,and just be available to talk to if they come to a school. When was the last time you saw one there other than at a function? Right never, not even to visit during the day to see how things are going.
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Granny, you may want to check your facts before you spout off, I know one board member here in town that has a business and he is very accessable to the public, I have seen him at schools during the day, he along with Ms. Carlton attend most if not all functions, I have asked him questions and he has gotten back to me in prompt time. He does study his packet, and ask the questions before hand. So before you spout off, check your facts.
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I am not spouting off before I know my facts. Danny Lundy and Darrel Whiddon have been caught not knowing what they have agreed to pass. They didn't read their packets to know what was on the agenda. I do agree that Mrs. Carlton does attend most all school functions. Who have you see at the schools? I haven't seen any unless it is for a meeting. Before you spout off check your facts. Mine are correct.
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I have to agree somewhat with Granny here; some board members don't thoroughly read their packets. I've known of specific instances where constituents have questioned members about some of their votes, and the members have acknowledged not having been aware that they approved of something as part of the consent agenda.
This certainly doesn't mean that all members are guilty of doing this all the time, but it has been known to happen.
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I will have to agree with you a little here also. There might be "some" board members not doing this. But when people come on here and chastise the entire board, there is no need in that. I gaurantee that a majority of the board and when I say majority I mean 4/5 members do read there packets and do know what is going on.
If people of Taylor County want to see this being done different then either stand up in the meeting and call them out on it (yes you can do this), or run for office yourself, if you are so concerned about the board and the things that there are doing wrong, then do something to change it and don't just come on here and always chastise.
-God Bless Taylor County!
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No, the financial mess isn't the teachers' fault. But neither is it the fault of non-instructional employees or most administrators--yet they all took the pay cut. This includes Dyal, who wasn't superintendent when the mess was created.
As unfair as it may seem, everyone has to pay the price. Fighting it accomplishes nothing but to drain the district of precious time and money.
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To: IgnorantPeopleAnnoyMe. LOL!!! You must get annoyed every time you look in the mirror. I wonder why Oscar Howard did not show up to get his "retirement plaque" from the board he served so "righteously" for the past 12 years. He probably thought he would have been tarred and feathered. You must be one of those individuals who benefitted from Oscarlot. (LOL) Love to get your dander up. Have a wonderful day.
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Dude, are you really that ignorant? I never said one thing that would even suggest that I benefited from what you called "Oscarlot" (by the way you misspelled benefited). And there was over half of the staff that did not show up to receive their plaque, I wonder what their reason was. Who cares if he showed up or not, hes not the super anymore... Stop being an idiot and wake up. Get a life. And Shut Up!!!
-God Bless Taylor County!
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LOL!!!!
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Great Comeback!
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Hey Ignorant, you did not put an apostrophe in he's, the actual contraction for HE IS.
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Karl Childers says, "don't make me like come over there with my sling blade, some people call it a kaiser blade, I call it a sling blade. Bill Cox done let me fix the lawn mowers and I'm a getting some of those french fried potatoes...with mustard". Peace out! LOL!!!
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?
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if you are asking the school district to pick up your child or children, and you live within 2 miles of the school, then YES, YOU ARE ASKING FOR A FREE RIDE! Okay, so here's an idea: take your child to school or maybe maybe get together with other parents who might be able to help you out.
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You know what. At least the techers are keeping their jobs. I'm really sick of hearing about "the poor teachers and their pay cuts". Be thankful it isn't a job cut. Yes, it sucks to lose pay, anyway you look at it. But you know what sucks even more...standing in the unemployment line. Please get over yourselves and realize that there are other things going on in the world and other people who have it far worse than you.
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Congrats! You actually get it... thanks...
(and i am not being sarcastic...)
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To annoyed: I hope you are right teachers are not losing their jobs, only 5% of their pay.
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Well, the board voted on the magistrate's opinions at last night's meeting. (The blog moderator posted those opinions at http://www.taylorcountytalk.info/uploads/Taylor_Impasse_Magistrate_Opinion.pdf a while back). The vote was on whether to accept or reject the magistrate's opinions.
The board voted to reject the magistrate's opinion that teachers should be compensated if they have to attend training after regular working hours (presumably the board's position is that they should work for free).
Now, apparently the board is required to give a reason for voting to reject the magistrate's findings. One member spoke on behalf of the board offering this explanation: the findings were too confusing.
