All those Fayette County school districts that engaged in the requisite hand-wringing and proclaimations of, "We did all we could do," apparently didn't get a chance to read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on July 15.
Take a look at this little informational gem, residents of those Fayette County school districts that got socked with tax hikes: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11196/1160606-100.stm
Sto-Rox school employees accept wage freeze
By Ryan Brown, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sto-Rox school employees -- including all teaching, custodial and office staff -- have accepted a one-year wage freeze in a series of contract agreements announced today.
Teachers' two-year contract deal includes a freeze for the 2011-2012 school year and a 3 percent raise the following year. Support and administrative staff agreed to wage freezes in separate agreements.
"I'm very proud and pleased with our entire staff," Acting Superintendent James Manley said. "Everybody right now . . . is taking a freeze."
The agreements follow a June 24 budget approval that managed to avoid furloughs by cutting open positions and spending in supplies, transportation and technology. Some long-term substitute positions also will be cut, Mr. Manley said.
Sto-Rox took a $1.3-million funding reduction in the recently passed state budget.
"They're making a sacrifice," Mr. Manley said. "I hope our state leaders recognize that."
Now let's compare that to the July 14 story in the Herald-Standard, "Brownsville school board passes budget with tax increase":
http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/brownsville-school-board-passes-budget-with-tax-increase/article_749d2615-c2f0-5417-b3b1-17400101baee.html
Brownsville Area School Board passed a final budget Wednesday that calls for a 3.5-mill increase for Fayette County residents and a 19.74-mill increase for residents in Washington County.
That means a resident with property in Fayette County assessed at $50,000 will pay about $175 more in taxes than last year or about $828 next year.
Directors voted 5-2 on the more than $24 million budget that included the elimination of the district’s music program, requiring the furlough of music teachers.
Directors Andy Dorsey, Ron Dellarose, Andy Assad, Rocky Brashear and John Harvey voted in favor, while directors Nena Kaminsky and Stella Broadwater opposed. Directors Sandra Chan and Francine Pavone were absent from the meeting.
Broadwater said taxpayers could not afford the nearly 30 percent increase in taxes and that the district was $500,000 behind in delinquent taxes last year.
“How much in taxes do you really think you are going to get anyway?” she asked the board.
Brashear said while he does not want to raise taxes in the district, the district has cut everything possible.
“What else can we cut? I don’t want to raise taxes either, but we are elected to do our job however painful that is,” he said. “We cut everything we could cut.”
Dorsey said the millage increase was court ordered by the state to help bail the district out of $5 million in debt from a bond issue taken two years ago.
He said none of the tax increase is figured into next year’s budget.
To help balance the budget, the district cut the music program which includes chorus and band.
Two music teachers will be furloughed as a result.
Maybe we missed the part about all employees in the Brownsville Area School District, from top to bottom, taking a one-year pay freeze like their Sto-Rox brethren. So we read the story three times, thinking we might have skimmed over it. No dice.
In actuality, the Brownsville school board raised property taxes 26.77 percent, taking the millage rate from 13.07 to 16.57. We suspect, strongly, that if the state or federal government raised anyone's tax on anything nearing 27 percent in the midst of the current economic crisis, the Herald-Standard, as the supposed newspaper of record, would at least weigh in on that hike editorially.
We especially like how Brownsville board member Dorsey apparently tried to pawn off responsibility for this huge tax hike on the state. (But we don't discount the possibility that bad reporting may have muddled his point.) But who took out the $5 million in bond debt two years ago? It sure wasn't the state. No, the responsibility for taking out that debt -- and for paying it back -- lies squarely with the Brownsville school board.
We urge the local newspaper to take its head out of the feel-good sand long enough to scour the Internet to see what's going on in some other school districts, like Sto-Rox.
Then maybe they would be better prepared to ask some good, probing questions whenever someone says, "We did all that we could."
