Decatur Superintendent Warns of Possible Staff Layoffs in Coming Year
Decatur Metro | March 7, 2011 | 10:27 amIn addition to extending the school day at Decatur’s elementary and high schools, Karass points out this other paragraph in the Superintendent’s report (under “Overview”) to the Decatur School Board for tomorrow’s meeting…
While I was not at the last meeting, I heard that there was some concern about the budget presentation. I have worked with Theresa Link and the staff and we have developed possible cuts totaling $750,000. We have been cutting now for a number of years and the choices are not good. There will always be an area that someone will not want cut. However, we think we have prioritized well. This action coupled with the fact that we expect to gather about 1 to 2 million from, believe it or not, additional revenue and this will pull our fund balance up to a respectable starting amount. This year, in April, it may become necessary to put a Reduction In Force (RIF) plan in place. Naturally, we will continue practicing conservative budgeting, such as only accounting for the receipt of a portion of state funds and taxes. In the past, this practice has served us well.
Any insights about whether it is time to panic or whether this is just prudent planning at this point? If an RIF is close to a reality, it’s time to forget our homework/calendar/school schedule differences and whether we are conditional or unconditional supporters of CSD, round up the wagons, and figure out how to exert some pressure on the State to do the right thing in terms of educational funding and how we can help CSD make ends meet. E.g. there’s an awful lot of informal carpooling to and from schools going on right now all over City of Decatur. Should we formalize it and reduce transportation costs? Good time to empower SLTs and SCLT to try to marshall community support and suggestions effectively and brainstorm how to help.
CSD would rather NOT empower SLT or SCLT because that is in direct contradiction to the management style of the leadership. The sad thing is if the CSD leadership actually had a collaborative style of leadership, the CSD would be thriving instead of simply succeeding.
Amen…
I like that goal for CSD–to thrive, not just succeed. Many of it students are so bright and their family environments so enriched and supportive that those students would probably succeed and pass the CRCT if they were put into a 1900s one-room schoolhouse with a high-school educated teacher and a blackboard. But we want them to thrive and reach a potential that could not reach just on their own. I’m not saying that CSD isn’t doing a tremendous amount for our students, but there ARE some missed opportunities with the system charter, family engagement and community collaboration.
Here’s an idea – means test busing. If you qualify for free lunch, you get a bus (assuming distance requires it). Otherwise find your own way to school.
Buses are a binary decision – either we have them and they cover the entire geography, or we don’t. You don’t save a dime by kicking the evil rich off the bus – it will still travel the same routes, cover the same number of miles, burn the same amount of fuel and pay the same busdriver salary.
Not necessarily. I’ll bet if you did a means test, that the total number of stops would be drastically reduced and the main stops would be at subsidized housing.
Having said that, I wouldn’t kick anyone off the bus, not even the evil rich! It’s just an idea–there’s a ton of students that don’t even try to take the bus because it is too early, too slow, or too “babyish”. Many are routinely carpooling to and from school. I know of carpools to Glennwood from the western areas and from the Oakhurst area. As it is, the buses drop stops throughout the year anyway if no one shows up consistently. Can this be better organized to use fewer and smaller, cheaper buses or vans and acknowledge that many stops aren’t being used? Maybe not. But transportation is a huge part of the budget so I was thinking that there might be room for creative, business-oriented thinking here.
Either the buses run to and from the K-3 schools or they don’t. At a total system annual cost of $700k, reducing a few stops while still employing the same number of vehicles, drivers, and miles driven amounts to pocket change.
Eliminating bus service entirely for our neighborhood K-3 schools in Georgia’s Most Walkable City would save $150k or so. I’ve said before that we should press our advantages in terms of our compact geography, but I don’t think the ruckus caused by the removal of the transportation entitlement would be worth suffering through for $150k.
I’ve lived in Decatur for 8+ years, but only had a child in the schools for the last 2. I can safely say that in my 2 years, the system thrives in spite of the CSD admins. They have done some very good things, but they are also operating in an academic administrative nirvana. A nirvana that a more “secure” leadership team would use to make this easily the best system in GA and one of the best in the country.
1) Great kids
2) Great teachers who must hold a Masters.
3) Parents who actively give time & resources to the schools.
4) A solid educational curriculum (expeditionary learning)
5) A gaggle of college educated parents.
6) A Strong property tax base.
7) A financially supportive business community
Manageable geographic area
And yet they run the system like it’s a failing school system. They make poor decisions based on insular thinking that either then requires forced collaboration to get it right or overhauling after it plays out incorrectly. About once a quarter, It’s groundhog’s day at CSD.
