Sunday, May 22, 2011

Five Year Forecast - May 2011 update

At the School Board meeting on Monday, May 23, 2011, Treasurer Brian Wilson will be presenting an update to the Five Year Forecast, which is prepared and submitted to the State Board of Education by all school districts in Ohio. A copy of what will be presented is available here.

For those who prefer a graphical presentation, here is a chart in the same format I've used before:

click to enlarge
You'll notice that it looks much like the chart I presented in the article "Pay to Play"...

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... in which I tried to estimate the impacts of the state funding cuts and the spending reductions enacted after failure of the levy. So my numbers were pretty close to the Treasurer's.

And it means we still have a problem: The forecasted spending trajectory remains unsustainable. That's not just my opinion: The district's Audit & Accountability Committee used this word multiple times in their June 16, 2010 report to the School Board.

Here's what the forecast looks like if a 6.9 mill levy is put on the ballot in 2011:

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With no change in our spending trajectory, our cash balance will continue to erode, and would force the next following levy to be put on the ballot in just two years (read "Budget Knobs" to see how levy size and levy frequency interact). And that levy would again have to be on the order of 7 mills, resulting in this:

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In other words, this spending trajectory requires levies on the order of 7 mills every 2 years, if there is no further erosion of state funding.

And even this is well short of the funding needed to restore the 10% cash reserve balance which is the policy of this School Board. The "stretching of the levy" was not so much due to aggressive expense management as it was getting the benefit of one-time Federal Stimulus money, as well as emptying the piggy bank, a point I first made in December 2009.

So if raising our property taxes by 7 mills every two years isn't sustainable, what is?

Between 2003 and 2011, our rate of spending growth was essentially linear, at a pace of $6.4 million per year. This Five Year Forecast suggests that, after a one-year spending freeze between FY11 and FY12 (as a result of the cuts now being enacted), we increase the rate of year to year spending growth to $6.9 million.

Of that $6.9 million/yr increase in spending, $6.7 million/yr (97%) would be applied to compensation and benefits.
click to enlarge
I am not now, nor have I ever advocated absolute spending cuts. I believe that we want to retain as much of our current programming as we can afford, and also be able to grant reasonable pay increases to our outstanding team of teachers, administrators and staff. However, we have to reduce the pace of spending growth - at least until we have a significant rebound in our economy.

I propose that we reduce our rate of spending growth from $6.9 million per year to $4 million per year. If we do that, we can postpone the next levy for 3 years, until May 2014, and the chart would look like this:

click to enlarge
This still doesn't leave us with a lot of cash reserves. Once we've spent the money in the piggy bank, putting it back requires setting aside some of our income for that purpose, and not spending it on programming and compensation.

So how do we take $2.9 million/year out of our rate of spending growth?  It certainly won't be easy, and I'll suggest that there can be no 'sacred cows' that are untouchable. As a community, we'll need to prioritize what is important to us, and then make the hard decisions as to what programming will make the cut.

We'll also have to have a respectful and empathetic conversation with the teachers and staff to see if they are willing to explore ways to adjust their compensation and benefits structure in a way that helps preserve as much programming as possible.

I've made a proposal to the Board as to how we, as a community, might go about making these decisions. This proposal is meant to be a discussion starter, as I'm sure there are other processes that could be used to tackle this issue - I'd argue one of the most important issues facing our community.

But we need to pick one - and soon. As of this writing, we have 80 days remaining to make a decision whether or not a levy will be on the November ballot, and how large it will be.







46 comments:

  1. Paul, I hope you will be allowed some time to put forth your proposal. I still believe it needs more community members.

    Short term, pay to play can help the viability of the sports programs. Also short term we must make some adjustments to the 90% elephant that has climbed into our living room. The sooner the board understands this and takes immediate action the train tracks that are ahead of us are not in good shape and are going to derail the train.

