OEA ratifies contract; RIF defunct

The Olympia School District will be able to return all its RIFed teachers this year, thanks to the new contract overwhelmingly ratified by the Olympia Education Association last night.

Some of the major changes for the next contract year include...

* A reduction from 30 staff development (optional training) building, District, and teacher-directed hours to 12 teacher-directed hours.

* Reduction to 177 student days; 3 days out of the 180 in the school year are now non-student training days.

* A cap on overload payments at $866,0760

* 3 additional "optional day" hours (to mitigate a portion of the pay cut)

* School's out June 15, 2012, absent any snow days

The three non-student days are at least a little closer to the furlough the state didn't provide.

All in all, this is good news. Not great news--cuts are cuts--but good news.

OEA recommends school board candidates

The Olympia Education Association's Candidate Interview Team recently interviewed the three candidates running for election to the Olympia School District Board of Directors: Allen Miller, Mark Campeau, and Eileen Thomson. In this unusual election season, all three are running for the first time after having previously served via appointment to their respective positions--and all three are running unopposed.

Allen Miller
The OEA Candidate Interview Team recommends Director Allen Miller for the Olympia School Board District 2 position. Director Miller expanded on his written responses during an interview on October 15th at the OEA office. He emphasized the importance of open communication, trust, respect and collaboration as key elements in his role as a Board member and across groups and interests in the district. Director Miller stated that he would use the District’s Strategic Plan to guide his decisions on policy and the district budget. In budget development, Director Miller listed his priorities as, first, keeping future cuts as far from the classroom as possible, and second, employing a transparent, inclusive process. Director Miller invited communication from teachers and suggested that email was the best way to contact him with questions or concerns. We encourage Director Miller to take a more proactive role in reaching out to faculty and staff across the District.

Mark Campeau
The OEA Candidate Interview Team recommends Director Mark Campeau for the Olympia School Board District 5 position. Director Campeau responded to questions during an interview on October 15th at the OEA office. He identified the importance of the Board’s role in providing clear, strong policy leadership as a key element in improving student learning. Director Campeau felt that the District’s Strategic Plan was a good guiding document for the Board to use in its decision-making processes for budget and policy issues. He emphasized the need for adequate resources to allow teachers to meet the needs of their current students. He stated that he had enjoyed visiting buildings and talking with teaching staff and emphasized the importance of hearing from a variety of sources about concerns and successes in the District. He plans to continue his visits. Director Campeau included maintaining class size and programs focused on improving student learning as key considerations in the budget development process. We applaud Director Campeau for his efforts to build relationships with faculty and staff across the District.

Eileen Thompson
The OEA Candidate Interview Team recommends Director Eileen Thompson for the Olympia School Board District 3 position. Director Thompson responded in writing to questions from the Candidate Interview Team. In her responses, she included open access, improved communication and improving student learning as critical elements to be addressed in her role as a member of the Board. Director Thompson felt that the District’s Strategic Plan should serve as the guiding document for her decisions on the Board. In the budget process, she emphasized maintaining an open, inclusive process and keeping future cuts away from the classroom as priorities. Director Thompson stated that she has enjoyed spending time in buildings and welcomes communication with staff members. We applaud Director Thomson for her efforts to include new voices in the District conversation.



For the second election running, the OEA Candidate Interview Team included myself, Sharyn Merrigan, and Dan McCartan.

how to solve the budget shortfall

Yesterday I posted a recent RIF update from the District, promising to post some information from David Johnston on some figures under consideration. These are his words, from the OEA newsletter, on how the District might make up its roughly $2 million shortfall.

• Reduction of certificated employees. (The board previously approved a possible reduction of 37.5 FTEs but can reduce or even eliminate that number.)
• Lowering the Ending Fund Balance (EFB). Currently the projected EFB will be 7%. Board policy is to attempt to maintain the EFB at 5%. Each 1% reduction in the EFB means $850,000 available to make up the $2 million shortfall.
• Reduction in programs. As the recent OSD survey determined, community and staff certainly value current programs but OEA firmly believes that in the matrix of competing values, certificated positions, people teaching kids, are valued even more. The District will come out with a non-certificated cut list soon. We should all look at it closely and give input. A line item OEA is particularly interested in is for curriculum adoption. Delaying adoption for next year saves $450,000.
• Increasing Revenues. Never an easy thing to do, but other districts are looking at increasing pay for play. An even more viable possibility is if the Legislature goes into special session and approves a levy lid lift. This action alone would free up $1.5 million that voters have already approved, but that OSD cannot collect without legislative action. This option alone nearly solves the current shortfall in Olympia.