There are probably 1,000+ school superintendents who would literally curl up and die to have the mix we have in COD. If most are lucky, they have 2-3 of the pieces on the list. And yet most of those 8 resources go untapped and to be honest unwanted by CSD. All except the tax revenue of course.
Parents have to make 1 of 3 choices:
1) Keep the current administration & deal w/ the insular leadership style and quarterly battles;
2) Empower the Board to be more proactive in requiring the CSD to involve the various Leadership Teams in decision making; or
3) Fire the Superintendent and bring in new leadership.
That’s it!! Those are the choices. The leadership will not change their m.o., so the parents have to make some tough decisions. I know in Decatur we’re all about being rational and singing kumbaya, but this is a serious matter that truly requires more effort. IMO, unless you commit a felony, a COD job is viewed as a job-for-life. In the case of the CSD, this is not necessarily a good thing.
For me, sending my kids to private is not an option because that would defeat the purpose of me moving to COD 3 years before we even had a child.
Our system will NEVER thrive under the current leadership. The system is set up for collaboration (Leadership Teams, PTA & Board) and there is no desire from CSD for collaboration. We will always do well by GA standards, but we should be thriving by national standards.
(dropping the mic, stepping off my soapbox and getting back to work)
Well said.
Yes — very well said, Decatur Heights Dad.
I’m of the opinion that the people of decatur need to vote in a new school board. it’s our own fault for returning the same people (much like washington, d.c.) over and over and over again. they’ve done a great job, but we need to move forward. Let’s bring in some new players.
Even better said… elections are this November. Our board members have been amazing, but it is time for some new blood and a new way of looking at how CSD should be run. We are doing well, but we could do better if we fully used our charter status.
The budget presentation is on the site as well:
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/Attachment.aspx?S=4052&AID=283551&MID=18200
The obvious issue – we are projecting a $3.6 million budget shortfall in 2012. The glaring cause – flat/declining tax revenues, $4 million in increased salaries, and _$3.5 million in increased benefits_. Some of this is due to CSD taking over the 0-3 program at ECLC, which will be offset by tuition. The rest seems to be due to the addition of 5th Avenue.
Before everyone gets all hysterical – the revenue estimates are conservative (it is noted that they should be $1 million higher at least), there is $1 million in spending cuts identified (with survey results of SLT members, I presume, beside each cut), and we apparently will have a reserve fund of $4.2 million heading into this situation.
For perspective, DeKalb County cut spending by 10% last year. The CSD proposed cuts would amount to around 3%.
Thank you. This survey was distributed at the System Charter Leadership Team (SCLT) meeting this past Wednesday.
I agree with the statement in the Report that the conservative view of state receipts has served us well – I think it has saved us in many ways.
I wonder if a RIF would be merit based or seniority based.
DHD, I like your list of community assets; it is upsetting to hear that the admin view of #3/#5 could be summarized as pesky whiners. I think much of it results from failures in communication on both sides, but I don’t think CSD owns their part of that problem. You sound fed up – my sympathies.
Wow!
By some of these comments, you would think that CSD is a failing system and not the envy of the State.
I think what folks are trying to say is that CSD presents itself as a successful system that is lucky it isn’t failing whereas a Decatur school system would probably be successful no matter what given the factors lists by DHD above and therefore CSD should be able to lead it to the thriving level. Unfortunately for Georgia, as it fights with Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama for last place in U.S. educational rankings, being the envy of the rest of the state (and I think some northern suburbs think they do better than CSD although I wouldn’t live there in a trillion years) is a pretty low standard to meet.
I’m actually a little more pessimistic. I see CSD as having the potential to unravel pretty quickly if it were ever to lose the trust of the highly supportive, generous, committed families that comprise it. Private school flight could lead to less real estate allure which leads to less families and less tax support which leads to a downward cycle. Especially in tough financial times. Critical thinkers may be pesky but their time, talent, and money is propping up CSD as much as the unconditional supporters are. CSD could win lots of small battles but lose the war. Or I may be just Chicken Little…..
There are glass half full and half empty people in the world. The half empty people are the vocal minority.
Anyone from outside Decatur reading this blog’s comment sections would get a completely different view of living here than that of someone who lives here and engages with their neighbors and school community.
I just don’t want my kid stuck in the half-empty part of the glass!
Both are needed, the conditional and unconditional supporters of CSD. Government without transparency and prodding gravitates towards the mean. But enthusiasm is also important. I’ll bet most posters on these CSD threads, both the half-full and half-empty folks, think they are both enthusiastic supporters and critical thinkers. Everyone thinks they are reasonable.