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Time to investigate, for real
We are waiting with baited breath to see how the Herald-Standard handles a real story worthy of investigation: yesterday's news that a state report has flagged two local school districts -- Uniontown and Connellsville -- for possible cheating on standardized tests called the PSSA.
Based on the story announcing this news, "PDE investigating report that flags districts for possible cheating on PSSA," the early prognosis for any tough probing is not encouraging. How can it be when that particular story doesn't even mention which Connellsville schools were flagged in the report?
All the Herald-Standard chose to divulge was that "Third-grade PSSA results from Ben Franklin School (in the Uniontown Area School District) were flagged on the report," and that "several elementary schools in the Connellsville Area School District" were also flagged.
See for yourself: http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/pde-investigating-report-that-flags-districts-for-possible-cheating-on/article_97202068-cb04-5935-91b5-720d04150ca4.html
We had to check out the same story on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's website to find out that the Connellsville schools implicated in this report were: Bullskin Township Elementary School, Clifford N. Pritts Elementary School, South Side Elementary School, Connellsville Area Career and Technical School.
You would think that if you are going to name the one school building in Uniontown that has this potential problem, you would also name the four buildings in Connellsville that are alleged to have it too. Perhaps Herald-Standard editor Mark OKeefe has a good explanation for why that did not happen.
The Post-Gazette also provided its readers an important perspective by noting that the report flagged eight school districts and one charter school in southwestern Pennsylvania for possible cheating. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11194/1160004-454-0.stm
The Associated Press provided even better perspective: at least three dozen schools, or about 36 of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts, were flagged in the report, prepared for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
No one is accusing anyone of wrongdoing at this point. But the perspective of a source quoted in the Post-Gazette story is worth giving to the public, especially since it was missing from the Herald-Standard story.
Andy Porter, dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, reviewed the report, and said this to the Post-Gazette: "If there's one flag, that's something to be investigated because to get a flag, you have to have a result that is just completely beyond anything expected to happen by chance ... I don't think we're talking about student cheating here at all. We're talking about adult cheating."
This certainly sounds to us like something the Herald-Standard should investigate. As a topic, it is at least on par with the fake letter to the editor the newspaper published from Ruth Thompson, the controvery over using tax dollars to launch and fund Fayette TV, criticism by one disgruntled member of the Marcellus Shale Task Force and the Connellsville Area School Board's threat to yank its legal advertising from the newspaper.
All of those topics were judged to warrant saturation coverage by the newspaper, generating front page stories and editorial commentary. But those were easy targets. This one's a little tougher, and even though it does not involve the newspaper's finances or reputation, it is certainly no less important.
Based on the story announcing this news, "PDE investigating report that flags districts for possible cheating on PSSA," the early prognosis for any tough probing is not encouraging. How can it be when that particular story doesn't even mention which Connellsville schools were flagged in the report?
All the Herald-Standard chose to divulge was that "Third-grade PSSA results from Ben Franklin School (in the Uniontown Area School District) were flagged on the report," and that "several elementary schools in the Connellsville Area School District" were also flagged.
See for yourself: http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/pde-investigating-report-that-flags-districts-for-possible-cheating-on/article_97202068-cb04-5935-91b5-720d04150ca4.html
We had to check out the same story on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's website to find out that the Connellsville schools implicated in this report were: Bullskin Township Elementary School, Clifford N. Pritts Elementary School, South Side Elementary School, Connellsville Area Career and Technical School.
You would think that if you are going to name the one school building in Uniontown that has this potential problem, you would also name the four buildings in Connellsville that are alleged to have it too. Perhaps Herald-Standard editor Mark OKeefe has a good explanation for why that did not happen.
The Post-Gazette also provided its readers an important perspective by noting that the report flagged eight school districts and one charter school in southwestern Pennsylvania for possible cheating. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11194/1160004-454-0.stm
The Associated Press provided even better perspective: at least three dozen schools, or about 36 of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts, were flagged in the report, prepared for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
No one is accusing anyone of wrongdoing at this point. But the perspective of a source quoted in the Post-Gazette story is worth giving to the public, especially since it was missing from the Herald-Standard story.
