tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post7356520827669952547..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Budget Work Session (Continued)Melissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65952909416454112032011-01-18T10:09:02.473-08:002011-01-18T10:09:02.473-08:00I asked Betty Patu for a copy of the budget back i...I asked Betty Patu for a copy of the budget back in June. She said the board only gets a hard copy, not electronic. I guess that makes it harder for the information to get "leaked" to the public.SC Parentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-19217935537771402882011-01-17T13:34:32.028-08:002011-01-17T13:34:32.028-08:00The question about Kindles got me thinking. If we ...The question about Kindles got me thinking. If we want virtual books, then we will need something for kids to read those books on. Otherwise we increase printing costs, which are already substantial, not to mention the great waste of resources for single use print-outs. Not every child has a computer at home, and there are not enough computers in the school for children to use those for reading. When we calculate savings for transferring to virtual books, we have to include a method to read those books.Sydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715140880268606856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-72300086603199069812011-01-15T15:40:17.469-08:002011-01-15T15:40:17.469-08:00On the slide showing the growth of the budget gap,...On the slide showing the growth of the budget gap, it doesn't note that SPS's budgeted expenditures have gone up ~$80 million since 2007-08, from $481M in 2007-08 to $566.9M for 2010-11. Just to note it explicitly, that's an 18% jump in expenditures. <br /><br />Revenues increased. Revenue increased by 11% in the same time period, from $483M to $537.6M. <br /><br />The gap slide makes it looks as if SPS has held spending stable and lost huge amounts of revenue, when that doesn't really look like the case at all. <br /><br />The previous slide notes that there's been a $28M increase in expenditures (?!?!?!), but doesn't break that little gem out. And that $28m increase seems like it would be an important number to look at. Are all of those expenditures truly necessary and/or contractually obligated? The information provided sure doesn't fill us in.<br /><br />Looking at the long and poorly budgeted strategic plan slide(seriously, how is "no change" letting us know how much a strategic plan project costs?) makes me think that there are an awful lot of projects related to the strategic plan. And it doesn't even look as if they're all listed. <br /><br />The Moss Adams report also mentioned that amongst the problems the district had - one of which was a dysfunctional, inefficient central administration with no accountability and very little transparency - was that they were trying to undertake too many plans at once, resulting in something of a hot mess. Sound familiar? It's almost hard to believe the report was written in 2003.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12795753563127975720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62862228400563700282011-01-15T10:04:45.714-08:002011-01-15T10:04:45.714-08:00Thurston, you misread me (or I wasn't clear, p...Thurston, you misread me (or I wasn't clear, probably that).<br /><br />Kay meant they could continue funding what they were doing at the Level 1 and 2 schools as they have been with the $3.1M, not buy Kindles. That was a random thought she had about the textual materials.<br /><br />I'm with Charlie; they may not have a line item budget with everything pulled out all in one place. They are loath to create such a document because well, then we would know how the money is spent. <br /><br />I continue to shake my head how BEX III money (Interest? I'm not sure) goes to pay off the bond on the headquarters.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-76635487466151749472011-01-15T09:46:07.052-08:002011-01-15T09:46:07.052-08:00Actually, they might not.
Sounds like the board s...<i>Actually, they might not.</i><br /><br />Sounds like the board should adopt a policy that the district publish line item budgets on their website.Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16540428343439198125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-51964025514512367332011-01-15T07:21:45.181-08:002011-01-15T07:21:45.181-08:00Bird wrote: "I find that completely bizarre. ...Bird wrote: "<i>I find that completely bizarre. They must have a line item budget for their own internal purpose.</i>"<br /><br />Actually, they might not.<br /><br />One of the problems that the Moss/Adams review discovered was that no one at the District ever compares actually spending to the budget. And, for sure, no one ever cuts off the actual spending when it reaches the budgeted amount.<br /><br />We have seen how the budgets for some things are made. We saw them develop the budget for STEM. It started with some numbers and vague guesses about where the money would come from. Then, which each passing revision the numbers rose with no reference to what was NOT funded to fund STEM instead. Then, when the actual spending started it all exceeded the budgeted numbers with no mention of where the addition money came from or what was de-funded by it.<br /><br />Think of how little thought or concern went into all that spending.<br /><br />Every spending decision is just a decision to spend money on the chosen activity but, in this zero-sum budget, a decision to de-fund another activity. One of the critical missing data points is the de-funded activities.