| |
A MESSAGE FROM
THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR
March
13, 2006
TRENTON
TAXPAYER’S DOLLARS HARD AT WORK!!
Police called on Teacher Picketers
At the February 20th Board Meeting / Curriculum
Night, about 50 Trenton teachers walked an informational picket line to share
with parents their unhappiness about working without a contract. As
Administrators watched from inside the building, as many as five Trenton Police
cars patrolled the area while teachers demonstrated.
Trenton’s mayor (a former board member) requested that a patrolman be
assigned to stay on site while the teachers were picketing. The patrolman
assured the teachers that he was there for their benefit as well as the
District’s. What a waste of city
resources!!
RUMOR MILL:
“HAVE YOU HEARD….”
…At a meeting with city officials, the District was
alleged to have said that negotiations with the teachers is on the back
burner…. and that they didn’t want it to appear that they were buying
teachers off to get their support of the bond …. and that money spent on
raises/salaries was money down the drain, that you never get it back (we are a
big, black hole)…..
…we know that Administrators received at least a 1½ %
raise in September, but according to a News Herald article on March 5th,
those same administrators were given a 2% pay raise in November…. and we have
a deficit???
Trenton E-mail Accounts
WARNING!! Be
advised that email administrators have full access to your school email account
and they can see any activity in that account. Your school email account may not
be that secure… numerous reports
have come in from members about emails disappearing, email boxes being full
(when they weren’t), emails being received by people whom they were never sent
to, and account passwords (all of a sudden) not working.
Be smart!! There are lots of
options for free web-based email accounts, including hotmail, gmail (thru
Google), yahoo, etc. Your Internet
provider (Comcast, Wide Open West, Ameritech, etc.) may also provide web-access
to your personal email account. REMINDER!!! YOU SHOULD NEVER
SAVE YOUR NAME AND PASSWORD ON ANY SCHOOL OR OTHER PUBLIC COMPUTER SO THAT IT
AUTOMATICALLY LOGS IN TO YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT!
Life Insurance Carrier Changed
The Union received an email from the Human Resources Office
notifying us of a change in carrier for our employer provided life insurance
effective April 1, 2006. We will be
changing to Standard Life (from United of Omaha).
There is no change in coverage except, for those who will or are expected
to be out on disability at the time of the conversion.
These individuals will be covered, but may be required to apply for a
“Waiver of Premium” with United of Omaha in
case they became totally disabled prior to returning from their current medical
leave. This change is legal
because the carrier of our life insurance coverage is not named in our current
contract.
Non-Participation in 2006-2007 Budget Planning
The three Union Presidents received an invitation from Dr.
Savel to see a presentation (and give our input) by Mr. Mull and himself
regarding the 2006-07 Budget. Following
is my letter declining to participate and why:
TRENTON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
27290
Weddel Brownstown, MI
48183
February 21, 2006
Dr. Savel,
I am in receipt of your invitation to attend a meeting where you and Mr.
Mull will present information regarding the Budget for 2006-2007. You have also
requested that we “brainstorm” together ideas for budget savings.
Two years ago, the TEA Leadership spent weeks, including time over Easter
break, to research the budget of the District. The result was an extensive
document with rationale, which we presented to the Board of Education. It
outlined a plan to cut costs that would have the least negative impact to the
children of Trenton and their education. Unfortunately,
that effort and our recommendations were totally ignored and instead, the budget
was “balanced” by laying off teachers.
Last year you issued an identical letter to the one sent this year, to me
and the other union presidents requesting our input on the budget. A TEA
representative and the leaders of the other unions did meet with you, heard your
budget projections, discussed some of the details, and gave you suggestions.
Once again, we carefully considered many avenues but offered those ideas that we
felt would have the least negative impact on the education of Trenton’s
children. However, once again, our suggestions were ignored and even more
teachers were laid off to “balance” the budget.
Even worse,
when your recommendations for the budget were presented to the Board of
Education, the attendance of union leaders in that preliminary meeting was
grossly misrepresented. You stated that there was “consensus” reached with
the unions suggesting that we agreed with the decimation of the teacher ranks to
save money. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
Given the experience of the past two years, why would we participate again
in a budget process that is obviously not receptive to our input?
