I know that these are difficult times and the simple and obvious seems to be neither. My commitment is to continually work for transparency in our operations. However, that being said, I am clear that transparency is an ideal that will never be fully realized – but we can certainly get a lot closer – and then continue that journey. I know that our Board is committed to the same principle.
I understand that some of you are frustrated that we don’t have more and better transparency; however, I believe that we have made substantial progress in the past year (not that we should stop or slow the pursuit of improved transparency). My concern though is that sometimes, people are not entirely clear on what options are available to them. If I could beg your indulgence, I would like to make sure that all that read this blog are aware (based on the hyperlinks below) of the various mechanisms that are available – AND we will still work on improving our communication and transparency.
Our webpage is a great resource and the primary location of most of this information – as it makes your ability to obtain it easy (we revised it for ease) and anonymous. On the opening page are news items of note that constantly change. The Board meetings are available from the agenda (in full detail) to the minutes (yes we do get behind with our staff reductions), Board Sub-Committee meetings, and podcasts of our Board meetings. We also have updates on negotiations as that becomes available and appropriate. Relative to the budget we have essentially ALL of our budget documents online and available …e.g., independent audit reports, budget documents, interim reports, presentations, county comparison data, activities of the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC). Obviously, there is a lot more there, but you get the idea. Additionally, to the degree that someone wishes to request a copy of something we will make every attempt to provide it, and if you can't find it -- please ask.
We will continue to work on improving in this important area of our operation of communication and provision of information in a timely manner.
Transparency???? Superintendent: Are you keeping an eye on all of your schools? It does not appear like it. You have no idea what is happening at your sites. Go to them and ask parents and teachers. If they know that you really want some answers and will not hold it against them, they will give you plenty of information that will surprise you in the negative.
ReplyDeleteTransparency seems simple to me. I have been asking questions on this site and I'm not getting enough answers.
ReplyDeleteOne question I would love to hear the answer of is: How is the "English learner Master Plan" going to help the already English speaking portion of students?
How much more should be given to the California budget for education?
How much more from local budgets should we ask for?
How much more should I ask Obama to give to us?
Here's another good one: Where is the money going because it doesn't appear to be getting down to the students?
If that is the case, why are meetings announced only a day before and held at a time working parents/teachers cannot attend? That is not transparency.
ReplyDeleteSuperintendent, Amen to the above! There may be transparency but it seems that so much of it is AFTER THE FACT, with the podcasts and board meeting agenda's and minutes, etc. but I would say, being on the school site side of things, that most personnel feel they have no control over what is happening, or about to happen, with you and your board. While you have gone through the motions of having classified and certificated meet and come up with ideas to present, I think the general consensus from school site staff is that that is only what it is--going through the motions--something you and your board can point to and say "Look how we involve our staff in the decision making process" and "Look at how fair and caring we are trying to be" and then you can post it on the district website for all to see. But for the most part and for most of us, we feel that no input is really used or even considered and we are becoming more and more disillusioned.
ReplyDeleteYour own blog leaves so much to be desired. While you have said that you did not have time to respond to all the comments, and I am sure people understand that, you have so many caring, loyal employees pouring their hearts out with NEVER a response to any of it! If you really care about us, care about transparency, and care about open communication, then how about finding five minutes to respond each day,or every few days at least, besides the post you chose to write, to actually address SOMETHING that people are crying out about. That would show that you are meaning what you say about "work on improving" communication that you keep TALKING about but not DOING! Maybe you should "put your money where your mouth is" and stop leaving us more and more disheartened!
I hate to break it to everyone that has been fortunate enough to have spent their entire careers in this wonderful, sheltered environment of the school district, but this is how things work in the "real world." When there are lay-offs in the real world, you do not receive any notice or warning -- you are called into your supervisor's office (typically at the end of your shift so they can get at least one more day of work out of you) and handed your last pay-check with apologies for having to lay you off. You are not asked for your input about how cuts can be made to save jobs. I'm sure management has taken these suggestions into consideration -- and I would venture to guess that most of the suggestions ARE worthwhile, but I would further suspect that they are not enough to meet the short fall. What you see as being ignored, I see as management trying everything possible to save every job possible, but it's simply not enough.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate this blog and the district website, but for me, the kind of transparency I am looking for cannot be found in charts, graphs, or outlines.
