NEAT - info about SPPS budget: http://tinyurl.com/3gt66 _________________________________________ >From what I have been able to tell in my own experience is that Area Superintendents keep the "real" complaints of parents and others of the Superintendent's desk, and allow her to do "other" things. Oddly enough, in my case, I was not able to get my "area superintendent" to call me back, when my son was brutally beat up in a stairwell at Expo Middle School. It took over a month for the Area Superintendent to call me back to tell me "there was nothing they could do, to assist me with any further information about the incident. Now, if they are getting paid what has been stated they are being paid, that is too much for too little in my estimation.
I would echo that if the schools all have good Principals, it is there job to handle the problems they can handle in house, and if they are not able to do so, then they should be sent to the HEAD SUPERINTENDENT to handle. For a position of this nature to exceed the rate of pay of the highest elected official in this state, (namely the Governor), this is absolutely and unequivocally out of line. The rate of pay is too high, the car allowance is ridiculous, and we need to reign the whole compensation package in. One parting question for people to chew on: "Are there not any qualified people in the State of Minnesota to take on the Superintendent job for the Saint Paul School District? I am tired of importing talent with an exorbitant price tag. Pamela Ellison Como Park Saint Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: "Terri O'Brien Menke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 11:03 PM Subject: Re: [StPaul] What is causing SPPS budget woes? > NEAT - info about SPPS budget: > http://tinyurl.com/3gt66 > _________________________________________ > > > Hello, > > Thanks for your comments Tom. Your comments raised > more questions than answers for me. I've identified > some of my questions below and I hope that those > closest to the issue including teachers, > administrators, students, and parents with children in > the schools will share what they know. > > You (Tom Swift) state, "People who leave the system do > so for a variety of reasons, but the fact is that they > are leaving; and if we really do care about public > education, we must be willing to examine the system as > it stands with a critical eye." > > I am interested in knowing how many people are leaving > the system. How many people are satisfied with the > education that is being provided? Have any surveys > been conducted to determine the incidence of students > fleeing St. Paul schools in the last few years? > > You questioned the legitimacy of spending money on two > health and social service programs. How do > reproductive health and social services such as "Out > for Equity" impact child and adolescent development? > What will happen if they are eliminated? Is this an > issue based on values, rather than on data? What do > the health teachers say about the impact of these > programs? > > You (Tom) claim that "SPPS budget woes stem from > several issues, however lack of funds is not one of > them." > > Many factors influence how well the budget dollars > impact the classroom. For example, rising health care > costs and an increase in the number of teachers high > on the salary scale are factors that impact whether > dollars make it into the classroom. What are the > factors, and how can they be controlled? How much > money is needed to facilitate a productive, engaged > learning experience for students? > > You state that, "As Mr. Hill correctly pointed out, > district 625 has made its political partnerships a > budgetary priority." > > What are the benefits and drawbacks of a school > district engaging in political partnerships and hiring > political lobbyists? Who benefits? Who loses? > > You state, "District 625 spends approximately > $3,000,000.00 per year for its 5 Area Superintendents, > their support staff and overhead." You identify this > expenditure as a "tactical financial extravagance." > Given that each school has a Principal in charge of > daily operations, what would be the impact on schools > if the area Superintendant positions were eliminated? > What do area Superintendants do? How would we be able > to determine whether these positions are worthwhile if > we do not work in the system? > > Your last line mentioned an "elephant in the > room"--the "blue-collar teacher's union." You say > that you will be addressing this soon. Whether or not > one supports unions is, of course, value-laden. > Teacher's unions have an interesting history--they > arose from, among other things, poor working > conditions, low pay, and gender discrimination. What > can our history tell us about the benefits and > drawbacks of teacher's unions? > > I look forward to hearing responses from the members > of the forum. > > Terri O'Brien Menke > Como Park > > ===== > Terri O'Brien Menke > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want. > http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools > _____________________________________________ > SPPS Budget Reduction Forum - Feb. 23-27 > Co-Sponsored By NEAT: http://www.stpaulneat.org/ > _____________________________________________ > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > Archive Address: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > _____________________________________________ SPPS Budget Reduction Forum - Feb. 23-27 Co-Sponsored By NEAT: http://www.stpaulneat.org/ _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