The clear lesson of the previous months and years is that teacher
expertise and knowledge will be ignored and discounted, not just with the budget
but also with curriculum and other educational issues in the district.
While I appreciate the offer to meet and discuss the budget, I see little
that can be accomplished in the effort. We are not interested in wasting our
time or yours to perpetuate the surface appearance of a working relationship.
Therefore, I respectfully decline to attend the meeting, with the hope that a
better situation for all of us will exist in the future.
Respectfully,
Darlene Strassser
TEA District Director
Cc:
Trenton Board of Education
TEA Membership
Open Letter to the Trenton Board of
Education
April 6, 2005
Trenton
Board of Education:
The budget proposal (with reductions) presented to the
Board on March 14th raises very serious concerns for the Trenton
Education Association, especially when 84% of the budget cuts are in educational
personnel. We are in the business of
education and educators
represent our largest, most valuable resource. The proposed cuts are not
equitable within the total budget and will severely impact the quality of
education offered by Trenton Public Schools.
We have itemized our concerns below:
 | There
is NO “real” budget deficit. The district has money in the bank and owns
property. The district has a stable student population. We even saw a small
gain in the number of students this past year and another small increase has
been projected for next year. Given these facts, eliminating nearly
$2,000,000 from the budget - mostly in the area of educational
personnel - is an extreme and unnecessary move.
|
| We
unequivocally state that there was NO consensus reached between the union
and administration regarding this budget proposal. We had NO opportunity to
review what was proposed in order to offer input prior to the presentation.
|
| TEA, TESP, and TPASA provided many budget suggestions, but NONE were included in
this proposal. We requested
additional information about many specific areas but were given little with
which to formulate further concrete suggestions. |
Elementary Level
| The
class size targets are within levels that already exist in some elementary
schools. Will class size be equalized across the elementary buildings in
order to preserve the “target” numbers?
|
| Twenty-Five
students in kindergarten is absolutely too high.
|
| There
are an inordinate number of elementary teachers being terminated under the
budget proposal. |
Middle School Level:
We have serious disagreement with this portion of the
proposal from a curricular standpoint. The proposed middle school curriculum
changes are NOT necessary because of budget. We urge the Board to reconsider
these massive and ill-conceived changes and to NOT approve the curriculum as
proposed. Specifically:
| The
middle school cannot be arbitrarily “returned” to a six period day. This
is a misleading statement as the middle school has had a seven period day
for over 25 years. Additionally, this is a subject involving contractual
issues that must be addressed with the teacher’s union.
|
| The
elective/exploratory program at
Arthurs
Middle School
has been built and expanded over the last eight years to address the
interests and aptitudes of a wide range of students. Electives have been
built and improved upon by dedicated staff members - mostly on their own
time and on their own initiative. Through their efforts, teachers have
gained considerable expertise and knowledge in the areas they teach. As a
result,
Arthurs
Middle School
has one of the best slates of elective/exploratory classes available to
students anywhere. However, the proposed curriculum changes will effectively
destroy the quality elective/exploratory program and replace it with a
watered down series of required courses, taught sometimes by teachers that
have no expertise or interest. Even worse, the proposed program offers
students NO CHOICES. Specifically,
|
| Considerable
money for equipment, software, and maintenance as well as dedicated staff
time has been focused on the development of technology courses such as Web
Page Design, Keyboarding, Desktop Publishing, and Video Production. The
removal of key technology personnel has seriously hampered the integration
of technology this year but the proposed curriculum will completely
destroy what is left of a once strong technology initiative. Expensive
equipment will go unused and/or underutilized. Teachers with no technology
background will be assigned to teach courses like Keyboarding and Computer
Education. This does NOT need to happen. We have all the resources and
personnel in the district that are needed to provide an excellent
technology program that truly integrates technology resources in
meaningful and sensible ways. Our students deserve this. We can do better
- and we have done better - than the proposed curriculum allows.
