Collective bargaining lawsuit filed

District legal counsel was notified June 2 that Springfield NEA has filed a lawsuit against Springfield Public Schools related to collective bargaining. Legal counsel is in the process of reviewing the petition that was filed.

On May 26, the Springfield Board of Education approved three collective bargaining policies: HA, Negotiations with Employees; HPA, Employee Walkouts, Strikes and Other Disruptions; and HH, Teacher Negotiating Representatives. These policies empower Springfield teachers to make their own choice about whether they want to be represented by one organization, multiple organizations or no organization at all.

Policy HH, which identifies a process for conducting elections to allow teachers to choose how they want to be represented, is a policy used by at least 10 other school districts in Missouri.

As with all legal issues, we will await direction from district legal counsel before making any further comment.

Update on 2009-2010 budget process

Comments made by MSTA and SNEA teacher representatives at the May 5 school board meeting brought to my attention that misinformation is being shared about the effect of salary and step freezes on administrative personnel. Let me be very clear--no raises or steps of any manner have been issued with contracts for administrators.

Please know that any step and salary freeze that may be necessary for the upcoming year will be in effect for all employees of the district. This is without exception.

During difficult budget years, unfortunate rumors such as this one sometimes occur. It has been our goal to provide you as much detail as possible regarding our budget to avoid such misinformation. That is one reason we created the Bottom Line information page on the district Web site, which has been operational since April 23. Located on the front page of our Web site, it will keep the latest information concerning our budget at your fingertips. Click here to view the Bottom Line.

I would also like to take this opportunity to provide a quick outline of where we stand today as far as cuts being recommended to balance revenues and expenditures for the upcoming year. These total more than $6.1 million and were decided upon before any consideration was given to salary and step freezes.

The cuts will have a direct impact on the quality of support services provided to our staff and patrons but they are necessary given our current economic circumstances. Please note that this is a partial list of the cuts, which total $6.1 million for 2009-2010, which is in addition to the $4.2 million in cuts already made during 2008-2009.

Operations
Elimination of School Based Clinicians
Reduction in A+ funding
Reduction in Guidance and Counseling facilitator and support
Reduction in Non-District Security Services
Reductions in the Extended Learning Program
Reduction of 1 ESOL FTE
Reduction of 1 ISSI FTE through attrition
Reduction of 1 Counselor FTE through attrition
Reduction of 1 Nurse FTE through attrition
Elimination of Coordinator of Alternative Programs through attrition
Reduction of 1 Behavior Interventionist FTE through reassignment

Business Services and Facilities
Elimination of facility improvement funds
Reduction in custodial services
Postponement of Pershing electrical upgrade
Postponement of Glendale bleacher replacement
Postponement of filling internal auditor vacancy

Curriculum and Instruction
Reduction in materials, equipment and supplies budgets
Reduction in purchases of manipulatives and consumables for K-12 teachers
Reduction in funding for book replacement to address wear and tear
Reduction in purchase of printed music, instruments and supplies for music classrooms
Reduction in number of student print periodicals
Reduction in repair budgets
Reduction in repair or purchase of microscopes, dishwashers, refrigerators, electronic balances, triple beam balances, and scientific models
Reduction in conference support for leaders and teachers

Professional Development
Elimination of 1 STEP UP Coach FTE by reassignment as a classroom teacher
Reduction in 2010 teacher summer academies for professional development
Elimination of 2010 Summer Leadership Academy
Reduction in training supply budgets and frequency of teacher training
Reduction in the number of PD 360 licenses for teachers
Reduction in conference support for leaders and teachers
Elimination of Summer 2010 SIP Option

Information Technology
Reduction of equipment replacement and/or new purchases of new PCs, Smartboards, LCD projectors, and ELMOS
Reduction of maintenance contracts, server replacements, wireless access points, and switches/network equipment

Community Relations and Grants
Elimination of Channel 25 (now 81).
Reduction of Teacher Externship program
Reduction in newsletters to our patrons
Elimination of $100,000 available to match grant opportunities

Human Resources
Elimination of Retirement Banquet
Elimination of Teacher of the Month Recognition
Elimination of Teacher Insight Program

Once again, this is a partial list of cuts. In addition to the items above, there have been many cuts to overall general supplies, materials, and training, and those will unfortunately be felt throughout the system during the coming year.