Mind you, these findings were written in plain English--not legalese. Anyone can read them and make sense of them. And they've been public record since May 11, so the board has had plenty of time to review them, think about them, ask the attorney about them, and do whatever is necessary to prepare to make an informed decision.
And yet, their answer to everyone in attendance at the meeting was that they just found the whole thing too confusing.
It would be comical, if it weren't so tragic.
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I bet that the Board and Dyal did not budget enough for all of the union related items as well. Why are these people and their staff without a clue on these issues. I see as part of the problem is the way Oscar and Vince Dorman gave things to the union all these years. Dyal is not going to cut some things and adversely effect his cronys and himself. By the end of the school year they will be another million in the hole!
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Dyal and company are in over their collective head! They can not even get all of the personnel related issues and items in the budget. They are now facing additional deficits due to not including the salary "steps", which have been negoiated and in the contract, that should have been in the budget. Despite what Dyal has previously stated about being out of the budget deficit by the end of the year, Dyal has created an additional deficit with the budget. Way to go Dyal! You should have been focusing on the school district budget rather than a new football coach, the "deal" and moving your cronys around the district! Putz!
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Let's be sure to thank the unions for their role in creating another very tough budgetary year for the school district. If the district loses the case, they'll have to back-pay employees plus pay legal expenses.
The solution? Lay more people off, I say. That's what the unions are advocating--cut more jobs, and just pay more money to the people who are left.
It's a fine spirit of community.
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Someone finally says it like it is.
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Why is everyone blaming the unions? Put blame where blame belongs with the powers that be! Had finance not made a critical accounting error of $800K, had the board followed the FADSS recommendation to the tee, like closing Steinhatchee School where they are paying for a principal with a school having less than 100 students, had the Board NOT violated the sunshine laws of this great state by privately voting to impose pay cuts while both unions were at impassee then imposing the pay cuts before the board voted in a public meeting to cut the salaries of the staff in Steinhatchee, had Dyal not tried to come out from the purview of the state by making those cuts to make sure he had a 3% reserve rather than do a little at a time, had the board managed their finances better for the past several years, had the board not been afraid to raise taxes so as not to offend the residents of this county especially when they knew the finances were in the dumps, etc. the district would not be in this dilemma. I am sure that staff members would have given a portion of their salary had the board and superintendent acted more responsibly with taxpayer money. Instead, as always, its easier to take from employees rather than modify services or terminate unnecessary contracts. So, stop bashing the unions for what they did in the best interest of the employees and start asking those in authority to be accountable for their actions.
Lastly, apparently Dyal's plan to get the budget out of the red backfired. Just like he and the board members are voted in, they can be voted out. Teachers and non-instructional staff are the backbone of the organization. Whether the union filed a grievance or not, teachers and other staff would still be out of jobs! Those are the people you should be concerned about because Taylor Co.'s unemployment rate went up thanks to Dyal and company.
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Great and very accurate points. Dyal and company continue to put the district in a financial hole....hence the emergency "legal" meeting this evening. Dyal needs to talk less, do even less without knowing facts and Dyal needs to listen more. Dyal and company do not appear to have the rudimentary understanding of budgeting, union issues and the day to day operation of school sites. I was listening to Glenn Beck talk about how bad it is for "Washington" to tell local school districts how to act, well I do not know if it is Washington or Tallahassee, but leaving our "locals" on their own to run a school district is what has put our district in the financial mess it is in. I say get more oversight from Tallahassee and, if needed, Washington. Just like the county is incapable of running a hospital, local educators are incapable of running a school district. A whole new management team needs to be brought in and all of the back rubbing in the district office needs to cease! There are a few in the district office who seem questionable on many fronts; their personal life, credentials and ability to bring anything meaningful toward developing solutions!
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The initial blame lies with the former superintendent, along with the current school board and director of personnel. That's the crew that was in charge when money was being spent like it was growing on trees, and the district kept on hiring folks whole student enrollment (and the money attached to it) was declining.
So Dyal steps into office in November, and inherents an emergency. Some cuts had been, but not enough. The state was down on a regular basis, putting pressure on the district and threatening to take over (like they did in Jefferson County).
So in the middle of a fiscal and school year, the new superintendent has to come up with money--and fast. By law, the district has to end the year with a balanced budget and money in the bank.
In this situation, just what exactly is it you believe he should've done? What expenses should he have cut to accomplish what he was required by law to accomplish?
You recommend closing Steinhatchee. I agree; that school loses money--there just aren't enough kids down there. But should he have closed it in the middle of the school year? Can you imagine the logistical nightmare of that? It's simply not reasonable.