ReplyDeleteI want you to lay it all out on the table and level with us, even if the news is bad.
I want to know where I stand and what my chances are of having a job next year. I know how many lay offs were sent out, but that doesn't help me. Do you you think that all 300+ wil actually not have a job next year or do you anticipate 50 will be back, 100 will be back...?
Are there things in the works that could bring groups of people back before the May 15 deadline, before the end of the year, before next year starts... ? Or, are we at the point of a 1:1 ratio where 1 teacher wil be brought back for evry 1 teacher who leaves the district?
What are the things that are top priority for you right now... ERIP, furlough days, saving jobs, finding a way to keep classes smaller,restoring support staff, finding a way to get more kids in our district...?
I understand that you do not know the answers to many of these things, but you have to have some kind of speculation. I don't need a cautious, scripted, definitive answer that is set in stone, I just want to know what you really think and what your true intentions are. It is our lives and our students' lives that hang in the balance and we need some insight as to where it is going.
My feeling is that the waters are being tested. I cant help but be disappointed and feel tricked when Board meetings are hastily called and set at times community members can not attend. It appears to me that this is an attempt to follow procedural guidelines in order to force through unpleasant decisions with little opportunity for public comment or debate.
ReplyDeleteDr. Miller - I appreciate your attempts at transparency, however you've assumed the role of leader in a place where this has not been the case in a VERY long time. The historical relationship between RUSD and its' teachers is volatile at best. There is a complete lack of trust. When teachers have to beg and protest year after year for COLA – mistrust is the result. When the money guy (Mr. Fine), loses and then finds 9 million dollars (after negotiations), mistrust is the result. When the administration at the district office awards themselves huge raises in times of lay-offs, mistrust is the result. When transfer language is thrown into the Early Retirement Incentive negotiations at the last minute, mistrust is once again the result.
ReplyDeleteThere are some solutions to this madness. Someone from one side or the other is going to have to extend the olive branch and trust that it will be received and treated with respect.
If the Cabinet were to return the raise they received, that would go a long way. If they’ve already returned a portion, make that public on this site.
Bring a serious and decent early retirement offer to the table on March 23rd. Be sure to break even, but don’t try to fill the remaining budget hole through this option. Just do it in an effort to save some jobs.
Suggest and request negotiations to commence regarding transfer language. But, separate it from the Early Retirement offer and only use it during critical times. There are many of us with multiple credentials who don’t want to move, but would temporarily if it meant saving a job.
Have you asked teachers to think about and negotiate for modest pay cutbacks? It’s not something any of us want to do, but most of us understand that these are unprecedented times. We read the paper and listen to the news. We know there is a global recession going on.
Are furloughs even an option? If not tell us so. If so, tell us that too. But, don’t string us along, making us wonder, allowing some false hope. If furloughs are an option, tie the days to jobs. Most teachers (according to the poll on the RCTA site, are willing to negotiate furlough days IF that will save teachers’ jobs. Most surrounding districts have or are in the process of negotiating furlough days, and all of them are tied to jobs. What is our plan? Is there a plan? For once, please just do something because it is the right thing to do.
Dr. Miller, You have a lot of incredible teachers working day after day to do their very best for you and most importantly the students of Riverside, CA. I would love to see some transparency and know what you would like to see happen with the above items. Please take the time, address your teachers, and I know that you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.
This is the reality that we teachers face:
ReplyDelete1. None of the first 150 teachers who received pink slips will be back next year. There is nothing the District can do to save these jobs. Those are jobs lost mostly due the elimination of class size reduction. You need to understand this fully and plan accordingly. Start restructuring your finances and health insurance, as well as consideing options for your house payment. Use this time to plan for the worst case - not the best case!