The levy lid option seems more and more feasible every day.

Meanwhile, today's Olympian covers the extracurricular angle.

In the Olympia School District, a middle school committee recommended reductions that would cut $61,000. Part of those recommendations include moving track from an interscholastic program to an intramural program and reducing the number of turnouts from five to four days a week.

“We’re waiting to see what the number amount of what the cuts would be and then we’ll make some recommendations,” said Jeff Carpenter, coordinator of health, fitness and athletics for the Olympia School District....

Carpenter said there might be reductions in programs, coaching positions and travel restrictions. However, the district is not expected to increase its pay-to-participate fee from $120 per sport.

Lots to chew on before the upcoming budget forums, May 19, Marshall Middle School, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., and May 21, Washington Middle School, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Olympia School District RIF update: May 4

Tomorrow, I'll post some information from WEA Prez, David Johnston, on some RIF and budget figures under consideration. Today, though, via email from the RIF team:

This is the 11th message from the RIF Communication Team. We have two questions to respond to today.

Question: After a RIF has occurred, if circumstances change, will certificated employees have an option to be placed back into their original job if it becomes available?

Answer: Under the OEA/OSD contract Appendix A Section V, Sub C "Individuals who do not retain their original position during this reduction-in-force process will be given involuntary transfer status."

Individuals with involuntary transfer status may request assignment to a vacancy that is announced and to which they are qualified. Employees with involuntary transfer status have preference over other equally-qualified applicants who have not been involuntarily transferred.

If more than one employee who has been involuntarily transferred applies for a position, the most senior employee has highest preference. Once any employee in this scenario selects a position, he/she is no longer considered an involuntary transfer.

The key question, of course, is just how many teachers will find themselves in this situation. As I'll explain tomorrow, it's still impossible to say.

Question: Why do you send out emails even when you have nothing to report?

Answer: One primary concern in the previous RIF a few years ago was that employees didn't have timely information. The RIF Communication Team feels it is important that employees know both when there is new information and when there is not. In the future, when the team has no new information, we will put that in the subject line of the email.

That's a welcome improvement, since about 3-4 of the previous emails were essentially "no new information."

Overall, this RIF process, despite the calamitous circumstances, has been vastly better managed than previous editions. Hopefully it'll be the last.

Tumwater proposes cuts; Olympia to follow

The Tumwater School District could lose as many as twelve teachers in the coming months, The Olympian reports.

Tumwater classrooms might have 3 percent fewer teachers next year as part of the district’s $1.7 million in cuts for 2009-10 to meet a projected budget shortfall.

That would be the equivalent of six full-time certificated staff members at the elementary school level and six at the middle and high school levels. It also would be the first time the district has responded to a budget shortfall with teacher layoffs in recent memory.

The pain is going to spread all over Thurston County. The Olympia School Board recently voted to send RIF notices to roughly 100 teachers by May 15. According to a union rep, in the worst-case scenario, as many as 55 positions might be eliminated.

Fifty-five. No way normal attrition covers that.

I have no idea what to expect for next year. I'm #97 on the RIF list, so even if I keep my job, I may not stay at my present location. No matter where I end up, it'll be a packed house.

Like many coaches, I could see a significant reduction in my supplemental contract, or its outright elimination. How this would affect the future of activities and athletics district-wide is an open question.

Makes this meeting pretty important:

The Olympia School District Board of Directors will hold a public hearing at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 20, 2009, at the Knox Center, 1113 Legion Way SE, Olympia, Washington 98501. The forum is being held to receive input from the community on the use of Initiative 728 funds for the 2009-2010 school year.

A regular meeting of the Olympia School District Board of Directors will follow at 6:30 p.m.

You might want to attend.

time for districts to slash health care costs

Insurance has one simple rule: the larger the risk pool, the lower the cost.

It's time for Washington's school districts to save millions of dollars for themselves and their employees by joining the state's health insurance system.

The same coverage for a fraction of the cost.

The downside, primarily, would be less flexibility for some. But the upside, the saved money and jobs, would be far, far greater.

If your district hasn't signed up, maybe it's time.

