Salaries, benefits increase Springfield school budget
By Christian Avard
Staff Writer | January 14,2013
Rutland Herald
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield School District announced there will be a slight increase in the proposed fiscal year 2014 budget during Thursday’s special School Board meeting.
According to Director of Financial Services Steven Hier, Springfield High School requested an additional $31,190 to cover a sabbatical for a staff member while the school district requested $14,500 to cover salaries and benefits for three school district employees set to retire. The additions were made at a budget advisory meeting Jan 7.
The new school budget is now $28.3 million, a 0.2 percent increase from the recently proposed budget of $28.25 million. The newly proposed budget represents a 2.17 percent increase from the fiscal year 2013 school budget of $27.7 million.
Even though there is a slight increase in the proposed budget, two administrators made their cases for additional staffing and future school renovations. The Special Education program is requesting $5 million for the new fiscal year, $100,000 more than this year’s budget of $4.9 million. Much of the increase was attributed to a $65,000 request to hire two paraeducators and an additional $12,400 for consultant services.
Director of Special Services Sarah Vogel said there will be more students entering the early childhood special education program. The two paraeducators will improve the delivery of special education.
Hier explained that consultant services were necessary for students with special needs. The services include the Vermont Associations for the Blind and Deaf and Hard of Hearing, movement therapy and other programs.
“Because of their disabilities, they require specific services,” Hier said.
School Board member Ken Vandenberg asked whether paraeducators were essential, citing that salaries and benefits were a major cause for the budget increase. Vogel said the paraeducators were critical to the program.
“These are not the same as classroom paraeducators (who) are working with a group of children. These are individual paraeducators working with students with disabilities,” Vogel said. “Based on incoming students, students who are graduating from the program, and students we expect will need (one-on-one attention), we thought two paraeducators would be needed.”
After Vogel was finished, maintenance building director John Fitzpatrick gave his opinion about the 7 percent decrease in the school district capital plan. The proposed budget is approximately $458,600, $35,900 less than this year’s budget of $494,500.
While Fitzpatrick understood the School Board needs a level-funded budget, he stressed that major repairs will have to take place at Springfield High School and Riverside Middle School sometime in the future.
“A bond is really important for the two schools that haven’t had major renovations in years,” Fitzpatrick said. “I know we just got through with a big renovation project but in order to do something right, you really want to get some big renovation jobs.”
There will be another budget meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Springfield High School Library.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Salaries, benefits increase Springfield school budget
The Springfield School District announced there will be a slight increase in the proposed fiscal year 2014 budget during Thursday’s special School Board meeting.
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Nothing like rewarding the losers in the system that are destroying the school system. Cut the budget by 10 percent and fire all of the losers! Start with the administrators. Hopefully the clown posing as the head football coach did not receive any increase and will summarily be dismissed along with the rest of the bozo's running the school system.
ReplyDeleteThe bonus goes to the teacher who got the kids to mediate for them so they can smoke in the teacher's lounge more.
DeleteIs it Groundhog's Day already?
ReplyDeleteIt is always Groundhog's Day in Springfield.
ReplyDeleteIt is always Groundhogs's Day in Springfield.
DeleteThis year the groundhog''s teeth have been sharpened to looke like pencils
DeleteTime to start believing in ourselves. Who we are and what we can be.
ReplyDeleteyou can be a character with yellow skin
DeleteBroke? I already believe!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe school board needs to publicly explain how Jennifer Dodge - a teacher at SHS - was granted a one-year PAID SABATICAL in order TRAVEL TO EUROPE to write a book about "The Beatles." What will be the cost to Springfield taxpayers in order to fund whatever portion of her salary we are on the hook for in addition to the long term sub that we will need to hire? Additionally, should Ms. Dodge happen to profit from the book will any of the proceeds be used to help repay the district which allowed for this?
ReplyDeleteMs. Dodge - I understand your desire to take a year off to explore your passion, but do what the rest of us would have to and QUIT!!!! If in fact we are funding Ms. Dodge's salary this is an abomonation. This is not a college professor who is required to publish - this is a High School teacher in a poor town who cannot afford to fund her interests. Again, quit Ms. Dodge, quit.
yes--why should the tax payer fund her expenses--No reasons? this is in fact an abomonation. I bet we fund more than we know too. Do not vote for this school budget.
DeleteAnonymous 9:31-- if you want to keep a crab from escaping an open basket, put other crabs in with it. As soon as it tries to escape, one of the others will pull it back in. Why shouldn't teachers who meet and exceed expectations be given a reward? Why shouldn't you, for that matter?