2. To save the remaning 150 jobs will require 75+ teachers retire and some combination of paycuts and/or reduction of the school year.
Our District office owes it to the teachers to work out solutions that aren't deceptive.
If we are going to demand that the cabinet give back their 2008 raise, maybe we should all consider returning the raises that were afforded to certificated and classified staff during that last year of full funding. I believe that was somewhere near 5%. If, as indicated in one of the PowerPoint presentations, 1% salaries equals $2.4 million in costs, that would close the remaining $10 million hole that still remains in the 2010-2011 budget and, as an ongoing cut, would put us on the right path towards fixing the $22 million gap we already know exists in 2011-2012 budget.
ReplyDeleteThank You to anonymous on March 12 (10:26 PM)
ReplyDeleteThat is the kind of transparency I am looking for. I wish the district could have said that a long time ago. I would have much more respect for them if they had.
I don't know where your information came from, but at least it gives me an idea of where I stand. I am one of those 150 teachers (and actually very close to the bottom), so at least I know there is no hope of coming back next year. Although the news is sad for me, it is better than false hope.
Dr. Miller- That is the kind of transparency we are looking for.
Re: March 13, 2010, 10:14 a.m. Your calculations, do these include the cabinet 15%, and the loss of the first 150 teachers, or is your calculation including the full 444 teachers?
ReplyDeleteWould you be so kind to explain. Thank you.
I noticed on the Certificated salary sheet, the note which states that those hired after 2007 will not advance below the dotted line..meaning that one must work in the district for 14 years before their first longevity raise, and then 20 years (another 6 years) for their second longevity raise...HOWEVER, once again, cabinet and admin receive a longevity raise every 3-4 years is it? Would Dr. Miller & the Board consider freezing longevity raises for admin and cabinet until we are through this mess???
ReplyDeleteDr. Miller:
ReplyDeleteAll along this blog journey, I've seen teachers over and over and over again being compassionate toward each other and even willing to give their already strained budgets to help other teachers by way of furlough days, etc. Odd that we haven't heard much compassion or willingness to give up anything on the part of the cabinet??? Why are they not willing to give and "sacrifice" as teachers are being expected to and have even graciously offered to?
This is the reality that we teachers face part 2 - conecting the dots.
ReplyDeleteFacts:
444 teachers have received pink slips. The following groups of teachers may be saved assuming the conditions cited.
30 Teachers saved due to approx. 30 Asst.Prin. keeping their jobs.
18 Adult Ed. Teachers get their jobs back funded differently.
100 teachers retire
The remaining teachers take a combination of a paycut/furloughs amounting to a 3% pay reduction(assuming an average teacher yearly income of $60,000) for a savings of approx. 3.6 million = approx. 60 saved teacher jobs.
Total jobs saved = approx. 210
444 pink slips
-210 teachers saved based on above assumptions
________
234 Approx. # of jobs that will be lost !!!
Even if the District is sittig on an additional 20-30 million, which I suspect they may be, tey will need to cover the 20 million dollar hole in the budet for 2010=2011 that already exists due to the one time use of funds this year( Remember, the district used their excess funds to cover the hole this year, they did not reduce costs. They will need to either cover the hole again next year or cut another 20 million dollars.
This is very sobering news - start planning now!!
Signed
Reality Check
While on the topic of transparency, it is probably pretty clear by now that there may not be a single teacher in this district who believes the Cabinet truly has the best interest of our students, or teachers, or classified employees at heart while you clutch tightly to that roughly 10% pay increase given to you by the Board during last year's financially challenged budget. If you all made the magnanimous gesture of returning that increase to the general fund, then we might all respond with a bit more trust. This would be a transparency with which we could all rejoice.
ReplyDeleteTransparency? I had to read about the additional 48 teachers who received RIF notices this weekend on the RCTA blog.
ReplyDeleteTrust the cabinet? Giving back the generous pay raise they gave themselves would be a good start, but where are the lay offs in the District Office cabinet? The cuts should have started there, as far away from our students as possible. But our leaders have their priorities upside down.
