I haven’t seen anything about it in the paper or on the web site.

People have been contacting me about their running for the Board for 122, and if the Board and adminstration haven’t given parents the opportunity to identify and propose cutting expenses where it hurts the children and families least, it certainly seems that a Board more connected and respectful of the community should be elected.

By the way, I’ve heard rumors that the teacher’s union is threatening a strike if the Board doesn’t give them a contract that increases salaries and benefits at a rate higher than the cost of living.

If that’s true, it would become very clear who the “villains” are who caused the childrens’ programs to be cut, and it sure wasn’t the taxpayers or those who voted against the referendum.

I enjoyed your discussion with Ed and Bob on your blog. All three of you are very knowledgeable and level-minded.
I’m responding to your comment on http://learnthinkdo.blogivists.com/2008/11/26/a-note-for-the-future-this-is-how-referendum-looks-like/

Please consider the possibility that we have been conditioned by the school system into a powerless way of thinking about the school priorities.

Let’s stop assuming that the district can simply discard a program to cut the
budget. Let’s create a vision that art and music classes have the
same priority as sports and regular classes. Let’s also create a vision that the district cannot simply fire teachers to save money.

The district might cut across the board.
Teacher salary schedules have a rigid “step-down” system that rewards seniority and a masters degree.
Teacher health plans are always exceptionally generous to the teachers, with a token premium and a token deductible.
Our plan has 92% utilization by the teachers. 92% of insurance company’s income goes right back to the teachers.
The company is stuck with 8% gross margin. No wonder it bumps the premium by 12% for next year.
Add up the salaries, health payouts, pension payouts of a 15-year high school teacher.
15 years of experience (seniority) is average for teachers. The district could easily pay out $120-$130K a year.

Imagine you’re a VP of iPod product line in Apple.
Recession is here and Apple’s income is down.
Steve Jobs throws out an idea to cancel iPod and focus only on iPhone and Mac. But you know that iPod is just as important to Apple as the iPhone and the Mac.
Are you going to appeal to his sympathy for your about-to-go-hungry family or are you going to stand for what you know is right?
If you stand up for yourself you will prove to Steve why iPod belongs in company’s portfolio.

It might be uncomfortable, but you must get the district to bring those expenses down from $120K to $110K a year.
The teachers certainly are wonderful and they wouldn’t like it , but it’s also tough to manage a lot of other jobs for far less money.

The union wants you to think only about this year’s art and music.
Don’t let them set these parameters for you.
You gotta stand up, not only as one mother of one student, as also as an owner of the district.

You’re not the only one.
Once you stand up, others will too.
Please stand up!

Mike