ReplyDeleteAnybody who tries to deny another an earned reward only makes it harder for himself/herself to receive special consideration due from a grateful society. This is part of the race to the bottom. Jennifer Dodge's reward motivates other teachers to do well by their students, and as such is a powerful tool in keeping Springfield's educational system above national levels.
You can't have good schools and punitive policies toward good teachers. It's a recipe for disaster.
You should be looking at whether your contributions in your field of work don't merit a thank you from the rest of us in Springfield.
"Anybody who tries to deny another an earned reward only makes it harder for himself/herself to receive special consideration due from a grateful society"
Deleteunless you are a democratic non profit group with a mission statement of he who dies with the most tax dollars wins.
Chuuuuk,
DeleteAs a former crab fisheman....NE/Atlantic and NW, I must tell you that your 'one crab will pull another back into the basket' theory is laughable.
Stop reading about life/ creatures/ habitats on the Internet and begin living it.
Stick to the subject at hand and stop trying to make yourself out as a self-proclaimed 'Renaissance man'.....OK?.....because you're anything 'but'.!
Awwww, and it was such a vivid metaphor! That's what I get for not researching a claim too good to believe.
DeleteI guess the only crabs that actually do that are human ones-- the ones I witnessed over half a century pulling their children, spouses, neighbors back into a pit of dysfunction and defeat. Thanks for the clarification-- and remember, only you can stop the race to the bottom!
Chuckie, I assume when we win the race to the bottom you will be the one greeting us at the door? Hopefully you are keeping everything tidy down there until we all arrive. Since money seems to be not a problem for you how about you pony up and give 98% of your weekly earnings to some poor soul living on public assistance. We can remove that person from the rolls and they can become your problem. You can see what they do with the money, how they use their time and what their kids are doing. You can help them shop for junk food and cigarettes at Shaws (well you can throw in a few T-Bones). You can gas their car so they can drive to the lake for the day, make them a nice lunch and throw in a few “Buds” (iced of course) and maybe educate them on racing to the bottom. Then you can all have a nice laugh together on the ride home as you pass the stores with Help Wanted signs in the windows. This could be a model program for the country to follow.
DeleteChuckie, everyone deserves a helping hand when it is needed then same person needs to return the helping hand once they lift themselves back up. Problem is folks like yourself love giving helping hands without any concern about the receivers ever lifting themselves back up. You are a enabler. And not to just those that love the life of welfare as there are others on public assistance, such as this teacher. Seems today public assistance is a two tier system. The welfare rolls for one, then comes the employees of taxed based jobs.
Wouldn’t it be great if someone was responsible for the money being spent by government and schools? And please don’t counter saying boards and commissions, they are only as good as those elected or appointed. Who is it that is responsible to answer for this teacher receiving pay while off for a year traveling and writing book with little historical value. I agreed, the teacher is not at fault, a system is in place so use it. So who is? Are you Chuckie? You bet you are, because you are an enabler. Just go along with everything if big brother says it’s all good. Never question authority, right?
Chuckie, next time you are taking a break from protesting, saving the world or sounding the gun to start the race for the bottom ponder this. What if we all worked in the public sector? What if we all lived on welfare? Speaking for me I see folks on public assistance that are in better shape than I am these days. I guess I should feel good about how much my tax dollars are helping them, eh?
Let's keep handing out the money, I don't think China is broke yet!
Mr. Byrd, the words you'll hate to hear the most are, "Told you so."
DeleteYour spleen has been successfully diverted to the lower class by people who are ripping you off (it is people of Rush Limbaugh's class who get 30 times the "marriage penalty" tax credit you do when they only make four times your wage). You feel screwed, and you direct your resentment onto the wrong people.
As a result, you are blinded to the benefits of rewarding people for doing better than average work. If you want people to do a job with no prospect of being appreciated for it, you'll have a work force like the Soviet Union's. Why should incentives for American workers be restricted to Wall Street CEO's?
What does it take for someone like you to begin to appreciate the extraordinary work done with our children by a teacher? It is a miracle every time a child's curiosity and creativity is reinforced, and most children in Springfield spend more time talking to their teacher than they do talking to their parents. You really ought to reflect on both the presence and the need for daily miracles in the classroom. It will change your attitude toward Jennifer Dodge's reward.
As Brad DeLong said of a law professor who claimed he couldn't make it on $500,000 if the Bush tax cuts were repealed, "[A member of the 1%] he does not look down at the 99% and think how fortunate he is. Instead, he looks up... [the truly rich are 40 times richer than he is] and he will never be one of them. And so he gets angry. But not at the ones who rigged the system in their favor, but at people who are on food stamps and Medicaid."
