Each school Principal has been invited. They have each been asked to bring a parent rep and a teacher rep... if you are interested in this renewed push for funding for our local schools, please talk to your Principal and plan to attend and help the effort at your school. EVERYONE is welcome!
Local School Community Meeting
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 7pm
Willow Creek Center, 1026 Mohr Lane, Concord
I say hell NO! Which two bit attorney needs a $40k raise this time?
ReplyDeleteAnon 6:53, do your homework before stating things which are not correct or factual. In the spring of 2009 the BOE eliminated administration postions that created over a $200K reduction, part of that reorganization was moving employees into new positions. This then created the salary increases totaling $40k, not $40k for one person. Therefore there is a reduction to the General Fund of over $180K. So you would rather the positions remain before the spring reorganization? Did you know this was the final step in that reorganization?
ReplyDeleteI do feel all this should have been done at once because now people are jumping all over something they are not educated about nor do they even care to research and understand.
Our schools in this State took 60% of the State's budget cut. It is only going to get worse with our State. California has its priorities all screwed up and our children and their education are suffering. All surrounding school districts have supportive communites that understand this and have passed parcel taxes, even increasing them lately. There is no more fat to cut in our district. We need a parcel tax to retain programs and to keep schools open, that simple.
I voted for the last one. After this last pay raise for the attorney, I'm done. Yes we saved money with the eliminated admin positions, but that doesn't mean we should take some of that savings and give it away. I feel, from talking to many others, that the 40k probably cost the district any chance of passing the next parcel tax. In this economy, nobody wants to see someone getting a raise. Times are tough, and it is being viewed as unwise and unnecessary. The PR from this has done irreparable damage. I also voted for Gary and Sherry. I feel like I made a mistake there. I wont make that mistake again.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the others. At my work we eliminated a part time position, and I picked up ALL of that positions work with NO increase in pay. Actually I haven't had a pay increase in about 2 years.
ReplyDeleteI will not vote for Gary again either. I am not sure about Sherry, but since they were sold to us as a package then I think not.
I agree. I am a teacher in the district. They cut our positions and the teachers that were left have had to take on extra responsibilies without a pay raise... The $249,000 we are paying the new super and the other raises are not in-line where our district needs to be going.
ReplyDeleteGo over to the Claycord site, very educated information on MDUSD. For the teacher, how about you become the Superintendent? Personally you could not pay me a million a year to take on the job.
ReplyDeleteDon't leave out that as a teacher you get automatic raises (step in column) with your continuing education and years of service. My mom taught, 34-36 per classroom in elementary and middle schoolin Walnut Creek district. My older sons were 34-36 per grade and received a great education in MDUSD. The smaller classroom size was a luxory MDUSD can no longer afford.
If you do not support the children and a fair education in MDUSD you are only hurting our community and the children. We need the parcel tax to retain programs, retain quality teachers and keep schools open. If MDUSD can't balance its 3 year budget, it could face State takeover. Then the State would cut everything, including benefits, salaries, programs, etc. It would not be pretty.
Teacher, if they close schools you could be unemployed. There is no more fat to cut in this district, I attend all district meetings and at our school site to remain informed. Plus I do my own research, I know the value of an education and will vote for a parcel tax. Oh and right now MDUSD is getting less than $5000 per student, the State is paying $0.78 cents on the $1.00. Plus our lovely State has not paid its education bills, our district is due millions (some over a year old) from the State, they just don't pay. If we did not pay our property taxes, we would loose our homes.
If you want to blame anyone, blame our legislature in this State. What they are doing is criminal. They have created a huge inequity in education, my children do not deserve this. I pay our taxes, help a lot, volunteer and attend meetings to be informed. My children deserve to be treated fairly. This State has created segregation. The State underfunds education and that is why many communities pass parcel taxes, they know the value of an education. My children are successful because they want an education and we expect them to live up their job of an education. This family will always vote YES on a Parcel Tax, this family values all students and their education.
I think the board has clearly been penny wise and pound foolish on this one. They won't get a parcel tax passed in any way shape or form in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThis comment on the Claycord.com blog is worth the copy and read:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
The things that has kept California's economy at the top is creativity and innovation. Half of all US patents issued for about the last 30 years come from California. This has created jobs in all kinds of fields and fueled the envy of the world. We rely on our students for those innovations.
