Kellie Patterson Cuyahoga Falls School Board CandidateExcellence, Accountability and Engaging the Public

Just wanted to drop a quick line about a few events and items of interest.

First tonight, Tuesday, August 9th is a Meet the Candidates night.

From 6-8 pm you can stop by Donato’s Pizza, 1710 State Road in Cuyahoga Falls and meet the 5 known candidates running for the two seats on the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education.  This is a meet and greet event, not a debate or Q&A moderated session.  You can come and go as you please, ask questions of the candidates and their committee’s, get information on the people as well as how you can help.

Another interesting thing I ran into this week is what appears to be a new blog start up.  It’s name is R U Informed. I debated on whether to link this or not.  So far it seems like someone that is generally concerned about where our district is headed.  My biggest concern is why the anonymity?  Stand up for what you believe in.

Monday’s board meeting was fairly run of the mill.  Tuesday’s was déjà vu.  In fact one member called it embarrassing.  Embarrassing doesn’t even begin to describe the goings on.

It was the new superintendent’s first official board meeting.   It was also what’s known as a “Special Meeting”.  This type of meeting requires that a notice be given to the general public.  The notice must state the reason or reasons the “Special Meeting” is being called.  The board may only discuss the items stated in that notice.  Why?  This prevents boards’ from calling a meeting under the guise of a work session and actually voting to close school buildings or put a levy on the ballot.

At the very start of the meeting there was a question of proper notice by a board member.  The notice for the meeting stated there would be an executive session regarding “employment.”  Yet the agenda for the board that night included an additional item of “compensation” followed by a vote to renew the treasurer’s contract.  When the board president balked at changing the agenda to reflect the notice given, the member pointed out that having just lost a lawsuit on this very same issue, she was aware that the law was very specific about separating personnel items.  The president then threw her arms up in frustration and suggested cancelling the meeting.  Apparently the real reason for the meeting was compensation and renewing the treasurer’s contract, neither of which was mentioned in the notice.  Other members felt the executive session was needed so they voted 4-1 to seclude themselves in the comfort of the new superintendent’s office, for the purpose of “employment” only, by the way.

Shortly afterward they emerged and much to my amazement the board president announced that a board attorney had been called while they were sequestered and a majority of members were not comfortable moving forward with discussions.  In fact, quite a bit more of the supposedly CONFIDENTIAL executive session discussion was divulged.  I was reprimanded for allegedly divulging CONFIDENTIAL information, weirdly enough, involving the treasurer’s contract, so I would think it should follow that the board president will be getting a reprimand soon.  After all, I didn’t hear the board vote that gave her permission to divulge not only executive session discussions, but attorney-client communications as well.

The biggest surprise?  The members were handed a draft copy of the treasurer’s new contract that night.  Did I mention that it was on the agenda to be voted on?  I must admit I’m kind of sad they tabled the vote for this one.  I would have loved to see which of our elected officials would have voted to approve a contract they were just handed.  Oh yeah—I already know. Three of them would.  I almost forgot that they did the exact same thing a few months back with their former superintendent.  You’d think somebody would learn that some people like to read the contracts they are expected to sign.

Now to top it off with the icing on the cake.  This whole meeting was a waste of time for two reasons. One- the treasurer’s contract doesn’t expire for another year.  The board has until February 29, 2012 to renew the treasurer’s contract that expires July 31, 2012.  And two- if the meeting had simply been properly noticed for the real reason it was being held, all the business the board president wanted to conduct would have happened.  The notice given as “employment” is hardly the transparency and openness promised.

The cherry on top?  The board president closed the meeting by forfeiting her pay for this meeting where “nothing was accomplished”—as she should have.  Her failure to properly notice a meeting wasted everyone’s time.  Her lack of thinking things through and realizing that this was an item that could have, and obviously since a contract wasn’t even given to members until that night, SHOULD have waited until at least the next regular board meeting August 8, 2011.

Sheesh!

Where to begin?  There are so many changes in the district I can’t keep up.  What is causing the mass exodus of employees?  I would guess it’s the leadership, or lack thereof.  The board has been routinely ignoring contract renewals.  Either someone wanted to start with a clean slate or someone’s not doing their job.  I guess the buck stops with the board president.  She acted like a deer caught in the headlights when Dr. Holland announced his candidacy for the Cuyahoga Heights Superintendent position.  She ignored the fact that his contract was up for renewal, then threw one together of her own making at the eleventh hour, expected the board to acquiesce to her wishes with no input from other members (that we know of anyway), and seemed perplexed as to why two members voted no.  Not that it mattered. This board couldn’t get near the salary offered to Dr. Holland by Cuyahoga Heights.  Not only is he taking his talents to Cuyahoga Heights, he’s taking other Cuyahoga Falls talent with him.