So, what are you happy about?
Earth to Chuckie, what the heck are you talking about? Nowhere in your response are you addressing my comments to you. It seems in your world people should be rewarded for doing the job that they sign up to do. You hire me to shovel your sidewalk, when done do you pay me double because you can see pavement and the mailman can now deliver your check? Of course not. So let’s say I shovel, spread sand and brush your car off in the driveway without that being part of the deal. Do I say look what I did now you have to give me more? Or do you as the employer see the value of my service and consider my value as future opportunities arise? (By the way this is how people advance in life.) If I choose not to do anymore than what you hired me to do, than neither of us should be disappointed with results shall we?
DeleteIn your world rewards seem to be based on existence. I’m alive and it’s the worlds problem. You don’t like Rush Limbaugh, neither do I. You don’t like his tax breaks that are legal, get the laws changed. You can’t through because most Politicians are taking the same ones. You think Europe is so great, move. Since you are so big on adages keep in mind this one “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” We are not in Rome so let’s do as Americans have done to built this country, including hard work, common sense and wise investments. Are we perfect? No.
To your comment
“What does it take for someone like you to begin to appreciate the extraordinary work done with our children by a teacher?”
Why do you assume I have a problem with teachers? I have issue with contracts that contain foolish spending and bloated benefits at the expense of taxpayers. Many of my friends are teachers which I have much respect for. I digress to the point, I would expect those in that chosen field to do extraordinary work with all of their students not a few chosen ones. And then, going back to my shoveling parable, not have a need to tell me what they have done. As they say results are in the pudding. What is funny though is you don’t have appreciation for the extraordinary work I do in my field. You want the gains of my success to be overtaxed and returned to those without concern of my hard work. Would you consider that a thug mentality?
By the way if you want to make a few bucks my sidewalk needs shoveling today. Never mind the neighbor kid will do it, make sure you stop by when he's done to get your cut of his hard work.
Harry Byrd, it should not be that you shovel my walk for what you consider is a good price and some kid keys your truck a week later. It's all connected in that way. It should not be that you work for me for ten years at minimum wage and no benefits, and a week after you have to quit because you are too sick to work anymore I hire somebody else at five times what I paid you a week ago. It should not be that you grind your teeth at night because you had to put up with harassment on the job again that day. And it should not be that you grouse at the good fortune of another worker who gets consideration from her employer that you never got from yours.
DeleteAs I have no idea what your field of work is, I can hardly compare your situation to Jennifer Dodge's, but I do believe that you and all Americans would be fortunate indeed to be treated like most European workers, who live longer, live healthier, have far better job benefits than most American workers, and seem to have better home lives as well. It doesn't matter that they grouse about their taxes-- but they do know what's due them as workers, and they're not going to deny it to their fellow workers.
Your employer should have appreciation for your extraordinary work, but due to the nature of American-style capitalism, without a union to back you up, you're screwed. So be it.
Chuckie, why are you accusing a kid of keying your tuck? Do you know for a fact it was a kid. I doubt I would work for ten years at minimum wage and if I did maybe you were doing me a favor keeping me employed. With that being said if minimum wage is 8.25 and you rehire at five times that the new rate will be 41.25, business must be better than I thought. Man I must have sucked as an employee. What kind of harassment were you suffering? Mental? Sexual? A request to perform your job dues? Of course the question would be did you really merit consideration from your employer as your female friend did? Why didn’t one of the many laws we have in place protect or offer assistance to you?
DeleteI don’t see where Ms. Dodge has a situation to compare to. She is on paid leave to write a book about a musical group she finds interesting. I am not on paid leave nor am I writing a book about fishing off the Hawaiian coast, although I would love too. But my employer will not pay me time off to do so. This is what our Country features, we are not all the same. Equal rights, yes. But at some point we all start making our “own” decisions, good news is that if we don’t like the path we are on, it can be changed with self effort. Or via your method of finger pointing and complains of the man is “holding me back”.
Many American success stories come from folks that got tired of working for others. They ventured out on their own with no direction or any idea of where they would end up. What they did do was show up every day and applied themselves. No union to save them. Many European success stories, well they were made in America. I bet those that left Europe regret it now.
You know I even have respect for a person that stands at a busy intersection holding a cup, asking for help. That takes effort and to a certain degree people skills. I bet those folks have more pride than people that hide behind a government agency for help. Hey we should be figuring out how to tax those "intersection entrepreneurs" because let’s face it they are earning. By the way never buy water from those folks, I think they get it a Walmart.