That's right, Olympia School District and Olympia Education Association. It's time.

Olympia School District joins state lawsuit

It has approved a stopgap levy, too, but the news with statewide implications is that one of the state's leading districts has joined the legal fight to secure sufficient funding for education.

A coalition known as the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools sued the state in January, claiming that the state "has not upheld its constitutional obligation to fully fund public education for all children."

Monday's Olympia School Board vote means the Olympia district will spend $5,000 to join that lawsuit, and the Olympia Education Association — the local teachers' union — also will contribute $5,000.

"This is a potentially defining moment for education in the state of Washington," said OEA president David Johnston, who encouraged the school board to vote to join the lawsuit. "There is a fundamental crisis in education support."

This is the Board's first major action since the hotly contested election, and, hopefully, shows a glimpse of things to come: a focus on collaboration when tackling the upcoming budget crunch--and whatever else is headed our way.

this year's strange and confusing School Board races

Commentator msndis asks some good questions about the WEA's funding lawsuit against the state, and its relation to the current Board races. I'll answer each in turn.

Have you (as a union member I assume) talked to Russ Lehman about this?

Yes, I'm a (low-ranking) union member. No, I haven't personally spoken to Russ Lehman about why he pushed for the lawsuit without taking steps required by the WEA; my knowledge of the situation comes from discussions with union leaders. If they have more specific comments about the situation, they're free to speak up.

If the union is so in favor of this idea, why aren't the teachers actively working on this? Has the union been working with Nafziger, Parvinen and Barclift on this? If so, why hasn't it been suggested by one of them at a Board meeting? As you know, they do have a majority and can pass anything they'd like.

Since the issue was first floated, the situation has changed immensely. First, Shirley and Lehman voted against the "simple majority" resolution (a resolution strongly supported by the union). Second, Lehman and Shirley surprised the Board with a "merit pay for principals" plan, backed neither by the principals nor the union. Third, Lehman sent a threatening email to the union insinuating that the Endorsement Committee (of which I was a member) had base motives for choosing Frank Wilson over Jeff Nejedly. The strange turn of events, combined with bad timing (now that the campaign has heated up and the crush of the school year is full on), has put the lawsuit issue on the backburner, at least as far as I can see.

Part of the lawsuit issue is that, at this point, the District's joining is largely symbolic, since there are already several other plaintiffs. Add to that a tight budget and the intense personal feelings on both sides, and I'm not surprised that the combination of personal and situational factors had led to the present impasse.

It appears to me the union wants to have the status quo maintained and back the board members who have the majority but aren't doing anything to help the union.

Most people forget that, up until recently, the Board had voted unanimously 90% of the time, largely agreeing on the direction the District should go, and the Board's role in that process. It should be added that all the current Board members have, at various points, disagreed with the union. But there are disagreements, and there are disagreements.

What do Barclift, Nafziger and Parvinen do that benefits the teachers in the district? I'd like specific examples.

Parvinen is a bit of a moot point, since she's leaving, and her replacement, whether Wilson or Nejedly, will be a different voice on the Board. Barclift and Nafziger...

• By and large, have trusted teachers' and administrators' judgment in instructional and curricular issues.
• Have advocated at the state level for a more stable funding structure for basic education.
• Have supported a Strategic Plan to streamline the budget process, reduce waste, and set priorities.
• Have supported competitive pay for principals and for our Superintendent.

There have been areas of disagreement between the union and Barclift and Nafziger, but always in good faith.

Now, what do Lehman and Shirley do that doesn't support teachers? I'd like specific examples.

They have...

• Proposed merit pay for principals, despite the objections of principals, the District, and teachers. The scheme, brought out of nowhere at a late budget meeting, and since promoted in The Olympian, is not only counter to the aims of the principals in our district, but is a likely first step toward merit pay for teachers, which brings up all sorts of equity concerns.
• Proposed increasing collaboration time, at untold cost to the district, without asking teachers whether they need more time taken away from classroom instruction, instead of further compensating the time we take over and above the school day. (I don't need more collaboration time to finish the stack of journals I have to grade this weekend.)
• Voted against the simple majority resolution because it was "hyperbolic" and had "poor grammar," even though the resolution comes from the Washington State School District Association and, to this English teacher's eye, was a little clunky, but conceptually sound.

