tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post5386048190317953955..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Budget RecommendationsMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91254331732046330982011-02-13T12:54:45.684-08:002011-02-13T12:54:45.684-08:00According to the Executive Director of the N.E. se...According to the Executive Director of the N.E. sector of schools there will probably be cuts in Custodial and Security as well.nikkihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13294990968280337525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-50655255171409780632011-02-11T20:42:13.954-08:002011-02-11T20:42:13.954-08:00Please note that maintenance upper management take...Please note that maintenance upper management takes no cuts and zero pay reductions. They want to reduce the maintenance administration staff and the maintenance trades staff. This means little to no maintenance will be done to the school buildings; however, management will suffer no cuts while the tax payers buildings disintegrate.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03592008608356534948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25691889198356486992011-02-11T18:40:38.711-08:002011-02-11T18:40:38.711-08:00Why did the district send you all a literacy coach...<i>Why did the district send you all a literacy coach?</i><br /><br />That is unclear to me.Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17693450577538257392011-02-10T17:18:46.660-08:002011-02-10T17:18:46.660-08:00Maureen - Title I money can't be used to reduc...Maureen - Title I money can't be used to reduce class size. <br /><br />Title II can, and at last night's budget meeting, a staffer (Cathy Thompson, maybe?) said that Title II funds about 30 school-based coaches. SPS budgets ~$95K per full-time coach, so SPS has around $3M in Title II that could be used to reduce class size at some schools. <br /><br />I would imagine that Title II has some of the same "supplement, not supplant" rules that Title I and LAP have, so although it would be a way to add staff at buildings that need it, it can't be used as a WSS funding patches. <br /><br />Why did the district send you all a literacy coach?Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12795753563127975720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-53521725415773498872011-02-09T23:58:30.613-08:002011-02-09T23:58:30.613-08:00Meg, what about class size reduction? Is that a l...Meg, what about class size reduction? Is that a legitimate usage of Title money? If a class would have had 30 kids and can be reduced to 25, would that count as supplementing?<br /><br /><i>Why we need data coaches, I don't know. </i><br /><br />At our school, one of the data coach's job was to tell our Asst. Principal that the appropriate goal for our CSIP was to increase every grade's MAP scores 10% in every subject. <br /><br />We used to have a 'math coach' who worked with the little kids who were behind on basic math facts. We paid her out of fundraising and building discretionary funds. We couldn't afford to keep her last year. This year SPS sent a "literacy coach" to talk with our MS teachers about nonfiction reading skills (All of our MS teachers have at least 10 years of experience and 86% of the current 8th graders passed the reading WASL last year, 91% passed writing.)Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-1063073636619743512011-02-09T22:43:39.182-08:002011-02-09T22:43:39.182-08:00Math and Reading Specialists.
At our elementary t...Math and Reading Specialists.<br /><br />At our elementary they help students below grade level with 1:1 or small group instruction. A supplement or 'double dip' as one teacher phrased it, to help those that need a little more practice before mastery.<br /><br />Don't know if this is the norm at other schools.<br /><br />StepJ -- as Google sign-in is not working.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37461684318072613242011-02-09T16:01:43.831-08:002011-02-09T16:01:43.831-08:00Are math and reading "specialists" at el...Are math and reading "specialists" at elementary schools coaches? Or are they some other position?Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16540428343439198125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-32445779427305119862011-02-09T15:25:26.037-08:002011-02-09T15:25:26.037-08:00Jan, I think there needs to be a balance but what ...Jan, I think there needs to be a balance but what you are saying is true.