Entries Tagged 'SF School District' ↓

Vik’s justification for the 10% administrator raises;

“Average increases for private area workers was over 4 percent, so we thought if we don’t try to catch up, we’ll lose staff members to the private workforce,” Vik said.

I guess you can manipulate any study to suit your needs. Not only are people losing there jobs, the ones that are still employed are not seeing 4% wage increases. In fact not only are employees not getting any raises many of them are seeing cuts to their wages, hours, benefits and vacation time. And when you have a public sector job that is handing out 10% wage increases, why would you be tempted to work for the volital private sector?

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that you haven’t seen one single person (besides Vik) come out and defend this wage increase?

A 10% raise in the middle of a recession? Bullshit! Especially for a public sector job. While I think an education is important, I also believe paying the people who actually educate our children is important, the teachers. I think Kevin says it best;

Sioux Falls resident Kevin Kunkel thinks the raises should be re-evaluated, noting that many people have taken pay cuts during the recession.

“On the one hand, if you want to get good people you have to pay them. But on the other, there’s aren’t a lot of people in this area that make $100,000,” he said.

Nope. Just people who work in the public sector. Because hey, a contract is a contract. I never thought I would see a trickle down effect in government, but it is alive and well in Sioux Falls.

Democracy only works when we work it. It seems our crybaby school board doesn’t like people who are passionate about our school system talking to them, they only want to hear from the meek and the non-voting;

The next time Sioux Falls School Board members approve a budget or decide when school will start, they want to know in advance what the public thinks.

The problem, as they see it, is that only those people who feel strongly about an issue are going to speak up – such as the mother who board member Debbie Hoffman said recently “accosted” her at a grocery store to complain about the school calendar.

Gee willickers, how dare a constituent question a public official to their face. Bravo to that person.

“You need to bring the silent majority back in the conversation,” he said.

While I agree, if these people are informed voters, you and I both know that most people don’t give two shits about what the school board does – it shows in voter turnout. And the ones that do show up to the polls and meetings, are the ones you need to listen to. I’m tired of catering to the lazy, uninformed non-voters. Start listening to the informed, you know, the ones that “accost” you in the grocery store. This coming from an Event Center Task Force member that only showed up to the last couple of meetings to share her “uninformed” opinion.

Why has this idea taken so long to take off?

Business Manager Todd Vik said a proposed change in state law would let the district scrap precincts in favor of 10 or so voting centers, each of which would be open to all eligible voters. Networked electronic voting books at each polling place would ensure no one votes twice.

I have often wondered why we haven’t done all elections in the city like this? I know for a fact that city clerk Debra Owen has always pushed to make city elections more accessible and I think this is the time to implement such a program. There are many benefits to; you can still keep the paper ballot and you save money by having fewer precincts and you encourage voting. I have often been an advocate of holding elections on Saturdays and Sundays (A Bob Dole idea) but since that may never happen I think this is a great solution. I have often felt that the city fathers prefer making elections complicated that way fewer voters turnout to the polls, which benefits them. Remember, Mayor Munson was elected by fewer then 9% of Sioux Falls residents. Is that even democratic?

Once again, Dr. Homan has proven it is all about her. I find it ironic that she told subs no to a pay increase in Sioux Falls, even though they are not competitive with surrounding communities, but has no problem raking it in for herself. You would think with this giant recession and over 40% of the district’s kids on free or reduced lunches Homan (who BTW has a PHD) would be intelligent enough to ask for a smaller raise.

She will make $175,882 this year.

Under the new contract, which starts July 1, she will make $181,000 in her first year and see her pay increase each year by the same percentage as the district’s teachers.

How would you like to get a $5,000 a year raise, every year for 5 years straight? Besides the wage increase hypocrisy, you gotta love this quote;

“Sioux Falls is my home. I love Sioux Falls. It’s where I belong,” she said. “That’s why they get me for such a good deal.”

First off, you live out of town (because of your precious horses) and don’t even pay property taxes in the school district that pays your wages (still wondering when you are going to follow that rule) and secondly, $181,000 is not a good deal. I’m having trouble thinking of one single public official who makes that much in Sioux Falls. I think the highest paid city employee makes $150,000(?). Anyone wanna do some digging for me?

Theresa was addressing the SF school board about substitute teacher pay last night. She basically showed the school board the disparity between sub pay and full-time pay. It is pretty shocking.