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  2. Paul, I've been trying to do some basic calculations using the budget documents you've linked to in the past. I get the following numbers:

    Instructional salary (i.e. salaries of those who teach)=$65,277,600

    Budget hole that needs fixed this year=3,890,279

    that is 6% of teacher salaries. Salaries that have risen at about 7% per year or more each year over the last 8 years.

    Simply going a year without any raises of teachers (step, base, or otherwise) would fill the current budget gap.

    This does not take into account the administrative staff, those covered by the OAPSE contract, or any other workers. It does not take into account increased fees via a pay to play system, especially across all grades and not just middle schools. It does not take into account any other strategies such as increasing employee benefit contributions.

    I am not proposing this as a solution, and a one year freeze does not address the systemic issues the district faces with compensation, just pointing out that simply freezing salaries of just teachers would solve the current budget gap without impacting students at all.

    Again, this is not a proposal. I know that things are not this simple, and that these are back of the envelope calculations, but when our revenue has a slope of zero and our spending has a slope of one, something has to give

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  3. One alternative, unpalatable as it might be, in the event that the HEA doesn't like the idea of wage freezes is larger class size and fewer teachers. This would maintain programming with minimal impact on the students.

    Nicholas Kristof of the NY Times, no fiscal conservative by any stretch, recently mentioned the following:

    "Economists are successful imperialists of other disciplines because they have better tools. Educators know far more about schools, but economists have used rigorous statistical methods to answer basic questions: Does having a graduate degree make one a better teacher? (Probably not.) Is money better spent on smaller classes or on better teachers? (Probably better teachers.)"

    Class size may not be the be-all and end-all, and its relentless decrease may be some of the reason we're in fiscal trouble.

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  4. To clarify my previous post, I am not targeting teachers directly, it was just the simplest single item to use from the budget when making my calculation. I chose it just to illustrate that there are choices we can make, other than those that impact students.

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  5. I do not think that passing a 6.9 mill levy this year and again in 2014 is realistic.

    Part of our analysis must be a comparison to other central Ohio districts. Once other communitites catch up to our tax rate, then we can talk about new levies.

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  6. A 6.9mil levy will not pass in 2011.

    A 6.9mil levy probably wont pass in 2012 either, but then I have a far more pessimistic view of where we're headed economically than most folks.

    In fact, I am not sure we can pass another levy ever unless there are some radical changes to the spending side of the equation.

    Too many people understand the systemic problem now. That shouldn't surprise anyone folks; the systemic problem is the same one we have at every level of government. People have just figured out that the spending in our school districts is just as problematic as it is in Congress.

    I don't know how we fix this; I just know that not doing anything will simply result in savage cuts 2-3 years down the road.

    And if that's the only game plan this district and the board of education has, then I look forward to seating a new board over the next 2 election cycles.

    As to this:

    >> Class size may not be the be-all and end-all, and its relentless decrease may be some of the reason we're in fiscal trouble.

    Ya think?

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  7. Why does my kid in middle school have to suffer why cant we spread the wealth and increase the fees for sports,for all the schools, we pay as much as anyone. IS this fair. Kids that age need this the most to stay out of trouble.

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  8. It may be possible to consolidate and increase class sizes of mandated core courses which the HCSD seems to be planning as 19 of the 24 cuts on the agenda at last night's board meeting are at the elementary schools. But I think one of the issues is the overabundance of electives that I'm betting are not coming close to maximum class size. Someone else has mentioned on Paul's blog a course at Bradley which is titled Global Gourmet. I was intrigued so I took a look at the Bradley Course Catalog. There are many courses that are not required and could be eliminated/consolidated. The description of Sports Medicine sounds like it takes elements from both business and science courses so could these students take other electives? Is an entire course really needed for fashion design or could the same core information be learned in art and business courses? Do the students really need both 'Introduction to Engineering Design' and 'Introduction to Engineering - Women in Engineering'? (I can speak to that because I am a woman with a BSE in Computer Engineering - no women do not need a separate course.) So while the idea of increasing class size is something to consider, I also think just general class popularity and purpose need to be evaluated as well.

