 |
Fiscal woes can't overshadow student achievements in '09
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday,
December 29, 2009
The Worthington City School District moved
through a year of renewal in 2009 as schools came up with new and innovative
ways to teach students.
District leaders leaped into 2009 with
high hopes, but soon found themselves crunching numbers and mulling over
what to cut and what to keep to continue that renewal process.
Here's a look back at some of 2009's top
stories in Worthington schools. |
|
Letter: Writer was right on the money regarding unions
Published: Wednesday, December 30, 2009
To the Editor:
Dick Graham's letter (Worthington News,
Dec. 23) is right on from start to finish. In particular, his analysis of
Marc Share's "psychobabble" and Guy Molde's suggestions are on target.
On the topic of necessary union
adaptations, having written two books on relevant topics and spent a career
in teacher union staff leadership, I offer the following from that writing.
"... There is something to the charge that
unions can be a problem. The origin of that problem, created by the
long-term efforts to limit union influence, was when unions lost control
over the quality of their members' work. Unions started with the old guilds
where worker quality, standards, and compensation were all handled by the
guilds themselves.
"Nevertheless, to become thoroughly
relevant, a modern union must attend to at least four issues:
* Protecting its members from the
consequences of out-dated, inadequate and-or dysfunctional systems;
* Establishing reasonable benefits and
working conditions on behalf of its members;
* Accepting responsibility, in
collaboration with others, for the design and continuous improvement of the
systems in which its members work and for its members' individual and
collective performance; and
* Assuring its members an opportunity for
experiencing joy and satisfaction in their daily work.
"Both because the systems have been set
against them, and because of their acceptance of a limited view of their
role, few unions see their functions as incorporating much beyond issues 1
and 2 above. That will have to change for unions to avoid the inevitable
criticism they receive, but it is even more important that it change if the
systems in which people work -- from auto manufacturing to education -- are
going to survive, much less thrive."
Thanks again to Dick Graham for his great
letters.
Bob
Barkley
|
|
Foundation's grants will supplement lessons at all levels
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday,
December 22, 2009
From robots to recorders to arrows and
audiobooks, grants received recently by Worthington teachers will enhance
education in the classroom, said Worthington Educational Foundation Trustee
Susan Petrick.
Petrick and school board member Julie
Keegan gave grants out to a number of teachers during the Dec. 12 board
meeting.
"We are pleased to announce we've awarded
more than $10,000 in grants to these teachers," Petrick said.
Petrick said the next due date for grant
applications from teachers is Jan. 7.
Applicants can find copies of the grant
application form at the Web site worthedfoundation.org. All applications
should be submitted electronically as e-mail attachments to Petrick at
rpetrick@columbus.rr. com.
Nonie Chick, Sara Dale, Stephanie
Frederick and Nicole Moritz of Liberty Elementary School received $660 to
purchase magnetic letters, vowel puzzles, Scrabble tiles and other materials
that allow third-grade students to engage in hands-on activities focused on
vocabulary building.
Melissa Webber of Slate Hill Elementary
School was awarded $703.48 to purchase 10 digital audiobooks and
accompanying print books.
"The books will enhance independent
reading practice and enjoyment for second-graders, with special benefits for
English Language Learners, special-education students or any with
disabilities or reading challenges," Petrick said.
Amy Root of Brookside and Evening Street
elementary schools received $3,000 to purchase a set of 500 leveled Reading
Recovery books, magnetic letters and timers to be used for ELL students in
both elementary schools.
"This is the first time an ELL teacher has
used Reading Recovery training with ELL students," Petrick said.
Ben Wilson of Bluffsview Elementary School
received $1,452 to purchase archery equipment for students in grades 3-6 to
participate in an annual biathlon unit and intramural club combining
physical fitness with the National Archery for the Schools program.
Rebecca Crieg of Slate Hill received
$778.84 to purchase audiobooks for sixth-graders in order to give ELL and
special-education students more opportunities to hear fluent, expressive
reading.
Jon Baird, Mike Miller, Debbie Voisin and
Randy Ross of the district's four middle school buildings received $2,260.57
from the Grainger Fund to purchase eight Lego NXT robots for a robotics and
automation unit for students in the Gateway to Technology class.
Sandrine White of Worthington Kilbourne
High School was awarded $200 to purchase 10 cassette recorders, to be used
by 20 advanced placement French students to prepare for the speaking section
of the AP College Board French exam.
Tracy Keyes, Lynn Snyder and Michelle
Banks of Worthington Estates Elementary School received $962.88 to purchase
cameras for use by both teachers and students in kindergarten classes.
"The teachers will be able to take
pictures and video clips to document and share learning activities and
accomplishments with both students and parents," Petrick said. "The students
will use kid-friendly Polaroid cameras to document their own learning and to
have a means of self-assessment. They will also be taught the computer
skills necessary for uploading photos to the computer to share with
classmates."
|
|
Letter: Experienced teachers better than retired administrators
Published: Thursday, December 24, 2009
To the Editor:
I agree, in large part, with Dr.
Ottolenghi's letter (Worthington News, Dec. 16). He fails, however, to offer
any constructive ideas on containing costs.
It is true that the surrounding school
districts would jump at the opportunity to hire experienced teachers, but
only in the core areas of math, English and foreign languages. Dr.
Ottelenghi exaggerates the demand for our administrators.
The same can not be said for "retired" and
then rehired teachers or for administrators placed back in the teaching
ranks. We are in the middle of an economy that has created a glut of new
teachers and administrators. Worthington could easily hire the best and the
brightest.
Great change starts with small steps. Stop
the practice of retire and rehire. Bring in new blood at lower salaries and
you will have begun the process of change. Charles de Gaulle once said, "The
graveyards are full of indispensable men."
John Patterson
|
|
Letter: Unions must adapt so they do not disappear
Published: Thursday, December 24, 2009
To the Editor:
Of the two responses to my asking what
Worthington teachers' pay and benefits should be, Guy Molde (Worthington
News, Dec. 9) gave an answer. Marc Schare (Worthington News, Dec. 9)
provided no figures or percentages and took 238 words of psychobabble to
say, in effect, "We should think about it."
Once again, Schare avoided taking a
specific position on a specific issue because he's afraid of committing
himself to anything. If Schare were asked his favorite color, he'd probably
say "plaid."
Molde proposed that Worthington teachers'
pay be reduced by 10 percent and their contribution to their benefits costs
increased to 50 percent. Does he know their current percentage contribution
toward benefits, I wonder?
My initial reaction was to agree, but
Molde's logic was not as persuasive after some thought. His calculations are
based on private sector reactions to the economic downturn that started two
years ago and his experiences as a middle manager at Huntington Bank. Having
been a longtime shareholder in and customer of Huntington, I assure readers
that if the Worthington school system were managed as badly as Huntington
Bank has been over the last several years, I would favor public flogging of
the school board members on the Village Green.
Molde's idea should be taken with several
grains of salt. It doesn't necessarily follow that Worthington teachers
should be penalized merely because the subprime lending crisis and Molde's
superiors proved that the private sector can be even dumber than Molde
thinks the public sector is.
That said, Molde's idea should be
seriously considered, albeit with more calibrated percentages. The nature of
unions, especially those in the public sector, is changing, and unless
unions adapt, they will disappear. That will be bad for capitalism because
it will lead to the completely unregulated markets that caused the current
economy.
To survive, unions will have to make
concessions. Public employee unions should lead the way, starting, as Molde
will no doubt agree, with police and firefighters. After all, in his logic,
every public employees union must become more like the private sector.
Dick Graham
|
|
City staff to receive no raises in 2010
Firefighter's contract calls for 3-percent
raises; police negotiations under way
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 By CANDY
BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
Except for firefighters and possibly
police officers, city employees will receive no wage increases in 2010.
The wage freeze covers the city manager
and all department heads, as well as non-exempt positions in all of the
city's departments.
Firefighters will receive 3-percent raises
as required by their labor contract.
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and
the city are currently negotiating a new contract. The current contract
expired Dec. 31.
According to interim finance director
Jason Nicodemus, no salary increase for police is included in the 2010
budget approved by Worthington City Council on Monday night. If a raise
results from negotiations, the budget would have to be amended.
This will be the first year for city
budget freezes. In 2009, police received a 3.75-percent salary increase;
firefighters, 3-percent; management, 2.5-percent; and the rest of the staff,
3-percent.
Council approved the ordinance setting the
salaries of exempt employees on Monday. The salaries, which are the same as
2009, will be:
City manager Matt Greeson, $128,125.
Director of finance Molly Roberts,
$92,000.
Director of parks and recreation Lynda
Chambers, $96,072.
Director of public service David Groth,
$96,072.
Assistant to the city manager/human
resource manager Lori Trego, $73,807.
Secretary to the city manager Tonya Word,
$52,397.
Assistant city manager Robyn Stewart,
$97,375.
City engineer Bill Watterson, $96,072.
Court clerk Barb Nofziger, $50,470.
Administrative assistant/service
department Rob Chandler, $47,976.
Assistant to the city manager/information
technology manager Mike Horvath, $73,807.
Administrative assistant/public
information and community relations officer Anne Brown, $60,628.
Chief building inspector Don Phillips,
$82,500.
Director of law Michael Minister,
$110,854.
cbrooks@thisweeknews.com
|
|
Interim principals hired for 2 schools
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 By CANDY
BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
Worthington's two newest principals were
on hand to meet the Worthington Board of Education on Monday.
Moses Hubert took over as interim
principal at Granby Elementary School and Linda Strong took on the same
position at Wilson Hill Elementary on Dec. 9.
They replace Linda Dawson, who is retiring
as Granby principal, and Pat Reeder, who is retiring at Wilson Hill.
Hubert and Strong are retired principals
from Columbus Public Schools. Strong has also been a principal in Dublin and
last year served as an interim principal in Hilliard.
Salary information was not available on
Tuesday and was not on the agenda at the board meeting because they are
being paid by county funds. The superintendent can spend funds from the
county without the approval of the school board.
Superintendent of Schools Melissa Conrath
said she decided to hire interim principals because it is difficult to find
qualified administrators who are able to leave their current positions in
the middle of the year.
In the spring, the district will advertise
for permanent successors for Dawson and Reeder. The positions will be
advertised and staff and parents will be involved in the interview and
hiring process, she said.
Also at the Monday meeting, the board:
* Recognized community volunteers who
campaigned for Issue 49. * Commended 123 students who earned advanced
placement scholar awards from the College Board on the basis of their
performance on the college-level advanced placement program exams. The
highest award, the national advanced placement scholar award, went to Suyang
Li of Thomas Worthington High School and Vivian Chang, Joy Jing, Harika
Rayala, and Yucheng Zhang of Worthington Kilbourne High School. * Appointed
Dawn Valasco to the Worthington Libraries Board of Trustees. She will fill
the vacancy created when Marty Jenkins' term expires Dec. 31, 2009. The term
will run through Dec. 31, 2016.
|
|
Board honors Issue 49 stumps, OKs new PE program
By PAMELA WILLIS
Published: Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The last Worthington school board meeting
of 2009 included hugs and handshakes for Issue 49 campaign members and
public recognition for both high schools' advanced placement scholars.
Board members also approved the new
Wellness4Life physical education course of study and considered a senior
capstone course in Project Lead the Way.
The board met Monday, Dec. 14, at the
Worthington Education Center.
Superintendent Melissa Conrath and board
President David Bressman, along with teachers' union presidents Pete Scully
and Pam Sturiano, gave out certificates to campaign volunteers who helped to
make Issue 49 successful.
Issue 49 was the 3.9-mill incremental levy
request approved by voters last month.
"The people we recognize today gave
endless hours on this campaign and I know none of them had any idea how much
we would ask of them," Conrath said. "On behalf of every child we have
served this year, I want to give a heartfelt thank you from everyone in this
district."
After recognizing the volunteers, the five
board members, Conrath and Treasurer Jeff McCuen stood and gave the
volunteers a standing ovation.
The board unanimously approved
Wellness4Life, the district's new physical education course of study.
Physical education teachers showed up at a
board meeting last month wearing identical chartreuse T-shirts with the
Wellness4Life logo to explain the course of study to board members.
Designed and written by the district's
physical education teachers, the course emphasizes lifetime fitness and
includes wellness strategies, character development and wellness connections
to integrate physical education with other classroom courses.
Teacher Margo Postak said assessment of
the new course of study would be based on where a student begins the program
and where he or she ends it.
"Whether a student is a good athlete or
has no coordination, we have a program that can help them improve," she
said.
Board members also heard a first reading
on a culminating course in the Project Lead the Way program, which is the
district's new engineering program.
Teacher Bryan Brown said "Engineering
Design and Development" is a capstone course for seniors.
"The course is a year-long senior project
where students apply knowledge they have learned in the three former courses
and work with an engineering mentor," he said. "They also present what they
have learned in a multimedia presentation at the end of the course."
Brown said the Project Lead the Way
program recently received national certification so students can earn
college credit for completing program courses.
The high school students recognized for
receiving Advanced Placement Scholar awards all earned a score of 3 or
higher on advanced placement courses.
Five of the students were named National
Advanced Placement Scholars, earning an average grade of at least 4 on all
AP exams taken and grades of 4 or higher on five or more of the exams.
They are: Suyang Li from Thomas
Worthington High School and Vivian Chang, Joy Jing, Harika Rayala and
Yucheng Zhang from Worthington Kilbourne High School.
The first school board meeting of 2010
will be an organizational meeting to elect new board officers, set for 7:30
p.m. Jan. 11 at the Worthington Education Center, 200 E. Wilson Bridge Road. |
|
Letter: Teacher pay suggestions would cause problems
Published: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
To the Editor:
On Dec. 9, the Worthington News published
three letters relating to the question of the compensation of teachers in
the Worthington City School District.
While agreeing that the fiscal problems
faced by the district are closely linked to that item, I found two of the
letters long on theory and, while offering apparently attractive answers,
they ignore reality. While the policies indicated by board member Marc
Schare might serve to improve test scores, it is difficult to see how they
would result in substantial savings.
On the other hand, regarding Guy Molde's
letter, in which it is suggested that reductions in teacher compensation be
equal to those suffered in the private sector, I believe that it is
important to note that the reductions in the private sector are the result
of a reduction in demand for goods and services. There is no such reduction
in education. While there will be a temporary shift in demand at any given
level, the overall demand remains fairly static -- decrease at the
middle-high school, increase in elementary. Where there have been decreases
in demand, there have been decreases in personnel.
Mr. Molde answers the contention that good
teachers and administrators would leave should his suggestions be
implemented by asking, "Where would they go?" This indicates to me that he
is not aware of the market in Central Ohio.
While it is true that there is a glut of
young and inexperienced -- and thus less expensive -- teachers, Worthington
is surrounded by growing school districts (Olentangy, Dublin, Hilliard) that
would jump at the opportunity to hire middle career experienced teachers and
administrators. Thus the Worthington district would stand to lose that
cohort that is most important for the future. That is even more important
for teachers in difficult-to-fill specialties such as math, science, special
education and some languages.
Similar considerations apply to John
Toth's suggestion for a two-year salary and step freeze. Since teachers get
no significant step increases after 15 years in the system, and since the
average tenure in the Worthington system is longer than that (19 years), the
step freeze would affect the young and mid-career teachers. Having this
cohort go to other and growing districts would further skew the district
toward older teachers with higher salaries and health care requirements.
Abramo Ottolenghi
|
|
Letter: Teacher compensation system needs overhaul
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009
To the Editor:
I respond to Dick Graham's letter
(Worthington News, Nov. 25). In his letter, Mr. Graham asserts that I have
"pontificated" about teachers making too much money and that I offer no real
solutions. Ironically, I answered this question in a recent voters' guide.
We pay some of our teachers too much, some
of our teachers too little and some of our teachers the right amount. I
believe what we need in Worthington and throughout Ohio is systemic reform
in the way that teachers are compensated.
I favor merit based pay for part of a
teacher's compensation. In addition, the reality is that some teachers are
more gifted and innovative than others, and some positions are simply harder
to fill. We need to update teacher compensation practices to reflect this
reality. This would allow us to reward excellence and provide incentives to
become better teachers, as well as continue to attract and retain a quality
staff.
It's worth noting that this opinion is
shared by President Obama, former President Bush and a wide range of
officials, including the current Secretary of Education and his immediate
three predecessors. As with most significant issues, constituent input
should be used to guide our district.
By Ohio law, teachers would need to
consent to this change, but by working collaboratively with our faculty and
with the support of our residents who ultimately pay the bills, I hope
Worthington can lead in this effort.
Marc Schare
member, Worthington Board of Education |
|
Letter: Concessions should be similar to those in private sector
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009
To the Editor:
In his recent letter to the editor, Dick
Graham (Worthington News, Nov. 25) criticized those of us who felt that
teacher pay and benefit concessions should have been included as a part the
adjustments necessary to balance the Worthington City School District
budget.
Obviously, Mr. Graham and I have never
crossed paths, because as one of those in the teacher pay concessions camp,
answering his question of "How much should Worthington teachers be paid in
salary and benefits?" is not all that difficult to me. Providing an
understanding of what is happening with salaries and benefits is warranted.
Those of us working for private sector
companies, especially those businesses that are in financial straits, are
routinely being forced to take pay cuts and pay more of our benefits costs.
Unlike public sector entities like the Worthington school district, which
can threaten to provide reduced services to its customers (students) while
maintaining the wages of its employees, private sector entities have had to
reduce employees' salaries and benefits in order to ensure that customer
needs are met so they can stay afloat.
The answer to Mr. Graham's question is not
how much teachers and administrators should be paid, but how much they
should be required to concede under a situation that finds the Worthington
school district operating like a private sector entity in financial
distress.
A review of private sector salary and
benefit concessions in the current economic environment finds that a 10
percent reduction in wages and increased payment to 50 percent of benefit
costs has been the standard. With teacher and administrator salaries in the
Worthington school district costing over $50 million in 2009, requiring a
reduction in line with those of us in the private sector would have reduced
annual expenses by over $5 million -- and that does not even include impact
of reduced benefit expenses. Clearly, this would have gone a long way toward
reducing the $14 million budget shortfall that we taxpayers now have to
fully absorb.
In advance of the contention that good
teachers and administrators would be lost if salaries and benefits were
reduced, I ask the simple question, "Where would they go?" Like those of us
in the private sector, they too have homes, kids in school, and family and
social connections, and are working in an environment where jobs are
limited. Like those of us in the private sector, while frustrated by the pay
cut, they too would have remained, learning to do more with less like the
rest of us.
Next time Mr. Graham looking for a
specific response to teacher pay concessions, he should look me up. I'll
have an answer for him.
Guy Molde
|
|
Letter: Now is the time to freeze school salaries
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009
To the Editor:
Now that the school levy has passed and
the board is looking to the future, I hope our leaders will take this as an
opportunity to mute the spending critics.
Future budgets must include at least two
years of cost of living and step increase freezes. This is at a very
minimum, in my opinion.
I urge the board and the administrators to
set these expectations now, well before the next round of contract talks
begins.
John Toth
|
|
Golden
Handcuffs Teachers who
change jobs or move pay a high price
By Robert M. Costrell and Michael
Podgursky
Teacher pensions consume a substantial
portion of school budgets. If relatively generous pensions help attract
effective teachers, the expense might be justified. But new evidence
suggests that current pension systems, by concentrating benefits on teachers
who spend their entire careers in a single state and penalizing mobile
teachers, may exacerbate the challenge of attracting to teaching young
workers, who change jobs and move more often than did previous
generations...
|
| A Message From Michael Nehf,
STRS Ohio Executive Director
For almost 90 years, the State Teachers
Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) has been a cornerstone in helping to
provide financial security for the public educators of this state, as well
as supporting economic activity at the local, state and national levels. The
contributions to the pension fund, both from members and employers, are part
of the members' compensation package paid in return for work performed. At
the conclusion of the teachers' career, STRS Ohio uses this deferred
compensation to provide a pension benefit (in lieu of Social Security).
In the near future, some Ohio newspapers
plan to publish stories about Ohio's five public pension systems and examine
if they are sustainable in the future. For many months, the State Teachers
Retirement Board and staff have been conducting their own self-examination
about this very issue. This current "Great Recession," along with other
economic and demographic factors, have had an impact on the financial
condition of the pension fund. As we have shared with our members,
legislators and the media during these lengthy discussions, looking
long-term, STRS Ohio sees a shortfall in having the funds available to pay
benefits. To keep this from happening, the responsibility lies with the
Retirement Board, working in conjunction with the Legislature. The STRS Ohio
Defined Benefit Plan is sustainable with reasonable, measured changes for
the future.
On Sept. 1, the Retirement Board took the
prudent and responsible step to unanimously adopt a plan that calls for
changes in pension plan design and contributions. The board is not depending
solely on market returns or simply the passage of time to solve its funding
challenge. Because all of us are living longer, the plan recognizes the need
to increase the retirement age and reduce benefits for current and future
retirees; it also calls for an increase in member and employer
contributions. For the changes to be made, action is required by the Ohio
General Assembly, as all of the plan components require changes in existing
law. We are currently reviewing the first draft of this legislation and
anticipate that a bill will be introduced yet this year or early in 2010.
During that legislative process, we expect
and will welcome spirited debate. We know that the bill may undergo changes
during this time-honored process. Our overarching goal in this discussion
will be the preservation of the Defined Benefit Plan for current and future
educators in Ohio. The reasons for this are many. The Defined Benefit Plan:
- Provides participants a reasonable
lifetime benefit they won't outlive - a problem now faced by millions of
Americans whose savings have been depleted in this recession.
- Provides a stable source of revenue for
local economies; STRS Ohio pays more than $3.6 billion in benefits to Ohio
residents each year that they then spend in Ohio.
- Supports the services provided by state
and federal governments through the taxes paid on these benefits.
- Reduces the likelihood that its
participants will have to turn to taxpayer-funded public assistance,
Medicaid or social services in retirement, thus relieving taxpayers of
future obligations.
- Helps Ohio's public schools (including
charter schools), colleges and universities recruit and retain quality
educators.
Preserving a Defined Benefit Plan for
Ohio's public educators provides financial protection for both plan
participants and taxpayers. The plan proposed by the State Teachers
Retirement Board helps ensure the sustainability of STRS Ohio for thousands
of Ohio taxpayers - Ohio's retired public educators. We will continue to use
our Web site, newsletters, e-mail news service and face-to-face meetings to
keep you informed about this issue during the legislative process.
Michael J. Nehf STRS Ohio Executive
Director |
|
The Ohio Society of CPAs Ohio Budget Advisory Task Force Report to The
Honorable Ted Strickland |
|
Chair 'very confident' levy will pass
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 By CANDY
BROOKS, ThisWeek Staff Writer
Issue 49 supporters will make a last
minute push to encourage voters to support the school operating levy, but
campaign chairman Jennifer Economus said she feels confident that they have
accomplished their goal. With major cuts to athletics, academics, and busing
on the line - and no organized opposition on the horizon - she is predicting
the 6.9-mill incremental operating levy will be approved next Tuesday. "We
are very confident, the support has been overwhelming," she said. Even
Educate Worthington, an independent organization sometimes critical of local
school spending, is not opposing the levy. Instead, organizers are asking
residents to become involved in planning for financial sustainability. At a
meeting sponsored by the group last week, it was pointed out that even if
Issue 49 is approved, the current spending rate will require another levy in
2012, followed by a third in 2013 or 2014. If this levy is approved, it will
be the first incremental levy to pass in central Ohio. It will be collected
at 3.9 mills in 2010, followed by an additional 1.5 mills in 2011 and
another 1.5 mills in 2012. The total cost per $100,000 of property value
would be $211 per year. The district has not passed an operating levy in
five years, though voters did approve a bond issue three years ago. A
7.4-mill levy was defeated by voters last May, with nearly 60 percent of
voters casting "no" votes. This time, voters have been told that $14-million
in cuts will be made if the levy is not approved. Beginning next fall, there
would be no sports or extracurricular activities unless they are paid for by
parents. At the elementary schools, there will be no librarians, guidance
counselors, bands or strings instruction, and less art, music, and physical
education. There would be no more team teaching at the middle schools, and
larger classes and fewer class options at the high schools. Busing would be
discontinued for high school students beginning in January, and there would
be no buses for elementary and middle school students living within two
miles of school beginning next fall. In all, approximately 80 teaching
positions would be cut, along with 45 classified positions. The issue that
came up early in the campaign and still concerns some residents is the
teacher contract that was approved more than a year ago. It included
provisions for raises averaging more than 5 percent a year for three years,
plus what many say are very generous benefits. Many urged teachers to return
to the bargaining table. That did not occur, but teachers did agree to a
0-percent increase to their base pay in 2011. They would still receive step
increases. Worthington administrators agreed to return their salary
increases for the current year. That will save the district approximately
$100,000. Economus said that volunteers have been going door-to-door,
manning phone banks, and focusing on face-to-face conversations between
friends and neighbors to encourage supporters to go to the polls. Yard signs
in support of Issue 49 have been popular. Each time the committee receives
signs, supporters pick them all up immediately, she said. "It's a good sign,
but we're not relenting," she said. This weekend, campaign volunteers will
be back on the streets, talking to residents and handing out pro-levy
literature. On Tuesday, they will be at polling places to encourage "yes"
votes by holding signs asking voters to support the issue.
cbrooks@thisweeknews.com
|
|
High noon for backers of Issue 49
With vote in six days, district's school
levy campaign intensifies
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday,
October 27, 2009
It's crunch time for Worthington schools
as voters prepare to check "yes" or "no" for the district's 3.9-mill
incremental operating levy Tuesday, Nov. 3. Worthington Community for
Schools campaign members will canvass neighborhoods one more time Sunday,
Oct. 31, to ask community members to vote for Issue 49. "Community support
has been overwhelming," said campaign manager Jennifer Economus. "The
campaign ran out of yard signs nearly as soon as they arrived, and ran out
again immediately after re-ordering more signs." Economus said volunteers
will gather at 11 a.m. Oct. 31 at the Worthington Education Center, 200 E.