Andy Porter, dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, reviewed the report, and said this to the Post-Gazette: "If there's one flag, that's something to be investigated because to get a flag, you have to have a result that is just completely beyond anything expected to happen by chance ... I don't think we're talking about student cheating here at all. We're talking about adult cheating."
This certainly sounds to us like something the Herald-Standard should investigate. As a topic, it is at least on par with the fake letter to the editor the newspaper published from Ruth Thompson, the controvery over using tax dollars to launch and fund Fayette TV, criticism by one disgruntled member of the Marcellus Shale Task Force and the Connellsville Area School Board's threat to yank its legal advertising from the newspaper.
All of those topics were judged to warrant saturation coverage by the newspaper, generating front page stories and editorial commentary. But those were easy targets. This one's a little tougher, and even though it does not involve the newspaper's finances or reputation, it is certainly no less important.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Show us your money
Here in the patch, it took us all of two seconds to decode today's story, "HeraldStandard.com begins metered paywall system."
http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/heraldstandard-com-begins-metered-paywall-system/article_0ec676a8-df4f-502f-928d-3b5076418c4f.html
We wondered what was up a while back when the newspaper made a big announcement that is was changing its official name to "HeraldStandard.com." Now we have the answer: it is moving toward charging for its previously free online content.
What's disengenuous, though, is how the paper tap-dances around the most important fact concerning this change.
If written in the inverted pyramid style that is the building block of good news writing, here's a typical take on how today's story would have begun:
Starting today, HeraldStandard.com will begin limiting online readers to five free stories a month, after which they will be required to register with a name and email address to view another five free stories, after which they will have to purchase a subscription to view more stories.
A 2-day subscription will cost $2.99, a one-month subscription will be $5.99, and a one-year subscription will be $59.99, with two free months included in that price.If you subscribe to the print edition, you can get a discount.
To get to this understanding, we had to put on our fishing boots and slosh through a river of pablum from publisher Val Laub, who tried to make it sound like the newspaper is only trying to strengthen its bond with readers by making them pay.
Judge for yourself:
“Our goal will be to continue to provide our readers with news and information as it happens within our communities. We are asking our readers to join us as we value the opportunity to provide news to our general public 24/7," added Laub.
"Registering will allow us to have a direct relationship with our readers," said Laub. “Not only will they be able to comment on stories, submit items of interest and create a dashboard based on their preferences, it will allow us to identify content of interest."
“Having feedback from our viewers and reviews from our online audience will allow us to grow well into the future. How we relay our news to our general public is about to get a lot more interactive," added Laub.
It remains to be seen whether this latest initiative will pan out, especially when there are days when this paper-thin newspaper paper has only five or six bylined stories to offer as content.
Given that the primary competition, in the form of the Tribune-Review and Connellsville Daily Courier, is generally providing better written stories and is not yet charging for online content, this move carries some risk.
But we believe one thing is absolutely certain: HeraldStandard.com is way more interested in getting your money than your feedback. The way today's story is structured should prove that point.
http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/heraldstandard-com-begins-metered-paywall-system/article_0ec676a8-df4f-502f-928d-3b5076418c4f.html
We wondered what was up a while back when the newspaper made a big announcement that is was changing its official name to "HeraldStandard.com." Now we have the answer: it is moving toward charging for its previously free online content.
What's disengenuous, though, is how the paper tap-dances around the most important fact concerning this change.
If written in the inverted pyramid style that is the building block of good news writing, here's a typical take on how today's story would have begun:
Starting today, HeraldStandard.com will begin limiting online readers to five free stories a month, after which they will be required to register with a name and email address to view another five free stories, after which they will have to purchase a subscription to view more stories.