Clearly layoffs are a bigger issue than start times – and surely some will wag fingers that we were all worried about the wrong thing. But I think the bigger point here is it seems pretty chaotic there at central office and i am a bit worried. I’ve always said their jobs are tough and tried to be very respectful, but I think that the letter I got home today in my daughter’s back pack about the issues regarding timings was pretty tone deaf.
There is some whip lash going on – change of time sounds final, then it’s not. Mostly about more instruction time and then seems like it’s really about buses and the buses are really about budget issues and issues of new school configuration. I know there are so many details I don’t have and don’t get – but cutting staff, adding a school, adding hours. It just doesn’t make sense. And given that things seem a bit chaotic it’s hard to have faith. So one asks questions, and provides personal opinions where it seems that no advice is taken.
Dumb question but how are they going to staff a new school when they are talking layoffs?!?
The staff reductions are detailed as reducing one budgeted position at each of:
Central Office
Decatur High
Renfroe Middle
5th Ave
Do I get to pick which one? Just kidding!
That one line item in the proposal is for all 4, for a savings of $319k. Parapros are spared any cuts.
Yea, I wanted to pick the one at each of those 4 levels but I guess that would be a little forward of me, no? But real glad that paraprofessionals, my heroes, are not being cut.
Thanks for linking to the budget presentation. I couldn’t find it.
Eeek. Theoretically, if the number of K-3 children remains similar across CSD, it’s a matter of moving a few teachers out of each of the current schools and moving them into Glennwood. But certain staff will have to be added because there’s only one or two per school already–e.g. instructional coaches, secretary, principal, janitor, cafeteria staff, special ed staff, etc. This is why a district doesn’t want to have any more schools than it has to.
Increasing enrollment in a time of belt-tightening is just plain tough. I think both critical thinkers and unconditional supporters and everyone in between can agree on that.
Please note that sometimes districts have to put a RIF plan in place due to notice requirements, etc, but then often are able to drastically shorten the RIF list if not eliminate it entirely. It is a terrible environment to be in for the teachers, but some of it is for their benefit, so that the ones on the list have some notice and can maybe try and make alternative plans (easier done in different economy). Just wanted to remind folks that having a RIF plan is not necessarily the same as an actual reduction this fall.
CSD chose to become a charter system. If CSD wanted to avoid SLT influence then they’d have to be pretty short-sighted to choose a charter. Instead, I assume good will. New management systems aren’t perfect right away- most school employees have only (unfortunately) experienced top-down leadership styles. There is a learning curve.
I moved to Decatur in the early 1990′s and I remember the schools. . . ouch. They don’t improve this much on accident. It takes good decisions such as hiring Roaden to reform Renfroe. All evidence I have seen at Westchester indicates that decisions are truly made with the good of the students in mind. Thomas Van Soelen (I hope I spelled that right!) is absolutely amazing- I don’t know how one person can squeeze so many hours into a day.
I am a veteran teacher but began my career at another local district. CSD isn’t perfect but twice today (I swear-once at lunch and once at a faculty meeting) I literally took a deep breath and gave thanks for working at such a sane school system. I know how good I have it here. (God help me if I ever move.) Also, judging from our neighboring systems, electing competant board members is like playing Russian Roulette.
Parents, keep being vocal yet supportive and please assume good will.
I do, everyday, when those nutty, happy, moody, silly kids of yours run through my door.
For a second, I read your kid description as “nutty, happy, MOLDy, silly..” Until I had kids and started volunteering occasionally in classrooms, I did not realize how smelly children are! Thank you teachers for putting up with our children, moody and moldy as they are! And thanks for being great educators too. It is a rare, rare, rare CSD teacher that my children and I don’t love and respect.
I think most parents are trying for a tone of “vocal yet supportive” and assuming “good will”. Obviously from this blog, not all. But blogs and listservs seem to bring out nastiness and all who read them should dial back the rhetoric a bit in their heads. I remember some of the Yahoo groups from 2003-2004 and some of the posts were so nasty I considered private school thinking that children from parents who wrote those kind of posts had to be bad influences or bullies. I later found out who some of the people were behind the pseudonyms and many are wonderful, kind, generous folks–I still don’t understand why they used the language they did. I think some parents feel that they have been attacked or labelled or dismissed by CSD or CSD unconditional supporters when they have naively but sincerely brought up issues. When people feel hurt, it’s hard for them to feel empathy for who they feel are perpetrators.
“Parents, keep being vocal yet supportive and please assume good will.”
Perfectly put! Thank you!