2009.06.10
Carson: We should have been more open
David Carson
Carson lives in Roanoke and is chairman of the Roanoke City School Board.
This past school year has been a challenging one for all employees of the Roanoke City Public School system. On top of the incredible strain placed on our employees by the requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation, they also had to endure funding, closure and employment issues.
To finish the year, they have now had to learn through a newspaper article about personnel recommendations and associated salary adjustments approved by the school board on May 21. The school board's failure to anticipate and appreciate the negative perception that would accompany such an approval is a tremendous oversight.
Read here.
Apologies for the delay in posting. We've experienced a series of unfortunate difficulties today.
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David Carson is the best school board chairman in America. Hands down. Why can't the rest of City Government behave with his professionalism, sense of purpose, and ability to make a decision?
Comment by terps — June 10, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
He's good at leading the board into an awful decision and then apologizing after the fact but not undoing it. That's something, I guess.
Comment by C. Trejbal — June 10, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
Not surprising coming from the City of Roanoke. Will they ever get it? The schools in the City are so poorly run; it goes along with the way the rest of the City operates.
Comment by Susan St. Clair — June 10, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
This isn't the first time this school board has mishandled communications. This is a shame and an embarrassment!
Carson's one statement should read:
"The board's failure to adequately and more publicly communicate and explain its vote is an error in judgment, professionalism, and being a decent organization." THE MEDIA BROKE THE STORY. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Overall the School Board needs a lesson in distributing information in a timely manner and how to handle a crisis. They fail. Miserably. Constantly.
As for the first comment... You're joking right?
Comment by Uptheriver — June 10, 2009 @ 3:34 pm
David Carson rightly lists the accomplishments of his board at the end of the article. Everyone might not agree with this move, but from his explanation it sounds like the "The school board gave 10 administrators a raise" statement is an oversimplification of what happened.
When 5 people are left to do the work previously done by 10, paying those 5 more is not unreasonable.
"Ultimately, the school division will pay the promoted and reclassified administrative employees an additional $92,000 next year. In return, the system is saving more than $940,000 in administrative personnel costs."
This is still a substantial savings.
Comment by Kristen — June 10, 2009 @ 3:34 pm
Carson's school board at least is capable of picking a course of action and executing. If the school board were in charge of putting up an amphitheater, it would have been done already. The school board wouldn't have spent 10 years dithering over that Victory Stadium nonsense.
If you followed even a little of the rezoning drama, this board's track record of "communication" going both ways is pretty clear. I have no idea what you mean by "constant miserable failure", but I've never seen a school board that spent so much time gathering and listening to public opinion and getting feedback.
Comment by Kristen — June 10, 2009 @ 3:41 pm
Kristen, many school employees, including teachers, are being asked to do more, but they all have a wage freeze.
Comment by C. Trejbal — June 10, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
C, generally teachers pay is subject to their union contracts, while administrators are non union and their pay is handled differently. From what Carson writes, the jobs of the employees in question have been completely reclassified - from hourly to salaried, he mentions about some of them.
If a 9 month teacher were suddenly informed that they were now a 12 month employee and would be teaching summer school...I seriously doubt that there wouldn't be a corresponding adjustment in pay.
Comment by Kristen — June 10, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
I use to work at a place that had numerous layoffs. In fact, usually every November there would be layoffs of anywhere from 50 to 150 people. Those of us that were left were asked to pick up the extra work, and we didn't get any more money for it. Most of us were just happy to still have a job. When times are such that there must be reductions in staff, only those whose salaries are paid by taxpayers would expect an increase in their pay.
Also, the amount of some of those increases in a time like this is ludicrous. Times are so bad that they cannot afford to give the teachers a raise, yet they found the money for this, and to top it off, tried to hide it.
Comment by Susan St. Clair — June 10, 2009 @ 3:51 pm
First accomplishment: lengthened the school day for more instructional time. That does equate to a teacher working more for less. And if you know any teachers, you understand that we work nights, weekends, and long hours during the week. Next year middle school teachers will teach an additional period. So you say- they are only losing a planning (free) period- so when do you think I will make copies, grade papers, attend meetings, call parents, etc. On my own, unpaid time. In fact, I will attend a five day meeting this summer- with no compensation-not even recertification points! Also, Virginia is not a teacher union state- so there is no teacher's union to assist with the atrocities within the teaching profession.
Comment by t clemmons — June 10, 2009 @ 6:58 pm
If the school board could organize the work load of the administrative staff so that 15 fewer employees were needed, why wasn't that done all along. And you would think that the whole object of the educational system would be to leave no child behind as a basic product of their work, not something that caused an "incredible strain" on its employees. So if its in the "too hard" category, maybe they could leave a few children behind.