Three years ago the substitutes here in Sioux falls were getting $80 a day. (Actually it was about 3 and a half years ago) After visiting  with friends that fall who were subbing in the surrounding districts, I discovered that many of those schools were paying more than Sioux Falls. I then called the School board president and inquired about how they determined sub pay for Sioux Falls. I discovered in our conversation, that he was under the impression that subs were represented by SDEA in salary negotiations each spring. I informed him that we were not part of that organization and were not getting periodic pay raises like the teachers.  I also had the same conversation with people in the human resource department. About 2 weeks after those conversations, the substitutes received a letter informing us that we were very important to the district, and that we would be getting a pay raise from $80 a day to $90 a day. This was a wonderful gesture of appreciation from the school district at that time. This fall, at the in-service for the substitutes, the issue of pay rates in our area came up again. Realizing that the area schools were once again paying more than Sioux Falls, and that our substitutes had not had a pay raise in these 3 years, I felt that perhaps conversations with the school board, the superintendent, and Todd Vik would be helpful in bringing about some added compensation. I do appreciate being able to visit with each one of you this fall. After I talked with each one of you, I called the Superintendents and business managers in the surrounding schools, and have compiled the information about sub pay, and 1^st year teacher salaries.    I was very impressed with the way West Central and Tea have worked out a system to pay a higher wage to the substitutes with a South Dakota Teaching certificate.  I also think that those districts that implement a permanent pay increase after 10 or 15 days are wise for rewarding people for their total length of service for the year. I think it is important for the public to understand what a teacher makes each day. I choose the lowest teacher daily rate to make a point that substitutes are stepping in and working to keep the flow of education happening at a bargain price. (My friends who have a $50,000 salary are making $256 a day) As you know, the substitutes have no bargaining power within the school district. I was surprised to learn in my discussions with you this fall that the teachers, nurses, secretaries, cooks, custodians, principals, and support staff of the district are all represented, and protected by unions.  These organized labor groups negotiate pay increases, benefits and employee rights each year. Most of these groups get a cost of living increase annually. I was told that the only groups of workers who did not get a pay increase last year were the substitutes and the seasonal people who mow the lawn. You have many talented, dedicated, hardworking people who are willing to use their education to help the students in our school. They are the substitutes. These people are a vital part of the system and we are entrusting them to educate our students in the absence of the teacher. The substitutes need to be compensated on a regular basis, (Just like the other employees in the school) for their commitment, experience and education.

AREA SUBSTITUTE PAY RATES AND FIRST YEAR TEACHER SALARIES

WEST CENTRAL SIOUX DISTRICT

528-3217

South Dakota Certified substitute—–$107 a day

Non- certified substitute—————–$97 a day

Starting teacher salary– $30,000 # of contract days—176                                                                      starting teacher pay per day –$170

TEA SCHOOL DISTRICT

498-2700

South Dakota Certified Substitute——–$100 a day *($110 after 30 days)

Four year degree substitute———$85 a day *($95 after 30 days)

Non-certified substitute———-$75 a day *($85 after 30 days)

*All three groups get a PERMANENT $5 pay RAISE per day after 15 days of service. All three groups get a SECOND PERMANENT $5 pay RAISE per day after the next 15 days of service.

Starting teacher salary—$28,450 # of contract days—181

Starting teacher pay per day—–$157

HARRISBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT

743-2567

All Substitutes ——-$95 a day

PERMANENT pay RAISE to $110 a day after the first 10 days.

Starting teacher salary—$31,300 # of contract days 180

Starting teacher pay per day——$174

BRANDON SCHOOL DISTRICT

582-2058

All Substitutes—-$85 a day

Starting teacher salary—-$32,767 # of contract days    183

Starting teacher pay per day——-$179

SIOUX FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT

All Substitutes—-$90 a day

All substitutes get a TEMPORARY pay increase of $25 for substituting for 5 consecutive days.

Starting teacher salary—-$32,000 # of contract days    188

Starting teacher pay per day——-$170

While I disagree with this parent group’s intentions (shortening the school year), I agree 100% with putting this issue to a vote. It is blatantly obvious that Homan and the School Board are inept in solving problems and listening to parents.

“We have a right to make decisions about our kids and we want to be heard about it and we want the people we elected to listen to us.” Rhonda Lockwood is one of several Sioux Falls parents who came to the board meeting, armed with 3,000 letters from parents who want the school year to start after Labor Day, saying Sioux Falls kids get short changed out of three weeks of summer time and family time.

Paul Jennings has been following it from the start and says if school is delayed, it would throw off semester testing schedules and potentially hurt kids who are already struggling in school. “If they have to wait 2 weeks after christmas to take their tests, they surely would not be in the passing category.”

Like I said above, I don’t agree with their intentions, Paul is right, kids actually should be in school more instead of less, but I also agree parents should have the right to make that decision, I’ll give these parents credit for being directly involved with their kid’s education.

From Stormland TV News;

But the idea of a school completely removing access to a book is troubling to others.

“I don’t like the idea of just taking a book out because someone has an issue with it. Really, that’s more the parents job. I feel that we can look at those with kinds; we can talk about what is in the book. It really shouldn’t be the school job to teach the kids that, that’s a parent issue I believe,” Sara Green said.

Green likens this decision to the Harry Potter books, which were removed from some schools. No matter where parents stand on this most recent book debate, they all agree that parent-student communication is critical.

“I think it’s important for a parent and a child to be open with each other. But it also should be the parents decision to decide what’s best for them,” Giblin said.

“They’re exposed to it whether it’s in the book or not, so maybe it is a good thing to have there for a parent to have that frank discussion with their child to teach them what is and isn’t appropriate about it,” Green said.

Exactly! Why do some parents think they know what is best for other people’s kids?

Like I have said on several occasions, I thank the Lorde Jezus I don’t have kids. One more reason;

A graphic novel about middle-school life has been taken off the shelves at Sioux Falls schools after a parent complained about cartoons containing foul language, sexual references and teen smoking.

Editor Ariel Schrag’s “Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an Unpleasant Age” will be available only to teachers for checkout.

Here is the full Gargoyle story. This comment made me laugh;

She said the message a student draws from a cartoon might be a bad one.

Yes, those evil cartoonists and editorial satirists how dare they use humor to drive a point home. But Shrag fights back;

Schrag found that logic puzzling. The positive resolution to a cartoon is how the reader relates the story to his own experiences, she said. “Not all stories have a happy ending.”

Really? I thought everything was sunshine and butterflies in Sioux Falls?

“I think a prose book that would have similar content would go unnoticed,” Schrag said. “It’s a lot easier I think to sort of demonize graphic novels. It kind of comes down to laziness.”

And ignorance.