Then the board president tried to woo our former assistant superintendent back home.  Problem was she tried to do it behind closed doors, unbeknownst to some, but not all, board members.  Then she made the “mistake” of convening a meeting of her ill-formed committee behind closed doors, and a violation of the Sunshine Laws.  After much adieu the board voted against sharing a superintendent.  Later that week the former assistant superintendent was quoted in The Falls News Press- It “reminded me that the Board of Education was one of the major reasons I left the Cuyahoga Falls City School District after 21 years of service,” Davis said.

Somewhere during all this the treasurer applied for a job in Ravenna.  I noted to myself that her contract was up for renewal and no apparent signs of contract talks had taken place by the board.  She went from a large field of applicants, narrowed down to two.  That means one of two things happened.  She was offered the job but didn’t take it because of the pay or – She applied because a 10% cut in pay was better than working here but wasn’t offered the job.  Knowing her as well as I do, I have to assume she was offered the job but turned it down.  Ravenna can’t match what she’s making here.  She is one of the best in her field and extremely personable.  In my opinion losing her now would be devastating to the district.

Then last week, the Director of Human Resources turned in her walking papers.  She is a talented lady and will be sorely missed.  She is easily one of the most professional, educated, and resourceful women I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

Alongside her was the Director of Teaching and Learning.  I can’t help but wonder if they walked in arm-in-arm like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders to hear their resignations approved by the board.

In addition to the key staff mentioned above, we have had several principals resign or retire.  At some point you have to ask yourself what is causing this mass exodus?  Are our employee’s abandoning a sinking ship?  Do they know something we don’t know? Getting out while the getting’s good?  We were one of the few districts that could boast high employee retention.  Now I think we’ve set a record for key position turnover.

I hope by now you have checked out the information on BuckeyeInstitute.com.  If you haven’t, you should.  The database is invaluable to the taxpayer.  I like to know where my money is being spent.  I like to be able to sort the fact from the fiction.  The Buckeye Institute makes it easy to do this.  For instance, this blog I wrote last year was made easy by them.  Without it, I would have had to make a Public Records Act request, wait a few days, and pay five cents per page to find the few pieces of information I needed.  The teacher in question lamented that she was one of the lowest paid teachers in Summit County.  I was able to check the Buckeye Institute’s database, and prove several things to myself.  One- if this was the lowest paid teacher in Summit County, she wasn’t doing so bad, and two- the myth of our teachers not receiving raises over several years was busted!  Thanks Buckeye Institute!  Why do I bring this up again?  Because of the way the new teacher’s contract for Cuyahoga Falls was written.

You won’t read this in any local newspapers because they are too understaffed to do any real reporting or research.  Seriously though, they just don’t care to report on the real news.  It’s too uncomfortable to hold these people’s feet to the fire and ask them- What were you thinking?

I’m talking about the 2% lump sum bonus each year.  Why doesn’t anyone want to call this what it is?  A raise.  But it’s a raise that will not be reflected in a teacher’s base salary.  So when we as taxpayer’s research the salaries of our school district employee’s it will appear that they haven’t had a raise in years.  It always smoke and mirrors with these people.  This does not save money.  It’s a blatant deception tactic that should be made illegal.  Don’t the rest of us have to earn a bonus?  You get a bonus when sales were good, you get a bonus when you land a big account for the company, my paralegal friend gets a bonus when her boss wins a lawsuit …but I don’t know anyone in the real world that gets a bonus guaranteed to him or her years before performing their job.

Is this the kind of transparency you expect?  I hope this isn’t in the new superintendent’s contract or everyone will expect a taxpayer funded bonus/raise.