<br /><br />We need coaches because the math is new and possibly the LA and science. I see the point of having someone to ask questions to. BUT, do we need someone to help teachers every day? I have to wonder. Why we need data coaches, I don't know. <br /><br />I suggested cutting the number of coaches in half. I really think this would save money AND still allow teachers to ask for help if they need it. That the coaches are there for the teachers and NOT the students is something to keep in mind.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-146440420718628882011-02-09T15:11:50.720-08:002011-02-09T15:11:50.720-08:00Maureen - the rule of thumb with Title I money is ...Maureen - the rule of thumb with Title I money is "supplement, not supplant." So if you used it to pay for WSS stuff, like, say... a 2nd grade teacher you would have anyway, then you would be supplanting, not supplementing.<br /><br />Title money is supposed to bring aids and teaching to the students that they wouldn't otherwise get.<br /><br />However, if you went with the bare minimum Title I requirements on PD (and I don't know what the contractual professional development obligations come to in the agreement with the SEA), you could, for instance, have a grade school math teacher, which a school wouldn't otherwise have. Or a full-time counselor, which the school wouldn't otherwise have. Or... something else in the way of direct teaching to students that the school would not otherwise have.<br /><br />Did that answer your question, or did I kind of miss what you were asking?Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12795753563127975720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-75915726912044866602011-02-09T14:47:31.669-08:002011-02-09T14:47:31.669-08:00Melissa: why don't we just cut ALL the coache...Melissa: why don't we just cut ALL the coaches? Just "zero out" that entire line item. <br /><br />ALL of our teachers (at least the current, pre-TFA ones) have college degrees AND teaching degrees. Many have now taught for several years, vastly upping their knowledge base.Presumably, NONE of them should need to be "coached." Arguably, it would be nice to have coaches around for teachers in their first year, but they have been through student teaching. And there are olders teachers in each school who can mentor. These folks are professionals. Many are true "artists" at their trade. We should let them teach -- and work out support structures within each school to make the overall "team" better. Why is this a bad idea? What am I missing?Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923777229601243321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-11804622417615341302011-02-09T09:32:26.818-08:002011-02-09T09:32:26.818-08:00zb, the problem is that something has to be cut. ...zb, the problem is that something has to be cut. The question isn't whether cutting admin has an impact on teaching. The question is whether cutting admin has less of an impact on teaching than cutting teaching.<br /><br />So, if are going to argue that cutting admin might make more work for teachers, you need to ask whether cuts elsewhere would be worse. Do you disagree that cutting teachers would be worse for teachers, the kids, and the classrooms than cutting central admin?<br /><br />Right now, the superintendent is proposing a cut of $6-12M in central administration, but that leaves central admin still much larger than other districts (7-8% of budget compared to the norm of 6%). In this budget crisis, when cuts otherwise will have to come out of the classrooms, a much steeper cut is warranted. Central admin should cut at least down to the norm of 6% of budget, ideally below, and the savings used to prevent cuts in the classroom.Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17632402049137233192011-02-09T07:37:56.864-08:002011-02-09T07:37:56.864-08:00Yes Melissa, special education has 2 directors. ...Yes Melissa, special education has 2 directors. Marni Campbell, the executive director and Becky Clifford, the director. Couldn't we scrape by with just 1? Which one to keep? Nobody cares. They are both bad. I'd suggest keeping the cheapest director level position in the interest of cost savings. <br /><br />sped parentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-27403711141940476612011-02-09T07:16:57.357-08:002011-02-09T07:16:57.357-08:00"So what do people here perceive as necessary..."So what do people here perceive as necessary parts of Central Administration and why?"