I agree with Tim Martin. Don't you think you should give it back?
ReplyDeleteTransparency? Let me get this straight:
ReplyDelete1. RUSD is a Program Improvement district.
2. Test scores need to go up.
3. To accomplish this, we are eliminating 444 teaching positions, increasing class sizes to ratios we haven't seen in years (dating back to way before standards were adopted).
4. RIFed teachers are expected to operate and teach as if nothing has happened.
5. The remaining teachers will be held accountable for lack of improvement.
To be completely transparent - you're asking the impossible. It's not going to happen. You can't expect better results with fewer teachers.
I agree with the first comment. It is surprising what is happening (or not happening) at our sites. You will not hear about it from our administrators. There is not a culture of transparency to be able to share this information.
ReplyDeleteI direct everyone to page 201 of the board agenda for March 15, at which time the total number of RIFs equal 444 for RUSD. On that page you will find page 67 of the second interim financial report of RUSD. Examine the balance of fund 67, which is the Self-Insurance Fund of RUSD. The balance of the fund is projected to grow by $1.2 million dollars this year and will increase from a beginning balance of $35.95 million to $37.19 million by July, 2010.
ReplyDeleteThe significance of this is that the total expenditure for an ENTIRE YEAR from the fund is $17 million per year. So RUSD is maintaining a balance in fund 67 of over twice what it spends on total health, workers comp. etc., and approximately $20 million more than the total current annual expenditure. The ending balance of fund 67 was $16 million in 2006, and is now projected to grow to $37 million this year. I know this because I have been on the RCTA benefits committee since 2006.
So I have a question that no one on the RUSD school board seems to be asking, which is why shouldn't RUSD transfer $20 million from fund 67 toward budget solutions and save hundreds of jobs in the process? It would still leave the fund with a very healthy reserve equal to $17 million, or one year’s total expenditure. This is approximately twice the legal requirement of the reserve, which was described by Mike Fine in one of our benefits committee meetings to be in the $8-$9 million range.
There are many solutions to RUSD's problems which could potentially save many jobs, which have been intelligently described both on this blog and on the RCTA blog. What it takes is for all of us to continue to ask the school board for explanations to our questions. Keep asking those questions, and don't let a superficial answer or no answer at all the first time you ask stop you from getting one in the end. Our RIFed colleagues' jobs depend on us being constructive and assertive.
Transparency issues…
ReplyDeleteOver time I’ve been shaking my head over financial decisions made by RUSD most recently the CRC. The state/RUSD has been dealing with budget deficiencies for a number of years. I’m using the CRC as my example of RUSD not being fiscally prudent knowing full well there are other instances of bad financial judgment.
The CRC has been open for three years now and will be closed with all employed within being sent back to who knows where or pink’d. All of us are counting on Mike Fine and others making these financial decisions to be prudent and conservative especially in these times. So why did RUSD purchase that piece of property that is in an inconvenient location and selling it would be a problem not to mention the amount of money it took to reconstruct it? Why did these smart people think this was a smart move when clearly the budget problem was looming over all of us for years and what is the loss on just this one endeavor?
When I have asked this question of fellow employees they tell me that is how it is done spending full steam ahead until someone with power tells them to stop kinda like the blind leading the blind. When I think of transparency this particular instance and other like ones are what I’m interested in. Why, because in private industry these people would be fired for being incompetent.
Transparency means to me that I want to see everything involving RUSD such as structures, property, loss on investments, purchases and account balances, EVERYTHING!
My compliments to Jay Van Meter (3-15-10 - transparency) for providing us with the most valuable information regarding page 201, fund 67 of the interim financial report. Over a week ago, I requested on this blog to SHOW ME THE MONEY or SHOW ME YOU DON’T and you did! It was buried deep but you found it and only hope that valuable information like this keeps on coming.
ReplyDeleteI am sad, depressed and am finding it difficult to feel anything other than this. I feel like no one cares about teachers or what is best for students anymore at all.
ReplyDelete