Departmental leaders will be communicating more specifically with their staff and stakeholders to provide a clearer picture of all cuts and how they will impact the level of services and support previously provided.

Due to the uncertainty of the next few months, we must be prepared to make additional cuts to services and supplies as needed. Please continue to check the Bottom Line page for timely updates.

This district performs at a very high level and is one that, compared to any district of its size, is a very lean operation. Due to this fact, cuts of any type, but certainly of this magnitude, will have a negative impact on the quality of service provided to our staff and patrons. Please know that we are working very hard at making the most of these difficult times and decisions.

An open letter to the President

Dear President Obama,

As I write to you today, I am on the verge of having to make some very difficult budget decisions that will impact Missouri’s largest fully accredited school district. I am superintendent of Springfield Public Schools and, due to current economic conditions, the positive momentum we have achieved in recent years is at risk of stalling.

We have reduced class sizes, improved teacher salaries and upgraded the quality of our aging buildings, but we are currently facing a budget deficit of $4.7 million, in large part due to declining revenue this fiscal year.

I am somewhat surprised to find myself in this position considering the promise and hope you inspired in our community when you announced the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earlier this year. My optimism has been replaced by confusion since we have yet to see any of the dollars promised for saving teachers’ jobs and modernizing our school buildings.

Last week I had the unpleasant task of informing 3,000 dedicated employees that we are forced to cut $4.2 million in expenditures immediately. Each day that passes without receiving stimulus funds makes it more and more apparent that we will be forced to make further drastic cuts for 2009-2010.

Millions of Americans are struggling and making similarly tough financial choices. We believe that you intended for your bold act in January to not only invest in education but to bolster our faltering economy and create jobs for our friends and neighbors here in southwest Missouri.

Mr. President, our community and Springfield Public Schools stand ready to assist you in making that promise come true. Our district is prepared with a plan of action to invest the dollars promised in our community to save jobs, create work opportunities and generate demand for raw materials and supplies. In exchange for that investment, we pledge to be accountable for every dollar spent and to demonstrate the positive impact of these funds.


Here is our immediate plan of action given the funding:

Address critical facility needs by making our 53 schools safer, greener and better places for children to learn. We have identified 150 improvement projects totaling $66 million that can be immediately implemented. These shovel-ready projects will mean jobs right here in Springfield for a construction industry beleaguered by the housing slowdown.

Preserve teaching jobs to keep class sizes down and retain quality teachers in our classrooms. It is vital that we not only preserve but promote the quality of education to ensure our graduates, and ultimately our country, are equipped to compete in an increasingly global economy.

Move forward with important, innovative initiatives we have started in this district to meet ever-changing student needs. These are designed to prepare at-risk high school students to move directly into high-demand professions like nursing and diesel mechanics, and to promote fifth-graders’ focus on environmental science, equipping them to potentially create solutions to the tough environmental issues facing this country. These are just two examples of quality programs this district must maintain to meet the educational challenges of tomorrow.

While we still have hope that we can do our part in putting America on the road to recovery, we need the cooperation of the Missouri legislature. As of today, not one penny of investment has been made available to Springfield Public Schools via your initiative.

I am calling for leadership at the state and federal level to remain true to the spirit of your directive and enable this district, and all public school districts in Missouri, to do their part to secure America’s future with sound investments in our children, our schools and our community.

Respectfully,
Dr. Norm Ridder

Proposed 2009-2010 school calendar

A draft of the 2009-2010 school calendar was presented last night to school board members for review at their study session. The board is expected to take action on the calendar at its Jan. 20 regular meeting.

Developing a school calendar is a complex process driven by many variables. I would like to thank the members of our calendar committee who work together to iron out these details and create a calendar that best meets the educational needs of our students.

The committee, composed of parents, students, teachers, principals, district staff, and community members, takes into consideration myriad factors such as legal and district requirements, holidays, parent-teacher conferences, professional development and stakeholder input.