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  9. For others to reference

    Program of Studies-
    http://hdb.hilliardschools.org/academics/program-of-studies-2/attachment/section-d-final

    Course Offerings-
    http://hdb.hilliardschools.org/academics/program-of-studies-2/attachment/section-d-final

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  10. I think the teacher's background, experience, and knowledge, and ability to motivate are far more importanat than the title of the course.

    As a CPA, I'll speak to what I know. The high school and college accounting courses I took were pretty much worthless. They did very little to prepare me for my job. That's because none of my instructors worked in public or corporate accounting.

    If given the choice between the two, I think a lot of people would agree we should keep accounting and drop global gourmet (which I also took in high school). From my experience, they were both equally worthless. But you need things to round out the day.

    I would aim to keep as much "expertise" on staff as possible, regardless of discipline. But I doubt the accounting teacher has ever run a business or the global gourmet teacher has ever run a restaurant.

    In my opintion, the lack of subject matter expertise is the biggest shortcoming in the way we train and recruit teachers.

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  11. From the Dispatch (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/05/24/marysville-school-board-weighs-cuts.html?sid=101)

    -------------------------------
    MARYSVILLE, Ohio - Before they decide to gut sports programs and extra-curricular activities and increase lunch prices and student fees to balance the budget, school board members say they will take a little more time to make sure they do what's right.

    So after discussing a series of cuts recommended by Marysville schools Superintendent Larry Zimmerman last night to ward off a $2.6million budget deficit less than two years away, the board decided to send the list to its volunteer finance committee.

    "That way, if we're all in alignment, that's great," said board member John Freudenberg.
    -------------------------------

    Wow... a school board that listens to its community...

    Paul, maybe you want to forward that link to the rest of the board?

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  12. These were my comments at the Board meeting last night - sorry the audio wasn't better:

    I view the Five Year Forecast as one of the most important governance documents produced by the Administration, and a key tool for the Board to use to determine the financial health of our school district.

    This new Forecast is, in terms of spending, not much different than the last one, published in Oct 2010. After a one-year hiatus on compensation increases – and I very much appreciate the contribution of the employee team in this regard – this forecast says we’ll return to the same rate of spending growth we’ve had since 2003, about $6.5 million per year.

    This is a rate which, by my calculations, would require that a 7 mill levy be passed in November, and then another in 2013, and likely every two years after that.

    I don’t believe our community is prepared to raise their property taxes by 7 mills every two years. If that is true, it means we can’t let our spending grow at a rate of $6.5 million per year, as is shown in this proposed Five Year Forecast.

    If we take steps to reduce our rate of spending growth to $4 million/yr, then the next levy could likely be delayed for three years, until 2014, and that’s only if we don’t attempt to restore a 10% cash reserve.

    I believe we need to spend more time with this Forecast, exploring options for how we can preserve the excellence of this district at a cost the community is willing to pay. The decision process will not be easy, and because of this, I believe it should be carried out using a methodology our district has used for other complex decisions, such as the 2007 Redistricting Effort or the 2010 Student Housing Committee. I presented a proposal for such a process to all of you prior to the last Board meeting.

    There are other ways to approach fiscal goal setting for our District, my suggestion is just one of them. But we need to pick something – there are only 79 days remaining until we must decide whether or not there will be a levy on the November ballot, and if so, what size and structure it will be.

    Meanwhile, I cannot vote in favor of this Five Year Forecast. It is not affordable in my opinion.

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  13. Paul, thank you for posting your comments. Unfortunatly with the weather, many people exited.
    Before that however, I was disappointed that many of the pay to play attendees ( and I am glad they did) did leave before the 5 year forecast
    (Discussion ???????) This forecast shows the challenges ahead of us.

    One would think that (oh silly me) that your proposal as outlined previously here on the blog would have at least prompted a public response of
    ............ well something ! from the other members of the board. Having a pay to play committee is a good idea, but it will also depend on whom will be appointed.