A 2-day subscription will cost $2.99, a one-month subscription will be $5.99, and a one-year subscription will be $59.99, with two free months included in that price.If you subscribe to the print edition, you can get a discount.
To get to this understanding, we had to put on our fishing boots and slosh through a river of pablum from publisher Val Laub, who tried to make it sound like the newspaper is only trying to strengthen its bond with readers by making them pay.
Judge for yourself:
“Our goal will be to continue to provide our readers with news and information as it happens within our communities. We are asking our readers to join us as we value the opportunity to provide news to our general public 24/7," added Laub.
"Registering will allow us to have a direct relationship with our readers," said Laub. “Not only will they be able to comment on stories, submit items of interest and create a dashboard based on their preferences, it will allow us to identify content of interest."
“Having feedback from our viewers and reviews from our online audience will allow us to grow well into the future. How we relay our news to our general public is about to get a lot more interactive," added Laub.
It remains to be seen whether this latest initiative will pan out, especially when there are days when this paper-thin newspaper paper has only five or six bylined stories to offer as content.
Given that the primary competition, in the form of the Tribune-Review and Connellsville Daily Courier, is generally providing better written stories and is not yet charging for online content, this move carries some risk.
But we believe one thing is absolutely certain: HeraldStandard.com is way more interested in getting your money than your feedback. The way today's story is structured should prove that point.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Unanswered questions
We here in the patch are used to seeing some weak "news" stories in the Herald-Standard, but today's effort regarding the new teachers' contract in the Uniontown Area School District takes the cake.
"UASD negotiators reach contract agreement" has left us wondering if the newspaper now has a prohibition against asking any probing questions, if it has expanded its list of partnerships, or if it simply relishes dumb-downed stories.
Check it out for yourself and see if you agree with this assessment. http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/uasd-negotiators-reach-contract-agreement/article_ee0ec9ca-4e95-5015-a8c3-2b559d6919c8.html
This story shows a remarkable lack of detail. We learn that the school board voted 8-1 to approve a new three-year teachers' contract after 19 months of negotation. We also find out that the new deal "will afford some movement for lower step educators and a change in the health care plan."
But what, exactly, is "some movement"? And who are these "lower step educators"?
A newspaper's job is to make sense of jargon, deciphering it and boiling it down to words the reader understands. That clearly wasn't done with a passage like this:
The terms of the three-year contract state that teachers up to step 15 will receive a halfstep movement retroactive for the 2010-11 academic year. For 2011-12 and 2012-13, teachers up to step 15 will receive an increase of three percent of the payroll. Teachers over the 15-year mark will receive no increase for 2010-11 and 2011-12, but will receive $500 in year three of the contract.
What is step 15? What is a halfstep movement? What is an increase of three percent of the payroll? The only part of the above paragraph that's easily understood is that teachers with more than 15 years of service won't get an increase -- we are left to assume that means no pay increase -- in the first two years, but will get $500 in year three.
We also read that school board member Lloyd Williams is warning that the district will have to cough up another $1 million next year to comply with this contract. Any reporter or editor worth his or her salt should be able to translate that million-dollar figure into the projected millage-rate increase for 2012-13. But, alas, that takes some brains and a little work.
We also find out that: The new contract also offers teachers a lesser insurance plan that will require them to have higher co-pays and deductibles. According to Director Thomas George, teachers will not be required to contribute to the premium and the district will save about $190,000 this year on the total premium.
Before the taxpaying public can decide whether they like this deal or not, should it not be informed of what are these "higher co-pays and deductibles"? If the copay rises from $10 to $11, that is a far different animal than it if rises from $10 to $100. A deductible that rises from $500 to $1,000 is one thing; one that rises from $500 to $2,500 is something else.
We would also ask why the teachers won't have to contribute to the monthly premium, which is the norm for most private employers, and how much that move might have saved beyond the $190,000 cited by director George.
A school district story that leaves so many unanswered questions doesn't deserve any grade better than a D.