Sorry, She's a terrible teacher. My daughter had her and it was a joke. She did create a class called "Peace, Love, and the 60's." So glad my daughter was thrown into it when she didn't ask for it. She has earned no reward.
DeleteChuckie, there are many teachers in the district who commonly go above and beyond what is required of them - as far as I know, Ms. Dodge's efforts are not beyond that of her peers. The majority of teachers in town should be revered for what they do in their everyday work. However, if we are giving Ms. Dodge a one year paid leave for "exemplary work" why don't we just give all the other hardworking teachers a bonus equal to one year total wages - makes sense doesn't it?????
DeleteAnonymous 7:58, do you hear of other teachers complaining about Jennifer Dodge getting a sabbatical? They know that the brass ring might be there for them as well; it's an incentive.
DeleteAnd why shouldn't you get a sabbatical if you have a new baby in the family, or if you, like my sister, identifies and corrects the company's problem of $140,000 in annual materials wastage? (She didn't get a sabbatical; she got fired when the new manager came in, losing her $12.50/hr. job.)
If you want a system where teachers just go through the motions, living in dread of their administrators and praying to reach retirement age, I suggest you start looking for another planet. Teachers don't go into their field because they'll wind up millionaires-- they actually do love their work-- or intend to; those that don't pretty much get filtered out soon.
To characterize Springfield's school system as "failing" as some of the posters do here is to ignore how much better than most of America Springfield's school system is.
"Lead, follow, or get out of the way." --Ted Turner
Chuckles...please get out of the way. Your constant stream of nonsense is the rant of a clueless person. Move to Europe where they might buy your baloney.
DeleteSorry, Anonymous @ 9:25, but you'll have to be more specific about what you mean by "stream of nonsense."
DeleteWhy? Bantering with a nitwit is fruitless. Obviously you are so clueless about reality that you will ramble on here endlessly spouting meaningless diatribes.
Delete"If you want a system where teachers just go through the motions, living in dread of their administrators and praying to reach retirement age..." Have you heard anything about the high school? Good teachers leave because of the administration. That's how most teachers feel there! Ask around...
DeleteAlso ask how they feel about her getting a sabbatical. I think you are in lala land Chuck. Brass ring? Do you think teachers are a bunch of idiots? Teachers who love teaching don't see leaving teaching for a year as a brass ring. They love teaching and a reward is actually doing to job and seeing the children progress and grow.
And teachers who have babies don't get sabbaticals - They have to take UNPAID leaves of absence. Chuck, seriously. I know you have fun on here, but don't talk for the teachers and make everyone hate them all! I'm not a current SSD teacher, but I used to work there and have good friends who work there still.
Chuck - I guess you are a dirtier hippy than I thought. Do you honestly believe someone in the public sector should be receiving wages without working? I can think of many people who work in wide array of deserving fields who do not get a years paid leave to pursue their interests. You are crazy!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo it is considered "punitive" if I cannot receive wages from my employer for which I have not worked for. Chuck I suggest you smoke another, go for a bike ride and think about what you just said....
Deletenot punitive...
Deletep.u. native
Anonymous at 10:16.:
DeleteIn the European countries, workers get paternal leave, maternity and postpartum leave, LEGALLY mandated month's vacations, universal health care, and FREE college education-- except in Scandinavia, where they are PAID to go to college! And those countries aren't sinking under loads of debt and squalor, although you seem to fear that's what would happen here.
Where does this idea come from, that people need to be treated like workers in the Gulag all the time? Why don't we in America think it's okay to treat ALL employees nicely? Do we really want everybody treated like Wal-Mart workers?
The only ones in America who think employees deserve to be treated like worthwhile humans are union members. I think we should start thinking more like them.
You sound like you're in a position to get those employers to appreciate their workers more. Go for it!
Chuckles... why don't you move to Europe? Everything is free! Maybe that is why the European Union is bankrupt? Some of us don't want the same to happen here. With clowns like yourself constantly spouting garbage and being fiscally irresponsible it is a constant battle to prevent the similar demise of America.
DeleteChuck I was just in the Walmart in Claremont and they have a photo of you hanging at each register. You may want to stay out of there for a bit.
DeleteThanks! As a precaution, I don't go in there now without wearing a false mustache....
Delete"You should be looking at whether your contributions in your field of work don't merit a thank you from the rest of us in Springfield."