<br /><br />I really don't know the answer to this question, and if I'd be asking someone, it would be the teachers. The kinds of things I imagine being classified as "coaches" or "support" or "administration" that actually help the kids in the classroom are things that teachers should know about, because they help them. Coaches who actually teach them useful instructional approaches (with new materials or with a group of students), for example, Principals and support staff who are go-to people for getting things done. <br /><br />I do agree that there's been an expansion of administration to support "reform." I'm not sure that this is altogether a bad thing in the long run (for example, a research unit examining data on learning and interventions that have been taken, non-teaching, but might help in the long run). But, even though I believe that in the long run, I think we're dealing with short term here, and need to suspend those initiatives, when they mean that we're loosing more direct work in the classroom. <br /><br />It's a tough call (do help the patients with cancer now, or do you do cancer research). Sometimes I support the long term initiative, but not right now, for a variety of reasons.zbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13205346985598789513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-61514737255455927122011-02-08T21:14:15.224-08:002011-02-08T21:14:15.224-08:00Melissa,
If I remember correctly, teacher raises ...Melissa,<br /><br />If I remember correctly, teacher raises amounted to about $4M.Kathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20394577834366041392011-02-08T20:50:18.730-08:002011-02-08T20:50:18.730-08:00Ok, so Title II can be used for class size reducti...Ok, so Title II can be used for class size reduction (how much $ is that?) and $(14M-1.4M)= $12.6M of Title I can be spent on something other than professional development. Right now we have something like 80+ 'coaches' on grant spending, which is likely to be Title I or II. At $95K per coach, that is $7,600,000.<br /><br />Let's free that up for 'class size reduction' (which this month means 27 in kindergarten instead of 30) and maybe even more class size reduction in Title I schools (so poor kids 'only' have to have 25 kids in their classrooms).<br /><br />My point is that Title money could go to support WSS if professional development coaches were cut (even those 'on grant' not paid from general funds.)<br /><br />What am I missing Meg?Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17884835055109099022011-02-08T19:41:42.816-08:002011-02-08T19:41:42.816-08:00Kathy makes a good point. What other government e...Kathy makes a good point. What other government entity gave out raises this year across a wide swath of employees? SPS to both teachers and principals. Now it is interesting that SPS put the teachers' raises into the levy (which could have failed and then "sorry, no raise") but they didn't do that to the principals (even though they knew that when they finally approved a contract, principals would get a raise).<br /><br />By March or so, when we know what the Legislature is going to do and it's bad, people might want to think about organizing around using the supplemental levy to help WSS. The money can be used for anything (except for the part for teachers' raises which is a contractual obligation).Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-80505079313505045692011-02-08T19:06:20.057-08:002011-02-08T19:06:20.057-08:00My estimate is 80-100+ coaches, based on numbers f...My estimate is 80-100+ coaches, based on numbers from the exec director of finance, the CFOO and recent district numbers showing how many FTEs got pulled from Supervision of Instruction (and how many got added to teaching).<br /><br />29 have assignments to the Stanford center (a couple of these folks may be on leave, but I'm not sure). The bulk of those are in Instructional Services. Coaches that work in schools are assigned to schools.<br /><br />SPS receives somewhere in the neighborhood of $14M in Title I money, and 10% of that money must be used for professional development. Cathy Thompson, at the 1/26 budget workshop, stated that the professional development must be IN schools receiving Title I money. SPS budgets around $95K for a full-time coach (fully loaded cost). SPS could do other types of professional development with the ~$1.4M of Title I money that must be spent on PD, but if coaching is their choice, they've fulfilled their Title spending duties at about 16 coaches.<br /><br />Ms. Thompson also said that some coaches are funded with Title II, which can be used for class size reduction.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12795753563127975720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29724206837395152702011-02-08T19:04:41.026-08:002011-02-08T19:04:41.026-08:00Here is my problem.