Wilson Bridge Road, to be assigned routes and given literature handouts. "We
still need more volunteers for that Sunday and on Election Day," she said.
Economus said volunteers can e-mail her at jeconomus@yahoo.com to volunteer,
or show up between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the education center that day. The
levy, if approved by voters, would begin at 3.9 mills in January and
increase by 1.5 mills in both 2011 and 2012, ending at a continuing amount
of 6.9 mills. Treasurer Jeff McCuen said if the tax issue is approved, the
first year would cost a homeowner an additional $119 in annual taxes per
$100,000 in property value. That amount would increase by $46 in each of the
second and third years. The levy request would generate about $7.1 million
for Worthington schools in the first year, McCuen said. McCuen said the
district will face more than $14 million in budget cuts if Issue 49 fails,
including the elimination of 125 staff positions, which could include
classroom teachers, guidance counselors, related arts teachers and library
media specialists. Pay-to-participate fees also would double for the
remainder of the school year, and high school busing would be eliminated in
January, he said. Worthington school board member Jennifer Best spoke about
the tax issue at the board's meeting Monday, Oct. 26. "As I thought about a
few levy comments for this evening, I was reminded of my campaign to be on
the school board eight years ago," she said. "There were four messages I
focused on, one being that of fiscal responsibility. I felt responsible to
be a good steward of taxpayer dollars, to report the budget in a way the
community understands and recommended organizing a financial review task
force. "It took some time, but our treasurer advisory committee was formed
and I think it has been invaluable to this district in reviewing financial
information," she said. Best said she believes the district "has been and
will continue to be fiscally responsible." "Yes, we need to take a long,
hard look at our long-term expenses, but since Dr. (Melissa) Conrath has
been here, we have been constantly looking for efficiencies, cutting over 40
positions and saving millions of dollars," she said. Best said the district
also continues to work on long-term savings in health care costs, switching
to a high deductible health insurance plan in 2006 that "saved the district
millions of dollars." "In last year's negotiations, we doubled what the
employees pay for their share of health insurance premiums and made
additional changes to the plan," she said. "That resulted in only a 1.6
percent increase in health care cost last year -- while many districts saw
double-digit increases -- and a 1 percent decrease to the district this
year." Best said the facts that administrators voluntarily gave back their
raises this year and that teachers agreed to a freeze in their base pay for
the 2011-12 school year "shows we are committed to making continued cost
reductions." The two men that make up Educate Worthington, Mike Alfred and
John Herrington, maintain a Web site discussing school district financial
issues at educateworthington.org. They held a public forum to discuss the
levy Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Northwest Library. In their presentation, they
stated, "We are not antiteacher or antischool; we are proresident,
prostudent and pro-Worthington. We know Worthington has a great community
and we don't want to see that change as a result of rapidly rising school
taxes that may drive many of our longtime friends and neighbors from
Worthington." Herrington and Alfred said the district needs to look at
"sustainability" and at their employee wage costs, which makes up the
majority of the budget expenses. "The only way to control the budget is to
honestly address what consumes 88 percent of it: salaries and benefits,"
Herrington said.
|
|
State school board applauds district's banner achievement
Three student writers also were honored at
this week's school board meeting.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday,
October 27, 2009
Awards and recognitions began the
Worthington school board's meeting this week as the district was recognized
for achieving the top state report card rating, three students were honored
for exemplary writing and the financial department was commended for
financial reporting. Board members met Monday, Oct. 26, at the Worthington
Education Center. Superintendent Melissa Conrath unrolled a large banner in
front of board members that declared the district "Excellent with
Distinction." Kristin McKinley of the State Board of Education brought the
banner to Conrath to congratulate the district on earning the state's top
rating.\ "We are honored to get this banner and will do our best to continue
to achieve this rating," Conrath said. Board member Marc Schare gave the
next recognition, commending three seniors -- Rachel Webb and Shaadee Samimy
from Thomas Worthington High School and Sandra Nader from Worthington
Kilbourne High School -- for receiving Outstanding Writing awards from the
National Council of Teachers of English. "This contest would scare me if I
had to do this," Schare said. "You have to write about something completely
random that you have no knowledge of before seeing the prompt." Schare said
1,783 juniors across the country were nominated by their schools last year
and 544 were chosen as outstanding writers. In Ohio, there were only 18
winners. Schare said the assessments were based on students' samples of
their own best prose or verse and on impromptu themes that are written under
supervision. He said a team of English teachers judge the writing, looking
for pieces that "demonstrate effective and imaginative use of language to
inform and move an audience." "It was a little stressful, but similar to the
timed writing we do in English class," Webb said. "I was surprised but happy
to get the award." Samimy said she wrote a memoir. "I submitted a memoir I
had worked on in English class, and for the prompt, I wrote a short story,
which was fun, actually," she said. "I was also surprised to get the award."
The third award was given to the district's financial department. Victoria
Gatien, assistant executive director in the Ohio Attorney General's Office
and president of Ohio's Governor Finance Officers Association, presented the
Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting to
the district's financial department for its 2008 Popular Annual Financial
Report, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. "This award reflects the
fact the district is committed to excellence and exhibits a high degree of
leadership in its financial department," Gatien said. The next regular board
meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Worthington Education Center,
200 E. Wilson Bridge Road. |
|
Letter
addresses levy questions as Election Day looms
Educate Worthington slates forum; founder notes 'reluctant support' for
Issue 49
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Officials say cuts could come quickly if school district residents vote
down Issue 49, the 3.9-mill incremental operating levy request on the Nov. 3
ballot.
Responding to residents who told the district in May, after a 7.4-mill
levy request failed, that "the community didn't know what was at
stake," Worthington City School District leaders sent a letter to
parents last week to "inform you about the impact of the issue on the
schools and your child's education and ... (to) answer some questions.
"If Issue 49 does not pass, we will face ongoing deficits and will
begin to make more than $14 million in cuts to balance the budget,"
board President David Bressman and Superintendent Melissa Conrath said in
the letter. "Without funds from Issue 49, the district will immediately
double the pay-to-participate fees for student athletes for the remainder of
this school year and high school busing will be eliminated beginning in
January.
"In addition, without new revenue, all extracurricular activities,
including athletics, will have to be self-supported through fees or
donations as of the 2010-11 school year," they said.
The letter goes on to say the district also will have to make course and
staffing cuts that could include 120 staff positions, "which will
include classroom teachers, guidance counselors, related arts teachers and
library media specialists," Conrath and Bressman said in the letter.
John Herrington and Michael Alfred, who comprise Education Worthington
and manage a Web site to express their opinions on school district issues at
educateworthington.org, will sponsor a public forum to discuss Issue 49 and
the school district's "sustainability issues" at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Northwest Library, 2280 Hard Road.
Herrington said they've invited board member Marc Schare to give a
presentation on the district's five-year financial forecast, similar to one
he gave to the Worthington Republican Club last week.
Schare may have a conflict, though, Herrington said.
"Our alternative plan is to give a very short presentation on the
five-year forecast with a discussion of some potential levy scenarios
starting in 2012, and assuming this levy passes," Herrington said,
"which, of course, is all wrapped within a framework of sustainability.
We want to leave as much time as possible for people to ask questions and
offer comments."
District Treasurer Jeff McCuen explained some of the items on the budget
cut list, which can be found on the district Web site,
worthington.k12.oh.us.
Last on the list is to "initiate process for reconfiguring
elementary buildings, effective November 2009," which has worried some
residents who value neighborhood schools.
McCuen said reconfiguring the elementary program into K-3 and 4-6
buildings would save district funds, but the November date is when the
reconfiguration would begin to be seriously considered.
"We would be looking at the research and determining what the
buildings would look like and what kind of savings we would realize,"
he said. "The difficulty in that approach is that we have traditionally
had neighborhood schools, so the change would also have to demonstrate that
we could see student academic improvement."
McCuen said the district also would involve the community in the study
and planning for reconfiguration, and "if it was considered feasible,
we would not go forward with it until after the 2011-12 school year."
The levy, if approved by voters, would begin at 3.9 mills in January and
increase by 1.5 mills in both 2011 and 2012, ending at a continuing amount
of 6.9 mills.
McCuen said if the tax issue is approved, the first year would cost
homeowners an additional $119 in annual taxes per $100,000 in property
value. That amount would increase by $46 in each of the second and third
years.
The levy request would generate about $7.1 million for Worthington
schools in the first year, McCuen said.
Another major budget cut if the levy fails could be the amount the
district pays for athletics, which means doubling the pay-to-participate
fees at the middle school and high school levels. Parents would pay $250 per
sport per child, with no family cap, effective with spring and winter sports
this school year, McCuen said.
"Our goal would be to have all extracurricular activities funded by
participants, rather than taxpayers, if the levy fails to pass," McCuen
said. "That could mean either a reduction in program offerings,
combining middle school sports on the east side or charging
pay-to-participate fees equal to the general budget costs for that
sport."
Herrington said he's been hearing residents ask questions about what cuts
are going to be made if the levy passes and how large the next levy will be
after the current contract expires.
"People are also asking for more detailed information about where
the money is going," he said. "I would say the district needs to
be more straightforward about what 2012, 2013 and 2014 will look like in
terms of their finances and their need to raise taxes or make more
cuts."
Nevertheless, Herrington is seeing some overall support for the levy
request.
"Being very general, I would say I see a reluctant support for the
levy, primarily because people do not want to see massive cuts to the kids'
programs," he said.
"But I also sense a growing intolerance for being put into a
position where they have no choice," he said. "I also sense a
growing distrust for the school board, the administration and the union who
are responsible for creating that position where we have little or no
choice."
|
|
If
you have a levy fight, you should have a board fight
By GARTH BISHOP, COMMENTARY
EDITOR
Published: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
When there's a school funding issue on the ballot, members of the community
always come up with a myriad of reasons to vote for or against it.
The most prominent justification I've seen for "no" votes this
time around is the issue of teacher pay. It's not unreasonable; teacher pay
is every district's biggest expense.
Frankly, I always thought it was kind of silly when people protesting school
districts' spending would focus on certain other expenses, like
extracurricular activities or executive retreats or even administrative
salaries. When you look at the budget as a whole, they're just a drop in the
bucket.
Not that voters should just ignore drop-in-the-bucket items like these, but
if they really think their home district needs to cut costs, there are more
salient areas on which to focus.
It seems like all the local school districts with levies on the ballot have
seen voters clamoring for greater concessions from the teachers in an
uncertain economy. And in almost all of these districts, concessions have at
least been offered.
I want to believe that all the voters saying the district doesn't deserve
the levy because the teachers are paid too much has researched the issue and
are using good information. But I'm skeptical about just how dedicated some
people are to that argument.
Take a look at Worthington. I've probably gotten five times as many pro-levy
letters as anti-levy letters this fall, but teacher pay has certainly been
an issue with the anti-levy crowd. I have no doubt a lot of the
"no" voters are going to use teacher pay as justification for
their decision.
And yet, look at the school board race over in Worthington. Or rather, look
at the big, empty void where that race would be if it were actually
contested.
Westerville also has a levy on the ballot, and teacher pay has been brought
up there too. But its school board race has just one challenger to the three
incumbents on the ballot.
Not every community has this issue. Reynoldsburg and South-Western both have
sizable fields of candidates alongside hotly contested levies on their
ballots, and Hilliard, which doesn't even have an operating levy, has
several candidates using teacher pay as one of their central issues.
But it's disappointing to see that in some communities, the teacher pay
issue is just an excuse to not vote for the levy. It's the school board that
negotiates with the teachers' union when the contracts expire, but it seems
that some people who feel passionately that teachers are paid too much don't
feel passionately enough to do anything about it.
Contract negotiations may take place in closed session, but usually, the
community knows when they're taking place. Teachers often attend school
board meetings en masse to prove their solidarity to the board, but rarely
do you see more than one or two community members providing an alternative
voice at those meetings.
Whether you believe teachers are paid too much, too little or just enough, I
think we can all agree the prominence of the issue shows it's a conversation
we need to have.
But if we're going to have a conversation, everyone needs to participate
in it. If you really want change, just voting against the levy likely isn't
enough to cause it.
|
|
Avoid
damaging cuts; approve Issue 49
By JENNIFER ECONOMUS, GUEST COLUMNIST
Published: Friday, October 23, 2009
On Nov. 3, I urge Worthington voters to vote for Issue 49. It's a vote for
proven results.
That's
far more than a campaign slogan. It's the truth.
The Worthington City School District is one of the best districts in the
state. On the most recent state report card, it earned an "excellent
with distinction" rating -- the highest rating possible.
The
district's educators and administrators are dedicated to student success,
and it shows. Our children benefit from great teachers and programs that are
essential to their futures.
The
reputation of the schools brought many of us to the area and keeps us here.
It's up to us to maintain proven results and keep Worthington attractive to
homebuyers and businesses.
When my husband and I made the very important decision to move to this
community, the quality of the schools was a critical factor. We are not the
only family that carefully weighs home values, neighborhood character, city
services and, most importantly, how the school district performs.
Knowing that Worthington schools are rated "excellent with
distinction" tells me that they have proven, solid results. We as
residents and voters have the opportunity to show a commitment to our school
district by ensuring that Worthington schools have the funding necessary to
continue to provide our entire community with an excellent educational
system.
The district has shown and continues to show fiscal responsibility. The
Worthington schools have reduced their budget by $11 million and 40
positions before seeking a November request for new funds. In fact, it's
been five years since the district received new money from an operating
levy.
The Worthington schools have made do with what they have, but the truth is
without Issue 49, they will have to make cuts that will reduce the
effectiveness of our schools and weaken our communities.
After
the May levy attempt failed, school leaders listened to resident concerns
and reduced the overall cost of the levy. Issue 49 is an incremental
operating issue that is phased in over three years to be more affordable to
residents. This proves that our leadership works hard to balance taxpayer
concerns with its obligation to provide the type of education that the state
has rated "excellent with distinction."
Issue
49 will allow the district to keep quality teachers and programs that are
needed for our children. Without it, the district will face $14 million in
cuts, including 125 staff positions.
In addition to high school transportation and district support of
extracurricular activities, our elementary schools will lose guidance
counselors and librarians who help our youngest children learn to excel in
school. These cuts are real and are crucial to our children's development
and learning potential.
Issue 49 is about more than the schools. It's about the future of our
community. For that reason, I ask you to vote for Issue 49 on Nov. 3. We all
have a stake in this.
Jennifer Economus is chairwoman for the Issue 49 campaign and a legislative
specialist for the Ohio School Boards Association. |
|
Quality,
sustainability are themes of Issue 49 debate
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 2:19 PM By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Staff
Writer
If Issue 49 is approved by voters on Nov. 3, the proposed $14-million in
budget reductions will not be necessary, and the current quality educational
program can be maintained in the Worthington schools.
Levy campaign chairperson Jennifer Economus and John Herrington,
representing Educate Worthington, seemed to agree to that much during a
debate on the 6.9-mill Worthington Schools operating levy held Oct. 6 at
Congregation Beth Tikvah.
The trouble is, Herrington added, the system cannot continue much longer.
If not now, residents will soon be forced to decide to either give less
generous raises to teachers, cut student programs, or continue to approve
sizable levies every two or three years.
"The issue is sustainability," he said. "If we don't get
spending under control, we are like the Titanic heading for an
iceberg."
Economus did not address the long-term financial picture, instead
stressing that the levy must be approved to assure the continuance of strong
programs for students and strong home values for property owners.
She also reminded the audience that it has been five years since the
district approved an operating levy, and said that $11-million has been cut
from the budget in the past three years.
Herrington said that the relationship between levies and property values
is not that clear. If you were considering purchasing a home in Worthington
and learned property taxes were about to increase, would you be willing to
buy that home, he asked.
Both agreed that the $14-million in cuts that will be made if the levy
fails would hurt children. The school board has committed to those
reductions, which include cutting jobs, programs, classes, busing and
extracurricular activities.
"Those cuts are real and we are very concerned," Economus said.
Herrington said that in other businesses, spending reductions would be
targeted at salaries. But with the district locked into a four-year contract
with teachers, the only cuts possible will be those that directly impact
kids, he said.
Economus said she wants her preschooler to receive the same kind of
quality education that earned the district an "excellent with
distinction" rating from the state this year.
"We need to keep getting proven excellent results in the Worthington
schools," she said. "Good schools are great for our
community."
But even if voters approve this levy, they will face another in 2012,
followed by a third in 2013 or 2014, Herrington said.
"We cannot waste time re-arranging the deck
chairs," he said. "Our focus must be on changing course in order
to avoid a disaster."
|
|
In
personal communications, school board member Marc Schare indicated that
contrary to my assertion in the letter published last week, he has not
advocated a freeze in the step increases in teacher salaries. Indeed and in
fairness, I have never heard him say nor intimate that specifically.
Regrettably, what should have been written as a conjecture trying to
envision the why of his negative vote on the acceptance of Worthington's
proposal for a zero-base salary increase to come later, my words were
written as an assertion.
Schare did not indicate what would have been sufficient for him to vote
favorably and so room was left for conjecture.
Abramo Ottolenghi
|
|
District
levy campaign in full swing; voters speak out
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Campaign volunteers have been knocking on doors, phoning residents and
distributing signs and lapel buttons that ask voters to "Vote Yes on
Issue 49: Vote for Proven Results."
The "proven results" are illustrated by the district's latest
state report card, which gave Worthington schools an "Excellent with
Distinction" rating, campaign volunteers said.
The colorful signs and buttons are to promote Issue 49 on the Nov. 3
ballot, the 3.9-mill incremental operating levy for Worthington schools.
The levy, if approved by voters, would begin at 3.9 mills in January and
increase by 1.5 mills both 2011 and 2112, ending at an continuing amount of
6.9 mills.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said if the tax issue is approved, the first year
would cost a homeowner an additional $119 in annual taxes per $100,000
property value. That amount would increase by $46 in each of the second and
third years.
McCuen said the levy request would generate about $7.1 million for
Worthington schools in the first year.
Three residents spoke about the levy request at the school board meeting
Monday, Oct. 12.
Kathy Sato told board members, "I helped elect some of you.
"The kind of excellent rating we recently got on the state report
card doesn't happen by accident -- you are all intelligent people with broad
vision," she said. "Our school values and our home values are
important and most of us know the only way to keep our excellent with
distinction rating is to pass the levy.
"I have my own personal yardstick for 'proven results,' " she
said. "I have two kids in grad school -- one is an economist and one is
on her way to becoming a veterinarian."
John Butterfield, a Worthington City Council member, said his two
children had gone through Worthington schools and he has a grandchild at
Worthington Estates Elementary School.
"I believe our public schools are an integral part of our community
and the quality of our schools is the reason many new residents come to
Worthington," he said. "Our schools have maintained quality over
the years and made a real difference for students and families.
"I don't claim to know all the details about the district and its
finances, but I believe the leadership and the employees of the school
district know about the impact of a new levy on our residents, because it
has been five years since you asked for a levy," he said. "I know
this levy is needed and I hope voters will realize how important our schools
are to the identity of our community."
William Fallon had a different viewpoint.
"I've had seven children go through Worthington schools ... but I
think there has been a gross overstatement that the district cut $11 million
over three years," he said. "I met with the treasurer and looked
over a financial report that showed a $4 million item was 'cost-shifted'
from the bond issue, which was a large part of the $11 million. So money was
shifted from one fund to another fund.
"So all we have to do is shift fund money between school district
funds until we save the amount of money of the operating levy," he
said.
Superintendent Melissa Conrath said the district "needs to secure
revenue to support the existing operations in the district."
McCuen said the district would have to identify more than $14 million in
budget cuts if the levy doesn't pass in November.
"We want to continue to identify and implement expenditure
reductions," she said. "We plan on doing a facilities audit to see
how we can situate our students to take advantage of the facilities we have.
We are also collecting data to determine the capacity at each building and
looking at enrollment to make sure we are using each building
efficiently."
Conrath showed board members a "District Balanced Scorecard,"
which listed performance indicators such as the district report card, math
and reading achievement tests, the elementary school, middle school and high
school renewal programs, the operating levy and communications efforts.
The scorecard listed "targets" and what would be "above
target" and assigned a certain number of points.
The target for the operating levy, for example, would be
"passage" as a unit of measure with a target of "50 percent
plus one yes vote." The above target would be "53 percent plus one
yes vote."
"The balanced scorecard is meant to act as a districtwide
improvement plan," Conrath said.
Campaign members have set up a Web site for voter information,
celebrateworthington.org, which contains links to three Facebook pages about
the levy request.
|
|
Technology
upgrades cost pennies, could save thousands
Two Linworth teachers have created a digital science textbook, and some
teachers are experimenting with texts in class.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Worthington school board members focused on the future of the district in
a workshop on district innovations and initiatives.
Two Linworth Alternative science teachers, Mark Maley and Ron Pilatowski,
demonstrated a digital science textbook they created themselves at the board
meeting and workshop, held Monday, Oct. 12, at the Worthington Education
Center.
Pilatowski handed Superintendent Melissa Conrath a heavy Biological and
Earth Systems Science (BESS) textbook, which he said cost $80. Then he
stepped over to a Smart Board screen to demonstrate an 80-cent digital
program he and Maley created that covered the same science information as
the textbook.
"When we asked students where they go for science information, few
said their textbooks," Pilatowski said. "They go online, not to
their textbooks. Most use their textbooks only for review before
exams."
Pilatowski and Maley said the information in their digital BESS textbook
"would not fit in a regular textbook."
Maley said he's been using digital textbooks for the past 10 years in his
science classes at Linworth.
"We are reaching out to where kids are in terms of their
learning," he said. "The nice thing about a digital textbook is
that students can interact with animated lessons and drag-and-click
graphics, learn answers right away and take a multiple-choice quiz after the
lesson and take it home and do the same lesson again."
Maley said he worked on all the graphics and animation of the program,
while Pilatowski wrote the text.
Thomas Worthington High School science teacher Brian Geniusz said giving
every student a compact disc that cost 80 cents -- as opposed to $80
textbooks -- could save the district more than $150,000 for the one
10th-grade science course.
Another innovation that teachers are trying out is having students text
answers in class, Maley said.
"Students in some classes are using student response systems to text
answers," he said. "Some of our English teachers are using the
systems for students who don't like to talk in class, because as we know,
kids are great at texting."
Director of Student Achievement Jennifer Wene said the district is
working on overall integration of numerous technology techniques to
accommodate student learning styles.
"More than just saving money, we can use technology to make sure we
are using research-based practices in every classroom," she said.
Wene showed board members a PowerPoint presentation on district
initiatives that may have led to the recent "Excellent with
Distinction" on the state report card.
"We're focusing on looking at data and providing what kids need
while implementing best practices such as Assessment for Learning," she
said.
Wene said Assessment for Learning begins with a clear learning target and
"sound design to match the target." |
| New kindergartners: Many kids not ready to
learn
Sunday, October 25, 2009
By Jennifer Smith Richards, THE COLUMBUS
DISPATCH
These 4-year-olds are learning to
recognize and write letters. They're pretending to read all the words to
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and The Giant Prickly Pumpkin. Children in this
pre-kindergarten class at Trevitt Elementary will have a leg up on most of
their peers next fall. Across the Columbus school district, tests given each
fall show that more than three of every four kindergarten students aren't
ready to learn.
Nearly four of every 10 lack the most
basic literacy skills. That means they don't know that the black lines in a
book are sentences made up of letters. They don't know that we read left to
right. They have no idea that stories have a beginning, middle and end, and
they certainly don't know their ABCs.
This is a particularly difficult challenge
for two reasons: Preparing small children for school isn't usually the
responsibility of a K-12 school district, but it still must spend time and
money to help kids catch up.
"Some (of my students) had some basic
book-handling skills. We teach them which way is up, front and back and the
general direction of the text," said Kristin Foster, who teaches
Trevitt's pre-k class. "Not everybody knows that coming in."
To address the need, a program called
"Columbus Kids: Ready, Set, Learn" will start in January in the
central part of the city. The idea is to show parents how to get kids ready
for school and to track data so the district can predict the extent of
incoming kids' literacy deficits.
The United Way of Central Ohio will run
the program, child-care providers will help collect the information, and the
Columbus City Schools Education Foundation and other charitable foundations
will pay for most of it.
"We're going to help parents help
kids become more prepared," said Tanny Crane, chairwoman of the
foundation. Research is clear that students who are behind in kindergarten
struggle to catch up. Those with strong early literacy skills often are more
successful. "What happens is while you're 'catching up,' the
expectations for the next level of work are increasing as well," said
Elaine Bell, the district's interim chief academic officer and deputy
superintendent. "So we know that for children who come in behind, if we
don't get them reading on grade level by the end of third grade, we'll have
a lot of intervention to do in the future."