ReplyDeleteSyntax errors quickly erode arguments. I believe the your statement should read "You should be looking at why (not whether, Chuckie)your contributions in your field of work don't merit a thank you from the rest of us in Springfield.
Give up Chuck, the 60's ended a long time ago.
@ anonymous, good luck speaking Spanglish...
Deletemr, syntax ........
I AM SICK OF TAXES
Well, if you're also sick of potable water, fire department and police protection services, competent plumbers and electricians, and children making it into college, etc., then at least you're consistent. Have you considered vacationing in Somalia to see what life is like without taxes?
Deletechucky that was a sin-tax joke. I guess U kissed it.
DeleteFirst of all, Ms. Dodge is not the person people should be attacking. Yes she did REQUEST a leave for one year to pursue something other than teaching. It was NOT Ms. Dodge who made the final decision as to if she could or couldn’t take the leave. That was made by the Superintendent and School Board. At either one of these levels this could have been stop by simply denying the request, it wasn’t! If you watched SAPA, during the Budget Advisory meeting, the committee was advised that the leave was granted without any money being available to support it. Not Ms. Dodge’s fault, it falls on the Superintendent to fully advise the board which in this case clearly wasn’t done. This is another example why the AOE has assigned an “overseer” to the district central office which by the way the board failed to tell the public about. As a taxpayer, I am now paying a state employee to oversee the school district when I am paying good money for administrators to do it! I have another big question, why isn’t the board taking any action against the Superintendent for failing to come to work which they know about. It is the big joke in the district that he comes to work only a few times a week now and doesn’t stay the full day. Have they ever heard of keeping a time log for employees? One last question, after watching the budget committee meetings on SAPA, why has the school board over looked the advice of the budget advisory committee and added positions? The Director of Special Education went before the committee and publicly stated that she has met with the committee and agreed to the cuts that were made, yet after the committee presents their purposed budget the board once again asks the administrators what they want in their budget. So as I see it, all the administrators have to do is BS the budget committee and then go before the board and ask for increases! What a system! No wonder the state came in to oversee the district! I for one will be voting “NO” on the school budget!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this very helpful piece of information anon 6:06. That State overseer needs to look at the money that went missing from the student fund and the board authorized money to replace it from a completely different school budget years later with no excuse as to where this money went. Simply "oh the hard drive on the computer went bad" ummm hello bank account receipts or financial statements, checking statements? Nope lets just replace it. It was over 10k missing I believe...I sure hope somebody drops the dime on that one in the states ears!
DeleteMs. Dodge is the Springfield Teachers Union President. FYI
ReplyDeleteyes--they line each others pockets well--small town stuff--its all in the family!!! Hope the overseer sees it --but he/she might be family too or at least some distant relative.
DeleteWow. We want to improve education so we attack competitive salaries and benefits, then we turn to personal attacks on people who defend teachers. I am not sure that I understand this constant targeting of teachers.
ReplyDeleteAethelred, I may sound unclear but will do my best. This is not a “lumped” subject, but a very “pointed” subject. Meaning the subject at hand is not about a group of people or attacking teachers on a whole, (at least I’m not) nor is it about fair wages or basic benefits. The subject is about benefits that may allow a person to gain statue in the community or world but does little or nothing to advance the academic of the local school system, supported by the tax base.
DeleteI am a bit tired of this counter argument that teachers are being attacked every time a questioned is raised about the school budget. It is not about a teacher, a salary or basic benefits, it’s about the system and the runaway train it has become. Unfortunately teachers are passengers on that train. Yeah there’s a few Anonymous' who have to jump on here and write silly comments, so what. Why consume you time with them. Other make points and bring up subjects (such as this one) that don’t always make the light of day. Who negotiates a contract with such vague articles as the subject at hand? Surely not the elected folks that are looking after our dollars, would they? At the same time I wonder how many teachers would give up their position so Ms. Dodge could use a second year of time if needed to finish her masterpiece? We’d find out how much of a union mentality individual teachers would have then.
The system is broken, it seems no one is responsible for the monies spent. The same folks that say “we’re looking out for the kids” give the impression that they are really looking out for themselves. Benefits that include excessive paid time off is not “benefiting” any child or buying any books.
Crazy enough maybe blogs like this do a bit more good that harm.
Actually blogs like this (that allow anonymous posting) with personal attacks against people to stir up a mob mentality do little to help promote dialog. I am actually surprised they are not spammed to death allowing anyone to post.
Delete"At the same time I wonder how many teachers would give up their position so Ms. Dodge could use a second year of time if needed to finish her masterpiece?" Not a single one. None. No one.