    As Paul noted, this forecast is not much different than the last one, and if nothing else the revenue side is collapsing a bit more
    than expected.

    I believe that at this point the following has to happen.
    1. As I dont think the district has the courage to open up line by line with a district supported committee, then an independent citizen committee using Pauls outline be formed and
    the first meeting occur the week of June 6th Certainly all interested parties should be invited andinvolved.
    2. Obviously we dont know what goes on during the executive session and perhaps a reopening of the negotiations with the bargaining units is underway. If this is not occuring than at the next board meeting, citizens must show up and request this action to be taken. The board not need comment because we are obviously worried about violating the contract.

    3. Simply a specific percentage adjustment
    to the contract language on benefits and compensation must occur and this will be then equally applied. A starting point of 2.5% would yield some cost reduction, and at the same time along with small program reductions, I am confident that the community will see that serious reductions have been implemented and support a new levy.

    Of note, new language in protecting our students needs to be inserted in the labor agreements. In addition the next levy campaign should focus on communication to the entire community. And a series of levy/school 5 year forecast/real spending cuts, be communicated to the entire community. No more cancellations
    due to smoke screens about other candidate nights in which 40 people show up.

    The HCDS community wants its schools back.
    Free from special interest groups control, not worrying about grievances, work to the contract.
    As in the past this community WILL support its schools with increased financial investment.
    However, we cannot cut our way out of potential financial disaster by focusing only on 12% of the budget.

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  14. " Do the students really need both 'Introduction to Engineering Design' and 'Introduction to Engineering - Women in Engineering'? (I can speak to that because I am a woman with a BSE in Computer Engineering - no women do not need a separate course.) So while the idea of increasing class size is something to consider, I also think just general class popularity and purpose need to be evaluated as well."

    This is just another example of something looking in from the outside and making an assumption.
    Here is a fact. The engineering program within the Hilliard City Schools is run through an organization called Project Lead The Way. This is a STEM program. It is an area many colleges are encouraging.
    BTW, it is also a GRANT FUNDED program. :)

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  15. I had a school function to attend for one of my kids last night. Any synopsis on the P2P discussion?

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  16. Here is a fact. The engineering program within the Hilliard City Schools is run through an organization called Project Lead The Way. This is a STEM program. It is an area many colleges are encouraging.BTW, it is also a GRANT FUNDED program. :)
    I'm not familiar with the grant program you're referring to - can you point me to your source?

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  17. STJ: Yes, Andy Teater spoke about trying to put together a community group to formulate recommendations to the Board.

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  18. I assume that the remaining members voted to accept the 5-year? Really, I'm sure it is the case, but don't want to make any assumptions. Did any members reply (also, again, I doubt it but just want to be sure)? I also couldn't make it to the meeting due to an evening program at my kids' school. Thank you, Paul, for your comments regarding your vote and for posting them here.

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  19. Dave Lundregan commented that "it's an exercise in futility" to try to develop a Five Year Forecast with the state budget still in a state of flux. I don't disagree with that assessment, but my comments were in regard to the spending side of the budget, which is entirely under local control.

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  20. And yes, the vote to accept the Five Year Forecast was 4-1.

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  21. I was unable to attend also, as I was just back from a week out of town and work was pressing.
    I find it rather strange that Dave Lundregan would vote yes on something that he describes as an exercise in futility, even if his reasons were different than Paul's. Or, maybe I don't.....

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  22. My son is in the Intro to Engineering course and it is quite remarkable. They cover material that I didn't get exposed to until my Freshman year at OSU College of Engineering (circa 1985). The course is pretty popular, and there is the hokey college credit you get from Sinclair State for it. While the credit is most likely never going to be used, there is nothing wrong with exposing Freshmen to the concept of working on college-level material.

    One of the key points is that when I chose Engineering as a major/profession, I had no clue what it entailed. All I knew is that I was good at Math and Science, and that is what geeks like me did. At least my son is getting some really great experience and understanding to help him make an informed choice, much earlier than I did.