|
| The
physical education program has been developed again by dedicated, expert
staff to help prepare students for a lifetime of fitness and an awareness
of a healthy lifestyle. Students an athletes enjoy PE and many elect to
take PE courses all year – beyond the twenty weeks currently required at
all grade levels. The program fully utilizes the building facilities
including the renovated locker rooms, updated pool, the mat room with the
traversing wall, rebuilt tennis courts, resurfaced track, and a variety of
sports equipment. The
curriculum proposal will reduce the required PE course to ten weeks
instead of twenty and students will have NO choice for electing any
additional PE activity. Facilities that are currently used will be
underutilized. There will not be enough time in ten weeks to introduce
students to the depth of information and physical training they currently
enjoy. With national studies showing that so many young people suffer from
obesity and unhealthy, inactive lifestyles, why would we reduce the
opportunities for students in this area? Again, we have everything needed
to provide an exceptional program in physical education. Why would we
settle for a mediocre one instead?
|
| Other
elective/ exploratory classes have also been developed by staff to provide
students with an exceptional experience. An emphasis has been placed on
Career Education with considerable money expended over several years for
research materials in the media center and videos used across many
curriculum areas. Staff members on their own initiative have sought out
speakers and community resources to expose students to a variety of
“real-life” career opportunities. This is also true in regard to Art,
Economics, Foreign Language, Drafting, Skills for Adolescence, Study
Skills, Wood Shop, Public Speaking, etc. Staff have built these programs
from the ground up – often with no textbooks or even a curriculum
outline as guidance. They have sought out materials and worked to provide
students with a wealth of information and relevant experiences. However,
with the proposed curriculum, most of these courses won’t exist or they
will be taught by core teachers who have no background and virtually no
time to prepare for an entirely new subject. The proposed curriculum
trades away staff expertise and dedication for a roster of classes that is
“easier to schedule.”
|
| The
staff at
Arthurs
Middle School
has continued to actively consider and discuss NEW elective offerings such
as Literature, Creative Writing, Newspaper Publishing, Research Methods,
and more. We should be expanding our program – not diminishing it.
|
| The
proposed middle school exploratory curriculum looks more like a slightly
revised elementary “specials” schedule than the coordinated, choice
driven, middle school program where the staff has worked over two years to
plan and design and four years to implement. Why are several years’
worth of work and expense being abandoned? If money is the main
consideration, how do these changes save enough money to justify the move
to a “mediocre” curriculum instead of maintaining an excellent one?
Why is this wholesale abandonment of the middle school curriculum and
organization taking place? One of the strongest statements in the
community survey was that the community DID NOT favor the elimination of
electives in the educational offerings of the district. Under the plan
proposed, students at the middle school would have NO elective choices
other than to be in band/chorus or not to be in band/chorus. The proposed
overhaul of the middle school curriculum will force students into a set
sequence of exploratory courses. Where is the budgetary need for these
drastic measures? We believe the middle school can continue to offer a
full course of electives and exploratories even with some staff cuts – although staff cuts truly may not be a
budgetary necessity and are certainly not desirable. Bottom line -- the
proposal for wholesale curriculum change is NOT necessary.
|
| Under
the proposed curriculum changes, if a student attends middle school in
Trenton
for three years, they will receive SEVENTY (70) weeks of “Literacy
Enhancement” in the core. What is this course that will occupy so much
student instructional time? We have been told that there is NO established
curriculum for this class. When will the curriculum for Literacy Enhancement
be developed? How will it be coordinated across three grade levels and all
subjects? This is a massive undertaking with no time or resources available
to work on it before next school year. We question the need and the
relevance for a course that is so ill defined especially when solid
elective/exploratory courses are being eliminated, the entire schedule is
being upended, and the middle school concept is being abandoned.
|
| One
reason given for the drastic overhaul of the middle school curriculum is
that it would be “easier to schedule.” No doubt it would be easier to
remove all choices from students and work through a pre-set series of
courses that all students are required to take. However, administrative ease
is a very poor reason to abandon the entire middle school organization and
curriculum. |
High School Level
| “Staffing
ratio” is just a soothing way to say that class size is going up.