DeleteTeachers didn't vote to support her sabbatical, she is the union president and approved this wonderful idea, and then proposed it to the administration. Get it?
The system is broken, it seems no one is responsible for the monies spent. The same folks that say “we’re looking out for the kids” give the impression that they are really looking out for themselves. Benefits that include excessive paid time off is not “benefiting” any child or buying any books.
AGREED!
Crazy enough maybe blogs like this do a bit more good that harm.
Agreed...
Aethelred - I cannot speak for everyone but it is hard to have a problem with the average teacher making $56K per year. When compared side by side amongst other comparable professions (i.e. Registered Nurses, Police Officers, Firefighters, mid-level business managers ect...) I think we'd find that they are, in fact, on the mid to lower end of the scale when considering total compensation (wages and benefits packages). Additionally, I think that many people believe that the vast majority of teachers in the district are honest, hardworking and genuinely care about the students they educate - It is the administration that most have the issue with.
ReplyDeleteInstead the problem here is that a Public Sector Employee -whose position is funded by you and I as taxpayers - has been granted a one year paid leave in order to fund her personal interests, which appear to have little correlation to her profession; unless of course SHS begins to offer a history course on "The Beatles." We are at a point where we are making cuts in the school budget that have direct and tangible impacts on our children. Can we honestly say to ourselves that during a time when we can barely pass the budget to begin with, it is appropriate to be paying Ms. Dodge for a year’s wages which she is not working for? - I have to believe that there are ways we could have invested this money directly into students rather than Ms. Dodge's hobbies.
Did the school administrators and board have to approve this - yes, of course they did. However, I would have a very difficult time looking in the mirror in the morning knowing that the while the school budget is failing at home, classes are being cut, and my colleagues are at risk of losing their jobs - I am waking up to another leisurely day in London to study my favorite band...
This is why I feel this is wrong - and no, this is not an attack on teachers. This is an attack on a very poor decision.
I agree...did the administration or school board not feel which way the wind was going to blow with this decision? I guess I could be talked into this decision if our school system was among the best in the state and our school budgets regularly passed, but in the current climate this just seems absurd.
DeleteSo much misinformation on here. First off, she gets roughly half the total cost of her employment not the full amount (yes I agree...still half too much for all the reasons mentioned). Second the administration has nothing to do with approving sabbaticals. They don't even make a recommendation. This was all on the board.
DeleteSo say the total cost of her employment is $70K, which divided in half equals $35K - then take into account the Long Term Sub at $35K (approx??) - So one could reasonably estimate that the cost of this teachers sabitical is approaching upwards of $70K. Again, don't we think that this money could be better spent investing in students and/or reducing the tax burden - albeit modestly.
DeleteGiven the amount of muscle power the adminstration has shown over their board it is hard to believe they were left defensless.
@8:35, you're adding the costs together but not counting the reduction in what we would normally pay Dodge.
DeleteRegardless of the costs, in this climate it is not right.
To think the administration has something on the board and forced them to give Dodge (who is Union and on the opposite side of the fence from Administration) a paid sabbatical sounds silly. A big conspiracy theory.
What is more likely is no one (me included) contacted the board to contest the idea of a paid sabbatical, so they went with what was usually done with this stuff.
A better choice would have been to approve an unpaid sabbatical. Hindsight is always 20/20.
Heard she's looking for job overseas. Why do that if she's being paid?
ReplyDeleteHer house is for sale. She expressed a love/crush for Paul McCartney, and she has his autograph tattooed to her arm.
DeleteIt's all on her Facebook page. Just took a second to research... Ooooh, and she took a few "sick days" to go to that benefit concert in NYC. The union contract must say something about using those days responsibly... Oh wait... Yeah... She's the president... who cares right?
Why is her house for sale? Not coming back after we pay for her sabbatical. Rather sad if that is the case.
DeleteWhy not double up on her income - she's already riding the pursestrings of the Springfield taxpayer...
ReplyDeleteVermont was graded an F in their education policies. Take a look at the scores. And we wonder why our schools are doing so bad. In the article click on the blue State Policy tab to bring up the scoring and then click on Vermont
ReplyDeletehttp://www.studentsfirst.org/blog/entry/response-to-the-studentsfirst-state-policy-report-card#.UPeIP6yob2M.facebook
Michelle Rhee is scamming the millionaire class. Students First is her "millionaires for education reform" project based not on what schools need, but what works for profit in corporate America. Check out the January 9th timeline report linked at the Springfield Town Democratic Committee Facebook page:
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/SpringfieldVermontDemocrats?skip_nax_wizard=true
OMG Chuckie...I am so laughing at you this very minute. Seriously..that is your argument? You seriously want someone to debate A. not only something on some hick hillbilly town democratic website B. you take some dimwits blog as the gospel on education reform.