Columbus schools have pre-kindergarten
classrooms in 29 of the district's 77 elementaries. The district would add
more if it could afford to, officials say, but there's not enough state
funding.
School readiness deficits are not as
severe a problem in many suburban districts, according to results of the
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment -- Literacy, which new kindergartners in
Ohio public schools take each fall. It measures whether they know letters
and letter sounds, how to rhyme and how to understand and answer questions.
Grandview Heights, Bexley, Upper Arlington, New Albany-Plain and Worthington
have the highest average scores among the 16 Franklin County school
districts. Hamilton, South-Western, Columbus, Groveport Madison and
Whitehall have the lowest average scores.
The Ready, Set, Learn initiative will test
for some of the same basic skills as the state tests, but it won't focus
just on literacy. The program will reach the parents of 1,200 central city
3- and 4-year-olds in two ways: through child-care providers and at
community agencies, said Cindy Sturni, who heads the United Way's Smart
Start initiative and also is overseeing this one. Child-care providers will
pass learning tips and screening materials to parents, who will test their
children and return the results. Program workers also will visit public
places such as opportunity centers. They will ask parents if they can screen
their children on the spot in exchange for a gift card.
The first phase will cost about $600,000.
It will expand over the next five years. "We are excited about the
possibility that our community is seeing this as a need to be addressed.
We're excited about what can potentially happen," Bell said.
|
|
|
|
Columbus
Dispatch Editorial: Right-size benefits School districts can sell tax levies
by promising to curb overgenerous benefits
Friday, October 9, 2009 2:55 AM
Most of the school districts asking voters for more tax money on the Nov.
3 ballots could have a powerful, persuasive tool, if only they would choose
to use it: a pledge to bring their employees' pay and benefits in line with
the marketplace.
Like the consultant's study that showed Columbus city employees have far
more-generous health and pension plans than most private-sector employees
and employees of similar cities, a Dispatch analysis on Monday showed that
Franklin County school districts are similarly generous with health-care
benefits.
Four of those districts -- Reynoldsburg, South-Western, Westerville and
Worthington -- have tax requests on the ballot. Seventeen more school
districts in neighboring counties also have placed issues on the ballot.
All four of the districts in Franklin County offer health-insurance plans
significantly more expensive than the average among central Ohio employers.
Yet school employees pay far less out of their own pockets for those
policies than the average central Ohio worker pays for less coverage.
In many districts, most famously South-Western, voters repeatedly have
turned down levies and programs have been cut to the bone, leaving students
without school buses, sports and extracurricular activities and with larger
classes and fewer courses from which to choose.
Some teachers' and administrators' organizations have agreed to wage
freezes, but many of those still enjoy increases in their paychecks, because
of provisions that mandate automatic pay increases tied to years on the job.
Many voters who don't work for school districts, meanwhile, have lost
jobs or benefits or have had their pay frozen or cut in the past year's
recession. These Ohioans understandably are unimpressed with school
districts that won't make comparable cuts.
School-employee benefits can't be changed overnight. Most school
employees are unionized, with pay and benefits locked in place until
contracts expire.
But the elected officials who sign those contracts and spend tax dollars
to pay for them can make clear their intent to make necessary changes when
the time comes for contracts to be renewed.
To say that school-employee benefits are too high is not to slam those
employees or to doubt the importance of their work. It is simply to
recognize an imbalance that, in the current brutal economy, can't be
sustained.
Historically, public-employee benefits were relatively rich to compensate
for pay levels that were lower than in the private sector. But in most
cases, public-sector pay levels caught up with the private sector long ago,
and still the rich benefits remain. The public is catching onto this and
growing less likely to vote to keep bankrolling the imbalance.
School districts that want to win the votes of financially strapped
residents will have a better chance at the polls if they show they
understand that.
|
|
Volunteers
stump for school levy
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
Unlike last spring, when the Worthington school levy campaign was low-key
-- and the operating levy was soundly defeated -- this fall's campaign is
highly active.
"We're very excited about everyone getting out there and encouraging
friends and neighbors to support Issue 49," said campaign chairwoman
Jennifer Economus.
The issue is a 6.9-mill permanent incremental operating levy. If
approved, voters will pay 3.9 mills in 2010, with an additional 1.5 mills
added in 2011 and 1.5 mills in 2012.
Campaign signs have already gone up in front yards, and last Saturday
volunteers distributed literature door-to-door.
"We have hundreds of volunteers," Economus said.
On Sunday, hundreds of supporters gathered on the lawn of Thomas
Worthington High School for a Celebration of Excellence, which spotlighted
the district's newly acquired "excellent with distinction" rating
from the state.
School and city officials spoke, the pep band played, and each school
served cake or cookies and showed off what their school has to offer.
This Saturday, there will be an OSU tailgate event at Worthington
Kilbourne High School.
But the crux of the campaign is not the big splash, but the one-on-one
discussions among friends and neighbors, Economus said.
Last week, an e-mail went out in the community asking volunteers to
"adopt" at least nine people who are likely to support the levy,
invite them to an event, answer any questions, send them a "dear
friend" post card and call them the night before the Nov. 3 election.
"There's a lot at stake," Economus said.
She is the parent of a preschooler and a lobbyist for the Ohio School
Boards Association.
She and Melissa Conrath, superintendent of schools, and David Bressman,
school board president, planned to make their case at the candidates night
on Tuesday.
They planned to emphasize how critical the levy outcome is, with cuts to
teaching positions, extracurricular activities, busing and classes on the
line.
Without the levy, the district will make $14-million in cuts.
There is no organized opposition to the levy, but John Herrington and
Mike Alfred of Educate Worthington are continuing to urge the district to
examine the sustainability of its spending patterns. Herrington planned to
speak at the candidates night.
He said he planned to tell attendees that sometime in the next 12 months,
voters will be wise to approve a levy to prevent major cuts to programs.
However, the district is coming to a point where a choice will have to be
made among continuing to approve generous union contracts, making
significant cuts to student programs or facing sizeable levies every two or
three years, he said.
Despite the teachers union's partial pay raise in 2011, the district
continues to project the need for an additional levy in 2012, followed by a
third in 2013 or 2014.
"Will 'massive cuts' to student programs be a campaign slogan every
two to three years?" Herrington said.
|
|
Leaders
worry district's success could fall victim to cuts
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, October 6, 2009
On the heels of celebrating the district's "Excellent with
Distinction" rating on the state report card, some district officials
are worried that student achievement may be on the line if voters fail to
approve the 3.9-mill incremental operating levy request Nov. 3.
School board member Charlie Wilson said the successful educational
strategies teachers have implemented over the last couple of years have been
possible because of professional development funds.
"My concern is that our professional development budget will be
decimated if the levy fails," said Wilson. "If that happens, than
our best year yet could turn into our worst year ever. I know professional
development has a big impact on a student achievement."
A reduction of professional development days for teachers by 50 percent,
effective in November if the levy fails, is on a "levy fail cut
list" compiled by Superintendent Melissa Conrath and Treasurer Jeff
McCuen, along with the elimination of more than 125 staff positions.
The levy, if approved by voters, would begin at 3.9 mills in January and
increase by 1.5 mills in both 2011 and 2012, ending at a continuing amount
of 6.9 mills.
McCuen said if the tax issue is approved, the first year would cost a
homeowner an additional $119 in annual taxes per $100,000 in property value.
That amount would increase by $46 each of the second and third years.
The levy request would generate about $7.1 million for Worthington
schools in the first year, McCuen said.
Conrath credited teachers for the stellar results on this year's state
report card and said she remembered what Jennifer Wene, director of student
achievement and staff development, said two years ago about trying to
"take the hope out of education.
"We didn't just hope our value-added and Adequate Yearly Progress
scores would be in the green area; it was a very focused effort with strong
leadership and great people in the classroom to get these great
results," she said.
Wene agreed that teacher layoffs and professional development cuts could
impact student achievement.
"It could decimate us on many levels if the levy fails," she
said. "Our professional development efforts happen after the school
day, so they are over and above an already very tough job in the
classroom."
McCuen said the district has made $11 million in budget cuts since 2006,
including the elimination of 40 staff positions.
"We've held expenditure growth to 2.84 percent for the last five
years," he said.
He said the district also negotiated a reduction of 1 percent in
insurance premiums, when the average premium increase has been 13 percent.
"We were also one of the first school districts in Ohio to self-fund
workers compensation insurance," he said.
That move could potentially save up to $250,000 annually, he said.
The district also recently made permanent cuts in personnel and programs,
totalling about $7 million in savings over three years. Those cuts won't be
restored even if the levy passes, McCuen said.
The cuts were identified on a list of first- and second-phase cuts, with
the first phase put in place almost as soon as the 7.4-mill levy request
failed in May.
The first-phase cuts included reduction of overtime for maintenance and
grounds; implementation of an overall hiring freeze, which could increase
class sizes at the elementary level; reduction of custodial time and
staffing levels; and the lowering of the certified pool substitute rate.
On the second-phase list of cuts that were likely pieces of the $7
million in savings were the raising fees for summer school courses and
reduction of the number of courses; elimination of video services at the
Educational Media Center; implementation of a fee for extracurricular
activities to cover weight room tech's salaries; and the restructuring of
the district's middle school program.
If the levy fails, however, the cuts would be deeper -- totaling $15
million-- to avoid a significant budget deficit, district leaders said.
On the "levy fail cut list," besides the elimination of more
than 125 staff positions -- which include 11 library media specialists and
11 art, music and physical education positions -- are an increase in
athletic fees to $250 per sport with no family cap; elimination of middle
school sports and freshman-level sports; elimination of most extracurricular
activities at the middle schools and high schools; and the end of busing for
high school students and for elementary school and middle school students
living within two miles of schools. All field trips also would be
eliminated.
The complete list can be found at the district's Web site,
worthington.k12.oh.us.
|
|
Union
is the key to fundamental change
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 3:05 PM
John Herrington is co-founder of Educate Worthington
"Don't shoot the messenger." This is wise counsel, and most of
us can understand and agree with the logic in this simple statement.
Unfortunately, recent letters, articles and columns on the proposed
school levy suggest that many levy supporters might prefer to
"shoot" any messenger that brings a message they don't like; even
if that message is vitally important to the future of our community, and is
based on simple, verifiable mathematics.
While some have labeled Educate Worthington as the problem, this is
simply a distraction from the real issue: the rapidly rising expenses in the
district's five-year forecast. And unfortunately, those rising expenses make
it clear that the proposed November levy will need to be followed by similar
levies in 2012 and 2013/2014 for a total of three new levies in just five
years.
The critical question is "Why?"
Employee costs, which comprise 88-percent of the budget, are projected to
increase from $97-million per year in 2009, to over $120-million per year in
2014 (up nearly 24%) in this mature (not growing) district.
To further understand why these costs are rising so dramatically, the
union contracts contain both base raises each year, plus large automatic
step raises for the first 14 years of every teacher's career. As The
Columbus Dispatch pointed out in an analysis of "newly hired"
teacher salaries: "Last school year, the average of those combined
raises in Franklin County districts ranged from 5.9 percent to 8.8 percent,
while the average raise for private-sector employees in the U.S. was 1.8
percent. That's not going to fly for long."
Apparently The Dispatch recognized that if all districts raise the
salaries that rapidly, for all new teachers, someday the residents who pay
for it will simply be unable to keep up. That "someday" may be
today.
Not surprisingly, even if the Worthington teachers union follows our
administrators' generous gesture and "give back" a year's worth of
base raises, it would only slightly delay the inevitable: that spending will
eventually outpace the ability to levy new taxes on our residents.
In 2008, some suggested that signing a new three-year union contract
would leave little, if any, room for necessary spending adjustments should
costs spiral out of control. Unfortunately, this appears to be our current
circumstance, and the board is now choosing to propose "massive
cuts" as we move toward a November levy vote, despite a projected
budget surplus for the next 2.5 years.
What this ultimately means is that student educational and
extracurricular opportunities, along with many younger district staff, may
be lost in exchange for the continuation of 5-percent average raises and
generous insurance and retirement benefits for the union and its remaining
membersÉwith no end in sight.
If we ignore the facts and let emotions get in the way, we could someday
face a very hard-landing like South-Western City Schools. This is unfair to
the students who lose opportunities, unfair to the teachers and staff who
lose jobs, unfair to the school district, which slowly loses its reputation,
and unfair to the residents who slowly pay more and more in an effort to
keep up with costs that simply cannot be sustained.
Nobody wants that except, apparently, the union, which would prefer
"business as usual." In case you have not noticed yet, the union
is the key to any fundamental change, and without its involvement, there can
be no "soft-landing." Many in the community are asking the union
to step up.
Fundamental change won't be easy, but instead of spending time building
"cut lists" and then throwing up our hands and saying "God
save us all," our district leadership could a take a cue from Captain
"Sully" Sullenberger. You might remember that with courage and
leadership, he safely landed a plane on the Hudson River after losing both
engines. If, like him, they stay calm and use clear thinking, we may lose
some luggage, but no one will get hurt.
John Herrington
|
|
Teachers'
base salary to freeze
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 3:05 PM By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Staff
Writer
The Worthington Board of Education on Monday approved a 0-percent
increase in teachers' base salary for the 2011-2012 school year.
By a 4-1 vote, the board voted to accept the offer made by the teachers'
union in what Worthington Education Association (WEA) president Pete Scully
called a commitment to "being part of the solution."
The agreement will save the district $2.4-million "that need not be
cut from programs that benefit our children," he said.
The decision will not reduce the size of the 6.9-mill incremental levy
that will be on the November ballot, nor will it change the need to cut
$15-million from the budget if the levy is not approved.
It would impact the additional $4-million in cuts that would have been
made by 2013 if the levy is approved.
Scully said the WEA met in August to discuss and debate how to move
forward. Over the summer, many residents had asked that the teachers make
concessions in their three-year contract. This is the second year of that
contract.
The salary agreement is not a concession, but an extension of the
contract into a fourth year. During that year, the base salary of teachers
will not increase, but those teachers in line for step increases will
receive them.
The average annual step increase is 1.9 percent, said district treasurer
Jeff McCuen. In general, teachers receive an annual step increase during
their first 15 years of employment, then an increase every other year.
The agreement will also not change the additional pay teachers receive
for attaining additional college-level training.
Approximately 81 percent of the district's 700-plus teachers voted to
make the offer to the board.
"I view this as an acknowledgement that we're all in this
together," said board vice president Julie Keegan. "This is a step
in the right direction."
President David Bressman said he truly appreciated the gesture from the
WEA.
"This is an important step," he said. "It doesn't mean it
is the only step or the last step."
Board member Marc Schare said the board should not have voted on the
issue on Monday, since it was not on the agenda and the community did not
have an opportunity to comment. He also voted against a five-year forecast
that was also not available to the board or the community before Monday's
meeting.
"Transparency cannot be abandoned when inconvenient for levy
politics," he said.
Schare noted that he had never joined the "cacophony of voices"
requesting that teachers make concessions in the contract that was approved
a year ago.
Both the board and the union understood at the time that the agreement
was underfunded and would result in program cuts in order to pay for the
contract.
The new agreement is not a concession but a pre-negotiation on a contract
that would have been negotiated in the spring or summer of 2011, he said.
The board may be doing the district a disservice by making a commitment
without knowing the climate of 2011-2012, he said. Besides committing to no
increase in base salary, the agreement also ensures no changes in teachers'
contribution for health care, salary index, or step increases. The board
will also not have an opportunity to negotiate such items as teacher
performance as related to compensation, he said.
"Even if it does help pass a levy, in my opinion, it is bad policy
to rush our most significant contractual obligation in hopes of picking up a
few undecided votes," he said.
Scully said the WEA was also taking a chance by agreeing to the 0-percent
increase two years in advance.
"This could be a terrible decision on our part," Scully said.
"There could be double-digit inflation in 2012."
The levy, if approved, will be phased in over three years.
Beginning in January, real estate taxes would increase 3.9 mills. An
additional 1.5 mills would be added in 2011 and another 1.5 mills in 2012.
The total cost per $100,000 of property value would be $211.
The board last week approved $15-million in cuts to be made if the levy
is not approved. Those include the loss of 80 teaching positions and 45
classified positions; district financial backing of sports and
extra-curricular activities; and busing for high school students and other
students living within a two-mile radius of school.
cbrooks@thisweeknews.com
|
|
Agreement:
No raises for teachers in 2011-12
The move allows for fewer district cuts, but one board member says the
decision was rushed.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Worthington teachers have agreed to a salary freeze for the 2011-12
school year as "a way to help with the financial difficulties facing
the community," said Worthington Education Association President Pete
Scully.
Scully told school board members at the Monday, Sept. 14, board meeting
that nearly 700 teachers "overwhelmingly" supported the proposal
that will extend the three-year contract approved a year ago, which called
for annual 2.85 percent increases in teachers' base salary schedule, to a
fourth year, with no increase in base salaries.
"While an agreement for 2011-12 may confuse some community members,
it is simple," Scully said. "This agreement would be the first
zero percent increase since 1995 and, with a levy passage, will result in
$2.4 million that need not be cut from programs that benefit our
students."
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said that even if the 3.9-mill incremental levy
passes in November, the district will have to make $4.8 million in cuts
because of the failure of the 7.4-mill operating levy request in May.
"We'll only have to cut $2.4 million instead of $4.8 million now,
because the new union contract year provides half of what we needed,"
he said.
Scully said the district already will realize a decrease of more than
$300,000 in total health care expenses for certified staff in 2010, as
compared to calendar year 2009, because of collective bargaining agreements
between the board and the teachers' union.
"It is clear that there is and always will be a continual effort to
cut costs," he said.
All board members but one responded positively to the union concession,
voting to approve the document that extended the teachers union contract by
one year.
Marc Schare cast the only "no" vote.
"This is the second time this decade that our district has
determined that a three-year agreement was underfunded and would result in
program cuts and the requirement to directly or indirectly ask for union
concessions," he said. "Everybody on both sides of the negotiation
table understood that without a levy passing, there would need to be
significant cuts in the district to pay for the contract ... we could have
jointly structured an agreement with contract terms that were contingent on
levy passage.
"It may be fashionable to blame the teachers, their union or the
state, but at the end of the day, we agreed to the contract and we should
expect to live with it," he said. "I know this is not a popular
view, but in business, you don't go back on contracts. The willingness of
the WEA to even entertain this gesture is very much appreciated."
Schare said the extension of the contract does not amend the current
contract "and is therefore not a concession."
"It is more properly labeled as a prenegotiation on a contract that
would have been negotiated in the spring or summer of 2011," he said.
Schare said he saw "no reason to rush the negotiation of the 2011-12
union agreements.
"We are apparently contemplating this action because we believe it
would help pass a levy and it will satisfy community requests for shared
sacrifice," he said. "Even if it does help pass the levy, in my
opinion, it is bad policy to rush our most significant contractual
obligation in hopes of picking up a few undecided voters."
Schare also said transparency was abandoned, because he did not know
until the night of the meeting that board members would be asked to approve
the contract extension.
"Transparency cannot be abandoned when inconvenient for levy
politics," he said.
Schare said he did appreciate the union gesture, adding "I very much
appreciate the WEA's willingness to make the proposal and I regret having to
vote no."
Scully said after the meeting he had only one response to Schare's
remarks.
He quoted Frederic Mishkin of Columbia University from the front page of
that day's Wall Street Journal: " ... if you take the view that every
measure that we take has to be exactly right, you don't do anything."
|
|
School
board gives nod to five-year financial forecast
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sustainability was on the mind of one Worthington school board member
when he was asked to approve a five-year financial forecast that included
cuts from the "levy fail" list.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen added the five-year forecast as an agenda item at
the board meeting Monday, Sept. 14.
"This forecast incorporates the $15 million in reductions that would
have to be made in the event the levy fails in November," McCuen said.
"The goal of this document is to balance fiscal year 2012."
Last week, board members approved a list totaling $15 million in cuts
that would be necessary if the 3.9-mill, three-year incremental levy request
fails in November.
* The cut list includes eliminating more than 125 staff positions, middle
school and freshman sports, high school busing and field trips.
Board member Marc Schare looked over the numbers.
"Even if everything on the levy fail list is cut, we would still
wind up with a deficit of $47 million in 2014 -- and you don't think we have
a sustainability problem?" he asked the treasurer.
The new forecast shows a positive balance of $984,240 at the end of
fiscal year 2012, with a $16 million deficit predicted in 2013, instead of
the $14 million deficit listed a year earlier on the Aug. 3 financial
forecast.
Actual total revenues at the end of June 2009 were listed as $112
million, with expenditures at $110 million.
Revenue forecasted for the end of fiscal year 2010 is $107.9 million,
with expenditures expected to be $114.4 million after the first round of
cuts from the cut list of $348,000.
Schare was the only board member to vote "no" on the forecast.
The incremental levy, if approved by voters, would begin at 3.9 mills in
January and increase by 1.5 mills in both 2011 and 2012, ending at a
continuing amount of 6.9 mills.
McCuen said if the tax is approved, the first year would cost a homeowner
an additional $119 in annual taxes per $100,000 in property value. That
amount would increase by $46 in each of the second and third years.
McCuen said the request will generate $7.1 million for Worthington
schools in the first year.
'Best year yet'
Board members also heard a report by Jennifer Wene, director of academic
achievement and professional development, that gave more details on the
district's state report card rating last month, which was "Excellent
with Distinction."
Wene titled her report "The Best Year Yet!"
"We have had a remarkable year and our rating was the best yet and
the highest rating we can get," she said.
The district achieved 29 of 30 state indicators, with a Performance Index
Score of 102.6. The district missed only the eighth-grade social studies
indicator, but not by much, with 72.4 percent passing -- just short of the
75 percent passing rate.
Meeting all the Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks for the first time
made up for missing the eighth-grade indicator, which the district also
missed last year, Wene said.
"We met AYP in every area for the first year yet," she said.
"When I saw all of our areas in the passing green area, I screamed
because I was so happy."
Wene said the value-added measurements added by the state are helping
districts pass the AYP benchmarks by measuring student progress from year to
year.
Board members also recognized Evening Street Elementary School teacher
Kellie Ehlers for being selected this year's Gary Smith Compassionate
Teacher.
|
|
Massive
cuts loom if Nov. 3 levy fails
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 2:44 PM By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Staff
Writer
If the 6.9-mill incremental operating levy is not approved in November,
the Worthington schools will be a changed school district this time next
year.
There will be no sports teams or extracurricular activities, except for
what is paid for by parents.
At the elementary schools, there will be no librarians, no guidance
counselors, no band or strings and less art, music and physical education.
Middle schools will return to the old junior high school setup, with no
more team teaching.
At the high schools, there will be larger classes and fewer options, and
24 fewer teachers.
There will be no busing for high school students, beginning in January
2010, and none for elementary and middle school students living within two
miles of school beginning next fall.
Those and about 30 other cuts are on the list of budget reductions
approved by the Worthington school board at a special meeting on Sept. 2.
Voters will decide on the levy Nov. 3. If approved, 3.9 mills will go
into effect January 2010, followed by an additional 1.5 mills in 2011 and
1.5 mills in 2012. The total cost per $100,000 of property value would be
$211.
Voters turned down a 7.4-mill levy in May.
If this levy is not approved, the board must cut about $14-million from
the budget within the next two years. The budget-reduction list totals
approximately $15-million in savings.
It cuts 80.7 teaching positions and 45 classified positions. The numbers
represent full-time-equivalents, so more than that number of people will
lose their jobs.
The cuts would dig deeply into the district's athletic teams and other
extracurricular activities.
If the levy fails, pay-to-participate fees would increase to $250 per
sport with no family cap, beginning winter 2010.
Next fall, the only activities that would remain would be those that
parents agreed to fund from their own pockets. The district would cover none
of the cost.
The cuts would not be the same as those in the South-Western district,
where all sports and activities were eliminated.
But in districts where the district has stopped picking up the cost, the
result has been a natural selection, with major sports surviving and others
being cancelled, school board president David Bressman said.
Board member Charlie Wilson said he regretted having to approve the list
of reductions, but he was pleased that nonacademic-related cuts were made
before those with more direct impact on the classroom.
"It is extremely important that his levy pass," Wilson said.
"No area has been untouched."
A process to reconfigure elementary schools will begin immediately if the
levy fails, he pointed out.
Reconfiguration means that the traditional kindergarten through grade six
schools would be replaced with schools for kindergarten through grade three
and grades four through six. It would save the district money through
economies of scale, according to administrators.
The plan is not popular with parents, according to testimony and surveys.
A spokesperson for the district would not give assurance that
reconfiguration would not happen, regardless of the outcome of the fall
levy.
When asked if reconfiguration of elementary buildings would happen
regardless of the outcome of the levy, spokesperson Vicki Gnezda wrote,
"Future circumstances may influence the pursuit of this option."
In fact, some of the reductions on the list approved last week will be
made if the levy is approved. Those cuts must total more than $4-million by
2013, and there is no list specifying which reductions would be made.
"Any one of these could still go if the levy passes," said
board member Marc Schare.
Wilson said he wanted to make it clear that there would not be
exceptions. If the reduction is on the list and the levy fails, the
reduction will be made, he stressed.