So he looked elsewhere for quick savings. Hm... Where to look? Well, since payroll accounts for 80% of the district's budget, that seems like the logical choice.
And the funny thing is, the overwhelming majority of employees support the 5% cuts. They don't LIKE them, but they SUPPORT them. They understand they were necessary. They don't want to see more layoffs.
The unions, however, don't represent the majority of employees. Do you know how small a percentage of employees belong to the unions? What's going on now is a prime reason of why so few people join--they don't believe the unions represents them.
Just about everyone who objectively looks at the situation recognizes the necessity of the cuts. Union leaders are the only ones complaining. So now the district may have to pay back the money, plus a big chunk of legal fees on top of that. That means MORE cutbacks and MORE layoffs.
Can a union leader honestly look any of us in the eye and tell us they believe that's what's best for the district and its kids?
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Give all the teacher that showed up for graduation a bonus and terminate the rest! I've had 3 teachers tell me "I will attend when it's mandatory". I'm sorry but with that attitude you get no sympathy or empathy from me!
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AMEN!!!
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Well I am not a teacher and neither am I a union member but I have been involved in union activities in past employments and know the union represents all employees, especially in Florida, whether the individual is a member or not. However, if people don't like what the union is doing to represent "their" interests, stop sitting on the sidelines complaining and join, then they have a voice. In some states, like California, teachers have no choice when it comes to the union. If they are employed by the school districts, they are union members. In fact, did anyone see the teachers having a sit-in, peaceful demonstration in California? Teachers in Florida cannot do that. They do not have the right to strike. Can you imagine what would happen in any of these districts if teachers decided to strike. The schools would literally shut down. I have talked with teachers who were asked to participate in a "blue day" when 10 or more teachers call in sick one day, then the next, and so on. Not only at one school site, but all school sites in the district. Why did they not do it? Because of their commitment to children. Many were non-union teachers who wanted this to happen. And a union leader is only one person, not the entire group of members, and only represents what the group wants. The leader does not make a motion for any such action nor does that person vote except in the event of a tie. It's like folks want to shoot the messenger and totally disregard the message. Find out why board members are not acting responsibly when it comes to spending taxpayer money.
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I wonder how qualified is the finance director, really. We know the rest of the ship of fools in the district office do not have a clue. What grants has the "grant writer" gotten for the district. What does Wanda-Oscar-Marsh-Kemp do on a daily basis-I see her tooling into work many days after 9 am? What goes on in the MIS office? Clyde Cruce-I won't even waste "characters". These folks are paid a lot of money and they should bear the burden to develop solutions...along with their hapless leader-Dyal. Prior comments about the school board are warrented as well. The school board needs to put their collective feet down, man-up and make some tough decisions. The school board oscarism about worrying about votes needs to take a back seat to the financial problems of the district. Close underperforming schools, TTI and Steinhatchee. Go ahead and lay off some of the folks in the district office that do not perform, who is an essential employee and why? These things can be done and must be done, or yes it will be jefferson county part two, although I do not think that this would be an altogether bad idea given the ineptness of the people in charge!
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We knew back in February personnel cuts needed to be made to help balance the budget. The district tried furlough days which were not allowed. We knew that either everyone had to take a pay cut or teachers would be going home. Those who say the majority of teachers agree that a cut from all would be better than seeing teachers laid off are correct. The issue is with the legality with which the board and superintendent imposed the pay cut. The impasse between the union and district had to do with not only the pay cut but other contract language that could not be agreed on. I believe (and I may be wrong) that while the union and district are at impasse, it is illegal for them to adjust teacher pay – and that’s exactly what they did. The unfair labor practice was filed because of the illegal pay cut. It's not that the union wants to get money back or to see teachers cut. The district office and school board seems to always do what they want without much regard to policy, fairness, etc. If someone doesn't put their foot down and make them do what's right, they will continue run over the teachers. People say to go to school board meetings and ask questions and make them answer for their actions. Employees don’t do it because they’re afraid of being fired for questioning them.
Both unions knew pay was going to be cut regardless of whether we voted yes or no. The unions voted no so that we could voice that we did not agree with the contract terms. If the unions had voted yes, it would have sent the message that they could do what they want when they want without regard to what it would do to the employees. And as I said, the unfair labor practice is not about getting money back. It's about making the administration and school board do what is right and legal. It’s not about getting more money for a select few or to see teachers let go.