<br /><br />MAP isn't just costing us millions, it is also costing us the targeted interventions that those millions would have otherwise paid for.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91556036516948078562011-01-15T02:32:47.297-08:002011-01-15T02:32:47.297-08:00"Kay ... referenced Kindles. She also asked i..."Kay ... referenced Kindles. She also asked if they focused just on the 22 Level 1 and 2 schools, they could probably fund those with just $3.1M."<br /><br />Kindles? Really? Somehow my kid is literate without one. <br /> I appreciate Kay looking out for us here in the south end, but I've got to believe there are better uses for $3.1M in these dire times. Call me old-fashioned.<br /><br />-thurstonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43138319434329759212011-01-14T21:03:02.879-08:002011-01-14T21:03:02.879-08:00I have wanted what Bird is requesting for a long t...<i>I have wanted what Bird is requesting for a long time, and have asked Board members. MY understanding is that there is no uch break-out doc made available at least to Board members. Closest is OSPI report.</i><br /><br />I find that completely bizarre. They must have a line item budget for their own internal purpose. <br /><br />It's troubling that they don't make such a budget public like other districts.Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16540428343439198125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21691347929844077282011-01-14T20:45:51.331-08:002011-01-14T20:45:51.331-08:00And the other thing I want is beakout of costs/ex...And the other thing I want is beakout of costs/expenses/salaries/line items by department.<br /><br />AccountingParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-44955971066673150472011-01-14T20:37:25.519-08:002011-01-14T20:37:25.519-08:00I have wanted what Bird is requesting for a long t...I have wanted what Bird is requesting for a long time, and have asked Board members. MY understanding is that there is no uch break-out doc made available at least to Board members. Closest is OSPI report.<br /><br />AccountingParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20087042507685915242011-01-14T17:23:13.466-08:002011-01-14T17:23:13.466-08:00Yes, Charlie, exactly. And that frustration was lo...Yes, Charlie, exactly. And that frustration was loud and clear from Michael et al. <br /><br />As for the details of the gap, I have seen better information on that but am not sure exactly where.<br /><br />As for the supplemental levy money, well, 5.9 million is earmarked for textbook adoption, some for the teachers contract and not very much else is left. It appears that even though we voted for 16M a year, we won't get that much. There is still a levy lid and therefore we can only get a certain percentage of what the state provides. So if the state provides less -- the supplemental levy is worth less. Last estimate I saw was that we would get 13M in first year, which just about covers the textbook thing and the CBA but not more.Dorothy Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17108759281089768738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-68056642424402285632011-01-14T17:05:35.795-08:002011-01-14T17:05:35.795-08:00Thanks for the link to the Powerpoint, but this is...Thanks for the link to the Powerpoint, but this is the most un-helpful set of information that I can imagine.<br /><br />Look at the first slide with numbers, #4:<br />How did we get to $36.6 million?<br /><br />Revenue: $8.2<br />Expenditure Increases: ($28.3)<br />One-Time Use of Resources: ($16.5)<br />---------------<br />Gap ($36.6)<br /><br />Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but the District's revenue is SIGNIFICANTLY greater than $8.2 million. Is this supposed to represent only revenue increases over the previous year? If so, then where's the money from the supplemental levy? That's supposed to be about $16 million.<br /><br />The very next slide, on the accumulated budget gaps is a complete mystery to me. What is the message here? It appears to show that the District has spent $550 million each of the three years shown without regard to the fact that revenue was much less than that, but that can't possibly be the case. So what does this slide mean?<br /><br />Slide 7, Key Points to Remember:<br />"<i>Our reductions must allow the strategic foundation that has been built to stay in place</i>" Really? Says who?<br /><br />Then comes the menu of Strategic Plan initiatives, on slides 11-13. Only the menu isn't complete and the prices aren't right. What's up with that?<br /><br />Amond the staff's recommended cuts is a potential savings of $2-4 million with bus route changes. Why aren't they doing that now? Why is use of reserves listed as two separate items?<br /><br />aaachhhh! This is really frustrating, meaningless, and pointless! There is nothing here that can be used to get an understanding of the situation or the options or could be used as the basis of a decision.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-12505546675619106682011-01-14T14:47:39.316-08:002011-01-14T14:47:39.316-08:00So how did the 27,000 student Kent SD spend $507 p...So how did the 27,000 student Kent SD spend $507 per kid in 2008-2009, when Seattle spent $1122?<br /><br />Who will get back to us on that?dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-38308762602206291772011-01-14T14:38:59.915-08:002011-01-14T14:38:59.915-08:00OMG!! They lied again!!!
This time to voters.
