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SMUHSD Shortfall Disaster (SM Daily Journal 10.02.06)

Editor,

Sue Lempert's column Who's To Blame? in the Sept. 28 edition of the Daily Journal is spot on in many areas. Her comment As for the school board, the buck stops there? is the key to this whole fiasco. Those who choose to serve on any board? have responsibility for appropriate and active involvement. Those on a school board are classified as Trustees? rather than Directors.? For good reason they have the responsibility to treat their involvement on such a board with greater concern than their own interest. They are not there to micro-manage the school district but to manage the big picture items.

In fact, if they were looking for the district's budget to achieve the mandated 3 percent reserve requirement then were approving the districts goal to earn a C? grade in money management. This would be the same as schools encouraging students not to achieve but to just do the bare minimum necessary to graduate. Reserves should be higher than the minimum and held for either emergencies or specific purpose. Not spent every year because there are extra funds.

Many boards set up specific working committees to assist in the decision making process. They may have a Finance Committee, Programs Committee, Facilities Committee, etc. These committees usually will have outside participants as well as a board member. They look in depth at proposals from the day-to-day management prior to recommendation to the board for action. Thus the board is making informed decisions with outside expert help rather than relying on just input from management.

This school district has proven beyond a doubt it needs oversight and not rubber stamps by its board.

The events of Thursday night's meeting at Capuchino had at least one positive as it appears Ms. Lees-Dwyer sees such a need.

Frank Hunt, Burlingame

– Written by Jen

Posted in

26 responses to “SMUHSD Shortfall Disaster (SM Daily Journal 10.02.06)”

  1. Joanne

    Well stated and right on target. Let’s just hope the nasty personal attacks on the current board don’t discourage qualified people from serving.

  2. Joanne

    I just read Sue Lempert’s editorial that is referenced above. It is worth reading. Go to http://www.smdailyjournal.com, then click on archives on the left, find the September 28, 2006 edition, then click on Opinions.

  3. Joanne

    From the SM Daily Journal Sept.28,2006

    Who’s to blame?
    Sue Lempert

    Who’s to blame? That is the question on the minds of many parents, teachers and friends of the San Mateo Union High School District as its Board of Trustees meets tonight. The board will be acting on recommendations to make major staff cuts of $2.8 million to restore its reserves. State law requires a reserve minimum of 3 percent of the total budget. Meanwhile, as reported by the Daily Journal’s Heather Murtagh, teachers have been demonstrating at each of the district’s high schools, to protest the cuts and ask for a delay in implementing them. Parents and concerned citizens have been calling and e-mailing their concerns.

    How can this great high school district, one of the jewels in the state, get back to its business of educating students with the full support of the teachers and the community?

    For those who insist on playing the blame game, the simple answer is that all the major players are to blame for the current financial squeeze. The lack of appropriate communication and foresight has contributed to a perfect storm.

    One root of the problem is that SMUHSD is a basic aid district. That is usually good news. Basic aid districts are ones located in high-wealth areas that generate property taxes above and beyond what state formulas provide. So ordinarily, because they are not dependent on state revenues, they have an advantage. But after 9/11 many businesses, especially hotels, sued the county for assessing them at an unreasonable rate when their income was in deep fall. The county lost many of these cases and property taxes destined for basic aid school districts had to be rebated. Last year, the district made $1 million in cuts because of these rebates. And this year, when the district had to forego more of their anticipated revenues, the well was dry.

    Administrators say they didn’t expect the rebate problem to reoccur. In fact, they say, county officials told them last year that the rebate loss was an unusual occurrence and probably would not happen again. The district had passed a budget with an employee salary increase in June, using $2 million in reserves to pay for it, with the expectation that those funds would soon be replenished. In July, they found out the bad news. In August, they found out from the County Superintendent of Schools (whose job is to monitor school budgets) they needed to restore their reserves by the end of this month or face outside intervention. Whatever was communicated or not communicated between the school district and the county and there is some disagreement over this two things come out loud and clear. There needs to be better communications between the two and no one cities, schools, county should ever pay for salary increases with reserves. The good news is that this will not happen again. County School Superintendent Jean Holbrook has set up regular briefings with school officials and the country controller and assessor all are on the same page. Superintendent Sam Johnson said salary increases will not be made in mid-year as is tradition but at the end of the year when the financial situation is clearer.

    The district is determined to replenish its reserves to an appropriate level and let’s hope they stay in a lockbox, only to be used for one time emergencies, not for on-going expenditures.

    As for the school board, the buck stops there. In the future they need to take a stronger role in overseeing the district’s financial health and to ask tough questions such as Are you sure we are going to get those estimated property taxes?? Of course the trustees want pay increases for the staff, but they need to make sure the money is there before dispensing it.

    For the teachers’ union, the idea of rolling back the pay increase they just received is not on the table. If the district made a stupid mistake, that is their problem, not ours. And teachers shouldn’t have to bear the burden of bad financial planning on the part of administrators,? they seem to say. That argument is sad because there was a time when teachers, administrators and school board acted as a team. There were years during difficult times when staff went without a salary increase knowing that the board would make it up as soon as it could. But that is not going to happen now and perhaps the teachers are smart and are not as optimistic as the administration about increased future revenue. However, the union leadership needs to work with the board and administration in a team effort and not as adversaries. That will ensure the long-term health of the district and community confidence.