Since a check is finally in the mail to settle up my successful Sunshine Law case against the Cuyahoga Falls City School District, I began the process of purging.  You would not believe the amount of paperwork one person can amass.  I came across some documents I had saved in case I needed them for evidence and decided to hang on to a few but tossed the rest.  I must have been channeling Madame Kellie and didn’t realize it because below is one of the doozy’s I saved Saturday night.  Talk about Karma!  It’s like I somehow knew…

I read the Falls News Press this morning and couldn’t believe my eyes. I almost choked on cappuccino foam when I saw the letter to the editor from board member Curt Grimes.  Mr. Grimes is concerned about conflict of interest?  Laughable when you read his e-mail below.  As far as my “spin” on what happened regarding the hire of Mr. Davis, the boards actions speak for themselves.  I didn’t imply that a Sunshine Law violation occurred.  I stated in fact a violation did occur.  The Falls News Press put the “spin” on it by changing my letter to give the impression that I am somehow unsure.  Giving over your notes and informing the press and public after the meeting has taken place, does not mean the violation didn’t happen.  It just means that you’re trying to implement a CYA (cover your arse) policy in case anyone notices you have violated the law.

So anyway after reading the comments from Mr. Grimes, I felt the need to point out how hypocritical his letter really is.  Before you read the e-mail below, I have to give you some background information.  At the time this e-mail was written, Mr. Grimes wife was a paid childcare provider for Mr. Harrison.  Mr. Harrison, at this same time, was the Executive Director of the Schnee Learning Center.  To give some current perspective, the athletic program hasn’t improved in the 5 years since Mr. Grimes had his buddy hired.

"Constant Micro management?

Did I forget to say that Mr. Harrison got the job?  How could he not?  A board member that was part of the majority vote on Dr. Holland’s upcoming contract renewal wanted a favor. I’m sure Mr. Grimes realized that an increase in Mr. Harrison’s paycheck, could result in an increase in his wife’s earnings, especially if he was directly responsible for Mr. Harrison getting the job.  You may think this comment is outrageous, but keep in mind what a astute businessman Mr. Grimes is.  He even points it out in his own letter to the editor this week —  ”In my opinion, the potential ethical issues were not worth the risk and not good business practice.”  Since we can all agree he knows good business from bad business, I have to assume that he knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote the 2006 e-mail to Dr. Holland.  Or, we could assume that after I raised a stink about the e-mail back then, he learned what ethics mean and has since changed his ways.  I doubt this is the case though.  Why do I doubt it?  Because after three years of arguing with me in court over Sunshine Laws, and being part and parcel to the school district having to pay over $100,000.00 in attorney fees and expenses, they still don’t get it and continue to violate.

But — I digress–back to the e-mail.  I remember this incident well.  It caused quite a stir at the time and divided quite a few long standing supporters of the athletic program.  It also resulted in a beloved district employee resigning from the district after over 20 years of service.  A directive to the superintendent thinly veiled as a letter of recommendation isn’t an ethical violation.  But offering employment to someone you personally profit from is.

The question I would like Mr. Grimes to answer is this;  Why are you capable of making decisions regarding friends and family but feel that Mr. Davis wouldn’t be?

I’m more than surprised by the statements in the Falls News Press by Woodridge superintendent Walter Davis.  I’m left wondering if any of the Cuyahoga Falls board members involved were given a chance to respond.  While Mr. Davis makes the assertion that he withdrew his name from consideration, in actuality the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education had already decided not to consider sharing superintendent services with Woodridge four days before, at the special joint meeting of the boards that Mr. Davis attended.  Did he miss that part?

What is most bothersome is that the paper was aware that the initial discussions regarding Mr. Davis were in violation of Ohio’s Sunshine Laws, yet didn’t waste a drop of ink on that subject.  In fact it was mentioned several times, at several meetings that some members were not comfortable with the arrangement for just that reason, including the joint meeting of the boards.

Mr. Davis is quoted from the paper:

“Listening to the conversations at that meeting I was amazed that the Falls Board, some of whom were enthusiastically in favor of the conversation just days before, now were not even willing to further the discussion.”

Why was he amazed?  The board was found in violation of Ohio’s Sunshine Laws, and ordered to pay $32,000 in attorney fees and fines the day before the joint meeting.

On top of that, the members of the Cuyahoga Falls board were aware that the board had again violated the law only days before the public joint meeting of the boards’ by holding a joint meeting with the Woodridge Board of Education that was closed to the public.

In fact the original joint meeting of the boards’ would have been unknown to the public at all, but for two board members making a futile attempt to do the right thing.  Two members called a special meeting and moved to form a committee to meet with the Woodridge board.  They were put on notice by Board President, Theresa Dunphy that she had already formed a committee and in fact was meeting the very next day with a group from Woodridge.  She informed the board that the board president has special powers that allow her to form secret committees and call secret meetings.  Someone asked her to review the board bylaws, specifically the “duties of the president” section.  I assure you it does not give the president super-natural powers.

