"It's true. We do pay more," said Greta Roskom, a charter-school principal and a former Albuquerque Public Schools principal and administrator.By and large, charter schools are paying their teachers more than APS pays theirs.
I appreciate the listing of alternative considerations but have questions and concerns about those being recommended:
• Seek a wage freeze from MTI members for a year
Correct me if I'm wrong. It's my understanding that 3.8% is a QEO requirement and it's been mentioned that MTI works considerably well with the MMSD adminstration. Other Wisconsin districts have extended higher increases ranging from 4.2-4.6%. I would hate to lose our great teachers to other locations in the state if we don't at least maintain a minimal increase. Arbitration is a scary thought as well.
• The Board should cut your losses and cancel expensive and inaccurate systems like Kronos and Lawson;
I'd like to know if it is the system that is poor; or that because it is new, staff are having a hard time learning something new.
• Freeze hiring of administrative staff. Other staff have been required to do more - with less.
To play devils advocate; the parent and community specialist may actually increase and maintain better relationships within the Madison community. Parents and citizen involvement is essential and we all know; after the referenda go away, the interest will unfortunately diminish...I'd like to see more interaction with the board, administration and community and if it takes someone to organize and maintain it; I'll support it.
• Cancel all out of state conference attendance for administration and teaching staff.
So are we decreasing teachers ability to learn, bring in fresh ideas and put on blinders by learning only within our state/district boundaries?
DATE: April 6, 2005
TO: Madison School Board Members
FROM: School District Employee
RE: MMSD Budget Concerns/Questions
As a Madison taxpayer, parent, and employee of MMSD, I have a unique perspective on the workings of this school district. I also feel a great responsibility to write my concerns. The Board should address:
• How can food service/custodial/secretarial personnel be cut/surplused at the same time that more administrators are added and given substantial raises?
• How can the Board consider cutting services at the schools when incredible amounts of money are spent on conference attendance by administrators and teachers?
• How many assistants does the Superintendent need? While a few Assistant Superintendents have retired/left in recent years, Supt. Rainwater now has a "Chief of Staff' and "Special Assistant for
Parent and Community Relations." How can these expensive staff be justified?
• How much money is being spent on the new Lawson purchasing and Kronos payroll systems? It takes staff triple the time to do the same work in this cumbersome, on-line purchasing system. Lawson is simply not working efficiently. The accuracy of its accounting reports is very questionable. The Kronos (timeclock) system is being forced upon the District's hard working employees because some employees were not working when they were supposed to. Rather than administrators tighten
control over those select few, an entire, new and expensive system is being implemented for certain groups of staff (custodial, food service, secretarial). Administrators, teachers & many other school
based staff are exempt from this system. My exposure to the Kronos and Lawson systems has demonstrated that they are highly inefficient. Employee morale is extremely low. Good employees, who often work extra, without overtime pay - will no longer go the extra mile to complete projects or to serve the public and students.
I suggest that before you cut any services for the students or increase student fees, the following options be
investigated:
• Seek a wage freeze from MTI members for a year - union members, as a gesture of concern/empathy to the community, should consider this option;
• The Board should cut your losses and cancel expensive and inaccurate systems like Kronos and Lawson;
• Freeze hiring of administrative staff. Other staff have been required to do more - with less.
• Cancel all out of state conference attendance for administration and teaching staff.
The Board has lost its credibility in the sight of voters. The referendums in May will not pass (nor should they). Board members must ask some serious questions, make sure you are being given the while picture from administration, and take action.
CC: Wisconsin State Journal
MTI
In Madison, parents have begun asking why MMSD does not link parents to teachers through regular e-mail reports and messages. The April 6, 2005 issue of Education Week offers pros and cons of this suggestion. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/04/06/30email.h24.html?querystring=e-mail%20opens%20line
Direct Instruction frequently enters discussions of reading in Madison's schools.
Strictly speaking, Direct Instruction (with a capital D and a capital I) is a copyrighted program. Direct instruction (little d, little i) refers to a variety of programs that use direct systematic instruction and other principles of Direct Instruction.
Additionally, direct instruction works to teach other subjects, math, science, history, and more.
Dr. Martin Kozloff, professor at University of North Carolina-Willmington, prepared a long list of direct instruction cirricula. Click here to read a short description of each.
Ed Blume