As far as votes are concerned, I do believe the school board is too concerned about not upsetting too many people so they won't lose their seat. I was at a board meeting where the subject of bus routes and selling buses was being discussed. One board member asked if courtesy pick-ups, etc. could be restored after the district is over the financial crisis. The only reason I could think that the question was even asked was because he was receiving phone calls from unhappy parents who now have to make arrangements to get their child to and from school. If votes do not take a back seat to managing the district and doing the responsible thing, the district is doomed to end up in this situation again and again. Not to mention the personnel over-staffing, etc.
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I do get where you're coming from--I don't like how the 5% cut played out, either. It seems to me that Dyal and crew made their decision based on their conclusion that (A.) the unions were going to reject the cuts no matter what and (B.) waiting would've meant allowing at least one more pay period to pass, which would've required taking even more money out of people's checks for the remainder of the year.
So, we can agree that the district did what had to be done in terms of cutting salaries, but maybe didn't do it the right way.
The question is, is the unions' response--a legal challenge that could cost the district a fortune in legal fees PLUS paying back the 5% PLUS paying back a step increase--appropriate in light of the financial emergency?
Let's say the unions win. What then? Sure, they'll have made their point loud and clear. But at what cost? Everyone--including the lawyers--will get a chunk of money, but they money has to come from somewhere. The only way for the district to pay it will be MORE service cuts and MORE layoffs for the upcoming school year.
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TCC seems to be the only person that gets it
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Yes, Dyal was doing this at the same time as he was spending a vast amount of resources to hire a football coach, giving lord knows what under the table! I think you are giving Dyal too much credit, he knows not what he does, he is trying, but is inept! Dyal and the school board could follow all of the report recomendations. All the math was done, a no brainer. Dyal hangs on every Montford word on all other issues, why not the report! Putz!
How much toilet paper, hand wash, and other supplies supplies will parents and teachers have to come up with the next school year. Everyone is paying for the lack of budgeting skills of Dyal and Company and the school board.
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To Chad and all the reat, why don't you all run for office, and fix the problems, you seem to have all the answers.
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Why don't you quit, you do nothing at the school board office and are costing the school district valuable resources! Or better than that come up with some cost saving solutions!
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Wrong person, I just started reading this site, got a good laugh though, hahahahahahahh
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It's a bit early in the game to judge him a failure or a success; he has only been in office since November.
I agree, there have been missteps. But that's to be expected from any new superintendent--heck, the old one had years of experience and still made big mistakes!
Dyal seemed to run TCMS pretty well; it was a tight ship, and he built quite a loyal following over there. It'll be interesting to see whether that can translate at the district level. I'm optimistic.
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I agree that the outcome may not be the best since the district may have to pay legal fees, the step, and the 5% at the cost of jobs. No one wants to see that happen. The difficult question is, who is going to hold the school board and administration accountable? I agree that the voters can do it at the election, but what about now? I don't have the answer to whether or not it was the best move right now in terms of jobs, but I do believe that someone has to make them do what's right and hold them accountable. I sincerely hope that no one loses jobs over this but I also believe there are many areas cuts can be made before looking at personnel. Heck, the district just hired an assistant football coach for the high school and is bringing his wife on as an English teacher. The high school will lose a current teacher over it. So now they've wasted (spent) at least another $30,000.
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Who's the assistant coach and wife? Are they from Taylor County?
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I don't know any names but I'm pretty sure they're not from Taylor County. I could be wrong, but the way it was presented to me I got the impression they were not from within the county.
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A few weeks ago the Newspaper had a very thick section of folks that had not paid their taxes, look at the amount of money owed. I may be wrong but I think most folks pay their taxes, I know all of this doesn't go to the schools, but, this county and this school system get millions of dollars annually, I just don't see where all of this money is going, the county gets 7% of all sales in this county, no telling how much on gas, they get traffic fines, they get license fees, probation fees go somewhere, you have to pay for anything extra you need done, just where is all this money going? Does it all go to salaries? I know it costs to maintain buildings, and vehicles, electricity for the buildings, ect. but 7% of all sales, gas tax, bed tax, license fees, traffic fines, cost of supervision, pay to serve a warrant, pay to have something done at the clerks office, wedding licenses, court cost, on and on we pay. Yet the schools, county and city governments, never have enough money, where is all this money going?
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Good points, this all makes since, we pay out so much money in "taxes" and we never really see any of it at work. I agree. Butere is why this county and this school system is in so much trouble. Like I have stated before, we are in a recession...