"All of this happens," he said.
After discussion and the final, unanimous vote for the reductions list,
board president David Bressman summed up the feelings of the board:
"Motion carried, God save us all."
Read
Comments |
|
Explaining
the dynamics of teacher compensation
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:06 PM
There are four recurring themes when teacher compensation is discussed.
One is the level of compensation, but because it varies from locality to
locality, it will not be discussed here. The other three, which are general
in nature, include:
1) step increases;
2) all teacher being paid the same (no differential pay);
3) shouldn't exceptional teaching be rewarded differently?
The competition for teachers able to perform in exemplary fashion is no
different from the competition for high-performing practitioners in other
fields. Thus, starting salaries and advancement policies usually reflect
both the aspirations of the district doing the hiring and the external
competitive pressures from other districts seeking to employ the same
caliber teachers.
Although there might be an apparent surplus of teachers for any given
position, the best teachers will be sought by several districts having the
same objectives and philosophies.
In general, teachers receive step increases in addition to cost of living
adjustments, (COLAS) for the first 14-15 years of their teaching activities.
There is (in my opinion) good human resources management (HR) logic behind
this approach.
In teaching there are no career promotions. Mobility is usually limited
and COLAS only insure that the teacher's purchasing power remains
essentially constant. A classroom or special resource teacher is a teacher
from the first day until retirement. Therefore, the question is how can
teachers improve their standard of living over a lifetime of work? Or must
that improvement stop after 15 or so years, unless the teacher leaves the
profession? Although giving teachers incentives to leave after a relatively
short time might appear to be good fiscal policy, it is my contention that
it would be both poor personnel management and poor public policy.
Retention of a desired cadre of teachers becomes part of the HR policy.
Step increases are a method used to deal with this question. Financial
incentives are mainly based on two factors:
1) experience (up to a maximum).
2) additional education.
Experience step increases assume that, as in every profession, a teacher
becomes more proficient over time. There usually is a limit to this
experience increment. With education-based increases, there is the
assumption that pertinent education increases effectiveness. Changes in
either or both give rise to the step increases which occasionally,
especially when occurring concurrently with COLAs, may appear unduly high
for a given individual.
When the average staff age increases because of longer tenure this form
of compensation may pose problems for districts. Maintaining such staff
becomes a burden on a district's budget both because of the salaries
themselves, but because with an older staff health care costs also tend to
increase. There is also the political problem when the public sees an
expenditure that is out of line when compared with districts that have
younger staffs.
Questions that arise with a uniform schedule of increments are: why
should all types of certified individuals be paid the same?
Aren't some areas such as math and science "worth" more than
the humanities or the arts? Don't some require more specialized training
than others? This, of course, is a matter both of perception and of market
realities.
Also, when a large cohort of teachers certified in a certain area is
available compared to a reduced number of teachers in another area, is it
not reasonable to have differential pay? Such a differential might increase
the availability of hard-to-find teachers.
While recognizing that the quality of the teacher's performance should
have some influence on pay, something that is precluded by a uniform salary
schedule, a discussion of such topic requires a rather long analysis to be
left for a later time.
Abramo Ottolenghi |
|
Worthington
City Schools Ready To Make $15M In Cuts
By Tanya Hutchins Digital Journalist Published: September 3, 2009
WORTHINGTON, Ohio—The Worthington City School district is ready to cut
millions from its budget if a levy doesn’t pass in November.
NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS on the cuts and taxpayers’ opinions.
Some residents already have their minds made up about the 6.9-mill
operating levy voters will face in November.
The millage would be phased in during three years: 3.9 mills the first
year and 1.5 mills the following two years.
The Worthington school board approved the reduction plan at its
Wednesday, Sept. 2, meeting.
Here is the list of proposed reductions per the district Web site at
http://www.worthington.k12.oh.us/.
A community survey helped the district come up with the list.
Budget reductions through fiscal year 2012
Certified staff positions to be eliminated (80.70 positions, fte =
full-time employee) - Eliminate one curriculum teacher leader - Eliminate
four deans/guidance counselors at middle school - Eliminate two high-school
deans - Eliminate high-school activity directors (1.2 fte) - Eliminate
Rockbridge Academy (1.0 fte) - Eliminate athletic trainers (2.0 fte) -
Eliminate elementary Library Media Specialist & restructure library
services (11.0 fte) - Eliminate third and fourth grade EPP (5.5 fte) - Delay
replacing principals at Wilson Hill and Granby until fall 2010 (1.0 fte) -
Eliminate two district-level administrators (2.0 fte) - Eliminate 24
high-school teachers resulting in reduced courses, including electives and
increased class size - Eliminate elementary band and strings (5.0 fte) -
Reduce elementary art, music or PE (11.0 fte) - Eliminate elementary
guidance (5.5 fte) - Eliminate middle-school teaming (4.5 fte)
Classified staff positions to be eliminated (45 positions) - Eliminate
high-school support positions, including auditorium manager, parking lot
supervision and front office assistant (6 fte) - Eliminate 12 intervention
assistance tutors and two science-lab assistants - Eliminate three (3) high
school library media assistants - Eliminate district media center (2 fte) -
Eliminate six secretary positions at high-school and district levels -
Eliminate one technology integration assistants - Eliminate all technology
integration assistants (2.0 fte) - Eliminate 12 bus drivers due to reduced
transportation service
Other service and program reductions - Increase athletic
pay-to-participate fees at middle- and high-school to $250 per sport with no
family cap, effective winter 2010 - Eliminate middle-school sports and
high-school freshman-level sports, effective fall 2010 - Eliminate cost of
extracurricular activities at the middle schools and high schools, effective
fall 2010 - Eliminate busing for high-school students, effective January
2010 - Eliminate busing to students living within 2 miles of elementary and
middle schools (approximately 1200 students removed from services) * -
Building and department budgets cut by 5 percent, effective November 2009 -
Professional development days for teachers reduced by 50 percent, effective
November 2009 - Summer school classes eliminated to be self supporting,
effective summer 2010 - Reduction of performance contracts and stipends that
are not contractually required, effective January 2010 - Eliminate extended
days for middle-school guidance, deans, career-based intervention and reduce
days for high-school guidance, effective June 2010 - Elementary open
enrollment reassignment back to home school exercised to balance class size
as needed, effective fall 2010 - Eliminate all field trips, effective fall
2010 - East Side middle-school sports combined - Initiate process for
reconfiguring elementary buildings, effective November 2009
Supporters say they need to support the school system to keep property
values up and they’d rather not move to another district.
“Well, first reaction is (I’m) worried about it. I think we all
depend on a quality school system for our property values, as well as the
kind of community we all lived in when we moved here,“ said Charles Reber,
a supporter of the levy and father of a Thomas Worthington High School
student.
“What we’re most concerned about as a family is the cuts to the
academic services,“ said Janet Kelleher, a Worthington parent.
Opponents say the district’s administration is top-heavy and some of
the highest-paid need to be replaced with employees who can perform the same
tasks.
“We feel the administration is not using the money appropriately. We
feel there should be an audit—find out where some of this money is
going,“ said Betty Coffelt, a levy opponent.
The district said the proposed 3.9-mill levy would cost the owner of a
$100,000 home $120 additional per year.
District administrators will forego their 2.85 percent salary increases
for 2010.
|
|
Conrath
pushing board to make cuts, levy or not
The superintendent wants board members to cut $1.6 million a year over
the next three years, even if the fall levy passes.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Cuts could go deep if the 3.9-mill three-year incremental levy for
Worthington schools fails in November, but some cuts will have to be made
even if the levy passes.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said the Treasury Advisory Committee and school
board members will work to identify budget cuts to avoid a $4 million budget
deficit in 2013, which is projected to occur even if voters approve the
incremental levy.
He said board members currently are working on "levy pass" and
"levy fail" cut lists.
"The actual cuts that will have to be made even if the levy passes
still have to be decided, but they will come from the identified list of
possible cuts," he said. "We are working to determine what final
list to give to the public so that people can be informed."
McCuen said if the levy fails, however, the district deficit would jump
to about $14 million in 2012.
Superintendent Melissa Conrath said she wants board members to commit to
cut $1.6 million a year over the next three years, regardless of the outcome
of the levy in November.
The incremental tax, if approved by voters, would begin at 3.9 mills in
January and increase by 1.5 mills in 2011 and in 2012, to end with a
continuing amount of 6.9 mills.
McCuen said if the tax issue is approved, the first year would cost a
homeowner an additional $119 in annual taxes per $100,000 in property value.
That amount would increase by $46 in each of the second and third years.
At the end of three years, the tax would cost homeowners a total of $211
annually per $100,000 in property value.
McCuen said the levy request would generate $7.1 million for Worthington
schools in the first year.
Voters turned down a 7.4-mill continuing operating levy request in May.
Board members met in a workshop at 10 a.m. today, Sept. 2, at the
Worthington Education Center to further discuss the "levy pass"
and "levy fail" cuts.
McCuen met with his Treasurer Advisory Committee on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Board Vice President Julie Keegan said board members would ask for more
clarification on the possible cuts.
She said she also hoped the community would not consider the completed
list a "threat list."
"The list is a grouping of cuts that could happen if the levy fails
in November, so it is a tool the administration needs if no new revenue is
obtained," she said. "As a parent, I would want to know about the
things on this list, such as the fact there could be no busing for high
school students by January if the levy fails.
"I'm not a proponent at all of threat lists, but I'm hoping the
community understands the need to know what we have to cut if no new revenue
comes in from a levy request," she said.
At the board's last workshop Aug. 24, Conrath presented a list of
"levy fail" cuts that included increasing athletic
pay-to-participate fees at the middle schools and high schools to $250 per
sport with no family cap, effective with winter sports in 2010; combining
east-side middle school sports; and eliminating busing for high school
students in January 2010.
Also on the list are 5 percent cuts to building and department budgets;
reductions of professional development days for teachers by 50 percent;
elimination of some summer school classes to make the program
self-supporting; reduction of performance contracts and stipends; reduction
of days for high school guidance; reassignment of elementary open enrollment
students to home schools to balance class sizes; and the elimination of
Rockbridge Academy.
About 51 certified staff positions also could be eliminated if the levy
request fails, including one district administrator, two high school deans,
two high school activity directors, two athletic trainers, 11 library media
specialists and 24 high school teachers, which would reduce courses and
increase class sizes at the high school.
|
|
Worthington
schools OK cuts if levy loses
District would limit busing, eliminate jobs, make sports pay way
Thursday, September 3, 2009 3:28 AM By Charlie Boss THE COLUMBUS
DISPATCH
Worthington high-school students would have to find their own way to
school, and fees for middle- and high-school athletes would double to $250
per sport next year, if voters defeat an operating levy request in November.
The changes are part of a $15 million budget-reduction plan that the
school district's board approved yesterday. The plan would be phased in over
two fiscal years. Some reductions, such as trimming building and department
budgets by 5 percent, would be implemented immediately after a defeat of the
levy.
Other cuts, such as eliminating field trips and returning students on
open enrollment to their home schools, would be delayed until the 2010-11
school year.
Also, middle-school and high-school extracurricular activities, including
athletics, would have to be self-supporting by then.
In all, about 80 teaching and administrative positions and 45
support-staff jobs would be slashed.
"It's a path that makes you sick -- it makes me sick," board
Vice President Julie Keegan said. "We hope to never go down that
path."
For months, district officials have discussed possible reductions and
gathered input from the staff and the community.
Superintendent Melissa Conrath presented a proposal for $14 million in
cuts last month. It also included a list of additional items that could be
cut if needed.
School officials decided to include those items in the overall reduction
plan because there's no certainty that the board would return to voters in
May if the November request goes down.
Passage of a May request could result in the reversal of some cuts, but
officials have not determined what those would be.
If the 6.9-mill incremental operating levy is approved in November, it
would raise tax bills in three phases. In 2010, 3.9 mills would be
collected, then an additional 1.5 mills in 2011, and another 1.5 mills in
2012. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $119 more in taxes in 2010,
then an additional $46 in each of the next two years.
The district's funding has been virtually flat in the past five years, as
expenditures have risen, officials said.
"It's very difficult to go through this list and agree with any of
them," board President David Bressman said. "On the other hand,
the financial issues are clearly stated."
Even with a levy victory in November, officials would have to make about
$4 million in cuts to stretch funds over four years, Conrath said. Those
reductions have not been determined, she said.
cboss@dispatch.com Budget cuts
Worthington school-board members approved $15 million in budget cuts that
would be implemented if voters reject an operating-levy request in November.
The cuts would be made over two fiscal years, but some reductions would take
effect immediately after a levy defeat.
The cuts include:
• Increasing sports fees at the middle and high schools to $250 per
sport with no family cap, effective winter sports 2010.
• Making extracurricular activities at the middle and high schools
self-supporting, fall 2010.
• Eliminating high-school busing, effective January.
• Eliminating busing for middle- and elementary-school students living
within 2 miles, fall 2010.
• Cutting building and departmental budgets by 5 percent, effective
November.
• Reducing teacher professional-development days by half, effective
November.
• Making summer school self-supporting, effective summer 2010.
• Eliminating extended days for middle-school guidance counselors,
deans and career-based intervention, and reducing days for high-school
guidance counselors, effective June 2010.
• Returning students on open enrollment to their home school to balance
class size, effective fall 2010.
• Delaying the replacement of two elementary-school principals until
fall 2010.
• Eliminating all field trips, effective fall 2010.
• Cutting more than 125 positions, including 24 high-school teachers,
by eliminating 20 percent of courses and 11 elementary-school art, music or
physical-education teachers.
Source: Worthington schools
|
|
Teaching
offers new career track but too few jobs
Sunday, August 30, 2009 3:28 AM By Jessica Meyers THE DALLAS MORNING
NEWS
DALLAS -- Paul Washington oversaw hundreds of employees in the auto
industry and navigated the finicky retail market for Target. Now, he's
taking on a much more daunting task: teaching history to eighth-graders.
Washington, who started work this month at Stafford Middle School in
Frisco, Texas, is among a cadre of professionals leaving corporations for
classrooms as the economy continues to wallow and frustrated employees
reconsider career trajectories.
School districts nationwide are reporting a rise in these applicants,
though they are having almost as much difficulty finding a job in this field
as in their previous one. Slim opportunities have them vying against trained
teachers and reinvigorating the debate between real-life expertise and
experience in education.
The New Teacher Project, a national organization that trains midcareer
professionals for the classroom, said applications for its summer training
programs were up by an average of 29 percent.
"Whenever people get laid off, we have an influx of
candidates," said Chris Kanouse, director of teacher preparation and
certification for the state Education Service Center for North Texas.
"But it has been difficult for individuals who think it's going to
be an easy transition into the teaching world when that world isn't opening
positions like they used to."
Educators say not all professionals can transfer their skills to a
chalkboard.
"Some people believe teaching is easier than it is," Kanouse
said. "They look back at when they loved school and the three to four
teachers they liked. This is a serious, steep learning curve, and not
everyone is suited to teach."
But Kanouse said they recognize this by the time they start teaching.
They've completed their required coursework and observation. And these new
teachers also are likely to stay in the field, she said.
"When people make this career change, they're doing it because it is
important to them. Someone in midcareer is probably going to be there much
longer than someone who is younger who transitions into teaching."
Training and passion are important elements in teacher quality, but they
don't determine effectiveness, said Kate Walsh, president of the
Washington-based National Council on Teacher Quality.
"You can't point to a study that shows that a teacher who has gone
through traditional training is better than one who didn't," she said.
"I'd argue that neither are doing a good job. We do know that being
smarter matters. If you perform high, the chances of having high student
achievement increases."
But a teacher's specific training doesn't matter.
"It's all about the connection with kids, which is not necessarily
someone who is touchy-feely," she said. "It's someone who holds
you to a higher standard."
That connection is what had Chad Davis staring intensely at an overhead
projector screen during Frisco's new-teacher training session.
The 38-year-old re-evaluated his priorities when his finance company
folded last year.
"I wanted something more rewarding," said Davis, who had spent
12 years in commodities and business management. He'll teach business and
computers this fall at Frisco's Centennial High School.
"A lot of kids lack the knowledge to make financial decisions,"
he said. "I want them to have something they can rely on throughout
life."
The bell rang for the next session, but he hung back as the cafeteria
cleared.
Like any new teacher, he said, "I'm worried about getting it
right."
|
|
Schools
get A+ on state report card
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
The Worthington school district is no longer just excellent. It is
excellent with distinction.
That highest rating on the state report card was announced Monday, just
as teachers and students were getting ready to return to class on Wednesday.
"Congratulations are in order for everyone from the superintendent
on down," school board president David Bressman said on Monday night.
He treated the school board and guests to an "A-plus" cake to
celebrate the occasion.
This is the second year the district has been rated excellent, but the
first time "with distinction" has been added.
"With distinction" indicates that the district exceeded
expected gains ("value added" in report card language) for two
years in a row.
"The distinction comes from growth, that is why I am proud of it. It
recognizes the hard work of students and teachers," said Jennifer Wene,
director of academic achievement and professional development.
The district met 29 of 30 indicators, which are based on results of tests
given in third through eighth grades and in high school and on attendance
rate and graduation rate.
Seventy-five percent of students at each grade level must pass each test.
The only state standard not met last year was in eighth-grade social
studies. On that test, 72.4 percent were graded as proficient.
The district attendance rating was 95.7 percent, surpassing the state
standard 93 percent.
Graduation rate was 95.5 percent. The state standard is 90 percent.
The performance index score was 102.6. Excellent is defined as between
100 and 120.
The district met the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) criteria, which is
the national standard imposed on districts. That means the district met
standards in each subgroup recognized by the government.
Last year, the district missed AYP in the special education reading
category. In previous years, it had missed the mark among students who speak
foreign languages as well as special education students.
Wene attributes the improvements to the hard work of teachers, who
continually refine their teaching skills and work hard to engage students in
the classroom every day.
"Teachers are throwing themselves at learning new practices,"
she said.
At the district level, administrators are looking hard at research,
recommending teaching practices that result in the most improvements.
Principals are also embracing their roles as instructional leaders and,
as always, the district enjoys the support of parents and the community,
Wene said.
The district's high scores are particularly impressive considering that
the rate of poverty has grown in recent years. Two schools - Slate Hill and
Colonial Hills - now have more than 40 percent of their student bodies that
qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
Among building results on report cards, Liberty and Bluffsview
elementaries earned the excellent with distinction rating.
Rated as excellent were Evening Street, Slate Hill, Wilson Hill,
Worthington Estates, Granby and Worthington Hills elementary schools; McCord
and Phoenix middle schools; and both high schools.
Rated effective were Brookside, Worthington Park and Colonial Hills
elementary schools, and Worthingway, Kilbourne, and Perry middle schools.
cbrooks@thisweeknews.com
|
|
If
levy fails, 52 teaching positions may be cut
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
At least 52 teaching positions and 25 classified positions will be cut if
the operating levy is not approved in November, according to recommendations
of Superintendent of Schools Melissa Conrath.
Conrath unveiled her lists of deep cuts at the Worthington Board of
Education meeting on Monday night.
The board still must vote on which of her recommendations would be
included in the reductions that would be made if the 6.9-mill incremental
levy fails on Nov. 3. A meeting has been set for Sept. 2 at 10 a.m.
An incremental levy goes into effect gradually -- 3.9 mills the first
year, followed by an additional 1.5 mills in each of the two following
years.
If the levy is not approved, the board must reduce $14-million in
spending over the next two years.
Even if it passed, approximately $4.8-million must be cut to assure there
is no deficit at the end of 2013, treasurer Jeff McCuen said on Monday.
Another levy would have to go on the ballot in 2012.
Conrath did not specify which cuts would be made if the levy passes, but
said they may come from the levy-fail reduction recommendations.
She said she based her reduction recommendations on response from the
community, in part through more than 1,000 surveys filled out and returned
by residents. She also took into consideration the advice of administrators
and staff.
"If we have to cut $14-million over two years, there is no way we
cannot impact programs," she told the board.
Among the reductions to be implemented if the levy fails, according to
the superintendent's recommendations, are:
Increase athletic pay-to-play fees to $250 per sport, beginning winter
2010.
Combine east side middle school athletic teams.
Eliminate high school busing, effective January 2010.
Cut building and department budgets by 5 percent.
Reduce professional development days for teachers by 50 percent.
Reduce performance contracts and stipends not contractually required.
Eliminate extended days for middle school guidance, deans, career-based
intervention, and high school guidance.
Eliminate elementary open enrollment reassignment back to home school to
balance class sizes.
Reductions that would be pending, only to go into effect following more
study, include the elimination of busing to students within two miles of
elementary and middle schools; elimination of field trips; elimination of
middle schools and freshman level sports; elimination of middle school
extracurricular activities; reconfiguration of elementary schools; and
reassignment of the Phoenix program to Kilbourne High School.
Certified staff positions recommended for reduction include:
One curriculum teacher leader.
0.5 deans at each middle school.
0.5 guidance counselors at each middle school.
Two high school deans.
1.2 high school activity directors.
One Rockbridge Academy employee (eliminate program).
Two athletic trainers.
Eleven elementary library media specialists.
2.75 third-grade EPP teachers.
One principal (delay replacing principals at Wilson Hill and Granby).
One district administrator.
24 high school teachers, resulting from reducing courses and increasing
class size.
Classified staff positions recommended to be eliminated are:
Six support positions including auditorium manager, parking lot
supervisor, front office assistant.
Eight assistant tutors at high schools and middle schools and science lab
assistant.
Two high school library media assistants.
Two from district media center.
Six from secretarial support at high schools and district levels.
One technology integration assistant.
Additional staff positions could be cut, pending
more discussion, by eliminating fourth-grade EPP; eliminating a second
district administrator; eliminating elementary band and strings; reducing
elementary art, music, or physical education; eliminating middle school team
teaching; closing a middle school; and eliminating all intervention
assistance tutors.
|
|
Board
celebrates 'Excellent with Distinction' rating
Two Worthington schools and the district as a whole earn Ohio's top
honors.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Board members sunk their teeth into chocolate cake decorated with a big
"A+" to celebrate the Worthington City School District's
"Excellent with Distinction" designation on the state report card.
The cake was served at a workshop held Monday, Aug. 24, at the
Worthington Education Center.
"I want to congratulate all involved on the district's achievement
of Excellence with Distinction," said board member Marc Schare.
"I've always believed that value-added is the better measurement of the
impact that the staff in our buildings have, and our value-added scores this
year are responsible for lifting us to this ranking."
The school district learned official report card results last Wednesday,
Aug. 19, and results were publicly released on the Ohio Department of
Education Web site Tuesday, Aug. 25.
The district achieved 29 of 30 state indicators -- all but eighth-grade
social studies, which was the same indicator missed last year.
The scores for that test were close to the passing level of 75 percent
this year, however, with 72.4 percent of students passing the test.
Jennifer Wene, director of student achievement and staff development,
said she was especially pleased that the value-added component, which
measures growth in student achievement from one year to the next, helped the
district meet all the Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks in reading and
math.
"I'm so proud of our teachers who have been working hard to embed
researched best practices in the classroom and have been taking risks to try
new things and talk together about what works and what doesn't," she
said. "Our teachers have spent hours and hours in professional
development; our professional development classes were packed all summer and
teachers were not getting paid to attend those classes.
"We are well on our way to 'all meaning all' in the Worthington
schools and have a targeted plan for reaching those for whom we need to
accelerate their learning," she said.
AYP benchmarks go up each year and measure the progress of student
subgroups, such as students with disabilities and those with limited English
proficiency.
Two individual elementary schools also were rated Excellent with
Distinction: Liberty and Bluffsview.
Receiving "Excellent" ratings were Evening Street, Slate Hill,
Wilson Hill, Worthington Estates and Worthington Hills elementary schools,
McCord and Phoenix middle schools; and Thomas Worthington and Worthington
Kilbourne high schools.
Receiving "Effective" ratings were Brookside and Colonial Hills
elementary schools and Worthingway, Kilbourne and Perry middle schools.
The district's performance index is 102.6; attendance rate is 95.7
percent; and graduation rate is 95.5 percent.
"Every student should grow and they should grow at a rate that
allows them to achieve," Wene said. "Measuring growth through the
value-added component sends a clearer message to our community on what is
going on in our classrooms and how the students are doing."
|
|
Bressman,
Best, Schare unopposed in school board run
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Three Worthington school board members will run unopposed for their seats
in November.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 25, the Franklin County Board of Elections
erroneously listed four candidates for three school board seats on its Web
site; among them is David Foust, who actually is running for re-election to
Worthington City Council, not the school board.
That means board President David Bressman and board members Jennifer Best
and Marc Schare will get their seats back without a fight.
Bressman and Best both originally were elected in 2001 and are running
for third terms, while Schare is running for his second term.
Bressman said he originally had decided not to run, but when no more
candidates came forward, he decided he should not leave "unfinished
business."
"If we had passed a levy in May, I probably would not be running for
re-election," he said, "but because we did not, I felt there was a
lot of unfinished business, with the November levy on the ballot and all the
reductions we'll be making."
School board members recently approved a resolution to put a three-year,
3.9-mill incremental levy on the November ballot; the levy would increase by
1.5 mills each year, ending at 6.9 mills.