When we fail to educate our best and brightest, you can rest assured that we will either be left behind, or forced to import employees, that will take jobs our children should have available.
What happened, probably even our school board does not understand. In the late 60's the were a lot of complaints from wealthy areas that they paid more tax, but did not get more money for their schools. So, the state started cutting those taxes, and put money into other programs. The idea was that individual districts could provide needed funds on the local level, better than paying to the state and have the money returned to them. Immediately most every area provided bonds for their schools. Then the state dropped further, and more bond were floated. The trouble is voter fatigue. The voters got tired of being approached (4 times in 6 years in Los Angles) for more and more money. It was small amounts, but again and again (which was mostly needed to maintain quality)became too much.
So, now we rank 47th in expenditures per pupil. That is sad, but Mt Diablo District is probably in the bottom 10 percent of the county for expenditure per student, and that is worse.There is a direct relationship between expenditures and dropouts. There is a direct relationship between dropouts and crime. We just can not allow this in our community. We can not continue to starve our kids from education. There must be more money.
You are asking Sherry and the rest to pull a camel through the eye of a needle. Despite their best efforts, it's not going to have the desired result on this kind of cheap budget.
I think ANNON 4:58 made some great points. A parcel tax IS needed. Though I think the raise for the attorney has done a lot of harm in securing public support. That is something we can't really deny. It didn't pass last time(though it was understandably rushed, and possibly flawed in it's focus), so creating any doubt in the minds of the voters is only going to seal it's fate even before a vote is held. I wanted it passed last time. I even volunteered last time to help make it happen. Though now I'm not feeling like I can support it when there are decisions(like the pay raise for attorney) being made that make me question where the money would end up going. Voter confidence is so important for an election like this. Confidence is at an all-time low from what I've heard and read.
ReplyDeleteThat 40k mistake may have cost millions.
One of the items the public may want to remember is that the parcel tax language determines how the money can be spent. Additionally there would most likely be an oversight committee that would ensure that the monies are used as specified in the parcel tax.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I feel this district is in desperate need of a parcel tax, I believe the board shot themselves in the foot over the recent reorganization and raises. No matter how it is spun, a big chunk of money was just given to a small group of admin employees. Even if it was vitally necessary and equitable, it just looks REALLY bad right now. The attorney who got the nearly 28K raise should be hanging his head in shame. He may be worth the added cash, but he should have taken one for the team and politely declined. It simply comes across as being nothing but greedy and self-serving (insert your own lawyer jokes here).
ReplyDeleteRumor has it that the parcel tax will be around $65 this time, not the $99 as before. At this new rate, the raise will take 430 parcels to cover it. I know you will tell me that it comes from different areas of the budget, and that parcel money won't be spent on salaries, but when it comes right down to it, money is money and if they will have to rob Peter to pay Paul (or an attorney), then that is not acceptable.
Teachers have had to take on more work under the restructuring of larger class sizes, loss of instructional aides, librarians, music programs, etc., yet they are doing it graciously.
I will continue to give directly to the PTA at my children's school, but I will have to think long and hard about whether I will support another parcel tax.
Well I won't contribute (by voting NO on any parcel tax). But I will gladly contribute large sums of time and money to recall the three jokers on the board Shari, G-Man, and Pauly.
ReplyDeleteThis was a terrible decision(attorney raise). Sad to say, but any parcel tax is now doomed to fail. Everyone I've talked to say this was a deal breaker. Maybe the board should start getting on the SAME PAGE. This time the 2 no votes obviously saw this coming. Never thought I'd say that, because I voted for Gary and Sherry. Never again. This money mismanagement has made me sick.
ReplyDeleteWell Gary, Shari, and Pauly should resign in shame. They have single handedly ruined this once great district.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this once great school district is now a joke!!!I will not pay more in taxes!!fix it some other way!
ReplyDeleteWhats so wrong with closing schools that we dont need. Why is that a bad thing?
ReplyDeleteNot sure there is anything wrong with closing schools "we don't need." But which schools are those?
ReplyDelete