"UASD negotiators reach contract agreement" has left us wondering if the newspaper now has a prohibition against asking any probing questions, if it has expanded its list of partnerships, or if it simply relishes dumb-downed stories.
Check it out for yourself and see if you agree with this assessment. http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/uasd-negotiators-reach-contract-agreement/article_ee0ec9ca-4e95-5015-a8c3-2b559d6919c8.html
This story shows a remarkable lack of detail. We learn that the school board voted 8-1 to approve a new three-year teachers' contract after 19 months of negotation. We also find out that the new deal "will afford some movement for lower step educators and a change in the health care plan."
But what, exactly, is "some movement"? And who are these "lower step educators"?
A newspaper's job is to make sense of jargon, deciphering it and boiling it down to words the reader understands. That clearly wasn't done with a passage like this:
The terms of the three-year contract state that teachers up to step 15 will receive a halfstep movement retroactive for the 2010-11 academic year. For 2011-12 and 2012-13, teachers up to step 15 will receive an increase of three percent of the payroll. Teachers over the 15-year mark will receive no increase for 2010-11 and 2011-12, but will receive $500 in year three of the contract.
What is step 15? What is a halfstep movement? What is an increase of three percent of the payroll? The only part of the above paragraph that's easily understood is that teachers with more than 15 years of service won't get an increase -- we are left to assume that means no pay increase -- in the first two years, but will get $500 in year three.
We also read that school board member Lloyd Williams is warning that the district will have to cough up another $1 million next year to comply with this contract. Any reporter or editor worth his or her salt should be able to translate that million-dollar figure into the projected millage-rate increase for 2012-13. But, alas, that takes some brains and a little work.
We also find out that: The new contract also offers teachers a lesser insurance plan that will require them to have higher co-pays and deductibles. According to Director Thomas George, teachers will not be required to contribute to the premium and the district will save about $190,000 this year on the total premium.
Before the taxpaying public can decide whether they like this deal or not, should it not be informed of what are these "higher co-pays and deductibles"? If the copay rises from $10 to $11, that is a far different animal than it if rises from $10 to $100. A deductible that rises from $500 to $1,000 is one thing; one that rises from $500 to $2,500 is something else.
We would also ask why the teachers won't have to contribute to the monthly premium, which is the norm for most private employers, and how much that move might have saved beyond the $190,000 cited by director George.
A school district story that leaves so many unanswered questions doesn't deserve any grade better than a D.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
All options explored?
We here in the patch are getting quite a chuckle out of the little dog-and-pony show going on as the Laurel Highlands School Board ramps up to its inevitable raising of property taxes, which we boldly predict will occur at tonight's 7 p.m. meeting.
Today's story in the Herald-Standard, "LH ponders tax increase or furloughs," reveals that LH needs $280,000 to balance its budget. Based on comments from key sources, the public gets the impression that all availabe options to close that gap are being given equal weight, including faculty furloughs and tapping the capital reserve fund.
What's missing, though, is ANY board member who has spoken up AGAINST raising taxes. We don't know if that occurred during Tuesday's planning meeting. It is possible that someone did, but it wasn't reported (our sources say this is sometimes the case).
In the story as it appeared, the stars are lining up for tax increase. First up, business manager Greg Hensh, noting that the maximum tax increase permitted under the state index would hike taxes $2.67 per $10,000 of assessed value, or $27.50 on a house assessed at $100,000.
Next up, retiring superintendent Dr. Gary Brain, noting that the district has already lost 10 to 15 teaching positions due to retirement or resignation, and he won't recommend further cuts in that area.
Third clue? Board president Angelo Giachetti said he doesn’t want to lay anyone off.
Fourth one? Solicitor Gary Frankhouser noted that borrowing from the capital reserve fund at this time could impact future tax increases.
Number five? “Twenty-seven dollars for a $100,000 home and we save our whole educational system. We can’t lose 18 teachers,” said school director Jim Tobal.