This isn't to say that Lehman and Shirley are anti-teacher, or that Barclift and Nafziger are saints. In fact, the OEA's endorsement of Wilson and Barclift was made based on their experience and capabilities, and not on the political wrangling that came to light after we decided, with Board members lining up on either side. I can't emphasize enough how difficult our decision was, considering the strengths of the candidates in this year's election. Wilson, Nejedly, Gentry-Meltzer, and Barclift are all good people--sometimes I think that, as the campaign intensifies, we forget that.

I can only hope that, no matter the outcome, all involved can put the past in the past, and work toward strengthening what's already one of the best districts in the state.

Back to grading stacks of journals.

LWV forum with Wilson and Nejedly

The LWV forum is finally available online. As you can see, no one in the forum is a professional television personality. And maybe that's a good thing.

For the record, the OEA endorses Wilson.

principals endorse Wilson, Barclift

It's official:

Both the Olympia Education Association and the Olympia Principals Association have endorsed newcomer Frank Wilson for the District 1 seat and incumbent Carolyn Barclift for the District 4 seat.

I'm also heartened by what Nejedly and Meltzer have said:

Meanwhile, their opponents — District 1 candidate Jeff Nejedly and District 4 candidate Lucy Gentry Meltzer — both say they would reach out to teachers and principals if elected, despite not receiving those groups' endorsements.

For both endorsements at least for the OEA, it was a difficult decision. We interviewed and deliberated for hours, spoke with teachers and community members throughout the district, and after a few days, made our decision in good faith, long before this race turned into a slug-fest and ended up dividing the current Board.

No matter who wins, I hope the Board can move forward in a spirit of cooperation and trust.

school board blogging

Not by me, but by Rich Nafziger, responding to the press release by Russ Lehman and Bob Shirley. (The upcoming school board election is turning into one of the more heated in recent memory, as at-odds Board members line up behind opposing candidates.)

On a more positive note, Nafziger also has thoughts on how to "make the best [district] better."

For the record, the OEA endorses Frank Wilson and Carolyn Barclift. I sat on the endorsement committee, interviewing Wilson and Barclift and their opponents, Jeff Nejedly and Lucy Gentry-Meltzer. The decision in each case was difficult--all seem like genuinely good people with a real desire to reach out to the community. We made our choice having no idea that we would get stuck in the middle of a crossfire between competing visions.

[Nafziger link via Emmett O'Connell]

OSD high school enrollment down

140 fewer than the estimate, The Olympian reports.

That's likely to mean a $692,000 drop in district revenue this school year, Jim Crawford, the assistant superintendent for fiscal and operations, told the school board Monday night.

"That's why enrollment is so important," he said.

However, the district's bottom line isn't likely to change much, Crawford said. That's because staff throughout Olympia schools spent less in the 2006-07 school year than previously estimated and because the drop in enrollment means the district won't need to spend as much as initially expected this year.

"It's encouraging to hear that we're in a little better shape despite the declining enrollment," Board President Rich Nafziger said.

However, school board member Bob Shirley said his perspective is tied to the cuts the board likely will need to make next year.

I wonder how much of the decline is simple demographics, and how much is related to the boom in online / homeschool technologies. (With several new housing developments soon to open on the west side, our days of declining enrollment may be coming to a close.)

The funding crunch will be the school board's greatest challenge next year--and they'll have at least one guaranteed new school board member aboard. That's why this year's race is so important.

(For the record, the OEA endorses Frank Wilson and Carolyn Barclift.)

Tom Hill endorses Carolyn Barclift

Barclift, who is already endorsed by the Olympia Education Association, among others, today received Tom Hill's stamp of approval.

I wish to thank those who voted and expressed their confidence in my ability to represent in the race for Olympia School District Position 4 director....

Because of the important issues facing the district, difficult policy questions, budget restraints, and the need to establish priorities, I feel we need an individual who has the background, the experience and understanding of those issues to represent us.

The current school director, Carolyn Barclift has that experience. Carolyn Barclift desires to hear from those who support her, but equally from those who have different points of view. For the position of Olympia school director Position 4, I encourage you to support Carolyn Barclift.

Hill, if you recall, lost to Barclift and Lucy Gentry-Meltzer in the August 21 primary.