    Given my first hand experience with this course, I hesitate throwing stones at other items in the curriculum. Maybe some kids watch all these cooking shows and think they can do that, no problem. Perhaps taking "Global Gourmet", they learn what it really takes and have a profession "course correction" while it is still early.

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  23. Entertaining Board Meeting yesterday until the news of the storm front coming through. There were about 30 minutes of public participation.

    Dave Lundregan commented that he encouraged the public to attend more often so that "we can have discussions like this more often". From what I understand, a large audience is not needed for the Board to have a "discussion". Chicken and egg, IMO. Have more "discussions" amongst yourselves, and maybe more people will show up.

    Finally, I missed the name of the extremely well spoken and researched young lady that kicked off the public participation section. If you are reading.... please, please, PLEASE consider running for School Board in November. Fantastic, fantastic stuff.

    Justin, that 5 minute speech would be worthy of it's own posting somewhere (with the presenters permission...).

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  24. Mark:

    Don't disagree. If I2E course had existed in my high school 40 years ago, I would have been first in line.

    If the time comes that we have to start paring the high school course offerings, it seems like it would make sense to start by looking at the elective courses taken by the fewest students.

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  25. Mark: That was Kim Doucher (dooker), who ran for Common Pleas Judge last November. She is also one of the leaders of Hilliard EPIC, an interest group of folks interested in gifted education.

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  26. "Class size may not be the be-all and end-all, and its relentless decrease may be some of the reason we're in fiscal trouble."

    Who says class size is decreasing? My second grader has 27 in her class. Three years ago her brother had 22 classmates as a second grader at the same school. 27 is too many.

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  27. I think people left the meeting thinking there was a chance for fall sports, but how can that be when all of the schedules have already been done for fall? I have heard that once the levy failed, other districts found alternative games. Are we being told everything? I guarantee that everyone went home, told friends that there is still a chance to play. I hope this is not the case. I remember a few years ago a group of parents tried to keep the 6th grade camp, and then when push came to shove after a lot of hard work by the group, they were told it couldn't happen. Any thoughts?

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  28. Let's not just look at courses taken by the fewest number of students....lets look at the courses themselves. The teacher of the year at Bradly teaches Sports and Entertainment Management and there's also a Computer Science class in game development. These are probably pretty popular classes....but come on!!!

    So the board accepted the 5 year forecast....and......and....and what??
    Spending will continue to escalate?? And they're "talking" about "trying" to get a community group to make recommendations. Between now and the August deadline for another levy on the ballot in November, nothing will happen. It's in the hands of the board and the teachers union. If they can reach a REALISTIC agreement for the next contract, and let the public know its details before November, another levy will pass easily. The ball is in their court. We're waiting for them to do something next.....

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  29. "I'm not familiar with the grant program you're referring to - can you point me to your source?"

    http://www.pltw.org/

    BTW, the "Women in Engineering", a course through PLW, will be working with OSU next as well.
    Again,this program within the district, is currently a grant funded program.

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  30. How can the vote be 4 to 1 when clearly Paul voted against it and Dave L. stated it was "an exercise in futility" to develop a 5-year plan with the state budget in flux?

    Seriously? Does that logic make sense? This is a LEADER? Oh my......

    In other news, was P2P accepted or rejected? Was there discussion on the matter? Was it shelved? Sorry I wasn't there but I couldn't be due to an unaoidable conflict. Anyone fill me in?

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  31. I remember a few years ago a group of parents tried to keep the 6th grade camp, and then when push came to shove after a lot of hard work by the group, they were told it couldn't happen.

    My recollection of the Camp Joy situation was that the district gave the parents of the 6th graders the opportunity to raise the money to fund the trip, but that insufficient money was raised (see NW News article)

    I cannot and should not try to speak for my fellow Board members, but I think you heard interest in finding a way to restore middle school sports. Please be patient while the process plays out.