Best said she did not want to leave office "in the middle of
things."
"I've received a lot of encouragement from community members to run
again and we're in such a difficult time right now with the levy," she
said. "I hate to leave in the middle of things and really want to see
things through. My own kids have graduated, but I have a lot of nieces of
nephews in Worthington schools and I care about the school and the
community."
Schare said his election four years ago "presented me with an
opportunity to serve this community."
"I'm running for a second term because I want to help our district
continue the progress made in the last four years," he said. "It's
been a humbling experience representing the diverse views of our community.
I know from hundreds of conversations inside and outside of our buildings
that the major challenge remains the same: to continue to maintain and
enhance an outstanding, high-quality school district at an affordable
cost."
|
|
Listen
to opposing arguments; don't cave to Chewbacca
By GARTH BISHOP, COMMENTARY EDITOR
Published: Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Whether it's for a local school levy or the national health care debate,
folks are lining up to criticize the government.
And those critics are swiftly met with critics of their own.
Overspending and overreaching are popular targets of the former group,
with overreacting and overgeneralizing popular targets of the latter.
It can be heartening to see people taking an interest and getting
involved in politics, be those politics local or national. But those
inspirational images quickly turn disappointing when it becomes clear that
many people don't know what they're talking about.
* If you've been following the national debate on health care, you've
seen the town hall meetings at which attempts at discussion are shouted
down. You've seen the proponents of President Obama's health care plans
derided as socialists and you've seen the opponents of it accused of being
in the pockets of the insurance companies.
Emotions aren't quite as high on our local issues here in Central Ohio,
but there are parallels to be found.
Take a look at some of the school levy campaigns gearing up right now.
Issues are going to be on the ballot in at least the Westerville,
Worthington, South-Western, Reynoldsburg and Big Walnut school districts.
Cruise through the chatter on these issues and you're apt to see some
very solid arguments both for and against the levies, citing all manner of
statistics to prove their points. The people leading the levy campaigns will
usually be well informed and capable of making a reasonable case for the tax
increase, and the people leading the campaign to vote "no" often
will have a set of conclusions at which they've arrived from studying the
data that they say prove a levy is unneeded or unreasonable.
But too often, as in the national debate, it's not those arguments that
matter.
This campaign season, you'll also see a wealth of arguments employing the
Chewbacca defense -- Google it if you're not familiar with it. "People
who vote 'no' don't care about kids." "Everyone in the school
district is overpaid."
Thank goodness our local issues haven't degenerated into shouting
matches, and thank goodness the Chewbacca defense's annoying cousin,
reductio ad Hitlerum -- again, Google it -- hasn't come up. But there are
still too many people taking positions without putting any thought into
them.
I won't ask you to put an enormous amount of research into every election
decision you have to make. It would be nice, but it's unrealistic, and I
understand that; we all have personal lives to maintain.
All I ask is that you step outside your comfort zone before you make your
decision. It's too easy to ignore all sources of information contrary to
your beliefs. If you're already leaning one way, get some information from
the other side, firsthand if possible.
The other side's arguments may be unsatisfying. They may not address the
issues in which you're interested. They may even make you angry. There's a
lot of that going around.
But no matter the topic, when it comes to the opposing argument, you're
better off hearing it out than tuning it out.
|
|
6.9-mill
incremental levy put on ballot
Amount to be phased in over three years
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 4:29 PM By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
Worthington school district voters will decide on a 6.9-mill incremental
operating levy in November.
The Worthington Board of Education voted unanimously on Monday night to
place the levy on the ballot.
The permanent levy will be phased in over three years.
In January 2010, 3.9 mills would go into effect, followed by an
additional 1.5 mills in 2011 and another 1.5 mills in 2012.
The 3.9-mill increase would cost $119 a year per $100,000 of property
value. Each 1.5-mill would add $46.
The total after three years would be $211.
For a home valued at $250,000, that would be an additional $527 a year in
property taxes.
The tax is permanent.
"Phasing in millage not only is sensitive to the needs of residents,
but matches the needs of the district," said board member Julie Keegan.
Incremental levies have been legal in Ohio since the early 1990s.
Grandview Heights and Granville have each put such levies on the ballot, but
both were rejected,
The Worthington board considered incremental levies in the past, but
rejected the concept because it was too complex, and because the district
would have lost interest on surplus funds collected during the early years
of the levy collection.
That is less of an issue now because of lower interest levels.
The school board has been debating the size of the levy this year since
voters turned down a 7.4-mill levy by a 60-40 margin in May.
Even if the levy is approved, some reductions in spending will be made,
said Superintendent of Schools Melissa Conrath.
A defeat will result in deeper cuts, possibly causing increases in class
sizes, fewer offerings at the high school, and fewer art and music teachers
at the elementary schools. Busing could also be cut back to state minimum
requirements.
The board will take a closer look at reductions at its meeting next
Monday. The board will first get a report on the results of surveys filled
out by residents. Residents were asked to rate programs that are being
considered for reductions.
So far, approximately 1,100 surveys have been received, said Conrath.
Board members have committed to presenting a "cut list" to
voters prior to the vote. After the May levy failure, some board members
said that voters did not understand what was at stake.
On Monday, board member Charlie Wilson said the "cut list" will
come out 11 days before people start absentee voting.
Board members on Monday took turns endorsing the levy.
Even board member Marc Schare, who a week earlier had pledged not to
support a levy larger than 5.9 mills, had changed his tune.
"I tried, very hard, to fight to get consensus on a lower amount or
a two-year levy, but at the end of the day, I lost," he said.
He said he agreed with the more liberal "Professor Wilson" that
the Worthington schools have lost quality and programs over the past decade
or so.
In 2003, the district cut more than $9-million, and the district has been
in "cut mode" ever since, Schare said.
Still, the board must address the sustainability of the current system,
he said.
"We can't just be worried about sustainability when it is levy
time," Schare said. "This needs to be part of our culture and not
in a negative way."
Board president David Bressman said he doesn't want Worthington to end up
like other districts that have repeatedly failed levies. Voters turned down
levies in 2006 and 2009.
"We're too good for that," he said.
|
|
Teachers
union pressured to return raises
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 4:29 PM By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
The president of the Worthington teachers' union says he does not know if
teachers will bow to the pressure to return some of their pay raises to help
pass the November operating levy.
"I can't speak on the members' behalf," said Pete Skully in an
interview on Monday. "I'm not saying no, I just don't know the answer
at this point."
Skully is president of the Worthington Education Association, which
represents the district's teachers at the negotiating table.
A year ago, the WEA and the Worthington Board of Education approved a
three-year contract granting teachers an annual 2.85-percent increase in
their base salary schedule. With step increases, the average teacher's raise
will be more than 5 percent per year.
Teachers also receive additional increases when they complete education
toward achieving a master's or doctorate degree.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average wage and
salary increase in the 12-month period ending in June was 1.8 percent.
Asked in a recent public meeting why the board approved such a generous
raise for teachers, Superintendent of Schools Melissa Conrath said that the
economy had not taken its downturn at the time of the decision.
She and district treasurer Jeff McCuen, along with 44 other
administrators, gave back their raises this year, saving the district more
than $100,000. Conrath and McCuen will also not receive performance bonuses,
despite receiving glowing reviews.
During several recent public meetings, residents have repeatedly asked
the teachers' union to return to the table to renegotiate the contract in
light of the upcoming 6.9-mill operating levy and spending reductions that
will be made regardless of whether the levy passes.
In a letter to the WEA, 106 residents asked the association to make
concessions.
"Many of the proposed cuts will severely reduce the quality of
education," states the letter. "The proposed cuts call for many
staffing cuts and additional responsibilities to be picked up by fewer
staff. None of us want this to happen."
Skully said he is aware of the community sentiment. He pointed out that
the spouses and families of teachers have also been hit by the economic
downturn.
Only a meeting, debate, and vote of the WEA could put into motion a
return to the bargaining table, he said.
"The contract is in effect, it would take a vote of the membership
to change the contract," Skully said.
The WEA executive board, which meets this Friday at 8 a.m. at the
Worthington Inn, could call a membership meeting.
The committee has not met since May, he said.
|
|
Worthington school board places 6.9-mill incremental levy on ballot
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 By CANDY BROOKS
ThisWeek Staff Writer
Worthington school district voters will
decide on a 6.9-mill incremental operating levy in November.
The Worthington Board of Education voted
unanimously on Monday night to place the levy on the ballot.
The permanent levy will be phased in over
three years.
In January 2010, 3.9 mills would go into
effect, followed by an additional 1.5 mills in 2011 and another 1.5 mills in
2012.
The 3.9-mill increase would cost $119 a
year per $100,000 of property value. Each 1.5-mill would add $46.
The total after three years would be $211.
For a home valued at $250,000, that would
be an additional $527 a year in property taxes.
The tax is permanent.
"Phasing in millage not only is sensitive
to the needs of residents, but matches the needs of residents," said board
member Julie Keegan.
Incremental levies have been legal in Ohio
since the early 1990s. Grandview Heights and Granville have each put such
levies on the ballot, but both were rejected.
The Worthington board considered
incremental levies in the past, but rejected the concept because it was too
complex, and because the district would have lost interest on surplus funds
collected during the early years of the levy collection.
That is less of an issue now because of
lower interest levels.
The school board has been debating the
size of the levy this year since voters turned down a 7.4-mill levy by a
60-40 margin in May.
Even if the levy is approved, some
reductions in spending will be made, said Superintendent of Schools Melissa
Conrath.
A defeat will result in deeper cuts,
possibly causing increases in class sizes, fewer offerings at the high
school, and fewer art and music teachers at the elementary schools. Busing
could also be cut back to state minimum requirements.
The board will take a closer look at
reductions at its meeting next Monday. The board will first get a report on
the results of surveys filled out by residents. Residents were asked to rate
programs that are being considered for reductions.
So far, approximately 1,100 surveys have
been received, said Conrath.
Board members have committed to presenting
a "cut list" to voters prior to the vote. After the May levy failure, some
board members said that voters did not understand what was at stake.
On Monday, board member Charlie Wilson
said the "cut list" will come out 11 days before people start absentee
voting.
Board members on Monday took turns
endorsing the levy.
Even board member Marc Schare, who a week
earlier had pledged not to support a levy larger than 5.9 mills, had changed
his tune.
"I tried, very hard, to fight to get
consensus on a lower amount or a two-year levy, but at the end of the day, I
lost," he said.
He said he agreed with the more liberal
"Professor Wilson" that the Worthington schools have lost quality and
programs over the past decade or so.
In 2003, the district cut more than
$9-million, and the district has been in "cut mode" ever since, Schare said.
Still, the board must address the
sustainability of the current system, he said.
"We can't just be worried about
sustainability when it is levy time," Schare said. "This needs to be part of
our culture and not in a negative way."
Board president David Bressman said he
doesn't want Worthington to end up like other districts that have repeatedly
failed levies. Voters turned down levies in 2006 and 2009.
"We're too good for that," he said.
|
|
School officials give up their raises
Gesture by 46 will save Worthington
$95,000 this year
Friday, August 7, 2009 2:56 AM By Charlie
Boss THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Comments
Worthington administrators are giving back
their raises for the coming school year, which will save the district
$95,000, officials announced yesterday.
The district's 46 central-office
administrators, building principals and assistant principals were in line
for 2.85 percent salary increases.
"We felt this was the right thing to do,"
said Tracy DeMatteo, director of financial services for the district and the
current treasurer of the Worthington Leadership Association, a non-union
organization for administrators.
The administrators took raises in 2008-09,
the first year of a three-year deal offering annual 2.85 percent increases.
Superintendent Melissa Conrath and
Treasurer Jeff McCuen also agreed to forgo their 2.75 percent raises this
year.
The announcement comes as district leaders
prepare to place a tax request on the November ballot. The board is expected
to decide on the size of a property-tax request at a meeting 7:30 p.m.
Monday at the Worthington Education Center, 200 E. Wilson Bridge Rd.
|
|
Board chews over incremental levy
By PAMELA WILLIS
Published: Tuesday, August 11, 2009
An incremental operating levy request will
find its way to the ballot for the first time in Worthington this fall if
school board members give it their nod.
Worthington school board members mulled
over millage amounts at meetings held Monday, Aug. 10, and Tuesday, Aug. 11,
at the Worthington Education Center.
A final vote on a levy request is expected
at a special board meeting set for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, at the center,
200 E. Wilson Bridge Road.
A resolution to proceed with a levy must
be filed with the Franklin County Board of Elections by Aug. 20.
* Board members discussed several possible
incremental levy options during the Aug. 10 meeting, coming to a consensus
on four possibilities.
A three-year incremental levy request
would ask a smaller-than-needed amount from voters the first year, with
additional amounts of millage added the second and third years of the levy
request.
"It's my hope that by offering a creative
type of levy to the community, we will be responding to some who don't want
'business as usual,' " said board Vice President Julie Keegan. "We're hoping
to unite as many people behind this levy as possible."
Keegan said she and other board members
have heard from residents who believe significant program changes should be
made to cut expenses, but also residents who value the current school
program.
"Others fear a levy because it will
increase property taxes that already constitute a significant percentage of
their income," she said. "I know that I want to give Worthington students
all the choices in education our community can provide. To do that, people
of different perspectives have to come together."
The first option is an incremental levy
request that starts at 3.9 mills the first year, with 1.5 mills added the
second and third years, making it 5.4 mills the second year and 6.9 mills
the last year.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said the 3.9-mill
levy would cost homeowners an additional $119.44 in taxes the first year per
$100,000 in property value.
The second option is also 3.9 mills the
first year, with 1 mill added in the second and third years.
The third option is 4.9 mills the first
year, ramping up to 5.9 mills the second year and 6.9 mills the third year.
McCuen said the 4.9-mill levy would cost
homeowners an additional $150.06 in taxes the first year per $100,000 in
property value.
The fourth option is a 3.4-mill levy the
first year, increasing to 4.9 mills the second year and 6.4 mills the third
year.
McCuen said the last option will cost
homeowners an additional $104.13 in taxes the first year per $100,000 of
property value.
Voters turned down a 7.4-mill operating
levy request in May.
Superintendent Melissa Conrath made her
levy recommendation at the beginning of the meeting.
"As I look at options, I know all will
require budget reductions, but we will have more time to look at those
reductions with an incremental levy," she said. "I recommend the 3.9-mill
incremental levy, with 1.5 mills added each year. We need to be sensitive to
the educational needs of our students, but also the financial constraints of
our community."
Board President David Bressman said an
incremental levy was his second choice; he would have favored a regular
5.9-mill three-year operating levy request.
"I thought it would be better for planning
purposes and thought we could easier extend it into a fourth year," he said.
"I do think maybe an incremental levy is more respectful of the failure of
the May levy. It's not my first choice, but I can certainly live with an
incremental levy."
Board member Jennifer Best said she had
favored a low, two-year levy, but realized "it might put us in voters' faces
too often.
"I like the incremental levy if we can
start as low as 3.4 or 3.9 (mills), to show that we do understand that times
are tough for people these days," she said.
Schare said he had favored a 3.5- to
3.9-mill two-year levy, because "the main advantage of a smaller levy is
that it might actually pass.
"The incremental levy gives the district
one more year to plan and implement systemic change; however, the smaller of
the levies provided by the administration provides for 6.9 mills as a
continuing amount, which would be comforting for the district but not so
much for the taxpayer," he said. "It is a gamble that people will focus on
the 3.9 (mills) in the first year and ignore the 6.9 ongoing millage. A
smaller incremental levy, perhaps increasing from 3.9 mills to 5.9 mills,
might fare better and is one I find more palatable."
Board member Charlie Wilson said none of
the four choices were his first choice.
"I'd like to see the 7.9 mills we had in
our first levy plan," he said. "I'd also like to see some reinstatement of
gifted services cuts and instructional coaches if the levy passes. If we do
decide on an incremental levy, I'd lean toward the option that begins with
4.9 mills the first year."
|
|
Levy size must be decided next week
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 1:28 PM By CANDY
BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
Comments
The Worthington Board of Education is
expected to decide on the size of a November operating levy at meetings set
for next Monday and Tuesday.
Both will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the
Worthington Education Center, 200 E. Wilson Bridge Road.
By Monday, school administrators will have
compiled and interpreted surveys regarding which cost reductions are most
and least popular with residents.
Paper surveys were handed out at a
community forum on July 27. Approximately 250 residents attended that
meeting.
Surveys are also available on the
district's Web site, www.worthington.k12.oh.us.
The survey lists dozens of ways the
district can reduce spending. Respondents are asked to rate their support
for each option.
How the community's responses will go into
the millage decision is unclear. What is clear is that the board will have
much to discuss on Monday and Tuesday. It may call more meetings for later
in the week if no agreement can be reached, board members indicated at a
meeting on July 28.
Time is running short, since the levy
documents must be filed with the Franklin County Board of Elections by Aug.
20. The board has set a meeting for Aug. 17 to finalize the wording and size
of the levy.
Though board member Marc Schare has
recommended a smaller levy to get the district through for two years, other
members indicated at the meeting that they would like to consider a levy "in
the sixes" that would allow the district to stay off the ballot for at least
three years.
Last May, voters turned down a 7.4-mill
levy.
Since then, the district has made some
spending reductions and has compiled an extensive list of cuts that could be
made if a November levy is not approved. Even if it is approved, some
reductions must be made, Schare said last week.
He and other board members said they were
pleased with the size of the turnout at the public forum.
"It was nice to see some fresh faces,"
said board president David Bressman. "We had people who showed up who are
pro and con, but who we hadn't seen before."
Schare said he learned from the forum that
community engagement is good; people want the board to look at the
compensation of teachers and administrators; and that programs matter.
Speakers that night said that the latest
teachers' salary increase was too generous, considering the condition of the
economy.
Others spoke in defense of programs that
are on the line, such as elementary art, music, and physical education and
gifted programs.
Other possible areas of reductions include
field trips, teacher leaders, Rockbridge Academy, sixth-grade camp, high
school course offerings, technical assistants, middle school structuring,
natatorium expenses, high and middle school athletics, high school
activities directors, athletic trainers, building budgets, busing,
auditorium managers, parking lot attendants, administrators, class size,
elementary guidance counselors and library services.
|
|
Meetings center on levy options
Armed with public input, Worthington board
members must decide on an amount for the fall levy in the next two weeks.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday,
August 4, 2009
Worthington school board members will mull
over millage next week as they determine what size operating levy request to
place on the November ballot.
School board President David Bressman said
the meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10, at the Worthington
Education Center, 200 E. Wilson Bridge Road, primarily will be a work
session to allow board members to discuss levy amounts.
The board also will meet at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 11, to discuss levy issues and will vote on a levy amount at
the Aug. 17 meeting, which also will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the education
center.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said a resolution to
proceed with the levy must be filed with the Franklin County Board of
Elections by Aug. 20.
Click to learn more... Worthington voters
turned down a 7.4-mill operating levy request in May, which would have
generated about $13 million per year for Worthington schools.
At a board meeting earlier this month,
board member Marc Schare suggested voters might find a 3.5-mill operating
levy request, designed to last only two years instead of three, more
palatable than another 7.4-mill request.
Jennifer Best agreed.
"I'm very intrigued by Marc's idea," she
said. "I think people are waiting for us to do something that will help them
in this economy."
At the board meeting held Tuesday, July
28, Bressman, Schare and Best discussed the public forum held the night
before, at which residents filled the boardroom to capacity, asking
questions and giving opinions about a list of possible cuts compiled after
the failure of that levy.
The list of possible cuts includes
increasing athletic participation fees; eliminating high school busing, art
and physical education teachers; reducing aspects of the gifted program; and
eliminating sixth-grade camp, student activity directors, freshman teaming,
teacher leaders, middle school athletics, and music, band and strings in
some grades.
"I was thrilled that was room was full and
we had to drag in chairs," Best said, "and I was thrilled that residents are
reading the papers and looked at our Web site.
"I think the message we're getting is that
community engagement is good," Schare said. "A second message is that people
want us to look at our compensation packages for administrators and
teachers, and a third message is that programs matter. People looked at some
of the programs we offer and let us know what they value. As far as
prioritizing reductions, community input is the best way to do that."
Several people at the forum mentioned the
negotiated teachers' contract and the fact that teachers will get their
negotiated raises despite the economy that is forcing residents to forgo
raises and live on less.
Bressman said he was surprised by the
turnout.
"I thought the good turnout showed that
the community is engaged and that they care about these issues," he said.
"Overall, it was a very positive experience."
Superintendent Melissa Conrath said the
results of the forum and the more than 100 written feedback sheets are being
assembled.
"We will go back to the list of reductions
and make adjustments based on community comments," she said. "I walked away
from the evening feeling good that many people were able to express their
thoughts about the reductions."
Retire-rehire riles
Also at last week's meeting, board members
approved the retirement and rehiring of administrators Wayne Harvey, who is
the director of Linworth Alternative School, and Jennifer Wene, district
director of academic achievement and professional development.
Harvey was hired in August 1974 and Wene
was hired in August 1984.
Schare voted for the retire-rehire but
said he'd like to have a board discussion on the practice.
"It's crystal clear that we need to adopt
a policy in regards to retire-rehire, because even though the public has
been told the board saves money by allowing retire-rehires, the perception
by the public of 'double-dipping' still persists," he said.
"There's no downside in my opinion in
rehiring administrators this way, but maybe the retire-rehire of teachers is
a different matter," he said. "I think the emotion generated by the public
over the retire-rehire process deserves a board discussion on this."
"I've always seen it as a good way to keep
quality leaders at a reduced cost," Best said. "We did get a lot of comments
on it this time, though, so I'd like a work session, too."
Board member Julie Keegan said she also
got "a fair number of comments" from the public about retire-rehire.
"Some people in the community are saying
if they can't do it, they don't want teachers to do it," she said.
"Administrators are scarce folks, though, so we may want to have a separate
policy for administrators."
Bressman said it could be a topic for the
planned Aug. 24 board work session.
It takes two
Conrath said two retired administrators
will be hired to oversee the principal position at Worthington Estates
Elementary School when class begins later this month.
Worthington Estates Principal Jim
Carpenter left his post July 31.
Conrath said retired Worthington
administrator Karen Groff, who was formerly principal at Bluffsview, and
retired Hilliard schools administrator Jennifer Williams will split the job
at Worthington Estates until the district can fill the post permanently in
the spring.
Two other elementary principals -- Pat
Reeder at Wilson Hill and Linda Dawson at Granby -- will retire Dec. 31.
|
|
Now is the time to jump into your local political fray
By GARTH BISHOP, COMMENTARY EDITOR
Published: Tuesday, August 4, 2009
As the first point of contact for letter
to the editor submissions at SNP, I'm used to seeing a healthy degree of
skepticism toward government here in Central Ohio.
As you've probably noticed, these
expressions of skepticism range from constructive criticism to cynical
sarcasm to outright anger.
Given most folks' increased scrutiny on
government spending thanks to the state of the economy, the unrest has been
increasing. And a lot of it has trended more toward the "fiery rage" end of
the spectrum than toward the "friendly suggestion" end.
The polls suggest a majority of Americans
are still OK with the president, but when you get down closer to the local
level -- village and city councils, school boards, township trustees --
people aren't as happy. Take a look at the criticism being levied toward,
say, Whitehall City Council or the Worthington Board of Education.
Click to learn more... It's certainly easy
to criticize. I should know. I'm also one of the earliest points of contact
for criticism of our papers.
And most of the time, criticism is the
only power your average resident has. Whether he or she makes those critical
comments in a contact to an elected official, at a public meeting or in the
pages of Suburban News Publications, there are few and difficult options if
the officials choose to ignore the comments.
But every two years, there comes a chance
to put your money where your mouth is.
Local elections are this year. And lucky
you -- unless you're dealing with an area that had a primary in May, you
still have a few weeks to go before you need to file your candidacy
petition. Aug. 20 is the deadline.
Some public bodies, like the Hilliard
Board of Education, are already shaping up to be sizable contests, but in a
lot of cases, the field is wide open. Powell City Council, for instance, has
four seats up for election and only three announced candidates thus far.
Heck, even if there was a primary
election, you can still run as a write-in candidate. The Columbus Board of
Education race had a primary, but so many candidates had their petitions
disqualified that at least one spot on the board must go to a write-in
candidate.
And being a write-in candidate isn't a
kiss of death. Take a look at Canal Winchester. Its current mayor, Michael
Ebert, unseated his predecessor as a write-in candidate in 2007 by a
decisive 58-42 percent margin.
What it all boils down to is a prime
opportunity for those who would change the status quo where they live.
Some who have criticized their local
leadership over the last few years already are stepping up to change the way
business is done there -- Paul Lambert in Hilliard schools and Ross LaPerna
in New Albany schools are two examples.
So, had enough of the way things are being
done by your local elected officials? Now's your chance to do something
about it. Even if you lose your bid for election, you'll at least have had a
chance to get the word out that some people are willing to challenge the
current leadership.
Unless you prefer sitting back and whining
to standing up and getting things done, of course.
|
| |
|
Levy seekers can't afford to slough off opposition
By GARTH BISHOP, COMMENTARY EDITOR
Published: Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Despite the uncomfortable economy, the
Central Ohio area saw more tax issues pass than fail last week.