DeleteOK debate with you is over.... I almost took you seriously until this!
On the surface it appears her intention is to sell the book (my assumption is that it is. She was qouted in the Greenhorn saying that her biggest worry is pitching her book to publishers) - if so, why are we granting a paid leave for someone to pursue "for profit" endeavors. If there is a profit made on the book will proceeds come back to the Springfield Taxpayers who allowed this to happen?? Would anyone's employer on this blog give them a paid leave for one year to go make extra cash for themselves????
ReplyDeleteThe long and the short of this debate is this. The school district is in dire need of change. We have TWO positions open this year on the school board. One of them is Janice Garfields position. In my opinion it is crucial we replace these two spots as they have been instrumental in pushing and supporting some of the problems. I cannot remember the deadline for the petition to be put on the ballot but we NEED two people who are not connected in any way with teachers or the town to step up and get on the ballot and take over these spots. Until then we are screwed and nobody has room to complain
ReplyDeletehahahahhahahahahahahahahahhah
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Best laugh I have had in a while.
Anon 7:59 - So there should be no public dialogue to air greivances associated with the use of our tax dollars.... so next time you, or any else for that matter, critizes the President you ought to bite your toung unless you plan on running in 2016...
DeleteNo doubt dialogue is good however it was meant for all those people who want to talk and talk and talk shit but never get off their own ass to do something to make a change. Unless everyone is willing to put forth effort NOTHING will ever change. What this means is unless we have people willing to step up to the plate and serve on the school board to set a tone, to create change and help the process, the only thing that will happen will be the complainers and whiners who have an excuse for why they cant help. Nothing is changed by a group who sits around and blabs all the time...prime example is the park street fiasco. Panel after panel, time wasted yet nothing accomplished. In that situation we are no further ahead than before all the incessant panels and committees Springfield loves so much.
DeleteCurrently, Vermont's education policies do not prioritize great teaching, empowering parents with quality choices, or using resources wisely to raise student achievement. The state trails most of the country when it comes to critical education reforms. Vermont does not evaluate teachers and principals in a meaningful way, and it does not link student performance, educator performance, and district personnel and salary decisions. The state does not provide parents with meaningful information regarding school or teacher performance, and parents have no educational options when their children are trapped in low-performing schools. Vermont has established limited state authority to intervene in low-performing schools and districts, and it should expand governance options available to the state. Finally, Vermont should no longer lock teachers into the existing outdated pension system and should instead offer a more attractive, portable retirement option.
ReplyDeleteVermont lags behind the rest of the country when it comes to ensuring effective teachers and principals are identified, retained, and rewarded by districts. Vermont does not require districts to evaluate educators meaningfully; student academic growth does not play a significant role in evaluations and there are no consequences for ineffectiveness. Seniority is permitted to drive personnel decisions, allowing other states to pass Vermont in efforts to elevate the teaching profession. If Vermont wants to strengthen its teaching corps, it must treat them like the professionals they are by establishing meaningful evaluations tied significantly to student growth and requiring districts to use teacher effectiveness as the driving factor in recruitment, placement, layoff, tenure, and compensation decisions
Vermont does not have a parent trigger law in place. Further, it does not have any charter law established for the state, meaning charter-conversion is not a turnaround option for low-performing schools. The state does not have parent-led ways to turnaround chronically low-performing schools. To empower parents to turnaround low-performing schools in their neighborhoods, Vermont should establish a parent trigger law so that parents and students are empowered to drive positive change in their schools and have routes available to them to get involved in this process
JUST SAYIN!!!
For those who are unaware of the "parent trigger law," it is a gambit to create a charter school.
ReplyDeleteCharter schools are almost always for-profit (e.g., Michelle Rhee's "Students First") and when they are, they are merciless in manipulating the student body to get high educational scores-- cut rates generally range from 20 to 37 percent. No public high school is allowed to refuse entry to a student; charter schools count on parental competition for over-enrollment and cherry pick; then they refuse to re-enroll the bottom performers. However, their educational success is no better than public schools-- and is even worse if you cut out the public schools' bottom 20 to 37 percent of graduating students' grades and compare them to the charter schools.
I could go on at length about this, but you can get it all from Diane Ravitch (former Secretary of Education under Clinton) in her NYRB series. The back issues are in the town library.