In my brief time speaking with him, I found Tom Hill to be a friendly, thoughtful man with an obvious passion for education. I encourage him to continue to participate in our local and state conversation--and to run again the next time the #4 seat is up for election.

voter guide for District 4 candidates now online

If you're voting in the August primary for the Olympia School Board District 4 race, you've probably received your guide by now. Still, just to be sure, the Thurston County Auditor offers it online as well. Here are the candidates' statements [pdf].

I see a lot of readers are looking for information on the three candidates--incumbent Carolyn Barclift and challengers Tom Hill and Lucy Gentry-Meltzer. Surprisingly, none of them has a website, which, in the 21st century, is unbelievable.

I'm here to fill in the gaps. I'm also curious: what would you like to know about the candidates that you're not necessarily finding elsewhere? Email me at the address listed at right.

Also, I should note that the Olympia Education Association endorses Carolyn Barclift for the District 4 position.

watch the Olympia School Board District 4 candidates

Not sure which candidate you should choose in the Olympia School Board District 4 primary? Watch them square off in a League of Women Voters forum. tctvjohn has the video. For the record, the Olympia Education Association endorses incumbent Carolyn Barclift. (Challengers are Tom Hill and Lucy Gentry-Meltzer.)

school board race gets personal

But not in a bad way, as The Olympian profiles the three candidates vying in the primary for the Position 4 seat.

Barclift, an Olympia police officer, has been pressing the district for years to change its budgeting process to look at the entire budget and prioritize items based on a strategic plan. Now that the district is getting closer to using that process, she wants to see it through....

Gentry-Meltzer, a freelance theater designer and educator, said she thinks that after eight years with the same person in the District 4 seat, it’s time for someone new....

Hill, Olympia’s permit/­inspections manager, building official and development engineer, said his school board experience in California plus the problem-solving skills he has honed at work would be beneficial as the school board faces new challenges.

It should be noted that the Olympia Education Association endorses incumbent Carolyn Barclift.

Frank Wilson endorsed by Olympia Education Association

The official blurb:

Frank Wilson is a strong and passionate supporter of public education, with glowing accolades from teachers and administrators who have seen his commitment as a classroom volunteer, PTA officer and Site Council member. Frank's approachable demeanor, cooperative spirit, and willingness to listen make him well suited to serve the community. The Olympia Education Association is proud to endorse him in his campaign for Position One on the Olympia School Board.

The warm, personal, human side: I've met with Frank Wilson a couple times since the OEA chose to endorse him. We've talked about life in the classroom, issues in the district, campaigning in the 21st century, and camping in western Washington.

The requisite disclosure: I sat on the committee that interviewed and chose whether to endorse candidates. I also wrote the blurb.

a tricky question

The union had another round of School Board candidate questioning today, interviewing Lucy Gentry-Meltzer and Tom Hill, both challenging Carolyn Barclift in the upcoming primary. I don't have much to say yet, other than to note a question we didn't ask: What would you do if high school protesters covered in fake blood crashed a school board meeting?

interviews with school board candidates

Watch this space--I'll be posting unofficial commentary on OEA interviews with a couple school board candidates who've agreed to undergo interrogation. The first round is this afternoon.

Update: So far we've met with two opposing candidates for Position 1, Jeff Nejedly and Frank Wilson. Both are in the race for the first time, having worked extensively with parent organizations and other volunteer groups, and both feel strongly that better communication with staff and parents is their fundamental concern.

Once the OEA decides on a course of action, I'll post a more detailed look at the two. For now, I can just say that it's been fascinating to work with other area teachers in designing the questions and evaluating their answers. It's also interesting to see how different people handle interviews--which questions they run with, which questions trip them up.

the Olympia School District and the eternal budget crisis

This isn't new news, but it's news again. After a new report, conflicting pressures from an advisory board mean that the district is going to have to come up with its own plan to trim excess from the budget.

An Olympia School District administration budget proposal slated to be unveiled later this month could be different from the advisory group proposal and likely will cut deeper, district officials said Monday. Superintendent Bill Lahmann said he expects to recommend phasing in the $1.7 million in cuts during the next two years rather than cutting the entire amount this fall.

Budget advisory group members and Olympia school board members both said they had concerns about adding higher fees for sports. Under the proposal — which would require school board approval before it was implemented — pay-to-play fees would increase from $30 to $40 per sport for middle school students and from $75 to $90 per sport for high school students.

You can bet that as the OEA interviews school board candidates for the upcoming election, we're going to ask about those cuts.