But the Upper Arlington library and
Worthington, Reynoldsburg and South-Western schools all saw their levies
rejected. Three of those four levy attempts shared a common thread:
alternative voices in the levy conversation.
No passing ballot issues this time around
had such elements, and the only failing issue that didn't was Reynoldsburg,
which came the closest to passing.
Standing against UA's levy was Citizens
for Change in UA, an official group formed from an unofficial group of
residents who had studied the library's request, current finances and future
plans and decided the levy was excessive. Members sought greater
transparency, fiscal responsibility and regard for individual rights from
the city, said group organizer Dan McCormick.
* "I would say, for the most part, we
relied on neighbors talking to neighbors and getting factual information
into the hands of the voters," McCormick said.
South-Western's levy was opposed by
South-Western Alternatives to Taxes, which also went up against the
district's two previous levy attempts.
"I think the economy played a big role in
this, but I think we provided a voice for what everybody else was already
feeling," said group leader Terry Jones.
Worthington officials had to contend with
EducateWorthington.org, a group looking to help the district achieve greater
sustainability. Educate Worthington is not organized opposition per se, but
its members feel the system of putting another levy on the ballot every two
or three years is not sustainable, said John Herrington, one of the group's
leaders.
"We want the community to look at the
finances of what's going on in the school district, and we're trying to work
with everyone -- residents, district staff, parents, students -- to come up
with a long-term spending plan ... that's a little more sustainable than the
current track," Herrington said.
All three groups spoke at public meetings
and studied numbers to present cases different from those presented by the
pro-levy groups. UA's and Worthington's both put up Web sites providing
additional information, and UA's also distributed literature of its own,
while Worthington's held a public forum on the ballot issue.
What role organized opposition -- or at
least an alternative voice -- has on a levy's success rate is tough to say,
as it's very much a the-chicken-or-the-egg question. But when such a group
springs up, the governmental body in question -- and the community as a
whole -- must resist the urge to pay it no mind. Even in the unusual case
that such groups' assertions are completely and demonstrably wrong, their
presence represents dissatisfaction in the community.
Whether they made the difference or
whether the ballot issues were doomed from the start, the three alternative
voices saw the levies in their communities rejected by voters. Officials
would be wise to keep that in mind -- if a levy attempt faces such
challenges, leaders must double and redouble their efforts to prove their
fiscal responsibility.
Otherwise, they could be looking at
crushing defeat.
|
|
Board questions why levy was defeated
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 By CANDY BROOKS
ThisWeek Staff Writer
The state of the economy was not
responsible for the defeat of the operating levy last week, some school
board members said Monday.
Sharing thoughts on the reasons voters
turned down the 7.4-mill levy at the end of the Worthington Board of
Education meeting, some members said that the district did not impart a
sense of urgency about the need for more money, did not convince voters that
it had been fiscally responsible, and may have been too generous in the
terms of the latest teachers' contract.
The levy was turned down by an unofficial
tally of 5,353 to 3,649.
"We need to prove the need for the levy
and prove we are being fiscally responsible," said board member Jennifer
Best. "If these issues are not met, it doesn't matter if we come back every
two, five, or even ten years -- the community will not support a tax
increase until they truly understand the need."
She said she talked to more than 50
residents who typically support school levies and learned that the economy
was not the villain.
"There is a strong sense we should have
tightened our belts even more before asking for money, including asking for
concessions from the teachers' union," she said.
Community members are making sacrifices,
and they expect teachers to do the same, she said.
Board member Marc Schare said he agreed
with Best, pointing out that levies statewide did not fail at a rate any
higher than in past years.
"Some people say there was no sense of
urgency and nothing at stake," he said.
Before educators move forward with making
a "cut list" and threatening people, they need to look at the surplus the
district has through 2011, its contingency fund, and the fact that the
budget is free from worry about capital emergencies.
But board president David Bressman said
that lists of programs, staff, or even schools that might be cut without a
levy should be forthcoming before a levy is placed back on the ballot.
"We need to articulate a need," he said.
"If that means making up a cut list, then so be it."
Methods of saving money could include
reconfiguration of schools at the elementary or even the middle school
levels, board members said.
Several years ago, parents rejected the
idea of abandoning neighborhood elementary schools to create schools for
kindergarten through grade three and grades four through six.
Another idea unpopular with parents is
moving sixth graders to middle schools.
Both forms of reconfiguration would save
money, administrators have said.
"Parents may hate the idea, but
neighborhood K-6 schools come at a price and Worthington should be made
aware of that," Schare said.
Other possible cost-saving ideas mentioned
included redistricting, increasing class sizes, or eliminating the K-plus
program at elementary schools; abandoning team teaching at the middle
schools; and offering fewer opportunities at the high schools.
Schare and Best said they favor asking the
community how much and how often it wants to see levies and where the
district should consider making reductions.
Community surveys, forums, and focus
groups can help the board "find out where we can tighten our belts without
harming the district," Best said.
Bressman said he was skeptical of
"community engagement."
"It usually evolves into bash our
teachers, support our teacher, bash our administrators, bash our
administrators," he said
|
|
Need for levy wasn't apparent, board hears
Worthington school board members say
they'll examine 'what's at stake' before any further levy attempts.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Wednesday, May
13, 2009
Worthington school board members may be
close to coming up with a list of cuts after voters failed to approve the
7.4-mill continuing operating levy on the May 5 ballot.
"I talked to people who supported our
levies in the past and it was incredibly enlightening," said board member
Jennifer Best. "People said we didn't prove our need for a levy -- they
wanted to know what was at stake."
The school board met Monday, May 11, at
the Worthington Education Center.
Best said a number of residents told her
the school district didn't show they were willing to make cuts.
"These are difficult financial times and
we may need to go farther than telling people what is at stake," she said.
"I heard that we should have tightened our belts before asking for more
taxes. Our taxpayers are hurting and they expect us to sacrifice as they are
sacrificing.
"I think we need to discuss where can we
tighten our belts and make cuts without harming the district."
If the 7.4-mill levy had been approved by
voters, it would have cost homeowners an additional $226.62 in taxes
annually per $100,000 in property value and would have generated about $13
million per year for the district, said Treasurer Jeff McCuen.
McCuen said district expenses will begin
to exceed available revenue by the end of this fiscal year, with a budget
deficit of $18.7 million looming in 2012.
"Analyzing election results," said board
member Marc Schare, "is lot like trying to pinpoint the reason for a stock
market decline in any one given day."
He also said he heard the school district
did not establish "a sense of urgency."
"Detailing what is at stake is 'eduworld'
lingo for, 'Let's get a cut list and start threatening people,' " Schare
said. "It's my hope that before we go down that path, we take a deep breath
and fully assess the situation. You've got at least one board member who
will take a very critical view toward a cut list when we continue to have a
surplus through 2011, especially when we've got operating contingency funds
and a budget free from worry about capital emergencies."
Schare said he'd like to see an analysis
of "what practices can be eliminated without affecting the quality.
"Two ideas are often suggested: first is
middle school team teaching, something that we could eliminate; and second,
is it time to claim some of the economies of scale that you don't get with
11 small elementary schools and four small middle schools?" he said. "Can we
alleviate space constraints and improve building utilization by moving
sixth-graders to the middle school or changing our buildings to be K-3 and
4-6?
"Parents may hate the idea, but
neighborhood K-6 schools come at a price and Worthington residents should be
made aware of that," he said.
Schare said the vote also may have been "a
referendum on our collective bargaining agreements."
"I think both management and labor might
jointly consider whether the last (teacher) contracts may have been, in
retrospect, unaffordable to the people in Worthington and, if so, whether
anything can be done about it," he said.
Board President David Bressman said he
also heard the district "did not articulate a need."
"If that means making up a cut list, so be
it," he said. "I encourage administrators to list the programs we don't need
to offer so that people know what is at stake before we would put the levy
up again in November. If voters don't support the levy in November, we make
the cuts."
Bressman said programs such as K-plus,
which is all-day kindergarten, or team teaching might be on the chopping
block if people don't think they are needed.
"The K-plus program takes up a lot of
space, and it could be people don't value team teaching," he said. "We
should give the community a chance to vote on these things by telling them
what is at stake."
The next board meeting is set for 7:30
p.m. Monday, May 18, at the Worthington Education Center, 200 E. Wilson
Bridge Road.
|
|
School levy defeated by 60-40
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 1:21 PM By CANDY
BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
School officials were disappointed but not
shocked as the 7.4-mill operating levy went down to defeat Tuesday night.
With all 56 precincts reporting, the
unofficial tally was 3,649 for and 5,353 against the levy, for a nearly 60
percent to 40 percent defeat.
"We worked hard to get our message out,
but I'm sensitive to the economy and how it is affecting people in this
community," Superintendent Melissa Conrath said as she watched the results
tallied at the Worthington Education Center.
The levy would have generated
approximately $13-million annually. It was designed to continue the current
program for at least three years. The last operating levy was approved five
years ago.
If this levy had been approved, it would
have cost the owner of a $200,000 home an additional $453.25 a year in
property taxes.
Neither Conrath nor school board members
were ready to say if the board would be back on the ballot in November for
another opportunity to pass a levy this calendar year.
Regardless, it is still difficult to plan
for the coming school year, Conrath said.
"We will need to make significant
reductions," she said.
The campaign did not feature details of
what might be cut if the levy was defeated.
Those discussions will begin this coming
Monday evening at the board meeting, said board president David Bressman.
He expects the board to discuss timelines,
if the levy will be back on the ballot in the fall, and how reductions will
be identified. He expects the community to be involved in the discussion of
cuts.
Conrath said that specific discussions
cannot take place until June, when more will be known about how much money
will be coming from the state over the next two years.
Bressman said that, like Conrath, he
understood that the economy played a major part in the defeat of the levy.
"If was a difficult time to put on a
school levy," he said.
Board member Marc Schare was less
convinced that the economy was the major factor in deciding the outcome of
the vote.
"We're going to have to assess what voters
are telling us, if it's the economy or something specific to our district,"
he said. "We need to take some time to look at this."
Much of the criticism of the levy focused
on teacher salaries and benefits. A three-year contract approved last fall
granted a 2.85-percent increase in base salaries, plus between 0 and
5-percent a year in step increases for teachers.
Literature distributed by Educate
Worthington questioned if the generous union contracts of the past can go on
indefinitely.
Critics also pointed out that the
five-year forecast shows a surplus through 2011, with an $18.7-million
deficit projected for the end of 2012.
|
|
Schare, Educate Worthington question how average teacher salary is derived
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 1:24 PM By CANDY
BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
What is the average Worthington teacher's
salary?
It is higher than the figure supplied by
the school district and published in the April 30 issue of ThisWeek in
Worthington, according to calculations unveiled this week by Worthington
Board of Education member Marc Schare.
And just how much is the deductible paid
by teachers for health care?
Again, more than the figure cited in
pro-levy literature that was distributed on doorsteps throughout the school
district, Schare said.
Both leaders of Educate Worthington and
Schare informed residents this week that the actual average Worthington
teacher salary is approximately $70,360, not $66,769, which was the figure
supplied by district treasurer Jeff McCuen for a question-and-answer feature
published last week.
The figure included in Educate
Worthington's information sheets is $70,229.
McCuen arrived at the lower number by
dividing the total teacher salary figure by the total number of teachers,
including part-time teachers.
But when the number of teachers is
computed using a weighted method, or what is known as the
full-time-equivalent number, the average salary is $70,360. That is the
average salary for full-time teachers.
Schare points out that the full-time
figure calculation is the one used by the district in its recent
presentation to Moody's and to S&P in conjunction with the district's bond
rating, and is also the figure used in the Ohio Department of Education's
annual CUPP report.
McCuen this week defended his method of
calculation, but acknowledged that "both numbers are indeed correct."
The second figure being questioned by
Schare and by Educate Worthington is one in pro-levy materials that states
that the teachers' contract calls for teachers making significant
contributions to their health care costs "including deductibles of up to
$3,000."
Worthington teachers do not pay $3,000
deductibles. The district pays the first $2,010 of that figure, meaning that
teachers pay the remaining $990.
In an open letter to the Worthington
community printed on his Web site, Schare also points to the commonly used
figure of $11.4-million in reductions that have been made in the district.
He said that the figure is calculated over a 3.5-year time frame and that
the same reduction is counted as many as four times "and will continue to
count as an annual reduction in perpetuityÉ
"By omitting the time frame and double,
triple, and quadruple counting the same reduction, the district falsely
creates a perception that we are making more reductions than we are actually
making," he states.
Schare supported the levy, and the
information that he claims to be incorrect did not constitute a reason to
vote against the levy, Schare stated.
"What is at stake is the credibility of
the information coming out of our district in the future," he wrote. "Our
constituents depend on us to support our decision with data that is free
from political spin or obfuscation and I feel that in these three cases, we
failed them."
|
|
School levy falls hard
Worthington district officials now must
decide whether to go back to the ballot or start swinging the ax.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Wednesday, May
6, 2009
Worthington voters gave a big thumbs down
to Issue 17, the 7.4-mill continuing operating levy that Worthington City
Schools District leaders said was "desperately needed."
School officials said Tuesday, May 5, that
they were disappointed by the overwhelming defeat of the levy and may need
to regroup and review their options: whether to put another levy on the
ballot this year or begin to decide what to cut.
"If we do not pass a levy this year, we
will be looking at substantial cuts to our existing programs," said
Treasurer Jeff McCuen.
Faces of school supporters were glum at
the Worthington Education Center at 8 p.m. May 5 as McCuen projected vote
totals on a display screen and the votes against the school issue edged up
and over the votes to approve it.
* With most precincts reported by 9:30
p.m., 59.55 percent had voted against the levy, with only 40.45 percent cast
votes for the school issue, according to unofficial Franklin County Board of
Elections numbers.
Superintendent Melissa Conrath said the
weak economy may have been a big factor in the issue's defeat.
"I understand that many people have been
personally impacted in this economy," she said. "It is a very challenging
and difficult time to be on the ballot. But I also feel very strongly that
the community has a right to determine the revenue we will have to operate
the school district.
"We will continue to work with the
community," she said. "We needed the revenue from this levy to continue to
offer our current programs, so we have decisions to make. We either have to
secure revenue this calendar year or determine how to reduce our
expenditures to more clearly match what our revenue will be."
McCuen said district expenses will begin
to exceed available revenue by the end of this fiscal year, with a budget
deficit of $18.7 million looming in 2012.
The district's next steps could be
impacted by Gov. Ted Strickland's final budget.
"We will probably wait on the governor's
budget to determine its effect on Worthington prior to discussing when or if
we will put an issue on the ballot again," he said. "If an issue would pass
this year, we would still have the opportunity to collect the funds we need.
If one doesn't pass, we could also consider a levy issue that will last two
years instead of three."
Board member Marc Schare said the board
will have to "take a hard look" at why the levy was defeated.
"I think we have to figure out whether the
defeat was systemic because of the general economy, or specific to
Worthington," he said. "I don't think we should rush anything and put a levy
right back in front of voters. I hope we take some time to understand the
message voters are trying to send and move forward with caution."
Celebrate Worthington campaign members
Kathy Malone and Corin Cunningham said they thought the weak economy was a
big factor.
"I think the economy played a huge role in
this defeat; it looks like a lot of school levies are not passing," Malone
said. "This year may be a perfect storm for an antitax message."
Cunningham said the economy "was a huge
hurdle to overcome."
"We had a lot of great energy and got a
lot of positive comments back about the levy during the campaign, so we are
obviously disappointed," she said. "We know this summer that we will all be
looking at our options, but we will be back to support the school district
whenever they need that support."
If the 7.4-mill levy had been approved by
voters, it would have cost homeowners an additional $226.62 in taxes
annually per $100,000 in property value and would have generated about $13
million per year for the school district.
Voters last approved a $37.5 million bond
issue for capital improvements in November 2006.
The last operating levy approved by voters
was the 6.85-mill levy request in March 2004.
Unofficial numbers for Issue 17 are 5,353
votes against the levy and 3,649 for, according to the board of elections.
|
|
School levy defeated by 60-40
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 1:21 PM By CANDY
BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
School officials were disappointed but not
shocked as the 7.4-mill operating levy went down to defeat Tuesday night.
With all 56 precincts reporting, the
unofficial tally was 3,649 for and 5,353 against the levy, for a nearly 60
percent to 40 percent defeat.
"We worked hard to get our message out,
but I'm sensitive to the economy and how it is affecting people in this
community," Superintendent Melissa Conrath said as she watched the results
tallied at the Worthington Education Center.
The levy would have generated
approximately $13-million annually. It was designed to continue the current
program for at least three years. The last operating levy was approved five
years ago.
If this levy had been approved, it would
have cost the owner of a $200,000 home an additional $453.25 a year in
property taxes.
Neither Conrath nor school board members
were ready to say if the board would be back on the ballot in November for
another opportunity to pass a levy this calendar year.
Regardless, it is still difficult to plan
for the coming school year, Conrath said.
"We will need to make significant
reductions," she said.
The campaign did not feature details of
what might be cut if the levy was defeated.
Those discussions will begin this coming
Monday evening at the board meeting, said board president David Bressman.
He expects the board to discuss timelines,
if the levy will be back on the ballot in the fall, and how reductions will
be identified. He expects the community to be involved in the discussion of
cuts.
Conrath said that specific discussions
cannot take place until June, when more will be known about how much money
will be coming from the state over the next two years.
Bressman said that, like Conrath, he
understood that the economy played a major part in the defeat of the levy.
"If was a difficult time to put on a
school levy," he said.
Board member Marc Schare was less
convinced that the economy was the major factor in deciding the outcome of
the vote.
"We're going to have to assess what voters
are telling us, if it's the economy or something specific to our district,"
he said. "We need to take some time to look at this."
Much of the criticism of the levy focused
on teacher salaries and benefits. A three-year contract approved last fall
granted a 2.85-percent increase in base salaries, plus between 0 and
5-percent a year in step increases for teachers.
Literature distributed by Educate
Worthington questioned if the generous union contracts of the past can go on
indefinitely.
Critics also pointed out that the
five-year forecast shows a surplus through 2011, with an $18.7-million
deficit projected for the end of 2012.
|
|
Schare, Educate Worthington question how average teacher salary is derived
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 1:24 PM By CANDY
BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
What is the average Worthington teacher's
salary?
It is higher than the figure supplied by
the school district and published in the April 30 issue of ThisWeek in
Worthington, according to calculations unveiled this week by Worthington
Board of Education member Marc Schare.
And just how much is the deductible paid
by teachers for health care?
Again, more than the figure cited in
pro-levy literature that was distributed on doorsteps throughout the school
district, Schare said.
Both leaders of Educate Worthington and
Schare informed residents this week that the actual average Worthington
teacher salary is approximately $70,360, not $66,769, which was the figure
supplied by district treasurer Jeff McCuen for a question-and-answer feature
published last week.
The figure included in Educate
Worthington's information sheets is $70,229.
McCuen arrived at the lower number by
dividing the total teacher salary figure by the total number of teachers,
including part-time teachers.
But when the number of teachers is
computed using a weighted method, or what is known as the
full-time-equivalent number, the average salary is $70,360. That is the
average salary for full-time teachers.
Schare points out that the full-time
figure calculation is the one used by the district in its recent
presentation to Moody's and to S&P in conjunction with the district's bond
rating, and is also the figure used in the Ohio Department of Education's
annual CUPP report.
McCuen this week defended his method of
calculation, but acknowledged that "both numbers are indeed correct."
The second figure being questioned by
Schare and by Educate Worthington is one in pro-levy materials that states
that the teachers' contract calls for teachers making significant
contributions to their health care costs "including deductibles of up to
$3,000."
Worthington teachers do not pay $3,000
deductibles. The district pays the first $2,010 of that figure, meaning that
teachers pay the remaining $990.
In an open letter to the Worthington
community printed on his Web site, Schare also points to the commonly used
figure of $11.4-million in reductions that have been made in the district.
He said that the figure is calculated over a 3.5-year time frame and that
the same reduction is counted as many as four times "and will continue to
count as an annual reduction in perpetuityÉ
"By omitting the time frame and double,
triple, and quadruple counting the same reduction, the district falsely
creates a perception that we are making more reductions than we are actually
making," he states.
Schare supported the levy, and the
information that he claims to be incorrect did not constitute a reason to
vote against the levy, Schare stated.
"What is at stake is the credibility of
the information coming out of our district in the future," he wrote. "Our
constituents depend on us to support our decision with data that is free
from political spin or obfuscation and I feel that in these three cases, we
failed them."
|
|
School levy falls hard
Worthington district officials now must
decide whether to go back to the ballot or start swinging the ax.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Wednesday, May
6, 2009
Worthington voters gave a big thumbs down
to Issue 17, the 7.4-mill continuing operating levy that Worthington City
Schools District leaders said was "desperately needed."
School officials said Tuesday, May 5, that
they were disappointed by the overwhelming defeat of the levy and may need
to regroup and review their options: whether to put another levy on the
ballot this year or begin to decide what to cut.
"If we do not pass a levy this year, we
will be looking at substantial cuts to our existing programs," said
Treasurer Jeff McCuen.
Faces of school supporters were glum at
the Worthington Education Center at 8 p.m. May 5 as McCuen projected vote
totals on a display screen and the votes against the school issue edged up
and over the votes to approve it.
* With most precincts reported by 9:30
p.m., 59.55 percent had voted against the levy, with only 40.45 percent cast
votes for the school issue, according to unofficial Franklin County Board of
Elections numbers.
Superintendent Melissa Conrath said the
weak economy may have been a big factor in the issue's defeat.
"I understand that many people have been
personally impacted in this economy," she said. "It is a very challenging
and difficult time to be on the ballot. But I also feel very strongly that
the community has a right to determine the revenue we will have to operate
the school district.
"We will continue to work with the
community," she said. "We needed the revenue from this levy to continue to
offer our current programs, so we have decisions to make. We either have to
secure revenue this calendar year or determine how to reduce our
expenditures to more clearly match what our revenue will be."
McCuen said district expenses will begin
to exceed available revenue by the end of this fiscal year, with a budget
deficit of $18.7 million looming in 2012.
The district's next steps could be
impacted by Gov. Ted Strickland's final budget.
"We will probably wait on the governor's
budget to determine its effect on Worthington prior to discussing when or if
we will put an issue on the ballot again," he said. "If an issue would pass
this year, we would still have the opportunity to collect the funds we need.
If one doesn't pass, we could also consider a levy issue that will last two
years instead of three."
Board member Marc Schare said the board
will have to "take a hard look" at why the levy was defeated.
"I think we have to figure out whether the
defeat was systemic because of the general economy, or specific to
Worthington," he said. "I don't think we should rush anything and put a levy
right back in front of voters. I hope we take some time to understand the
message voters are trying to send and move forward with caution."
Celebrate Worthington campaign members
Kathy Malone and Corin Cunningham said they thought the weak economy was a
big factor.
"I think the economy played a huge role in
this defeat; it looks like a lot of school levies are not passing," Malone
said. "This year may be a perfect storm for an antitax message."
Cunningham said the economy "was a huge
hurdle to overcome."
"We had a lot of great energy and got a
lot of positive comments back about the levy during the campaign, so we are
obviously disappointed," she said. "We know this summer that we will all be
looking at our options, but we will be back to support the school district
whenever they need that support."
If the 7.4-mill levy had been approved by
voters, it would have cost homeowners an additional $226.62 in taxes
annually per $100,000 in property value and would have generated about $13
million per year for the school district.
Voters last approved a $37.5 million bond
issue for capital improvements in November 2006.
The last operating levy approved by voters
was the 6.85-mill levy request in March 2004.
Unofficial numbers for Issue 17 are 5,353
votes against the levy and 3,649 for, according to the board of elections.
|
|
Levy critics pan teachers' salaries and benefits
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
John Broehl thinks this is a bad time for
teachers to get salary increases, and a bad time to ask voters to approve an
operating levy to pay for them.
"Teacher salaries are going up while other
people are taking pay cuts," he said. "There's an issue of fairness here."
Broehl was one of 30 people who attended a
public forum on the upcoming 7.4-mill school district operating levy, which
was sponsored by Educate Worthington on Monday evening at the Northwest
Library.
Educate Worthington is an organization
headed by Mike Alfred and John Herrington who, mostly through their Web
site, encourage residents to take a critical look at school finances.
With Herrington in the center of the room
leading the conversation, the mostly anti-levy crowd talked of teacher
salaries and benefits and lamented ever-increasing district expenditures.
The overriding sentiment of the evening
was that Worthington taxpayers cannot afford to continue to approve levies
every three years.
Though it has been nearly six years since
voters last approved a levy, board members in placing this levy on the
ballot talked of a three-year levy cycle. They have since pledged to make
this levy last at least three years.
If the levy on the May ballot is approved,
it will generate $13-million in new tax dollars. That is not enough to cover
more than three years worth of salary and benefit growth, Alfred pointed
out.
The district cannot control this because
it just approved a three-year contract with the Worthington Education
Association - the teachers' union - which locks in costs for three years.
Herrington covered the highlights of that
contract, which increased the base salary of teachers by 2.85 percent each
year. About two thirds of teachers receive step increases on top of the
salary increase, meaning the total average raise is more than 5 percent each
year for three years.
"It is the step increases that are the
issue," Herrington said.