Tobal is, of course, a former teacher who retired under the district's generous retirement policy, so his bias in this area comes naturally.
It would have been very interesting -- and no doubt wold have caused a little squirming -- if the Herald-Standard had asked some questions at Tuesday's dog-and-pony show. Questions like, "Are LH administrators taking a one-year pay freeze, like the administration at the neighboring Albert Gallatin Area School District did?" And, "If they aren't, why not?"
As a public service, we here on our little blog present this story "Wage freezes reflect cold, hard reality," from the Valley News Dispatch, June 28:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_744249.html
Teachers, administrators and staff in some Alle-Kiski Valley school districts won't be taking home as much money as they may have been expecting in the new school year.
After Gov. Tom Corbett in March called on school employees to accept a one-year pay freeze, freezes and other concessions have been agreed to in a majority of area districts.
A pay freeze for the 2011-12 year was included in the new contract between the Riverview School District and its teachers. It saved the district up to $220,000, and avoided teacher furloughs or the need to balance the budget by dipping into cash reserves, said Business Manager Frank Thompson.
Please note that this pay freeze in Riverview saved the district $220,000, which is within striking distance of the $280,000 that LH needs to balance its budget.
The Valley News Dispatch also provided its readers with some other interesting facts:
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association lists 137 school entities -- including school districts, vocational-technical schools and intermediate units -- where wage freezes have been adopted for the 2011-12 year.
(Pennsylvania State Education Association spokesman Wythe) Keever said 65 out of the PSEA's 500 locals have agreed on a pay freeze. A number of others have agreed to other concessions.
At the Kiski Area School District, saving the jobs of eight furloughed teachers was an objective for their peers, who accepted a two-year freeze.
Freeport teachers agreed to cut four working days from their calendar, from 188 to 184; give up pay for extra morning duties; and freeze salaries for supplemental positions, such as serving as coaches and advisors.
At Franklin Regional (School District), the teachers union offered a wage-and-benefit package that totals $1.6 million in savings over three years. It includes increased health insurance contributions and a wage freeze beginning in 2012-13.
It seems that in the bigger world outside of Fayette County, there are a few other options beyond raiding the capital reserve fund, furloughs or raising taxes. But when board members and administrators have relatives on the payroll, a frequent occurrence in Fayette County, it's easy to understand why those other options aren't explored.
Today's story in the Herald-Standard, "LH ponders tax increase or furloughs," reveals that LH needs $280,000 to balance its budget. Based on comments from key sources, the public gets the impression that all availabe options to close that gap are being given equal weight, including faculty furloughs and tapping the capital reserve fund.
What's missing, though, is ANY board member who has spoken up AGAINST raising taxes. We don't know if that occurred during Tuesday's planning meeting. It is possible that someone did, but it wasn't reported (our sources say this is sometimes the case).
In the story as it appeared, the stars are lining up for tax increase. First up, business manager Greg Hensh, noting that the maximum tax increase permitted under the state index would hike taxes $2.67 per $10,000 of assessed value, or $27.50 on a house assessed at $100,000.
Next up, retiring superintendent Dr. Gary Brain, noting that the district has already lost 10 to 15 teaching positions due to retirement or resignation, and he won't recommend further cuts in that area.
Third clue? Board president Angelo Giachetti said he doesn’t want to lay anyone off.
Fourth one? Solicitor Gary Frankhouser noted that borrowing from the capital reserve fund at this time could impact future tax increases.
Number five? “Twenty-seven dollars for a $100,000 home and we save our whole educational system. We can’t lose 18 teachers,” said school director Jim Tobal.
Tobal is, of course, a former teacher who retired under the district's generous retirement policy, so his bias in this area comes naturally.
It would have been very interesting -- and no doubt wold have caused a little squirming -- if the Herald-Standard had asked some questions at Tuesday's dog-and-pony show. Questions like, "Are LH administrators taking a one-year pay freeze, like the administration at the neighboring Albert Gallatin Area School District did?" And, "If they aren't, why not?"