Much to the presidents dismay, nominations for this committee took place.  To make a long story short, the members that called the meeting and tried to do the right thing, were swiftly voted down and the original secret committee was voted in as the now official committee.  All was well up to this point.

The committee’s of each board met the following day.  That’s when it all went bad.  This is the Mother of All Violations.  A meeting of the board not open to the public.  Right on the heels of being found in violation of the same.  Tsk, tsk.

I know what you’re thinking.  It was just a committee, not the whole board.  Sunshine Law 101: A committee of a public body is held to the same standard as if it were the public body.  I would say this was an issue of great public importance and interest.  An ordinary citizen had the right to be there had he or she wanted to attend.  I have to believe that given the standing-room only conditions at the second joint meeting of the boards’, that there are quite a few people that would have attended had they only known where and when the meeting was.

I attended every meeting after this and heard the concern of Sunshine Violations brought up several times.  Concerns that were ignored and marginalized until it came to a vote.  It should have been no surprise a majority of the board did not want to proceed.  Now the Falls News Press and Mr. Davis want to vilify the board members that made every effort to have open discussions regarding this venture.

The same night the board president announced that Mr. Davis had “withdrawn his name from consideration” she admitted later that she realized that Sunshine Laws were violated regarding the original joint meeting of the boards.  She said that once she realized this had happened, she forwarded her notes to the media to make amends.  She never made the correlation between her success at shrouding public business (a Sunshine Law violation) and the board’s lack of interest in pursuing Mr. Davis.  I’m sure most members are aware that forwarding your notes does not make the violation null and void.

Mr. Davis is quoted in the same article with the following:

It “reminded me that the Board of Education was one of the major reasons I left the Cuyahoga Falls City School District after 21 years of service.”

You forgot after only 9 months?  The fact that you wanted to subject yourself to the Cuyahoga Falls board again after only 9 months would have made me insist on a psychological examination if I were your boss.  I think you’re angry with the wrong people.  Unless by the behavior of the board you meant the eye rolling and sighs of exasperation from the board president every time the dissenting members raised concerns or voiced opinions contrary to the presidents agenda.  But I get the feeling you’re mad at the members that opposed moving forward because they didn’t do as Bob Brown suggested and “work out their differences behind closed doors, not air them in public forums”

Don’t be mad at them for that.  They’re just now figuring out that it’s a violation of the law to do as Mr. Brown suggested.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Dr. Phil has offered to help the board.  Unfortunately it’s not that Dr. Phil.

The most interesting things happen when you least expect it.  I have to admit I was pretty much sold on the idea of sharing a superintendent with Woodridge.  While the savings on one employee wouldn’t have made much impact, I felt it was a good baby step toward sharing other positions and services before the state forces district consolidation on smaller districts.

Then I saw a proposal from Dr. Phil Martucci.  For those of you unfamiliar with Dr. Martucci, let me introduce you.  He is the Director of Pupil Services for the Cuyahoga Falls City School District.  He is also one of the best advocates for kids I have ever met.  I have had the privilege of knowing Dr. Martucci for a few years now.  He’s been with the district for about 6 years.  His passion and tireless efforts for the children in this district are something I wish I could bottle and distribute.  He lives in the Stow-Monroe Falls School District, but we wont hold that against him ; )

Did I mention he has a superintendent’s license?

He’s not the type to do things the conventional way; he’s the type to do things the sensible way.  As much as I hate clichés, he thinks outside the box.  That’s why when I saw the e-mail he sent to the board I was shocked but not surprised.  Dr. Martucci has asked for the job of Superintendent of the Cuyahoga Falls City School District.  Not only has he asked for the job, he has offered to do it for his current salary.  Plus as an added bonus to the district, he will NOT take the district health insurance.  That’s over $30,000 in savings in salary, retirement contributions and benefits the first year.

Pick your jaw up, straighten your glasses and read on ‘cause it gets even better.  Not only did he throw his hat in the ring so to speak, he’s also offered up some cost saving ideas on top of that!

Upon the potential vacating of his position, he suggests promoting a subordinate to that spot and delegating that persons duty’s to other office staff already employed.  Eliminating that position would be an $81,000 savings.  But a stipend would be paid for the duties absorbed by others so I’ll play devils advocate and give this one a $60,000 savings.