...<b>OMG!! They lied again!!!<br /> This time to voters.</b><br /><br /><i>(And FYI, here's what the district said in their FAQs about the <b>supplemental levy: Central Administration at SPS is 6.25% </b>for 2010-2011, compared with <b>8%</b> for districts across the state in 2008-2009)</i> <br /><br />According to OSPI on this <a href="http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?year=2009-10" rel="nofollow">page</a>. 2008-2009 spending on Central Admin averaged 7% not 8% and that average was $659 per kid. This is $659 of $9809, which is <b><i>6.72%</i></b>.<br /><br />Now the District will likely spend around $12,000 per student and 6.25% of that = $750.<br /><br />The numbers from OSPI provided clearly show Average Spending on Central Admin of $659 = 6.72% in 2008-2009<br /><br />District proposes to spend 6.25%, which will be about $750 per kid. In 2008-2009 Seattle Spent $1122 of $12,078, which was 9.29%. Now the question is: How are they going to save $372 per kid? Look for reclassification of items out of central admin to other areas would be my guess. What is the figure for academic coaches for teachers? Where is that found?dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-40649612652282572092011-01-14T14:11:01.183-08:002011-01-14T14:11:01.183-08:00Forgive me if this is a clueless question, but whe...Forgive me if this is a clueless question, but where can I find the line item budget that the district is operating under right now?<br /><br />I can find documents <i>about</i> various budgets on the SPS website, but not the budgets themselves.<br /><br />It took me roughly 10 seconds to find budgets on <a href="http://www.shorelineschools.org/budget/budget_10-11/" rel="nofollow">Shoreline's</a> and <a href="http://www.bsd405.org/default.aspx?tabID=3817" rel="nofollow">Bellevue's</a> websites.Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16540428343439198125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-53229291614750841402011-01-14T13:25:22.292-08:002011-01-14T13:25:22.292-08:00The Board has clearly and finally realized what ha...The Board has clearly and finally realized what has been obvious to many for some time: SPS protects and serves it's people at JSCEE first and puts schools and kids at the end of the line. <br /><br />It is irresponsible and downright shameful for MGJ & Co to maintain this charade of "aggressively attacking the achievement gap" blah, blah, blah, while spending millions we don't have on crap we don't need, and most importantly, which does little to nothing for "the kids." <br /><br />I envision staff getting together with MGJ & Kennedy strategizing how to best characterize and categorize in order to subvert possible board objections and stay on track with their agendas, no matter what suffering or negative consequences might befall the community, because MGJ and her types are all about themselves first. <br /><br />The fact that MGJ is an objective failure at providing clear information or telling the truth to the community is not only grounds for termination, but a badge of shame on her reputation. She knows better, and doesn't care. <br /><br />It's not about our kids. It's about the AGENDA of the REFORMERS increasingly being put in charge of our kids. <br /><br />In lean times we need to live within our means. Everyone else knows this, and is doing so, but only SPS seems to think they can continue to charge on full steam ahead with their aggressive agendas to nowhwere without trimming costs, reigning in some of their agenda or re-evaluating. <br /><br />The Public Education Crash that's coming on account of these people will be worse than Wall Street's if we don't get these people out of public ed, and fast.wseadawghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08750439461734046035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29941312957626912412011-01-14T12:12:39.554-08:002011-01-14T12:12:39.554-08:00I have to say that this is the most hopeful report...I have to say that this is the most hopeful report of a work session that I have heard in a long time. I hate the gaps, but I love hearing the pushback from the Board. <br /><br />BTW, another reason most principals hate MAP is that the District doesn't (or doesn't always) fund the computer lab improvements needed to have testing in one location. When we increased the number of computers in the library at our school, they blew the fuses. For a while, the District was trying to put the electrical improvements on the school budget, so the improvements weren't happening. We've made the improvements now, but I don't know if that was building or central funds.Eric Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-85899239757295915062011-01-14T12:09:26.689-08:002011-01-14T12:09:26.689-08:00How much of the Title 1 and LAP money are they sit...How much of the Title 1 and LAP money are they sitting on? <br /><br />Also the statement made about "will change how we think about how we do our jobs..." What do they think cutting school budgets do to teachers and admin every year? CHANGE IS HARD!<br />-tired of suckin'it up<br /><br />WV: redpalin. hmmmm. So many possible (non-violent )ways to play with that...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-10212965461609960372011-01-14T11:40:04.101-08:002011-01-14T11:40:04.101-08:00Charlie is right, I think the staff doesn't wa...Charlie is right, I think the staff doesn't want the Board to question their decisions and they see the Board presentations as a hoop to jump through rather than an opportunity to find improvements, so they do confusing and long presentations with the intent of running out the clock. And as long as the Board lets the staff get away with doing this, it will continue.Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-81053498082285358602011-01-14T11:14:35.343-08:002011-01-14T11:14:35.343-08:00The staff intentionally mis-labels things, swaps a...The staff intentionally mis-labels things, swaps around names and jargon, and confuses meanings specifically to obscure understanding of their actions.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62811647175122920442011-01-14T10:59:29.992-08:002011-01-14T10:59:29.992-08:00I thought that the ARRA money was stimulus money a...I thought that the ARRA money was stimulus money and is gone, thus the reduction (not that I support reducing special ed.)<br /><br />Ah, that last thing about closing programs? Well, the person who took my copy of the power point (he said he would give it back) was someone from South Lake. He came a little late, asked me if South Lake had been discussed yet, borrowed my powerpoint to show to his boss across the room, stuck around for a long time and then left (without returning my powerpoint copy). I left at 8:30 before the meeting wrapped up so I have no idea if that slide ever got addressed.Dorothy Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17108759281089768738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21674024557561842082011-01-14T10:40:27.599-08:002011-01-14T10:40:27.599-08:00•reduce Special Ed ARRA expenditures"
...hop...•reduce Special Ed ARRA expenditures"<br /><br />...hoping somebody can offer a lucid explanation here? ARRA is the funding that implements IDEA to help meet the unique needs of children with disabilities. Again, where is the vision and leadership here? When a whole class of children in a school district cannot meet any state standards even though they are cognitively able to do so, the Board should be having no trouble at all figuring out its priorities. <br /><br />ParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com