As a public service, we here on our little blog present this story "Wage freezes reflect cold, hard reality," from the Valley News Dispatch, June 28:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_744249.html
Teachers, administrators and staff in some Alle-Kiski Valley school districts won't be taking home as much money as they may have been expecting in the new school year.
After Gov. Tom Corbett in March called on school employees to accept a one-year pay freeze, freezes and other concessions have been agreed to in a majority of area districts.
A pay freeze for the 2011-12 year was included in the new contract between the Riverview School District and its teachers. It saved the district up to $220,000, and avoided teacher furloughs or the need to balance the budget by dipping into cash reserves, said Business Manager Frank Thompson.
Please note that this pay freeze in Riverview saved the district $220,000, which is within striking distance of the $280,000 that LH needs to balance its budget.
The Valley News Dispatch also provided its readers with some other interesting facts:
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association lists 137 school entities -- including school districts, vocational-technical schools and intermediate units -- where wage freezes have been adopted for the 2011-12 year.
(Pennsylvania State Education Association spokesman Wythe) Keever said 65 out of the PSEA's 500 locals have agreed on a pay freeze. A number of others have agreed to other concessions.
At the Kiski Area School District, saving the jobs of eight furloughed teachers was an objective for their peers, who accepted a two-year freeze.
Freeport teachers agreed to cut four working days from their calendar, from 188 to 184; give up pay for extra morning duties; and freeze salaries for supplemental positions, such as serving as coaches and advisors.
At Franklin Regional (School District), the teachers union offered a wage-and-benefit package that totals $1.6 million in savings over three years. It includes increased health insurance contributions and a wage freeze beginning in 2012-13.
It seems that in the bigger world outside of Fayette County, there are a few other options beyond raiding the capital reserve fund, furloughs or raising taxes. But when board members and administrators have relatives on the payroll, a frequent occurrence in Fayette County, it's easy to understand why those other options aren't explored.
Friday, June 24, 2011
We are still waiting ...
When the topic of Fayette County Children and Youth Services came up during this week's meeting of the county commissioners, we here in the patch thought it might have something to do with a long-awaited report from "Fayette County's highest elected official."
That's how WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh referred to Commission chairman Vince Zapotosky back on January 6, when he was interviewed following the death of a 15-month-old in Point Marion.
As the camera rolled, "Fayette County's highest elected official" said this:
“I will assure the people of Fayette County there will be accountability. I will work on it and I will find out what went wrong, and we will do everything we can to hopefully prevent future incidents of this kind.”
You don't have to take our word for it; just go here and see for yourself: http://www.wtae.com/news/26391968/detail.html
It will soon be six months since Zapotosky made that bold statement. To us, that seems like plenty of time for him to "work on it" and to "find out what went wrong" and to tell us what has been done to "hopefully prevent future incidents of this kind."
According to media reports, part of the problem with this tragic situation was that neighbors reportedly had notified CYS -- repeatedly -- of concerns about the household in which the child was found. As one of three chief administrators of the county, and as one who has had no qualms about pointing out how lawsuits against the county are a big problem (especially when they involved someone else and not him), Zapotosky was on the money in pledging that he would get to the bottom of this.
The great unknown, at this point at least, is what exactly has he done? Has he conducted his own investigation? Has he called the state Department of Public Welfare to conduct one? Has he brought in any law enforcement agencies?
If Zapotosky is stumped at what to do next, perhaps he should place a call to his one-time running mate, former Commissioner Sean Cavanagh, who seemed to excel at initiating such probes and uncovering unseemly behaviors.
Based on his vote to fire election bureau director Laurie Lint, one thing we should be able to look forward to is that if there is any hint of procedural failure at CYS, Zapotosky should stand at the ready to clean house.
But first, he will need to be serious about his stated desire to "find out what went wrong."