For example, state law requires a minimum number of days and hours students must be in session and requires that six inclement weather days be included in the calendar. Within those parameters, the committee also tries to schedule the first day of school to limit heat-related issues (at least until all our schools are air conditioned) but still dismiss for the year prior to Memorial Day when possible.

As you might imagine this can be a complicated puzzle to piece together.

In the proposed 2009-2010 calendar, the first day of school would be Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. This puts the last day of school before winter break as Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009. It is interesting to note that Dec. 23, 2008, was our last day before winter break this school year. We experienced very poor student attendance that day.

During discussions with my parent advisory council, some members suggested we move the first day of school to Tuesday, Aug. 25, and change the last day before winter break to Tuesday, Dec. 22.

What are your thoughts? Would you like to see the calendar approved as proposed or do you agree with modifying the calendar to start school a day earlier and release for winter break a day earlier?

Update on retirement issue

I offer a sincere thank you to Missouri U.S. Representatives and Senators for their help in addressing a proposed change in retirement regulations. On behalf of Missouri’s teachers, our Congressional delegation moved swiftly in response to a proposal by the Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service to change current practices, drastically affecting the retirement benefits for some certificated staff effective July 1, 2009.

This week the SSA and IRS agreed upon prospective enforcement and said that the July 1, 2009, implementation date would be delayed. In a letter to Sen. Claire McCaskill, the agencies said it is their intention to resolve the issue by July 1, 2010. Following a 60-day evaluation period, they expect to have a better sense of future implementation plans and deadlines.

Our Congressional delegation believes that given the current positive and collaborative spirit among all groups involved, including the IRS, SSA, Missouri Office of Administration and the Public School Retirement System as well as various stakeholders in the education community, a fair and reasonable resolution will result.

We are grateful to everyone involved in these discussions for their efforts to protect the best interests of our educators.

Holiday activities and our schools

This week a local radio program initiated a discussion about winter celebrations and observances in our schools. At this time of year, we often hear comments or questions related to that topic.

As a school system, we embrace the fundamental dignity and respect of each individual. That means we have a responsibility to protect individual rights even when majority views may be to the contrary. In keeping with that philosophy, we strive to ensure that no individual student feels excluded or singled out at any time, especially during the holidays.

Music, drama or literature with religious themes may be presented in our schools if done so in an objective manner, without sectarian indoctrination or other endorsement of religion. Many of our schools display Christmas trees in their lobbies. They include traditional Christmas carols in their musical performances along with songs about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Students create art projects featuring Santa Claus.

Christmas is not absent from our schools; it exists there right alongside many other religious and cultural traditions of the season.

Occasionally misunderstandings occur with regard to religious and cultural celebrations and observances. To prevent such misunderstandings, our schools strive to focus on educational aspects to advance students’ knowledge and appreciation of the global role religions and cultures have played in the development of our civilization. (Read Board Policy IGAC: Teaching About Religion.)

I always appreciate your comments. If you would like to weigh in on this topic, please leave a comment on my blog or call 523-0000.

New bond proposal postponed

The focus of the school board’s strategic discussion this month centered around the potential for an April 2009 bond proposal to continue the district’s plan to go to the voters every three years with a bond initiative to address urgent facility needs. Since 2000, our community has generously supported bond proposals which have significantly improved the learning environment for students across our district.

Passage of an April 2009 bond would have continued this effort with a list of very important building improvements, including the completion of our air-conditioning projects. Although I consider these projects to be of great importance in improving our facilities for students, I believe the decision by the board to delay the bond election was the proper approach to take.

Our stakeholders understand the need for these improvements, and to their credit, many would be in line to vote in support of a bond in April 2009. However, we understand that while many community members are supportive of our efforts some may be struggling to make ends meet in this tough economic time. By holding off past April, a number of factors should become clearer at which time we will engage our stakeholders again in a discussion about setting a new date for a bond election.

For those of you who would prefer action in April 2009, I ask for your patience and understanding. For those who are struggling at this time but have supported the students of Springfield with past votes, please continue to stay engaged as we work though these times and make decisions that will be best for the entire community.

I look forward to hearing from you about this issue and urge you to submit a comment. Based on input from readers of this blog, I have decided to post your comments for all to read. As you submit your thoughts and opinions, please pose them in a manner that will contribute to constructive discourse. Thank you.