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  32. Let's not just look at courses taken by the fewest number of students....lets look at the courses themselves. The teacher of the year at Bradly teaches Sports and Entertainment Management and there's also a Computer Science class in game development. These are probably pretty popular classes....but come on!!!

    I'm pretty ignorant of sports management, but as a lifelong computer geek, I'll observe that computer game development is a huge global industry, and that the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg might well be a kid taking this class. One of the features of many computer games is how well they represent the physical laws of the real world - because it makes them more realistic to play. The people who develop those games have very high skills in math and physics. And they can make a lot of money.

    I remember Earl Bruce getting zinged for suggesting that OSU should offer a major in professional athletics, where students would study not only about the physicality of sports, but also the business/legal side. Not a bad idea. After all, a significant number of retired pro athletes end up going bankrupt after making $millions in their careers because they haven't a clue how to manage their money.

    He was told that a pro sports major would be ludicrous because few OSU athletes would make it to the pros.

    His response was to ask how many graduates with a BFA in Drama made it to Broadway.

    So we never really know what subject area will interest a kid, or lead to a career.

    But as a public school system in a community with our financial resources, we may not be able to afford to offer classes of interest to only a few students. We may have to say that these interests have to be pursued outside the public school system.

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  33. Well, I think classes in game development and sports management represent the crux of the argument about what schools are for. To me, these represent the absolute premier education this district has chosen to provide. But the community has to decide if the cost is worth the benefit. There are many other less expensive ways to show children about their interests for possible careers.

    I obviously have shown my sentiments about school district spending levels. And these specialty classes with limited benefit are just the last straw for me. Our family income has been stagnant for the last several years. I honestly feel that the selfish interests of others are impacting my life, in ways beyond my control. I am so tired of this. My life long sentiments in supporting a strong, vibrant public education, even though I have put NO children through public school, are changing. I feel as if I have given so much, financially, for others. Doesn't anyone in HCSD appreciate that or have any consideration for me??

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  34. Well said, and I believe many share your thinking.

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  35. "If the time comes that we have to start paring the high school course offerings, it seems like it would make sense to start by looking at the elective courses taken by the fewest students. "

    Paul said exactly what I was thinking. I am not trying to pick on individual programs and I too would have been first in line for an engineering course at my high school but as it is obvious that cuts need to be made and most likely there are more to come all electives will need to be examined. Hopefully, many great opportunities can remain for our students.

    It was my understanding that Hilliard had opted out of STEM-type programs such as Metro High due to the expense so it is great to learn that some outside resources and expertise are available to the students. It appears that instead of sending a small handful of students to Metro High HCSD is offering its own Pre-Engineering courses to many students. However, the grant must not cover the entire expense as this quote is taken from page 17 of the FY11 Budget - "Pre-Engineering One was added within all three high schools during the 2009-2010 school year that served a total of 400 students. Pre-Engineering Two was added within all three high schools for the 2010-2011 school year. Tolles Technical School assisted in providing funding for equipment for these two courses. In subsequent years for Pre-Engineering Three and Four, additional funding sources will need to be identified for equipment and staff training as required by the Project Lead the Way curriculum."

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  36. I was at the Board Meeting Monday. It was my second ever Board meeting. I've been activated by what's been labeled the Pay to Participate issue. From my vantage point it is neither Pay to Participate or, as the Board calls them, "extras" but
    My growing small business, as decided by a consensus of our employees, will not hire talent unless the candidate has been involved in a team sport or a band of some sort. In our business team work, group dynamics, etc. are crucial skills not "extras".
    In espousing that view I've had communications with 4 board members. Three of them were open to discussion, interested in what I had to say and intelligent in their responses.
    That said here are my observations from the meeting and the interactions:
    1. It is a myth that the Board doesn't read emails. They do. They don't respond to all emails but they do read them. I would love to send one of my interns to the school office to teach them how to set an auto response: "Thank you for your input! Etc. ... " Lots of frustrations are created because people don't think they are being heard.
    2. If you want to have a conversation with the members engage with them on the turf most comfortable to them. I found that for Paul that is here and email works, but for Maggied and Teater I found phone the best forum.
    3. We need the Board to sponsor a class on "how the Board works". Teater made some opening remarks about P2P. Then we had public comments on P2P. Then the Board had its discussion. Many in the audience were upset they couldn't join in that discussion not understanding the official format. Then once the discussion was over no one clearly understood the next step. People that worked to get the Board's attention to the P2P issue left frustrated that nothing happened. What happened was the best that could have happened under the circumstances. There was no clear explanation which added to the confusion and frustration.