He also recommends shared services within our own district.  Upon the retirement of an elementary school principal at the end of this school year, he suggests that one principal oversee the two smallest elementary schools in the district.  By eliminating the principal position upon the retirement of that individual, the district would save over $100,000 in salary and benefits per year.

So some quick math shows that over three years the district could save about $500,000.  I can’t help but wonder what other money saving idea’s he could implement if he had the opportunity.  That’s better savings than sharing 10 positions with Woodridge.  The taxpayers in CF have been asking this board to make these kinds of cuts rather than busing, programming and teachers.

Oh yeah, did I mention the savings of NOT having to use a search service? Priceless.

The Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education is losing its superintendent.  This presents wonderful opportunities for everyone involved.  The board now has a golden opportunity to attempt some serious savings on the position of superintendent.  Service collaboration agreements can and do work.  I am suggesting approaching Woodridge and initiating discussions involving a shared superintendence.  It would be a savings for both districts and these types of arrangements are already working in Ohio.  The Orville and Rittman School District’s call their shared services agreements an Administrative Compact.  Seeing it titled this way made me think immediately of our Six District Compact that has been successful here for all my life.  Six school districts, Cuyahoga Falls, Woodridge, Stow- Monroe Falls, Hudson, Tallmadge and Kent collaboratively share personnel and resources.  Including a superintendent.  Vocational programming for public school students in this compact, I dare say, is the envy of the state!  Combining resources did two things for each of these six districts.  First it relieved each tax base of providing these services individually, and secondly it expanded the academic offerings beyond what any of these districts could have offered individually.  Win-win for all involved.

In fact, the Compact’s own history report states the following:

When the Six District Educational Compact was first proposed in 1969, Ohio Department of Education officials in Columbus called it pure folly.  They said it would never work.  The whole idea that six superintendents and six Boards of Education could agree to pool their resources, yet maintain their individual identities, was absurd.

Thirty-seven years later,  this Compact, comprised of Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Kent, Stow-Munroe Falls, Tallmadge City Schools and Woodridge Local Schools, has proven the state department of education wrong.

It’s actually 42 years later now, adding more credence to services collaboration.  The Six District Compact works.  That’s indisputable.  One superintendent collaboratively oversees the academia and monies from six different districts.  She attends events, meetings, and ceremonies for all six districts and balances the separate identities of six different districts but makes each one feel as if she is theirs.  I’m sure it’s not an easy task, but it’s one she has shown that can be done.

Back to what I said earlier about approaching Woodridge.  I don’t even know where to start on why I think this would be the best first approach to the boards’ search.  Let’s put the money savings aside for a minute, because really in the scheme of things, the money saved in one position being shared is pretty insignificant for either district budget.  But if it works, you can always look at sharing other positions as well.

It’s no secret that Woodridge’s new Superintendent is Cuyahoga Fall’s former Asst. Superintendent, as well as Director of Curriculum, Walter Davis.  Should I actually call it how it is?  Ok, the beloved, Walter Davis.  Losing him was a shot in the heart for many people in the CF school district.  I have the privilege of knowing Mr. Davis.  I know he was the driving force behind this district’s success in becoming an “Excellent” school district.  I know he loves Cuyahoga Falls and has made it his home for 20 years or more.  I know he knows this city, its people and what makes it tick.  He loves this city so much, he drove through town honking and waving on the passage of a levy, at great risk of vehicular damage and personal injury from disgruntled “NO” voters!  And he is the type of person that makes data based decisions with compassion, integrity, and common sense.  The best part is, he already knows the players in both districts.  In my opinion, a transition would hardly be noticeable as he is already familiar with the mission and vision of the district, as well as the initiatives in place for our future.

I guess the first hurdle would be convincing Mr. Davis to consider it and both board’s to have an open mind and cooperative attitude.  Power trips won’t make anyone comfortable discussing an arrangement like this, including the public.

Is it the answer to our own or Woodridge’s money woes? No.  But it is a good first baby step toward a regionalization-like collaboration while maintaining local board control over academics and finances.

~WARNING~

This blog contains subject material some may find offensive and/or inappropriate for young rebels.  It makes light of a very serious and often ignored problem in middle schools across America.  Gum chewing.  Please know that I do take this issue seriously.  I promise if I am re-elected, I will work diligently to stamp out gum in our schools and the problems associated with the chewers themselves.