That's how WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh referred to Commission chairman Vince Zapotosky back on January 6, when he was interviewed following the death of a 15-month-old in Point Marion.
As the camera rolled, "Fayette County's highest elected official" said this:
“I will assure the people of Fayette County there will be accountability. I will work on it and I will find out what went wrong, and we will do everything we can to hopefully prevent future incidents of this kind.”
You don't have to take our word for it; just go here and see for yourself: http://www.wtae.com/news/26391968/detail.html
It will soon be six months since Zapotosky made that bold statement. To us, that seems like plenty of time for him to "work on it" and to "find out what went wrong" and to tell us what has been done to "hopefully prevent future incidents of this kind."
According to media reports, part of the problem with this tragic situation was that neighbors reportedly had notified CYS -- repeatedly -- of concerns about the household in which the child was found. As one of three chief administrators of the county, and as one who has had no qualms about pointing out how lawsuits against the county are a big problem (especially when they involved someone else and not him), Zapotosky was on the money in pledging that he would get to the bottom of this.
The great unknown, at this point at least, is what exactly has he done? Has he conducted his own investigation? Has he called the state Department of Public Welfare to conduct one? Has he brought in any law enforcement agencies?
If Zapotosky is stumped at what to do next, perhaps he should place a call to his one-time running mate, former Commissioner Sean Cavanagh, who seemed to excel at initiating such probes and uncovering unseemly behaviors.
Based on his vote to fire election bureau director Laurie Lint, one thing we should be able to look forward to is that if there is any hint of procedural failure at CYS, Zapotosky should stand at the ready to clean house.
But first, he will need to be serious about his stated desire to "find out what went wrong."
Kudos
Here in the patch, we offer kudos to Albert Gallatin Area School District superintendent Carl Bezjak, business manager Denise Sheetz, and the five central staff members and 11 principals who volunteered to take a one-year pay freeze to help out with the district's current budget crisis.
“The amount of our individual salaries will be equal to our individual salaries for the fiscal year 2010-11,” Bezjak said in today's Herald-Standard. “We are trying to offset this budget tragedy. With their hands raised and sacrifices made within their own households, they jumped in the boat. I was touched and the board was very gracious.”
Granted, these are the some of the best-paying positions in the district, and some might argue that these folks are among those who can most afford to take such a hit. But there is something to be said for leading by example, which these employees have done.
As a follow-up, we would still like to see the newspaper be more aggressive about asking school board directors how many relatives they have working in the district. It is certainly relevant if that is the case with any of the six AG directors who voted for this year's 12.3-percent tax hike: Ed Sutton, Edward Andria, William Boni, Edward Colebank, David Howard and Ken Plisko.
It would also be interesting to know whether AG teachers were officially asked to accept a one-year pay freeze, and what their answer was.
Bezjak, Sheetz, the five central staff members and the 11 principals have done the right thing to help out in a time of crisis. If you see them, make sure to tell them so.
“The amount of our individual salaries will be equal to our individual salaries for the fiscal year 2010-11,” Bezjak said in today's Herald-Standard. “We are trying to offset this budget tragedy. With their hands raised and sacrifices made within their own households, they jumped in the boat. I was touched and the board was very gracious.”
Granted, these are the some of the best-paying positions in the district, and some might argue that these folks are among those who can most afford to take such a hit. But there is something to be said for leading by example, which these employees have done.
As a follow-up, we would still like to see the newspaper be more aggressive about asking school board directors how many relatives they have working in the district. It is certainly relevant if that is the case with any of the six AG directors who voted for this year's 12.3-percent tax hike: Ed Sutton, Edward Andria, William Boni, Edward Colebank, David Howard and Ken Plisko.
It would also be interesting to know whether AG teachers were officially asked to accept a one-year pay freeze, and what their answer was.
Bezjak, Sheetz, the five central staff members and the 11 principals have done the right thing to help out in a time of crisis. If you see them, make sure to tell them so.
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