-This means that people are not going to stores and buying "luxury" items. This means that the sales tax revenue is not as high.
-People are not going out and getting married (they dont have the money), this means that the court house is not recieving it's full revenue.
-I could keep on and on, but I have made my point, people are not doing the same things they did 10 years ago, which means the money that was there 10 years ago is not there anymore...
Add in the fact that Oscar did not leave us with a very strong system to begin with, and you have the problems that you have today.
People want miracles, you are not going to get miracles. It is going to be something that takes time to fix. Give it some time. Yes there is going to be hard times ahead. There is going to be cuts, there is going to be lay-offs. IM SORRY. But thats life, be a big boy and don't cry over spilled milk. It's not going to help anyone or yourself. And if you have a better solution to something, I am not going to tell you to run for office, that may not be for you, but hell at least go and stand before the people that YOU voted into office to speak on your behalf, and speak your mind. They are real people with real lives (some have kids that are suffering in this system the same as yours)... They will listen, just give them a chance and get off their damn backs already...
-GOD BLESS TAYLOR COUNTY!
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I think a large amount of the school district funds go towards personnel costs, maybe 80% or more. I do not know if the County's funds go toward personnel costs, the county day to day operations may not be as labor intensive or it may be. I am aware that a lot of the costs that were formerly provided by the state are now being paid by the county, hence the raises in every cost and fee at the courthouse. It certainly is more complicated than one may thiink and there is also waste.
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I know it's very complicated, you can only spend this money there, and such. But 7% of the sales in this county even in this economy is a substantial amount of money, I know it goes to the State to Divey up, and probably all of the other money I mentioned in my other post goes to the State also, but think of the amount daily that's taken in sales tax throughout the state, not to mention the monies they get from the Federal Government, property taxes, building permits, professional license fees, traffice fines, court costs, ect. Maybe I'm wrong, but that really seems like a massive amount of money when you think about it. Just think of what Orlando alone generates daily, where is all that going?
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The City of Perry, I think, also gets part of sales taxes. The bed-tax, collected by hotels/motels goes into a fund to promote and sell tourism and the Chamber and/or TCDA is leeching off of these funds. There are other taxes in the City of Perry that go to fund historic and central business district infrastructure. Also water and gas sold by the city. The water management district and TCDA can also implement taxes - that is scary! They are both classified as "special districts" by the State of FLorida. I think you make a great point, there is a massive amount of funding generated and going to a lot of entities. I would guess that a lot is going to just causes and purposes, but maybe, just maybe a lot is also going to budget items and places that maybe deemed wasteful in the current economy. I think our local governmental entities should let everyone know "what's going on"! The local commnity based organizations (Chamber, TCDA, Refuge House, Boys and Girls Club, ect...), albeit lower in recent years get funding from the county and city.
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I think maybe that's why it's so complicated, you can spend this money here, but not there, that's for the other money, that can't be spent there. If it's complicated enough the average citizen will just give up. But a lot of money is being collected, and it seems to just disappear. Of course when the State or County has some big project to do, they tell you some astronomical amount that it will cost. I've always wondered why, when you already have the equipment, and you already pay the workers, so really all it should cost is the materials, really, engineering shouldn't cost anything either since we have a county engineer on staff. What has happened to the Lottery Money, I realize that when the lottery was instituted, the legislature took the existing funds and used them elsewhere, leaving the Lottery to fund the schools by itself, what happens to unclaimed lottery winnings, you know that has to happen, with lost tickets, and not claiming on time. I wonder just how much is collected daily, when you think of how much is spent here in Perry daily, and 7% minimum goes to tax, when you think of Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, what would 7% of their total taxable daily sales be. I would think it's well over 7 million that's 1 million generated in sales tax daily, just from those cities, and don't you think 7 million daily is very conservative? Not to mention the other taxes, and fees. We're being massively ripped off.
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To Perry Enquirer, what you have stated makes no sense. The more you ramble the more you make less sense. Maybe rethink your statements and then list them.
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Maybe this is the assistant coach that worked with Coach Boggs and his wife. If that is true, then shame on those who are hiring, when so many teachers and other staff are possibly losing their jobs because of the district's finances right now. Also, if true, are the powers that be telling the employees who have worked for them that they are not valued as employees? We have heard rumors of the assistant coach joining Boggs since Boggs was considered and higher for his position. If current coaches are so bad that the district has to bring in a "new" assistant coach and "bring" Wentworth from Steinhatchee, why hasn't an administrator documented their incompetencies and got rid of them? The board is more concerned with sports than children's education if they are willing to spend money on sports teachers than classroom teacher. Dyal, if this is true, you are a PUTZ!