Over the past couple of years...Here is my problem.<br /><br />Over the past couple of years, the state has been cutting funds to SPS. At the same time, the district spent money and time creating an even bigger bureaucracy to institute controversial and ineffective ed. reform initiatives. <br /><br /> The district also entered into contractual agreements with SEA... The district contracted with 1600 teachers to provide mentor pay, career ladder stipends etc. I can't imagine the district having an actual number on this project.<br /><br />These expenditures are non-sustainable.<br /><br />The district is firing people at the same time they are handing out raises. Does this make sense?<br /><br />The district proposes cutting up to $6M from the WSS. Loss of $6M from our classrooms would be a disaster. The district also considers continued cutting of WSS an option!Kathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-88228406439641024712011-02-08T17:14:11.586-08:002011-02-08T17:14:11.586-08:00Someone asked and I tried to total up what the cut...Someone asked and I tried to total up what the cuts I suggest add up to and I come up with - roughly - $25M.<br /><br />I have no idea how many "coaches" there are out there so when I say "cut half", I don't have a number.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-34225685408614276482011-02-08T17:03:53.426-08:002011-02-08T17:03:53.426-08:00Keep in mind that teaching is no longer just direc...Keep in mind that teaching is no longer just direct instruction - around $10M of costs charged to teaching are for professional development coaches. <br /><br />zb - I think you're right that there may be some unintended consequences to schools and students as a result of cuts. But there is literally almost no way to slice the data and find that SPS central administration is in line with other districts. SPS has a larger administrative spend per student than other districts, a larger administrative percentage budget than other districts, a much higher compound annual growth rate in administration than other districts.... and on. <br /><br />And what's strange about this overgrown administration is that it is <em>not</em> helping schools deliver a better education than other districts, or making sure that SPS is in total compliance. The recent audit report was the worst for any district in the state of Washington, ever, and it's for a district that has the economies of scale to be able to have specialists for issues, specialists that smaller districts (with many of the same issues with a hugely diverse student body) can't afford. And yet those districts have managed compliance and efficiency where SPS has not.<br /><br />Which makes me ask: if SPS is already out of compliance on numerous fronts, botching alignment efforts, messing up enrollment projections and staffing adjustments... how much do we have to lose by making deep cuts to Central Administration? I'm sure there are places where it would really be felt by students - but I am talking about administration, not district-wide costs (transportation, maintenance, custodial, nurses, OT/PTs, speech therapists and other staff whose work is a district-wide cost, not an administrative cost). <br /><br />So what do people here perceive as necessary parts of Central Administration and why?Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12795753563127975720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-46706981884461089902011-02-08T15:50:27.145-08:002011-02-08T15:50:27.145-08:00Melissa, Check back in with a board member re: spe...Melissa, Check back in with a board member re: specifics on the long-term idea of moving some? all? athletics mgmt. costs onto a 3rd party. I believe it was the same group that already does a lot of the op-rec organization in the city. I think they are in the exploratory phase, but they appear serious about that exploration. Again, not for 2011-12 implementation.Central Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05411595538958030193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-44268110794719861952011-02-08T15:18:17.776-08:002011-02-08T15:18:17.776-08:00Curious, that's not something the staff put ou...Curious, that's not something the staff put out in those stats so I can't say for sure. What I do know is some work that is being done at the central level would just stop but likely not affect the schools in a noticeable way. Some might be and yes, at the schools, some might have to do more.<br /><br />There is no way around what we are facing down. I'm looking into how much parents might be allowed to do to help. I am TOTALLY against the reduction in custodial work. We are the ONLY district in the state currently doing every 3rd day. Bellevue does it every day. But maybe if we steady state at every third day, perhaps there can be a 10 minute "pick up around your desk" or during recess clean-up time.<br /><br />Honestly, I think this will only be this bad for a year or so. Reductions, suspensions or on hold programs won't have to go away; they may just have to wait.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-55826011968409945612011-02-08T15:02:06.889-08:002011-02-08T15:02:06.889-08:00I'm all for looking at all of the options and ...I'm all for looking at all of the options and everyone here knows a great deal more than I do, but in some cases, I'm concerned that taking away staff or programs from one area will just put the cost in another. <br /><br />For example, if central administration is reduced and the schools need to take on more, won't they need additional staff at the school? (Although, one can assume at possibly a lower salary.)<br /><br />And if high school students all took running start classes, isn't there a cost for that somewhere?<br /><br />It would be useful to see if districts with smaller centrals staffs have more administration at the school level. <br /><br />- curiousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14675535563981798942011-02-08T14:51:53.857-08:002011-02-08T14:51:53.857-08:00Running start classes aren't free. When a stu...Running start classes aren't free. When a student does running start, the district has to pay the community college. Also, state attendence laws make attendence complusory from 8-18. <br /><br />AnnieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-69038807007286307282011-02-08T14:20:45.440-08:002011-02-08T14:20:45.440-08:00I love it - we can't afford to provide a compl...I love it - we can't afford to provide a complete day of education to our teenagers so let's just move them on to college - ready or not...Marionnoreply@blogger.com