I have read with interest all the responses to my last post, I want to thank the serious contributors - there is some great information and points made, and I find it very useful to see the variety of POV from the public. You might be surprised to hear this but I can agree with most of the points from both sides. The bind we are in is not the fault of the teachers or the MGEA, but largely the expansion of the cost of health care beyond any reasonable anticipation and the limits placed on the district by the state funding formula.
WASB (the Wisconsin Association of School Boards) recently reported that WI's total funding per pupil has dropped from 11th to 18th in the nation since 2000, and that average class size rank has dropped from 21st to 29th. I've pointed out that education funding has actually been shrinking as a percentage of GDP - that means schools are MORE affordable now than they have been in the past decade. Although we have to do more with what we've got, we are stacking the deck against above average education with below average funding.
For better or worse we are stuck with an adversarial system of negotiation where the board the MGEA, the Med./Arb rules all have well defined roles to play. The adversarial nature tends to lead to posturing and negativity that can play out into the working relationships between the board, staff and community. But I know from personal experience that many or our teachers are exceptional and deserve more than they get, and that my colleagues on the board ultimately have the best interests of the district at heart.
Between the board (with invaluable administrative support) the MGEA negotiations team and the Mediation/Arbitration system we will work this out in the fullness of time. But then we will need to be able to work together with mutual respect and understanding, and our staff needs to feel valued regardless of the outcome.
From the comments:
I understand the difficult situation the board is in, but I think they should spend their efforts fighting the state politics that put us in this mess, and educating voters to help them in that causeI agree, whether or not its tilting at windmills, and I am trying.
P.S. If your a board member or an MGEA officer or member of the negotiations team, please identify yourself when commenting. I don't have any way of enforcing that, but it is the right thing to do.
8 comments:
Peter- Can you comment on the state of payroll? The errors in flex spending, reporting to the gov., inaccurate sick and personal days on top of over payments of salary is completely unacceptable. The lack of communication by the DO and school board is even worse. We get an email from Gerlach yesterday (almost a month since the start of this snafu)that basically poo poos the problem and asks us to be patient. WITH MY PAYROLL? Are you kidding? How many incorrect checks would you accept? What would you do if you checked your SS print out and found NO income reported for last year? Someone should be working 24/7 to fix this. But the DO can't, they are busy with the annual meeting.
Yes there are some errors with the payroll- Please note that Craig did respond to this issue initially on September 2nd when it first became apparent. Further, I don't think Craig's more recent response "poo poo"-ed the problem, but acknowledged the seriousness and described actions that will be taken to address the issues. It sounds like there are complicated issues and resolution will take some time. The district is ultimately responsible for a satisfactory resolution to these issues, and they will be.
As you note the district office staff is also preparing for the annual meeting. The district is statutorily required to have this meeting and a finalized budget and reporting by the end of October, so it can't be put aside.
This isn't the place for this discussion. Please give me a call at 469-4541.
I read that comment before you deleted it.
Why isn't this the place for that comment?
It is clear that the DO is having some HUGE problems. Are these problems going to affect the taxpayer?
Yes, I read it too. There are a lot of rumors circulating about this issue and it is causing some credibility problems. You can't pu the toothpaste back in the tube. It would be better to simply list the problems that occurred and how they are being resolved. The truth is usually far less damaging than rumors!
According the the newspaper, teachers are sending this letter home with kids.
Dear Parent/Guardian of MG Student:
Your child recently made an inquiry to a teacher requesting a letter of recommendation for college. We are writing this letter to inform you that Monona Grove Education Association members began working the contract on August 3O 2010. MGSD teachers often perform services voluntarily outside of the contracted school day. Teachers will cease doing volunteer work for which they are not compensated. Teachers will not volunteer to perform services on their own time that would be necessary for a quality letter of recommendation.
The decision to take this step was not made lightly. During current negotiations, the Monona Grove School Board put forth a contract proposal that would divide teachers and take away long standing teacher post retirement benefits without any reciprocal compensation for the loss. We would like the board to remove its proposal or offer equivalent wages for any reduced compensation.
The most recent teacher contract expired on July 1, 2009. The District's regressive position has precluded the conclusion of a successor agreement. If a favorable agreement is reached with the School Board, there is a possibility of the letter being written for your child.
As parents, you could help facilitate a positive outcome Please do any or all of the following and request that the retirement proposal be withdrawn by the Board:
Email the entire school board at mgsdboard@mgschools.net
Call school board members: Jessica Ace 249-7356, Susan Fox 222-5015, ]ill List 839-1107, Susan Manning 221-2459, Jason McCutchin 839-1870, Lionel Norton 839-3354, Peter Sobol 661-9534
Contact Superintendent Craig Gerlach at 221-7660 ext. 1
Sincerely,
Members of the Monona Grove Education Association”
FYI: Jerrud Rossing ( the new Business Services Director) has confirmed that the district did correctly report earnings to the SS administration as required, but that the SS adminstration has not yet updated their individual reports in all cases.
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