I want to discuss an issue with you that we’ve touched on before and I find disturbing that the practice still continues.  Search and seizure on students without the benefit of parental representation. Below is actually a letter I wrote, but I liked it so much, I decided to make it my blog today.  Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

The whole incident yesterday revolves around a gum pusher.  As far as I can tell, 3 or 4 kids were treated like common criminals by school staff and the CF police resource officer, over several packs of Hubba Bubba.  Now I realize gum chewing incidents are on the rise, some would say they’re almost out of control — but has it really risen to the level of intimidation of students, Gestapo-like questioning, and the seizure of personal property that in no way, shape or form threatens the safety and welfare of other students?

It all started with a group of gum addicts hovering around the desk of a NOTORIOUS gum dealer.  This guy gives the stuff away!!  All year long he has been passing his sugary poison to our kids in classrooms with staff and healthy kids turning a blind eye and pretending we don’t have these issues in Cuyahoga Falls.  But for some reason, this particular day, a teacher took issue with the goings on at what has become known as “Wrigley’s Field”.  He saw the suspicious deals taking place and sent the main offenders to the office.  After questioning, “Notorious G” emptied his pockets and was found to be in possession of 3 or more packs of gum.  OBVIOUSLY more than just personal use amounts.  Upon further questioning Notorious G admitted to freely doling out his goods to any willing takers.  He even suggested that some members of Student Council might be sneaking into ISR once in a while when dances and sporting events are on the district calendar.  He wouldn’t give up any names but you can rule out my kid because his braces wont allow for gum chewing.

Office staff confiscated the goods, with a police officer present, and sent Notorious G back to the desk he stuck a wad of Juicy Fruit under, and moved on to the hapless chewers.  You should have seen the lot of them!  I swear one was chewing his tongue he was so strung out and nervous!  My focus is with one of the chewers.  I’ve known  him since he was a babe and he has always had this gum problem.  I’ve tried to talk to his mother, but she is busy working her tail off so that she can pay her property taxes so her kids have a decent school to attend…Anyway, in my opinion, she has let the gum chewing problem get wayyyyy out of hand.  So I guess the school decided to take matters into their own hands. They brought in “Jake the Jaw” for questioning and asked him to empty his pockets.  Turns out, he had a cell phone and…some gum.  Just a stick, but still it was enough to prove guilt.

I guess this is when things went from bad to worse.  Even though The Jaw was in line with board policy, the cell phone was confiscated.  Of course once again, this gum problem of Jakes has imposed on the lives of others, as I had to take the rollers out of my hair to go in the school to retrieve the cell phone later.  School officials with police present, then went on to question Jake about his friends, after school activities, friends that don’t attend Bolich, etc.  The questioning became very intrusive and personal.  But I guess when you’re dealing with these kinds of issues, you have to nip it in the bubble or it could blow up in your face!

I hope you realize that I make light of this because I really want to scream and cuss like a trucker.  Since when does gum chewing rise to this level of threats and intimidation?  It’s outrageous that staff treat our students as if they have no rights and/or protections in the office, then turn around and LIE to them in the CLASSROOM and preach our country’s Constitution, Bill of Rights, and citizenship.  Hypocrites!  Cuyahoga Falls school staff owe these boys an apology for acting as if their right to privacy didn’t matter.  When someone’s safety is at stake, you search.  When you just want to be a jerk, you deserve the lack of respect you complain so much about.  And shame on the police officer that stood by and watched these boys be subjected to these tactics, long after realizing it was about Hubba Bubba.

I guess Mr. Velo did his job.  He was my Jr. High and High School math teacher for the most part.  I remember griping to him once that my learning math was pointless, as I was going to Hollywood to be a make-up artist and had no need to further my mathematical skills.  He insisted that I continue my studies as I may need to calculate mascara purchases and tax on my services.  Thank goodness I fell for it or I may never have been able to figure out what we actually pay our superintendent.

I promised I would post the math on the superintendent’s contract.  I tried to simplify it in the chart below to show you the basics of what he currently earns versus what the new contract offers.  The 2012 contractual additions are highlighted in red text.  Keep in mind I have only compared the yearly monetary value of the two contracts.  There are additional perks that have values that are either incalculable until separation from the district, or were too time consuming to gather the information.  Overall the gain to Dr. Holland if he accepts the boards “offer” amounts to a 5.5% increase.  Not too shabby.  To be fair, the last increase Dr. Holland received was in September of 2008; it was modest and included other contractual concessions on his part.