Comment by wayne p — June 10, 2009 @ 7:36 pm
Kristen,
There are admin. that does more.
My wife for one.
She lost all her TA's the school nurse has been cut
back dramatically and alot more has been put on her.
This move is pathetic.
Just what does a asst. to the asst super do.
Duh push papers.
That person is nothing more then a glorified secratary and
the board says they deserve a 15,000 pay raise.
Bull.
This was done in secrecy on purpose due to the public outcry.
I say that if the current council does not reverse this or
get rid of people on the board then the ones that run next time will
bring this up and surely most of the council that is ok
with this will LOSE.
Comment by Herb Krebs — June 10, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
As a teacher who works for Roanoke City, I have every confidence in David Carson and the rest of the school board. I also understand the business decision that has been made regarding eliminating administrative positions and avoiding paying overtime to hourly employees by making them salaried and paying them more. However, I don't believe that this was the proper time to approve the raises. Contrary to what Kristen states, teacher contracts in Virginia are in no way related to the union. The union has no power to negotiate on behalf of teachers. So when the city decided to lengthen the school day, it essentially added the equivalent of over two weeks of work for teachers without additional compensation. Where is the fairness in not rewarding teachers for everything we do that is "above and beyond" the normal school day, but rewarding others who don't even impact the education of students in the classroom?
Comment by City Teach — June 10, 2009 @ 7:51 pm
People are constantly saying it starts with the parents. As a parent who had a student in the schools in the City, I can tell you that you can try but you won't get far. When I tried to contact my son's teachers to discuss problems he was having, they were way too busy. You know what they told me? They told me how many students they had and that there was no way they could help me or my son because they simply could NOT devote the time to one student. I pulled my weight and tried and all I got from the schools in the City was a brick wall. All I ever heard was how many students they had and how they didn't have time. If the teachers don't have time to work with the parents to help the students then that seems a good place to start fixing the issues. The school system is so messed up in the City, and it didn't get that way over night, and it is not going to get fixed over night so they better start waking up and start fixing the problems now.
Comment by Susan St. Clair — June 10, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
And I would also add that after I moved to Roanoke County and enrolled my son there, it was like night and day difference. Never ONCE did I hear that tired line of "we have 1600 students and we don't have time for you." (A line I heard more times than I can count from his high school.) They actually cared (or at least acted like it) about my son's success and took the time to work with me and help him. He graduated high school only because I moved him. The County sure seems to be able to operate their schools in a whole different way that is certainly more conducive to parent involvement.
Comment by Susan St. Clair — June 10, 2009 @ 9:17 pm
Herb, I don't think there's a ton of competition for spots on the board for obvious reasons. It's a ton of work, uncompensated, with nothing in return but complaining.
Comment by Kristen — June 11, 2009 @ 7:03 am
tclemmons..if you're not unionized, fine. But you'll have to come up with something a whole lot better than phone calls and copying before you can talk about "atrocities within the teaching profession".
Comment by Kristen — June 11, 2009 @ 7:07 am
http://www.reaonline.info/uploads/RiF_Policy.pdf
After a lot of googling, I found this document online.
If you read 3d in the first document, then 3d in the second, it clearly says that someone taking the spot of someone who gets fired will get the pay of the person who got RIFed.
So what was it the school board was doing that's so "secret"?
Comment by Kristen — June 11, 2009 @ 7:35 am
Kristen,
I think the only way to determine that
is to have an elected board.
I think roanoke is one of a few in the whole state
that does not have this.
Lets make them accountable no matter what decision
they make.
If they are good decision's then keep them in if not then
boot them out.
I cant stand this appointment method of anything.
Makes people not accountable for anything.
Comment by HERB KREBS — June 11, 2009 @ 7:59 am
Oh yeah, let's do bring politics into the School Board. THAT will surely improve things! I think your City Council is enough to prove the success of elections. Bedford has had so much success with elected school boards, yeah right, go for it. People with an agenda always trump people with a cause.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — June 11, 2009 @ 8:28 am
Sandi,
I live in Bedford as well, so you are preaching to the choir.
I dont agree with all the school board has done.
Even when they hired a school super with NO experience.
The problem with people that are appointed is they
are not responsible to anyone.
When are people going to wake up and figure out that appointed
boards are no Good.
They do dumb stuff then say I'm sorry.
Well this just doesnt get it in my book.
If this effected you I am sure you would be angry as well.
People in Roanoke are barley getting by and they have a
board giving out raises behind closed doors.
That leaves me to think what else is going on?
Comment by HERB KREBS — June 11, 2009 @ 8:58 am