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You hit the nail on the head. This has been stated by several bloggers.
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And said a long time ago, and many many times. But when it comes time for elections the same crew gets elected everytime, and untill the voters decide to vote someone new in, just to gid rid of the old, it will continue. Don't vote for incumbents, if the new guy messes up don't vote for him next time. It really can't get much worse. Read the paper, the school board doesn't even understand what they're voting for when they vote. OUT WITH INCUMBENTS. Remember THROW THE RASCALS OUT.
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People like you Ignorant are why we are in such a mess. YOU ARE IGNORANT.
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News is the district recouped $422K by imposing the 5% salary cuts. I wonder what the status of the unfair labor practice is and how that will impact the district's finances if the board is found to have acted outside of the law and all that money has to be paid back and then some. All those who are saying "we will make it, we are a family" haven't got a clue. Be glad you are one of the "chosen". Remember, Dyal has your back!
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There may be more layoff yet. If the district has to pay back that money, they're going to have to make up for it somehow.
I saw on the district's website that the board has a meeting scheduled on July 7 to discuss the impasse if it hasn't been resolved by then. I suspect all of this will play out soon.
It has to, in order for the district to move ahead. Their fiscal year started July 1; how can they budget for the new year without knowing whether this half-million-dollar expense will have to be covered?
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I wonder how the hiring of an assistant coach, and his wife as a teacher, after all these cuts, will sit with a judge. If I were the Judge it wouldn't sit well with me, your telling me you have to cut salaries by 5%, yet you can hire a new asst. coach, and his wife. The hiring of the wife may be rumor, but the hiring of the coach is fact. The newspaper article from his current home town ran a story and it's available on this site. You should read it, notice when the asst. coach accepted the position. It's very interesting. Also very interesting is the lack of reporting by our local outhouse wipe.
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The wife is definitely being hired--the district has confirmed that.
But these don't represent net gains in jobs for the district. Both the coach and his wife are replacing exiting employees.
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I realize with the people retiring, there are vacancies, and I know replacing these positions with someone else is probably legal. But with all the layoff's of local folks that already live here, the hiring of the head coach was bad enough, then to hire an assistant and his wife, while it may be legal, it certainly isn't right.
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The two teachers and these folks are replacing were on annual contracts, and the high school decided they didn't want them back.
My biggest concern with this is that it sounds like the new coach's wife was promised a job in early May, or even April--long before a job was advertised. The Georgia newspaper stated on May 5 that she was going to Perry to accept a teaching position at TCHS. How can you ACCEPT a job unless you've been OFFERED a job?
I contacted the district about this, and they denied promising her a job. This means that either the newspaper misreported what she said, or she was confused when she said it. I've written to the newspaper in Georgia to see if they could clarify things. Haven't gotten an answer so far.
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Well she HAS a job, and that speaks volumes for the honesty of the district person you spoke to.
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Simply stated; Dyal, his "team". and the school board are not an asset for our school district. Somewhere the train has gotten off the track. They all have some type of pre-financial fiasco mindset and are totally unable to develop a solution, even when an organization does all the math and outlines a financial recovery plan. If magically Dyal, his "team". and the school board could disappear immediately, it would take years, maybe a generation, for our district to recover. Unfortunately, Dyal, his "team". and the school board are here for his term.
While our district should be focusing on education, partnering with others to build a future for our community and children and a financial recovery plan; Dyal, his "team". and the school board continue to direct their attention to cronyism, not losing "votes", extra-curricular school activities and self serving policies.
Dyal, the new Oscar the Great. His kingdom using taxpayer dollars to stroke his own ego. There will be a special place in hell for these types of folks!
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I go to most of the meetings, and I yet to anyone question the decisions made or any presentations made by Dyal, maybe with some input and a little less complaining and then maybe you all could all make some positive comments, but sitting at your computer and hiding behind it may be your way.
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I assume you don't say anything at the meetings either, so you must beleive everything is going correctly. The State gave the Board and Super recomendations on how to deal with this situation, I believe most of them were disreguarded, do you really think the Board and Super would pay any more heed to a citizen. I don't, I think this Board and Super are going to do just what they want, come hell or high water. they've pretty much proven that lately.
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