Increasing class size is not a reasonable approach considering that
currently, SIXTY (60) classes at the high school already have more than 28
students. |
Overall Budget
| Teaching
staff makes up less than 64% of the budget but is suffering 84% of the cuts.
|
| The
discretionary budget should be examined for cost containment and savings. 5%
-10% can be found and would be a significant overall reduction that would
not adversely impact instruction. Specifically in the area of athletics
there are savings that could be realized without adversely affecting the
program. With an increase in “pay to play” fees, the cost of athletic
programs has simply been shifted to parents and students but NO cuts have
been made in the athletic budgets.
|
| There
are NO cuts to administration or transportation reflected in the budget
proposal yet these two areas combined make up 20% of the budget.
|
| Union
representatives asked administration about the possible cost savings that
would result from closing an elementary building. No concrete information
was provided other than a general statement that it might save between
$500,000 and $750,000. This is still a substantial amount towards the target
reductions. Why isn’t this an
option when some buildings will sit half empty next year?
|
| We
also stand by a recommendation made a year ago – that this Board open the
district to a School’s of Choice program. All revenue sources must be
examined in order to maintain the viability of the educational programming
of this district. Destroying quality programs in order to save the district
from “outsiders” is NOT a reasonable approach.
|
| The
district has not included any of the additional revenue currently being
proposed in
Lansing
and offered no concrete contingency plan if such funding were to become a
reality. What programs will be
reinstated if additional funding is realized? Will lower class size cuts be
modified if more staff people can be maintained?
Will the middle school elective program be restored?
Will high school class size be contained? Or will cuts still be
carried out and “extra” funds used to increase the fund balance?
|
| What
is the plan if there are three or four retirements in the district? Will a
commensurate number of staff members be added back?
Three retirements means that three less people should be laid off
plus two additional teachers, at the low end of the salary range, could be
returned. Surely five additional staff would make a dramatic difference in
the programs that can be offered. More staff equals more programs equals a
quality education in Trenton Public Schools. |
The Trenton Education Association is discouraged, frustrated, and angry
that it is “business as usual”, with administration failing once again to
harness the expertise and intellect of the staff in this district while imposing
massive changes without obtaining staff input. Please be assured that we are
dedicated and resolved to stand for what is fair and right for the students of
Trenton
and our members.
To:
Trenton Board of Education
From:
Darlene Strasser
TEA District Director
Date:
April
5, 3004
Board Meeting
I would
like to commend the Board for your recent decision in choosing Terre Davis to
assist in the search for our new Superintendent.
By choosing this process, which not only encouraged employee, parent, and
community participation, it also gave ownership to all involved and fostered a
sense of value and worth to those who contributed their time and effort.
This
recent collaboration between teachers, parents, administration and board members
showed us all, that collaboration truly works.
When all of the stakeholders are involved in the process, and when
information is gathered from multiple sources, the resulting decision has a far
better chance for success.
I speak
to you tonight with a heavy heart because of the cuts that are being proposed to
you for adoption. I think we were sitting right here one year ago talking about
this same issue, the bleak financial outlook for public education.
This time, unfortunately, even more is at stake for this community,
its’ teachers, and support personnel.
I have
met with Dr. Leapley regarding these proposed cuts and there is not a doubt in
my mind that he is as disheartened as I. However,
in our view, the layoffs that are being proposed are excessive in number and
unnecessary to achieve a balanced budget. The resulting fear, anxiety, and
unease created by a proposed layoff of almost 30% of your teaching staff is bad
for the educational climate, this district and its’ community.
We
understand the necessity for a reduction of staff when there is a decline in
enrolment and we understand the need to carefully examine programs for
effectiveness. We do not understand
why you would not come to us, your employees, to ask our input in finding
creative, alternative solutions to this budget crisis.
We are stakeholders. We all
have a vested commitment to continuing the excellence of education in
Trenton
.
I also
come before you tonight with the hope that you would be willing to “step out
of the box” again and allow us to assist you, the Board, in bringing about the
best possible solution to the budget and staffing issues of this district.
We stand
ready to offer you that collaboration and input. We invite you to meet with us
on a regular basis to discuss and problem solve educational issues that are
plaguing public education today. We will approach this as partners and
shareholders who all have the same goal.
We urge
you to consider this request in the spirit it is given and work together with us
as professionals who are committed to the continued excellence of education in
Trenton Public Schools.
|