The average teacher salary of $70,299 for
a 185-day contract is more than many Ph.D. level teachers make at Ohio State
University, commented resident Vera Tedrick.
"They certainly have a lot of benefits,"
said resident Dick Lewis.
Herrington reviewed health care benefits.
In 2009, a teacher pays $119.18 monthly for family coverage. Taxpayers pay
$1,073 monthly for that teacher's insurance.
The teacher's deductible is $3,000 and the
taxpayer pays the first $2,010 of that deductible.
Teachers' monthly premiums were changed to
10 percent in 2009, to 12 percent in 2010, and 14 percent in 2011.
The reason teachers' salaries and benefits
are so generous is because voters continue to approve levies, said resident
Ed Parsons.
Resident Larry Guglielmi asked whether, if
the levy fails, there is a possibility the contract would be renegotiated.
"Bressman said the contract is a done
deal, it can't be renegotiated," said Herrington, referring to school board
president David Bressman.
Bressman was not at the forum, but board
members Marc Schare, Julie Keegan and Charlie Wilson were. They declined to
speak because doing so might violate Ohio's open meeting law that prohibits
a quorum of a public body to discuss policy at an unannounced meeting.
Schare did speak, though, giving the crowd
his phone number and asking what levy cycle would be acceptable. He pointed
out that the concept of no new levies is not realistic, since school
districts in Ohio are flat funded.
Resident Sunny Allen said she would just
like to see the district economize. She suggested that the school
administration move back into the vacant former administrative office
building at 652 High St. That should be possible since the district has
approximately 1,000 students fewer than it did a decade ago.
"We all care about our children's
education," Allen said. "It's how the money is spent."
|
|
Voters take floor, vocalize strong opinions on levy
This week's forum, organized by Educate
Worthington, gave residents a chance to learn about the district's issue --
and to vent.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, April
21, 2009
Teacher salaries and benefits in the
Worthington school district were just a couple of the subjects batted back
and forth across the table at this week's levy forum, organized by Educate
Worthington.
"We have a bunch of upper-middle class
people in our school system," said one resident. "Why we pay so much of
their health insurance deductible, I don't know. They can work 30 years and
retire like congressmen. It just blows my mind."
The forum was held Monday, April 20, at
the Northwest Library.
Hosted by residents John Herrington and
Michael Alfred, who maintain the Educate Worthington Web site at
educateworthington.org, the forum was designed to get people talking about
Issue 17, the district's 7.4-mill continuing operating levy on the May
ballot.
District Treasurer Jeff McCuen said the
7.4-mill levy request, if approved by voters, will cost homeowners an
additional $226.62 in taxes annually per $100,000 in home value and will
generate about $13 million per year for the school district.
On the Educate Worthington web site,
Herrington and Alfred remind residents that the average value of most
Worthington homes is twice that number.
On the Frequently Asked Questions page,
Alfred and Herrington answer "How much will the levy cost?" with "The
average home in Worthington is approximately $234,000. It will cost that
homeowner approximately $530 per year, on top of current taxes."
They also state that the average salary
for Worthington's 750 teachers is $70,229 and say, "For comparison, if our
teachers were paid at the same rate as Olentangy's, our district would save
$3 million per year."
At least one resident couldn't help
comparing teachers' salary numbers with her own salary and that of other
college professors who hold doctorates.
"College professors who teach four
quarters and have a Ph.D. make less than teachers who teach only 185 days,"
she said.
Three school board members -- Charlie
Wilson, Marc Schare and Julie Keegan -- were present at the forum, along
with members of the levy campaign, Kathy Malone and Corin Cunningham.
Keegan reminded residents when the board
meetings are held: at 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays each month
at the Worthington Education Center, 200 E. Wilson Bridge Road.
A resident suggested board members put up
signs about the times and dates of the meetings on the Village Green.
In answer to a resident who questioned
what the district will do with extra federal funds under the governor's
education plan, or with any federal stimulus funds, Schare said the use of
those funds are limited.
"Under the governor's current proposal,
Worthington will get less money than we thought we'd get," he said. "We'll
get more dollars than usual, but some are federal stimulus dollars, so we
may have to spend them on what we don't need."
A resident who said he's lived in
Worthington for 35 years said, "I've never voted against a school levy, but
this one bothers me.
"I'm not hearing what are the needs and
what are the desires from the school district," he said.
Another resident questioned the timing of
the levy.
"Seems to me, in these times of economic
stress, why put it on the ballot now?" he asked. "Why should teachers'
salaries go up while everyone else is getting pay cuts?"
Residents also questioned why the school
district should expect to pass a levy every three years.
Malone reminded them the last levy request
was five years ago.
"There is no guarantee the board will come
back in three years; it has been five years since the last levy request, and
they will be cutting 15 high school teachers next year," she said.
Malone and campaign members provide school
district finance and levy information at the Celebrate Worthington Web site,
celebrateworthington.org.
Information on that site reminds residents
the school district has cut $11.4 million from the school budget over the
last three years and that McCuen and Superintendent Melissa Conrath
continuously are looking at expenses to find ways to cut costs.
Alfred agreed "the school district did a
good job in making sure those cuts had little impact on kids." He also
pointed the savings amount resulting from the cutting of the teacher
positions "has already been figured into the five-year financial forecast,"
so it may not help extend the time between levy requests.
Both Alfred and Herrington said they are
concerned about "sustainability," pointing out that the district's annual
salary and benefit costs "are projected to rise by nearly $24 million from
2008 to 2013."
"We respect and appreciate our teachers
and district staff," the men wrote on their Web site. "We question whether
the generous union contracts of the past can go on indefinitely."
Schare said after the forum that it was a
healthy discussion.
"Anything that moves us toward determining
what people think is an appropriate level of spending or taxation is
valuable," he said. "We need to get a community consensus on that number."
One resident addressed that question
during the forum.
"My preferred level of taxation is zero,"
he said, which spurred laughter around the room.
"What I want to know is, what are the
preferred levels of spending?" he asked. "My perception is we are taxed in
order to provide teachers with increasing salary and benefits, regardless of
whether that results in better student performance."
Alfred said the forum was a way for
residents to be heard.
"I think we accomplished an open dialogue
with the community about the levy," Alfred said. "I don't think the district
has done much of that, or it has been very limited."
|
|
Three-year levy cycle necessary right now, leaders say
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, April
14, 2009
A resident put board members on the hot
seat at this week's Worthington school board meeting, asking a pointed
question about the 7.4-mill levy request on the May ballot.
"If I vote for the levy, will I be asked
to vote for another levy in three years?" asked Larry Guglielmi.
Board President David Bressman explained
to Guglielmi that board meeting procedure doesn't include answering
questions when residents speak out at board meetings; the time allotted is
for comments. Board members will get back to residents later with answers to
questions.
When Guglielmi insisted on an answer,
Bressman said, "Well, yes.
"We have used any additional resources we
had to extend the time between levy requests and we will probably need
another levy request in three years," Bressman said.
"In this economy, is it proper to ask us
to cover the rising salary and benefits of teachers?" Guglielmi asked.
Bressman said he'd have to get back to him
on that question.
The 7.4-mill levy is Issue 17 on the May 5
ballot.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said the 7.4-mill
continuing operating levy request, if approved by voters, will cost
homeowners an additional $226.62 in taxes annually per $100,000 in home
value and will generate about $13 million per year for the school district.
School administrators and members of the
levy campaign, Worthington Community for Schools, which lists information
about the levy request at the Web site celebrateworthington.org, is
reminding residents, in literature and when talking to groups, that the
district made "significant reductions" in operating expenses, resulting in
$11.4 million in savings over the last three years.
In a March letter sent out to the
community, Superintendent Melissa Conrath said funds from the May levy will
support current programs.
"It will cover the cost of things like
classroom teachers, bus drivers and instructional assistants, which are the
very heart of our schools' operations," Conrath wrote in the letter. "We
also have one of the lowest rates of tax effort for school operations among
districts operating in our area, lower than Upper Arlington, Bexley,
Hilliard, Grandview, Westerville and Olentangy."
Conrath reminded residents the district
has not asked for a new operating levy in five years.
Voters last approved a 6.85-mill operating
levy request in March 2004.
The last school issue approved by voters
was a $37.5 million bond issue for capital improvements in November 2006.
The two residents who make up Educate
Worthington, John Herrington and Mike Alfred, are keeping a close eye on
school expenses and levies and post their analysis of district finances at
educateworthington.org.
Alfred and Herrington state on the Web
site that the average house in Worthington is worth about $234,000, so the
levy request could actually cost the average homeowner an extra $530 a year.
Educate Worthington will sponsor a public
forum for residents such as Guglielmi at 6 p.m. Monday, April 20, at the
Northwest Library, 2280 Hard Road.
Herrington and Alfred said they "extend an
open invitation to board members and administrators" to attend the forum.
Bressman said after the board meeting that
the celebrateworthington.org Web site has a page at which questions can be
addressed to campaign members and administrators.
Conrath said operating expenses in the
district inevitably will go up in the next few years, which is why the
three-year levy cycle is necessary so far.
"As we downsize high school staff due to
declining enrollment, our elementary staff needs go up," she said. "We will
also lose revenue if the governor's education reforms are implemented, such
as all-day kindergarten for all students.
"We'll have to address those changes when
they go through."
"We have used any additional resources we
had to extend the time between levy requests and we will probably need
another levy request in three years."
--David Bressman |
|
Groups aim to keep voters informed
Got a question? We'll get an answer.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009 By CANDY BROOKS
ThisWeek Staff Writer
With less than a month left before the
vote, information on both sides of the 7.4-mill school operating levy is
sparking interest among residents.
Questions are being posed by voters on the
pro-levy committee Web site, while the independent organization called
Educate Worthington has announced it will hold a public meeting on April 20
at 6 p.m. at the Northwest Library.
Everyone is invited to the meeting to hear
a brief presentation by Educate Worthington leaders, followed by a
discussion of the "sustainability" of the three-year levy cycle being
proposed by the Worthington Board of Education.
"The difficult question now is one of
money, and whether 'business as usual' spending followed by a sizeable new
levy every three years is good for this community," Educate Worthington
leader Mike Alfred wrote in a letter to ThisWeek in Worthington.
The message being spread by the
Worthington Community For Schools Committee is that the additional
$13-million a year that would be raised by the levy is needed to continue
the programs and to attract quality teachers to the Worthington schools.
According to the committee's Web site, the
district has reduced spending by $11.4-million since voters defeated a levy
in 2006. The last levy approved by voters was a 6.85-mill levy in March
2004.
Voters did approve a bond issue generating
$37.5-million toward buses, technology, and repairs in 2006.
According to the Web site, Worthington has
one of the lowest rates of tax effort for school operations in central Ohio.
The benefit of maintaining a Web presence
is the ability to answer questions for voters in a timely manner, said Becky
Princehorn, one of the chairpersons of the pro-levy committee. The committee
also has a Facebook page.
A link to the page appears on the
celebrateworthington.org Web site.
The committee has already mailed a flier
to residents, and plans neighborhood walks on April 18 and May 2 and 3.
Volunteers will walk and talk to their neighbors and hand out information on
those days.
The committee does not plan mass
literature drops or yard signs, she said, opting instead for more
cost-effective methods of reaching voters.
She said she does not know if the
committee will be represented at the April 20 public meeting.
Other Worthington Community For Schools
chairpersons are Rick Matsa, Kathy Malone and Corinne Cunningham.
"We have invited the pro-levy folks,
school board members, district staff, and anyone else who wants to attend,"
states an e-mail sent to ThisWeek from Educate Worthington.
Educate Worthington also maintains a Web
site called EducateWorthington.org.
If approved, the levy would cost the owner
of a $100,000 house an additional $227 a year in property taxes. That owner
already pays $1,270 a year to the schools.
Do you have a question about school
finances, or would you like specific information to help you decide how to
vote on the 7.4-mill operating levy on May 5?
ThisWeek Community Newspapers would like
to hear about your specific concerns and questions, and will try to answer
them in the coming weeks both in the newspaper and on our Web site,
www.thisweeknews.com.
You can e-mail questions to cbrooks@thisweeknews.com;
mail them to Candy Brooks, ThisWeek Newspapers, 7801 N. Central Drive, Lewis
Center, 43035; or call Candy Brooks at 740-888-6099.
|
|
Groups take it upon themselves to educate voters on levy
Educate Worthington and Worthington
Community for Schools are answering voters' questions in person and via
their Web sites.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Tuesday, April
7, 2009
A decision on Issue 17 is looming for
voters, who must decide by May 5 whether they will support the Worthington
City School District's 7.4-mill operating levy request.
Two local groups -- Worthington Community
for Schools and Educate Worthington -- are circulating information and
attempting to answer voters' questions about the operating levy.
Mike Alfred and John Herrington, the two
men who make up Educate Worthington, said not enough information about the
levy request is going to Worthington residents.
"Given the importance of this vote, there
has been surprisingly little done toward publicly educating Worthington
residents," Herrington said in a recent letter to the editor.
Educate Worthington is rectifying that
perceived omission with their own public forum and information session, set
for 6 p.m. April 20 at the Northwest Library, 2280 Hard Road.
Herrington said he is issuing "an open
invitation" for school board members and school officials to attend the
information session.
"We want to give a brief presentation on
some of the numbers associated with the levy and will then open it up to
discussions on sustainability," he said Tuesday, April 7.
Herrington said the school district's
expectations of passing an operating levy request every three years "is not
sustainable."
District Treasurer Jeff McCuen said the
7.4-mill levy request, if approved by voters, will cost homeowners an
additional $226.62 in taxes annually per $100,000 in home value and will
generate about $13 million per year for the school district.
At Educate Worthington's Web site,
educateworthington.org, Alfred and Herrington present their interpretation
of the levy request, reminding voters that the average house in Worthington
is worth about $234,000, which means the levy request could cost the average
homeowner an extra $530 per year.
"We want to have a conversation with
people at the forum about what sustainability is," Herrington said. "What it
is for me may not be what it is for someone else. We are looking for some
kind of consensus on sustainability, if that is possible."
Kathy Malone, one of the four residents
organizing the campaign for the levy, Worthington Community for Schools, has
a Web site, too: celebrateworthington.org.
Malone, Corin Cunningham, Rick Matsa and
Becky Princehorn have been hitting the streets in their neighborhoods and
organizing school building coordinators to get levy facts to voters.
"We are continuing to talk to neighbors
and friends and groups to communicate the message of fiscal responsibility,"
Malone said. "We sent out postcards to residents last week, focusing on the
facts that the school district has made $111/2 million in budget cuts over
the last three years and, because of declining enrollment, will be further
reducing the number of teachers."
Links on the Web site lead to voter
registration sites and to an application for an absentee ballot.
There's also a link to a Facebook page.
"A lot of students have signed up to be
friends on our Facebook page -- it is almost up to 300 friends now," Malone
said.
The Web site also states the district has
reduced overtime expenses by 50 percent and that 15 additional teaching
positions are expected to be eliminated.
Malone said the Frequently Asked Questions
page on the Web site has a link where residents can come up with their own
questions, which the group will try to answer.
"I think we have an excellent school
system, which is near the top in ranking every year," she said. "We are
fortunate to have the teachers that we have and I think the board and the
administration have been fiscally responsible and they have a long-term
financial vision that is fiscally responsible. The levy request will
generate enough funds to continue the excellent school programs we already
have."
Voters approved a 6.85-mill operating levy
request in March 2004.
The last school issue approved by voters
was a $37.5 million bond issue for capital improvements in November 2006. |
|
School employees' pay always will be issue at levy time
By GARTH BISHOP, COMMENTARY EDITOR
Published: Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Whether teachers and other school
employees are paid appropriately is a debate on which the human race will
never reach consensus.
But you're guaranteed to see the topic
come up a lot in your local school district, especially if there's a levy on
the ballot.
Making tensions even higher is the
still-great strength of teachers' unions. At a time when union-busting has
become vogue and the economy is in the dumps, teachers' unions are still
mighty and able to command raises.
In fact, not only do teachers typically
have annual raises built into their contracts, they also get step increases
-- additional guaranteed raises based on years of service.
You can see how this might rub some people
the wrong way, especially in an uncomfortable economy.
Just look at New Albany. A few months
after passing a good-sized operating levy, the school district approved new
contracts for teachers and classified employees with an average 3 percent
increase each year for the next three years -- fairly standard for a wealthy
district like New Albany. And boy, have they caught grief for it from the
community.
But a few school employees' unions have
recently decided to forgo raises, at least temporarily. Probably not
coincidentally, these unions -- the teachers' union in Groveport-Madison and
the classified and administrators' unions in South-Western -- are in
districts trying to pass levies in May.
In Groveport, teacher contracts were
coming up for negotiations in June, but the union decided to put off
negotiations for a year and eschew raises in that time. The base pay
increase for Groveport teachers has been 1.5 percent for the last two years.
South-Western administrators' contracts
are already up, and classified employees' contracts are up in June -- and
both elected to go without raises for at least a year.
"If we gave the same raise we gave last
year for our classified union, it would be close to $500,000, and for our
administrators, about $160,000," said Treasurer Hugh Garside.
But in both Groveport and South-Western,
the unions without base pay increases still get step increases.
And no teachers' union still in the middle
of a contract is volunteering to go without raises during a levy campaign --
Worthington, Westerville, Canal Winchester, Reynoldsburg and Pickerington
are all on the ballot, but no such effort has been seen from them. I should
point out that I don't know how much of an option it is to change plans
mid-contract.
It's heartening to see some school
employees are willing to make concessions when they don't necessarily have
to. But it's not so heartening that so few are taking that option. Those
that are can still qualify for smaller raises and districts without levies
on the ballot aren't seeing this effort made.
I don't begrudge teachers for wanting
raises. In this economy, I doubt there are many people who would turn down a
raise right now, though I imagine a great many of those would deny it.
If you want your local school levy to
pass, by all means, vote for it. But school employees' willing sacrifice
should not be confused with the kind of sacrifice, willing or unwilling,
being made by so many other people right now.
|
|
Levy may return in 3 years; district collects $350,000 in pay-to-play fees
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:04 PM
To help readers make informed decisions
about the Worthington Schools 7.4-mill operating levy on the May 5 ballot,
ThisWeek in Worthington will find answers to readers' questions. Questions
may be relayed by e-mail to reporter Candy Brooks at cbrooks@thisweeknews.com
or can be phoned in at 740-888-6099.
Question: Will another levy similar to
this one be on the ballot in three years, even if this is approved? Is the
purpose of the levy to cover salaries and benefits?
This question was asked by resident Larry
Guglielmi at Monday's meeting of the Worthington Board of Education.
School board president David Bressman said
that yes, the board would probably be back on the ballot in three years. The
board expressed its commitment to make the levy last for at least three
years in a resolution approved in February.
The purpose of the levy is to pay for
day-to-day operating expenses of the district. Since personnel costs account
for 87 percent of operating costs, it follows that the levy is needed to pay
for salaries and benefits.
The five-year financial forecast shows the
district operating at an $18.7-million deficit at the end of 2012, if a levy
is not approved this year. The projected surplus at the end of 2009 is
$23.3-million and, at the end of 2010, it is $16.7-million.
Those numbers include raises for certified
staff that were approved in a three-year contract last fall. The contract
guarantees a 2.85-percent increase in the base pay. Additionally, most
teachers receive annual step increases of between 1 percent and 5 percent.
Question: How much money goes into the
Worthington Schools from the "pay-to-play" fees? That is an unvoted tax.
The district collects approximately
$350,000 a year in participation fees paid by students to take part in
athletics and co-curricular activities. Half of that, approximately
$175,000, goes into the general operating fund.
The rest of the money goes to pay for
equipment, travel, officials and other cost related to the particular sport
or organization.
Parents pay $125 per student for each
athletic team on which their child plays. This cost is the same in high
school and in middle school.
At the high school level, the cost is $85
for "level two" activities such as marching band, In-the-Know team, mock
trials, winter dance and drill teams, winter guard, winter percussion team,
fall and winter cheerleading.
Jazz band costs $65.
In middle school, cheerleading costs $85,
drama club $30, and most other activities are free.
Fees are capped at $315 a year for
athletics and $195 a year for activities, or $510 a year for both. |
|
New Albany school board OKs pay raises for staff, teachers
Tuesday, February 24, 2009 3:14 AM By
Simone Sebastian THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The New Albany-Plain school board approved
three years of pay raises for most of its teachers and staff members last
night against the objections of some residents, including the woman who led
the schools' successful levy campaign last fall.
The board voted 3-1 to give an average 3
percent raise annually through 2012 to teachers, bus drivers, maintenance
workers, secretaries and other staff members.
Board President Diane Goedeking was
absent. There was a severe fire at her home yesterday. She was not injured.
The new contracts were negotiated with the
Plain Local Education Association, which represents mostly teachers, and the
local Ohio Association of Public School Employees, which represents mostly
nonteaching staff.
But opponents said the raises are
inappropriate during a poor and unpredictable economy. They said
administrators told voters that the levy they approved in November, which
raises an additional $3.4 million a year, would be used to support and
expand programs and materials for the district's growing student population,
not for higher salaries.
Superintendent Steven Castle said his
message was that the new funds would fund "teaching, learning, everyday
operations." He noted that staff salaries are the largest expense in
"everyday operations."
He said the raises will cost $1.2 million
over the three years.
"I think it's disrespectful to the
taxpayers that approved the levy," said Cheri Lehmann, who chaired the
schools' levy committee. "I'm not saying they don't deserve a raise, but in
these economic times, we all need to tighten our belts and I believe the
school district needs to do its part."
In November, 53 percent of voters approved
a permanent, 24.4-mill levy that will bring in $21.7 million a year starting
next year. The levy will increase homeowners' tax bills to $747 a year per
$100,000 of home valuation, $118 more than in the current year.
Both unions are in the first year of
two-year contracts that end June 30, 2010. Each agreement included a 2.75
percent salary increase in its first year and allowed for the unions and
district administration to negotiate a raise in the second year.
Yesterday, the board approved a 2.9
percent raise for the second year of those contracts. Board members also
approved a 3.1 percent increase for the 2010-11 school year and a 3 percent
increase for the 2011-12 school year.
Members of the teachers union will vote on
the agreement today, said President Phoebe Glenn. Linda Honaker, president
of the OAPSE local, did not return calls.
This school year, the New Albany-Plain
teachers' salary schedule ranges from $38,837 for a first-year teacher with
a bachelor's degree to $86,797 for an educator with a doctorate and at least
25 years' experience. Most teachers also receive annual "step increases,"
which automatically raise salaries each year.
|
|
Strapped district OKs union plan to skip raises
South-Western workers trying to help levy
pass in May
Thursday, April 2, 2009 3:24 AM By Charlie
Boss THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The South-Western school board agreed last
night to accept a union proposal to forgo salary increases to help pass a
tax issue in May.
Board members approved the plan from the
South-Western Administrators' Association and Ohio Association of Public
School Employees Local 211 to continue their contracts with no raises to
employees' base salaries for the 2009-10 school year. The pact would still
permit the "step increases" that staff members typically get for years of
experience.
Groveport Madison board members approved a
similar proposal from that district's teachers on Monday.
"With the economy the way it is, it's the
most responsible thing to do," said Sue Tope, president of OAPSE Local 211,
which represents about 1,000 support staffers such as bus drivers,
custodians and cooks. "This is our way of showing to the public that we are
in there, too."
She said that at least 85 percent of
South-Western's classified employees live within the district.
Residents living within the South-Western
school district will be asked to pass an operating levy on the May 5 ballot
that would cost $254 more annually per $100,000 of home value.
A loss at the polls would mean $8 million
in cuts, including closing two schools and eliminating all middle- and
high-school extracurricular activities such as sports, band and clubs. If
the levy is approved, only $1.7 million would be cut.
The administrators' association's
three-year contract expired on Feb. 28. Administrators received a 3.5
percent salary increase in the 2006-07 school year, 2.5 percent in the
2007-08 year and 2 percent this school year, officials said.
The contract for the support staff is set
to expire June 30. That union's members received a 1 percent salary increase
in 2006, a 2.5 percent increase in 2007 and 2 percent this year.
Last month, the board accepted similar
proposals by Superintendent Bill Wise and Treasurer Hugh Garside for the
coming fiscal year.
The Groveport Madison board promised not
to lay off employees there through June 30, 2010, although positions still
could be lost through attrition.
Groveport Madison teachers have received,
on average, less than 1.4 percent in base-pay raises since 2005.
That district is seeking a three-year
operating levy on the May 5 ballot that would cost $287 a year per $100,000
of house value, $119 of which would be new.
|
|
Tax appraisal appeals flooding county auditors' offices
Thursday, April 2, 2009 3:25 AM By Barbara
Carmen THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Central Ohio property owners have flocked
in record numbers to county auditors' offices to argue that their property
is no longer worth the amount used to calculate their taxes.
Franklin County Auditor Joe Testa's office
guesses that as many as 6,000 appeals were filed before the March 31
deadline for reconsideration by the Board of Revision.
That's up from 2,262 in 2008, which was
nearly quadruple the number in 2001.
Testa's employees still are opening
envelopes and sorting through appeals that came by fax and e-mail.
"The numbers are still coming through,"
his spokesman Gary Woodward said, cautioning that some of the filings are
duplicates: People file appeals by e-mail, then bring in a paper copy, just
to be sure.