    Part 2 follows ....

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  37. 4. Well then, what happened? A committee is being formed to study P2P. Tim Hamilton, an Assistant Supt, has been assigned the implementation of the committee. That wasn't clear from the Board proceedings.

    5. If the Board wants us to participate they need to spend a couple of bucks on a sound system that works.

    6. I was disturbed by a couple of references in the meeting to the fact that the cuts to the extras had already been decided and the public hadn't shown much interest in commenting on the cut list when it was proposed and voted on. I think that is a disingenous argument. To put the cut list up for vote without a clear announcement and proper time to comment and then vote on it was wrong. To then infer that the public didn't show an interest in commenting is Dilbertish.

    Griping about it isn't going to change it so the lesson is that the Friday before every board meeting we all need to read the agenda thorougly. And if something is on it that needs public attention we have to shoe horn some time in over the weekend and on that Monday to get engaged.

    7. I am also disturbed about the continual references to haves and have nots. I'll comment in detail on that later. It is a fact that P2P at the dollar level that other districts have implemented it will result in reduced participation rates. If we focus on the school district as our measure less kids will be served. But if we focus on the kids in the community rather than the district I think it is a different story. I assert that less kids are served when the school's don't provide the programming because the format of club sports creates barriers beyond the financial for those deemed "have nots".

    8. If you believe in Paul's proposal as a way to spark the community conversation we must have you have to push as hard for it as the community pushed for P2P. There were a number of individual, independent drivers pushing for parents to communicate their desire for P2P. My guess is at least 2000 emails were sent to sports parents. Maggied said he received over 300 emails. A scattered email here and a random conversation there won't do it.

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  38. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I still think we are getting waaaaaaay off topic here.

    If the 5 year forecast can be characterized as an exercise in futility (and I do disagree with that assessment), then certainly curriculum and P2P discussions are futile pending the contract negotiation.

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  39. Okay, Paul, now I'm curious!

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  40. When the teachers union "does the right thing" and freezes salaries and increases their medical contribution (as many on here believe the "money grubbing scum will not do)..... those on this board that have bashed teachers need to 1) apologize for rushing to judgement, and 2) VOTE yes for the next levy. It will clearly be in the taxpayers court at that time!

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  41. You said it, pal....when the teachers freeze salaries. A true freeze of base and step increases. Then let's see exactly how large of a levy we need. And of course it will pass. But I'm not holding my breath to wait for a freeze, and those on this board have NOT rushed to judgement. Paul has a record of this blog dating back to December 2006! We have NOTHING to apologize for.

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  42. Paul,

    What is the status of the "current 5-year forcast"? Has it been officially approved by the board? Will it be be discussed at the next board meeting? When will it be available for public viewing?

    Thanks,
    Steve

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  43. Steve:

    Yes, the forecast was approved 4-1 by the Board, with me as the lone dissenter, and no meaningful discussion.

    Here for the forecast

    Here for the comments I made at the meeting.

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  44. What is the mean teaching wage / What is the mean adminstrator wage ? what is the wage based on 2080 hour year not 183 days.

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  45. According to the CUPP report, a database published by the Ohio Department of Education, the numbers for Hilliard are:

    Avg Classroom Teacher Salary = $69,369
    Avg Administrator Salary = $90,331

    I'll not engage in the argument about hours and days.

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