Chuck- you are off base. However I invite anyone to look at the students first website. I love Michelle Rhee and think she is a genius. It is always the "school people" such as chuck who are used to an industry where they are not supervised nor evaluated and hold a job for years even though they cannot produce results. Any other industry an employee would be out the door.
DeleteThat post came straight from the students first site..I urge most parents to look it up and look up the report card on the schools from Studentsfirst.com on there you will see that Vermont rates almost dead last in the country on their policies and education laws. Go to the report. It is written pretty plain and simple and self explanatory what is law and what isn't and why it should be law.
This will help you know to contact your elected officials and seek the change you expect from your tax dollars. It is very unfortunate that you have those outside influences of state employees who try to give you every reason why something won't work because it threatens their own job. The funny thing is if those same employees were so wonderful then they wouldn't have to be concerned about change and their ineffective system would currently be working instead of having schools in need of improvement! Pretty cut and dry..scared to lose their job for not doing their job at our kids expense.
CG and the River Rats, if you have to stoop so low as to cite the former Secretary of the Department of Education under the Clinton administration, then you really don't have a clue, do you?
DeleteAnonymous at 8:42: I would appreciate it if you would address the criticisms of Students First linked at the site given in my 5:11 post. It would really help me understand where I am wrong. Thank you!
DeleteThe board is in bed with the Super. They all have blinders on. The administration is overpaid and reactionary.They all are from out of town and don't give one spit for Springfield. They all just love their 6 figure salaries and their rolling contracts. No one is supervising them and they do what they want when they want. There is no coordination between the schools. The entire system is *ucked. The school board is out of touch and gets NO feedback from the teachers. J. Garfield is the only one who ever sets foot into the schools. Board members are sending their children to private schools!! The children are over tested. The teachers are over worked and under appreciated. There are too many days where they are pulled out of the classroom for yet another meeting to "improve" the schools.
ReplyDeleteAnother (or the same?) know it all, conspiracy theorist. The superintendent has the school board in his pocket, who knows the man on the grassy knoll, who shot down the planes on 9/11 and flew them by remote control into the twin towers, and was the second or third shooter at Sandy Brook. Dream on Tinkerbell.
Delete@ 8:55 AM
DeleteDid you NOT see The Simpson's Movie ?
go look at the OWL on the theater....
Springfield spelled backwards is Dleifgnirps.
it's all true
"The administration is overpaid and reactionary.They all are from out of town and don't give one spit for Springfield. They all just love their 6 figure salaries and their rolling contracts. No one is supervising them and they do what they want when they want. There is no coordination between the schools. The entire system is *ucked. The school board is out of touch and gets NO feedback from the teachers. J. Garfield is the only one who ever sets foot into the schools. Board members are sending their children to private schools!! The children are over tested. The teachers are over worked and under appreciated. There are too many days where they are pulled out of the classroom for yet another meeting to "improve" the schools." - This is a true statement. (The first sentence, kind of took away from the rest of the post).
DeleteWhat chuck is trying to do is scare anyone with a brain away from charter schools. Fact of the matter is that charter schools are primarily set up when parents and/or the state cannot rectify a failing school they create a charter school.
ReplyDeleteWhat that means is a management group of proven individual comes in, evaluates the staff straight off and they toss out the bad apples who have been bleeding the system by not teaching or connecting with the students the material that is relevant to their core classes.
I am sure there is an exception to everything and that "for profit" charter schools exist but the norm are state run charter schools that accept everyone just like our little district in Vermont but the administrative body is professionally run rather than a pick of the litter type of system.
This type of system is EXACTLY what Springfield needs to get the schools on track with today's educational needs. This has always been the hope with the schools being in need of improvement however, you have a system and state who love to pass the blame and pass the buck at YOUR children's expense. Afterall, the goal of most parents is for your child to have and get the very best education possible. We want our kids to do more and have more than past generations and that will not and cannot happen in a system like springfields!
There are charter schools, and there are charter schools. As Anonymous at 9:01 points out, there are exceptions. Any school that is run for profit is a school whose mission is not to educate but to provide value to its shareholders. For any school to be run well, two things are required: money and parental involvement. Where parental input is low, more money is required. How many parents in Springfield are involved in Springfield schools? In my time, we had six to ten parents, no more, in the PTO's, but at the end of the year, almost all the parents would show up for the awards night-- and there'd be hundreds.
DeleteSo, if you want good schools and you don't have good parents, you can do one of two things-- get the parents involved (and creating a charter school is one mode of doing that), or spend more money.