"People were coming in and saying, 'I'd
like to have my taxes lowered,' " he said. Employees took time to explain
the valuation process and help some fill out forms to qualify for a hearing
later this year.
Other county auditors also saw sharp
increases from commercial and residential property owners who say the
recession has hurt their investment's value.
"The last two weeks, we got flooded," said
Chief Deputy Auditor William Bell of Licking County. They're still counting,
too.
"We normally have 250 cases to 300 cases,"
he said. This year, there were 533, mostly residential.
In Fairfield County, about 400 appeals
were filed, said Deputy Auditor Ed Laramee. This is 50 to 75 more cases than
his office expected.
The Pickaway County auditor's office
thinks it set a record.
The office received 148 complaints, easily
eclipsing the 99 received in 2005. There were 46 filed last year.
Testa did not raise residential valuations
in Franklin County, reflecting the flat market. But the resetting of
property values in Pickaway County led to an average 3 percent increase in
residential values and a 10 percent increase in the assessed valuation of
farmland.
Pickaway Auditor Melissa Betz said many of
the complaints are from farmers upset by increases based on the soil types
and agricultural uses of their land.
In some counties, however, appeals either
dropped or stayed flat.
Only 171 appeals were filed in Union
County; it handled more than 300 a year ago. Madison County fared the same
as usual. It had 147 appeals compared to 143 last year.
But most were swamped. More than 17,000
property owners filed appeals in Cuyahoga County.
Delaware County Auditor George Kaitsa said
forms still were arriving yesterday. In all, 716 homeowners filed appeals
for the 2008 tax year compared with 176 in 2007.
"I think the thing that has changed is,
with the economic downturn, a lot of homeowners are filing because they feel
their residential properties are valued higher than what the real-estate
market suggests," Kaitsa said.
Dispatch reporters Mary Beth Lane, Randy
Ludlow, Dana Wilson and Holly Zachariah contributed to this story. |
|
Levy's on ballot; board makes 'promise to taxpayers'
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Wednesday,
February 18, 2009 9:07
Worthington school board members approved
a resolution to proceed with a 7.4-mill continuing operating levy request at
a special meeting Monday, Feb. 16, ensuring voters will see that levy
request on the May ballot.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said the resolution
must be filed with the Franklin County Board of Elections by Thursday, Feb.
19.
McCuen said all five board members --
President David Bressman, Vice President Julie Keegan, Jennifer Best, Marc
Schare and Charlie Wilson -- voted in favor of the resolution.
The 7.4-mill levy request, if approved by
voters, will cost homeowners an additional $226.62 in taxes annually per
$100,000 in home value and will generate about $13 million per year for the
district, McCuen said.
"The amount collected the first fiscal
year will be about half that amount, but each year thereafter we will
receive about $13 million per year," he said. "The levy is a continuing
operating levy request."
Wilson said even though he voted to
approve the 7.4-mill levy request at the board meeting held Feb. 9, he still
thinks a higher request would have been a wiser move for the school
district.
"The treasurer and our superintendent
(Melissa Conrath) had recommended a 7.9-mill request, and David and myself
and Marc were prepared to vote for 7.9 mills, even though Marc talked about
why a 6.9-mill levy might work with no cuts. Both Julie and Jennifer
wouldn't vote for more than 7.4 mills," he said. "We needed four votes, so
we had to go with the lower number, although the majority of board members
wanted to go with the higher recommendation."
Wilson said the 7.9-mill request would
have generated enough so that no cuts would have to be made and so the
district could more easily pay for 21st-century renewal programs proposed by
teachers under the district's current renewal effort.
"It's no secret that Melissa said she may
be retiring in three years, which would be the end of her contract, and she
wants to be a good steward and doesn't want to leave her successor in a big
hole," he said. "Although Melissa and the treasurer both said no drastic
cuts would be required with the 7.4-mill levy, we will have to continue to
find ways to save money somewhere and the 21st-century renewal efforts will
have to be cost-neutral to the district."
Another resolution passed by board members
during the special meeting was a "promise to taxpayers," which Wilson said
he voted against because he didn't think it was necessary.
"Our legal counsel has said the resolution
is not legally binding," he said.
The resolution, proposed by Schare, states
that if the district receives extra state and federal funds that do not have
mandates attached to their use, that those funds will be used to either
extend the years between levy requests or reduce the amount of the next
operating levy, Wilson said.
"Some people may have been concerned about
us going on the ballot when we don't know how much federal or state funding
will come to the district, but that is almost always our situation," he
said. "We know what the governor's priorities are for the most part, but we
don't know what the House and Senate priorities are."
The district recently learned it could
receive about $4 million in federal funds through the stimulus package, but
McCuen said those federal funds likely will be limited to needs such as
Title 1 and special education.
On Schare's Web page, he explains the
resolution he drafted:
"The resolution espouses a philosophy that
if Worthington were to receive federal and-or state money that would have
materially influenced the levy amount prior to our vote ... that we will
save most of that money and use it to reduce the size of our next levy or,
alternatively, to delay the next levy a year."
Voters last approved a 6.85-mill operating
levy request in March 2004, then a $37.5 million bond issue in November 2006
for capital improvements.
|
|
Board makes promise to voters to set aside 'unexpected revenue'
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 By CANDY
BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
The Worthington Board of Education has put
into writing a promise to stay off the ballot for at least three years if
voters approve a 7.4-mill operating levy in May.
The resolution approved on Monday night
also states that any "unexpected revenue" received from the federal or state
government will be set aside to either delay or to reduce the size of a
future levy.
The board approved the resolution 4-1,
with board member Charlie Wilson casting the dissenting vote.
The board unanimously voted to place the
levy on the ballot.
Board member Marc Schare wrote the initial
resolution in an attempt to answer concerns from residents about the need
for a levy in the face of potential unexpected funding from the state
budget, which won't be approved until summer, and from the federal stimulus
package.
According to news reports, Worthington
could receive an additional $1.2-million from the state next year, and
$4-million from the federal government.
"I think it's a good message to send to
taxpayers," board member Julie Keegan said of the promise to set aside any
unexpected funding.
But Wilson said the resolution is
ill-advised and unnecessary.
He pointed out that the district's legal
advisers from the firm of Bricker and Eckler said that the resolution is not
legally binding to either the current or future boards of education.
"We don't know what the future brings for
sure," he said.
In recent discussions, Wilson has
advocated returning programs and positions that have been cut in recent
years as well as funding new programs, such as foreign language instruction
in elementary schools.
The resolution does not completely rule
out such additions to district offerings, but does rule out using unexpected
state or federal funds for such purposes.
A revised edition of the promise presented
on Monday no longer included a provision that would permit 10 percent of
such funds to be used for new programming.
The resolution does permit state and/or
federal funds to be used to pay for associated mandates. For example, if the
state budget requires that the district offer free all-day kindergarten to
all students, any new state funds could be used to pay for that program.
The district currently offers a limited
number of all-day kindergarten classes and charges tuition for it.
The resolution states that any funds
provided from either the state or federal government will be tracked, as
will the cost of new mandates. The additional revenue minus the cost of
mandates will be reported to the community on a semi-annual basis. The
amount will be added to the contingency fund and labeled "unexpected
revenue."
It also states that no levy will be placed
on the ballot until at least the 2012 calendar year. |
|
Unexpected funds could hurt levy push
District could get $5-million from state
and federal governments
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 By CANDY
BROOKS ThisWeek Staff Writer
Reports that the federal and state
governments may pour more than $5-million in unexpected funds into the
Worthington schools in the next two years leaves school leaders facing a
challenge.
How do you persuade voters to approve an
operating levy on the on the heels of such a windfall?
That question is expected to be discussed
by the Worthington Board of Education and administrators at a special
session Friday at 8:30 a.m. and again at a regular meeting on Monday night,
when the board is expected to vote to place a levy on the May ballot.
District treasurer Jeff McCuen said
Tuesday that nothing is certain about the money that may -- or may not -- be
coming from the federal and state governments.
The best he can tell residents is that if
the funds are forthcoming, and can be applied to the general fund, the
district will be able to make funds from an operating levy last longer than
the now-projected three years.
"Mary Jo Kilroy said it perfectly, as did
the governor," McCuen said. "If schools receive additional revenue, it does
not impact the need for a levy."
According to the district's five-year
forecast, the district will face an $18.7-million deficit at the end of the
2012 fiscal year if a levy is not approved. The projected surplus at the end
of 2009 is $24.3-million, at the end of 2010, $16.7-million.
Assumptions upon which those numbers are
based include the loss of $150,000 a year in state support beginning in
2010, and no increase in federal funding.
Projected state funding for the next two
years, according to Governor Strickland's budget, calls for no increase or
decrease for Worthington next year, and a $1.2-million increase in 2011.
McCuen said it is premature to assume that
the schools will actually receive that amount, since "the data behind these
numbers is not known at this time."
The federal dollars would come from
President Obama's economic stimulus package approved by the House last week.
It would pour $1.4-billion into Ohio's schools, including $4-million that
would go to Worthington during the each of the next two years.
The money would have to be spent on
special education, programs for the economically disadvantaged, or for
capital projects, McCuen said.
He and Superintendent of Schools Melissa
Conrath met with Rep. Kilroy last Friday, and urged her to make sure that
the district can use the money in ways that would bolster the general fund.
For instance, the district lost $300,000
in government funds to pay for special education teachers this year. The
district took over the cost, taking it from the general fund.
If the federal money can pay for that
cost, it would essentially place $300,000 back in the general fund.
It would be difficult to use the federal
money to hire teachers since there is no promise that the funding would last
beyond two years, McCuen added.
Though voters approved a $37.5-million
bond issue in November 2006, federal money earmarked for capital projects
could still be used by the district, McCuen said.
Spending on buses, technology,
maintenance, and equipment replacement has so far totaled $12.6-million,
including $1.8-million to replace most of the district's computers.
Still, the federal dollars could be put to
good use, McCuen said.
"We have an ongoing need to update
technology," he said.
The board is expected to decide the size
of the levy by next Monday.
McCuen has recommended a 6.9-mill,
7.4-mill, or 7.9-mill levy.
Those would cost the owner of a $200,000
house and additional $422.63, $453.25, or $483.88 a year, respectively.
cbrooks@thisweeknews.com
|
|
Leaders: Governor's plan has potential, but levy still on
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Wednesday,
February 4, 2009
Worthington school leaders are cautiously
optimistic about Gov. Ted Strickland's education plan, but say the plan
won't bring in more state dollars in time to negate the district's need to
pass an operating levy request in May.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said the governor's
plan won't change Worthington schools' state foundation amount for next
year, and the amount for 2011 is expected to be just $1.2 million more.
"Even though more federal and state
dollars could potentially come to us, they do not affect the need for an
operating levy," McCuen said. "If we do receive any additional dollars, we
will probably bank those in an effort to extend the levy beyond the
three-year commitment we're going to make."
The bottom line may be the budget deficit
the district could experience if a levy request doesn't pass this year --
about $18 million in 2012, McCuen said.
* The district recently learned it could
receive about $4 million in federal funds through the president's stimulus
package, but McCuen said those dollars are limited to needs such as Title 1
and special education.
School board members will hold a special
meeting from 8:30 to noon Friday, Feb. 6, at the Worthington Education
Center, 200 E. Wilson Bridge Road, to discuss levy request amounts, McCuen
said.
Those amounts most likely will be in the
6.9-mill to 7.9-mill range, he said.
McCuen said it's possible board members
will come up with a final levy request during that meeting, then vote on
that request at the regular board meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday,
Feb. 9, also at the education center.
The governor's plan does contain
significant improvements, if they all come to pass, McCuen said.
"There are a number of improvements
throughout the plan, and some could work to fix the phantom revenue issue,"
he said. "It has been a long time since the DeRolph case (in which the
Supreme Court declared Ohio's school funding formula unconstitutional). I
believe the governor has achieved a significant overall improvement of the
funding plan, but we will have to wait to see its outcome as it moves
through the legislative branch."
McCuen said board members will have to
pass a resolution of necessity for the levy request by Feb. 9, then a
resolution to proceed by Feb. 16, to be able to put a levy request on the
May ballot.
Board members will hold a special meeting
at 7 p.m. Feb. 16, at the education center.
Both levy resolutions have to be certified
by the Franklin County auditor by Feb. 19, McCuen said.
Voters last approved a 6.85-mill operating
levy request in March 2004, then a $37.5 million bond issue in November 2006
for capital improvements.
"I believe the governor has achieved a
significant overall
improvement of the funding plan, but we
will have to wait
to see its outcome as it moves through the
legislative branch."
--Jeff McCuen
|
|
Governor wants overhaul of education system
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 By JENNIFER
NESBITT ThisWeek Staff Writer
A dramatic downturn in the economy doesn't
have to bring an end to reform in Ohio.
That was the message Gov. Ted Strickland
delivered Jan. 28 in his third State of the State address as he proposed
sweeping changes to education, transportation, health care and economic
policy.
All of those changes can be done without
raising taxes, the governor said.
In his much anticipated look at public
education, Strickland proposed an approach he called "P through 16"
education, which would follow students from the time they start preschool
until they receive their college diplomas.
"We recognize that education is not a
series of disconnected steps; it's a staircase upward," Strickland said.
Strickland proposed widespread changes for
public schools, including all-day kindergarten and a phase-in of a 200-day
school year, compared to the current 180-day year.
The state also would do away with the Ohio
Graduation Test and instead test students' knowledge with the ACT,
end-of-course exams, a service project and a senior project.
With a focus on service projects and the
creation of the Ohio Academic Olympics, in which students would compete
academically, students will spend more time learning, Strickland said.
"Knowing that America's children are among
the world's leaders in the amount of television they watch, we are claiming
a few more hours of childhood for reading, thinking, community projects and
other activities," Strickland said. "In exchange for those few hours, we
will give our students a lifetime of advantages."
Students would be taught critical
thinking, problem solving and communication skills, in addition to
leadership, cultural awareness and media skills.
Strickland also proposed changes for
teachers, including the introduction of a residency program.
"Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher,
and the residency program will identify them," Strickland said.
To move Ohio to a constitutionally sound
form of school funding, Strickland said he would create policy to get rid of
"phantom revenue," money the state assumes local districts are collecting
beyond what is actually being collected, and reduce the amount local
taxpayers are expected to contribute to schools from 23 mills to 20 mills.
He wants to increase the state's portion
of school funding to 55 percent in the upcoming state budget and to 59
percent as his long-term plans are phased in.
Schools also would have the option of
passing a new type of levy that would allow the property taxes they collect
to grow as property values rise.
Other changes Strickland proposed in the
address included restoring a passenger rail system between Cincinnati,
Columbus and Cleveland.
He also proposed tax credits for
technology investment, job retention, job creation and producing films in
Ohio, among other things, to help spur business investment and expansion in
the state.
In terms of health care, Strickland said
Ohio will work to expand coverage by allowing parents to buy employer-based
insurance for their children up to 29 years of age.
Small businesses employees who lose their
jobs also would be able to continue their coverage for a year, and the state
would reform open enrollment policies to provide more options to those with
pre-existing conditions.
Strickland acknowledged that his proposals
will be a lot to tackle when Ohioans are shaken by a troubled economy.
"Our people have a great deal more to fear
than fear," Strickland said. "The loss of a job, a home, health care and a
pension hovers over far too many of our neighbors."
Nonetheless, by working together,
Strickland said Ohioans can go beyond just restoring the state's economy and
improve it.
"Never, never underestimate the people of
Ohio," he said.
jnesbitt@thisweeknews.com
|
|
School-funding plan not so simple
Tuesday, February 3, 2009 3By Jim Siegel
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The governor's proposed school-funding
overhaul would be a huge boon to Columbus City Schools, while 45 percent of
poor, rural districts would see no new state money.
Hours after Gov. Ted Strickland rolled out
his new two-year budget, some state education advocates admitted they were
still trying to make sense of why his revamped school-funding formula gave
some districts major increases while others got cut.
"You really have to forget everything you
know about the current foundation formula and how it operates," said John D.
Stanford, Strickland's top education adviser.
Columbus schools' officials would be happy
to. After getting no funding increase over the past two years, the district
stands to get a state-best $54 million in additional state funding under
Strickland's proposal, which relies heavily on assistance from the federal
stimulus package that remains under debate in the U.S. Senate.
That's more than double the increase of
any other school district in the state.
"We're very pleased with the budget
proposal he's presented," said Jeff Warner, spokesman for Columbus schools.
"We're hopeful that the legislators support the governor's plan."
While state officials for the past 15
years have focused on funneling money to property-poor school districts
where buildings were crumbling and advanced courses were scarce,
Strickland's new funding formula, said state Budget Director J. Pari Sabety,
"measures the costs of a 21st-century education."
Strickland no longer wants to assign a
base cost per student and then add a percentage increase each year. Instead,
state money would be targeted based on individual student needs, student
enrollment and a teacher compensation index number that is based on student
poverty, community wealth and community education.
"Every student is different under this
formula," Sabety said. "The way in which the costs are built, you will see
it's extremely flexible, it allows us to move resources to allow them to
align to student need."
It sets teacher-student ratios at 1-to-15
in grades kindergarten through three, and 1-to-25 in grades four and up.
Strickland also wants universal all-day kindergarten.
Several parts of the funding plan will be
phased in over four years, including money for textbooks, maintenance and
technology.
Strickland also wants to fix the
long-standing complaint from educators over phantom revenue -- where the
state funding formula assumes that local property tax revenue grows, when it
doesn't.
He proposes lowering from 23 mills to 20
the amount the state expects school districts to provide for education
funding, while also letting schools ask voters for a new "conversion levy"
that would allow for some property taxes to grow with inflation. Schools
would get four years to pass a conversion levy.
Columbus would get the maximum amount
allowed under the governor's plan, which caps growth at 15 percent in year
one and 16 percent in fiscal year 2011. So would South-Western, which at
$26.4 million is behind only Columbus in new money statewide.
"It's with cautious optimism that we look
at the plan as it's presented today," said South-Western Superintendent Bill
Wise. "None of this is set in stone."
Other area districts that saw no recent
state funding growth also could suddenly get a significant boost, including
Olentangy, Hilliard and Worthington. Even Upper Arlington, one of the
state's wealthiest districts, would see the maximum increase each year,
though that only translates to about $25,000.
Meanwhile, eight central Ohio districts,
including Pickerington, Dublin and Bexley, would lose state money over the
two years.
Overall, Strickland is proposing a 4.4
percent school-funding increase next year over the $6.8 billion this year,
and 4 percent in 2011. Schools got 3 percent annual increases each of the
past two years, and it was 2.2 percent in the two years prior.
The difference with the new funding
formula, Strickland officials say, is that it's based on the cost of an
adequate education -- directly addressing the Ohio Supreme Court's four
DeRolph-case rulings that the state's school-funding system is
unconstitutional.
"By saying we're going to start at the
beginning and give every district enough to assure every kid has an
educational opportunity, you've solved the core of the DeRolph funding
problem," said Kent Marcus, Strickland's chief legal counsel.
Scott Ebright, spokesman for the Ohio
School Boards Association, said it's the first budget since the initial 1997
court ruling to try to seriously address the constitutionality issues.
However, he's not yet able to explain why, for example, Columbus gets so
much while Toledo schools would lose $3.1 million.
"We're anxious to see how this is going to
play out," he said.
Dispatch reporter Charlie Boss contributed
to this story.
jsiegel@dispatch.com
|
|
Raises nearly extinct this year
It's a kinder cut than
more layoffs
Friday, January 16, 2009 By Dan Gearino
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
THE HOT ISSUE
Do you expect to get a raise this year?
Click here to vote to comment. If you still have a job, don't expect much of
a raise this year.
Employers who already have cut jobs now
are looking to reduce the growth of wages as they contend with the
continuing economic downturn that hovers over Ohio.
A salvo was fired on this front this week
when Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman asked five city unions that represent
7,000 workers to give up pay raises and bonuses in exchange for no further
layoffs.
The private sector is making similar
moves.
"We've got to really scrutinize our
spending," said Robert Puccio, senior vice president for associate resources
at Nationwide, the Columbus-based insurance and financial-services company.
His company is telling employees this week
that many of them will not get their typical raises. Pay increases will be
limited to workers whose wages are below the market rate for their job and
to the top performers.
As a result, Puccio estimates that about
40 percent of employees will not get raises. He also notes that most
executives will not get raises. Nationwide, with 12,000 workers in central
Ohio, laid off 200 local workers early last year.
"There's no significant trend out there
where we're expecting wages to increase in this current economy," said Keith
Ewald, chief of the Ohio Bureau of Labor Market Information.
He said employers facing difficult times
often will cut personnel costs initially by reducing hours or laying off
workers. Wage cuts are usually a subsequent step, if the previous ones
haven't restored profitability.
"There's a lot of reluctance to cut pay,
per se," Ewald said. "In larger companies, it's difficult to do without
risking other issues, such as the morale of your workers."
Average hourly earnings rose 5 cents last
month to $18.36, according to national figures from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. The increase occurred at the same time that the average work
week dropped 0.2 hours to 33.3 hours.
As the reduction in hours shows, there are
many ways to save on personnel costs that don't involve cuts to wage rates.
Gannett, the owner of The Cincinnati E
nquirer and newspapers in central Ohio, said this week that it is requiring
employees to take an unpaid week off.
Honda, with assembly plants in Marysville
and East Liberty, canceled several production days this month. Employees
could take unpaid time off or report to work for nonproduction tasks.
Worthington Industries, the Columbus-based
steel-processing company, has a profit-sharing system that means hard times
automatically trickle down to everyone. Employees benefited this fall when
the company reported a record high profit for the quarter. Then steel prices
imploded, and the company had record losses for the following quarter.
"In the times when things are more
difficult, you're going to feel the impact," said Cathy M. Lyttle, a
Worthington spokeswoman.
Looking ahead, wage growth should remain
slow for the rest of the year, said Sara Kline, an economist for Moody's
Economy.com in West Chester, Pa.
"The outlook at the national level is that
employers are cutting jobs, and raises also won't be as generous," she said.
So workers looking for a bump in pay might
be in for a long wait. But at least they have jobs.
"Folks are happy to be employed by a
successful, strong company like Nationwide, and they understand that we're
in this for the long run and we're here to keep our company stable," Puccio
said.
|
|
Operating levy heads up list of district's 2009 challenges
Enrollment issues and 21st- century
learning are other items to be tackled by district leaders this year.
By PAMELA WILLIS Published: Wednesday,
January 7, 2009
The new year will bring new challenges for
the Worthington City School District as a 21st-century renewal process
continues, district leaders decide on the amount of a levy request and
determine what projects will be funded by bond money.
Superintendent Melissa Conrath said her
top priority is to determine "how we can best position ourselves to meet the
needs of students.
"We are looking at the elementary
buildings and giving staff opportunities to assess where they are and
determine how they will organize themselves in the future," she said.
Conrath said the 21st-century renewal
process will be extended to Worthington's middle schools and high schools
and staff will be asked "to envision their futures.
* "Mark Glasbrenner has started meeting
with the building principals and they will involve a large number of staff
and community members in that process," she said.
Conrath would like to find ways to balance
student enrollment, she said.
"We are seeing an increase of students
coming to the elementary schools on the east side, yet steady or declining
enrollment on the west side," she said. "We are addressing those challenges
right now by shuttling kids back and forth, but we need to come up with a
thoughtful long-term plan to utilize our facilities more efficiently."
The need to put an operating levy on the
May ballot is a pressing one, Conrath said.
"Although the board has not acted as yet,
they intend to go on the ballot for an operating levy in May," she said.
"Success in that effort will be important for us to continue our student
programs."
Board members will hold a public work
session to discuss the levy amount from 8 a.m. to noon Friday, Jan. 9, at
the Worthington Education Center, 200 E. Wilson Bridge Road.
Voters last approved an operating levy
request in March 2004.
"We will also be in our third year of
using the bond issue funds and will move forward to purchase technology
items and textbooks and to continue to renovate our facilities," she said.
"We are also looking at what level and capacity we might be able to consider
security cameras in our buildings. I think it is important we ensure and put
a plan in place to ensure the safety of our students."
A $37.5 million bond issue was approved by
voters in November 2006 to be used for capital improvements, including new
technology purchases and building renovations and repairs.
The fact the Worthington City Council
recently voted to stop funding school crossing guards is another concern,
Conrath said.
"We'll be talking to the city manager and
to school administrators to resolve that issue," she said.
Board President Jennifer Best said
"passing a levy request in May will be an important issue" in 2009.
"We need to get our finances in order so
that we can continue to focus on educational issues," she said. "We also
need to continue our renewal effort and make sure we are bringing
21st-century learning into every school building and every grade level."
Best said the opening of the Phoenix
Middle School and Worthington Kilbourne High School's International Business
Academy reflected the renewal process, but that more
"school-within-a-school" programs are in the planning process.
"We are supposed to get an update on
Linworth's Three-I program and the Thomas Worthington Entrepreneurship
Academy soon," she said.
Best said other proposals, such as
Worthingway Middle School's GEM school, may call for additional staffing, so
those projects are on hold for now.
"We'd like to do the alternative programs
without additional staffing, but that idea hasn't been put away," she said.
The first regular school board meeting of
the year is set for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, at the Worthington Education
Center. |