    Whatever happens tonight if the school board approves cuts or if more time is given to address the problem, some valuable lessons have been learned about communication and financial predictions. The district is financially sound and not going bankrupt. It has a long history of good management. But the outlook for more rebates and the stability of property tax revenue as home sales slow remains unclear. So conservative estimates are in order. For the future, the district needs to look at new revenue sources, perhaps the sale or lease of land, which could open up funds for either buildings or other uses, depending on how the deal is structured. Crestmoor in San Bruno has been closed for decades and now houses the continuation school but the time has come to see if this underused property can bring in some significant revenues. The district office sits on a valuable piece of Delaware Street. Could it be housed in one of the high school’s instead? The district doesn’t have a foundation; instead each school does its own fundraising. Perhaps the time has come for a major parental effort to raise funds for the district. There are many affluent and talented families who could help get this started. Lastly, no one should forget that the SMUHSD has a stellar reputation. It’s academic performance continues to improve. College admissions officers look favorably on the district’s graduates. Let’s hope the current situation does not have a negative long-term impact on one of the best.

    Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com. Lempert’s column normally appears in the Monday edition. Michelle Durand’s column will appear Monday instead.

  4. KRN

    “There were years during difficult times when staff went without a salary increase knowing that the board would make it up as soon as it could. But that is not going to happen now and perhaps the teachers are smart and are not as optimistic as the administration about increased future revenue. However, the union leadership needs to work with the board and administration in a team effort and not as adversaries.”

    Even Sue Lempert acknowledges that the teachers WILL NOT get back any salary that they give up. The union has not been allowed to work with the Board or the Administration because we have NOT been invited to the table. Working with implies that there will be a single table and all parties will have a set. The current structure of problem solving for the Board and Administration is in the form of an ultimatum. Take a salary cut or lose jobs. The team concept has been lost long ago.

  5. Anonymous

    Lempert- “Perhaps the time has come for a major parental effort to raise funds for the district. There are many affluent and talented families who could help get this started.”

    The teens in my club who are from SMUHSD reflected this week on the teachers’ actions during the budget fiasco.

    They resented being used as human-shields by their teachers, being locked out of the classroom and having their clubs canceled. They knew they were being used as union lackeys.

    They simply wanted to be taught the subjects offered by their class schedule.

    “…parental effort to raise funds…”? Parents already do that. We volunteer, we tutor, we show up.

    See what happens during the next parcel-tax request or bond measure… You get what you pay for- and we’re not getting what we want: Kids in the classroom being taught their subjects.

    Pete

  6. RCC

    It’s easy to see that the board found their innovative, alternative solution… Make the people (parents) who aren’t on their pay roll, but still have a vested interest in the schools do their work for them. Well wow, and to think people wanted a new and more creative board, it is clear that this is a truly imaginative group.

  7. john devincenzi

    I tend to agree with Sue Lempert on responsibility for the current crisis. Ultimately it is the board that approves all expenditures, budget allocations, personnel issues and programs for the district.
    They are sent volumes of paper by the district administration that outline whatever issues will be presented but often they do not get to all of them. They also individually discuss issues with the district administration. What they don’t do is investigate on their own, so their only major pipeline of information is filtered through the distirct office.
    KRN is correct from my perception, the teachers are no longer invited to the table to discuss. That is true of salary and benefits but also program. There was an effort some years ago to establish long term goals for the district. Teachers were involved in that process but the final product was primarily the work of district office personnel and some hand picked staff. That is the document that is cited whenever a new program comes down the road. The problem is that the academic, economic and leadership picture has changed significantly and there is not a lot of staff input.
    I disagree with Pete. Teachers are not using stuldents as human shields. Teachers by definition work with students. If the teachers find themselves in a labor dispute students unfortunately end up being the vehicle through which teachers can make their unhappiness heard. What reasonable alternative is there? Teachers frequently speak to the board about issues that concern them. Seldom if ever is that reported by local press. A blog such as this has echoed many of the problems that the district has been beset with but there are precious few readers. If they do not make waves they never get heard.
    To my knowledge classroom instruction was not denied. Extra curricular activities were diminished. Most of which were things that teachers do “extra” without compensation or credit.
    For example many of the BHS staff write numerous letters of recommendation for students without compensation or even recognition. Almost all of the AP teachers offer numerous evening and after school review sessions without payment or recognition. Some teachers even offer SAT prep free of charge in the evenings. Many offer final exam review in the evenings without compensation.
    If you look are the “required” extra curricular service that the contract states and the number of hours teachers spend advising clubs, supervising dances and athletic events and other performances you will find that most of the staff spends much more than the minimum required hours. There are several staff members that come into school on Saturdays to lead students in “clean up” activities. All of these things required time away from their homes and families. What the staff has done is temporarily call a halt to these activites and instead spends the precious 35 minute “duty free” lunch eating and communicating with their colleagues.
    I am amazed at the anti-union vitriol that this crisis has inspired. People disregard the causal factors and have seized the opportunity to promote their own anti-union agenda even though the actions of the teachers were very beneign. Again I ask what are teachers to do? Bow their heads politely and accept any and all decisions made by school board members. Some of which are unmistakeably anti-teacher and by being such, anti student.
    I spent 20 years teaching at Burlingame High School and enjoyed every second of it. That staff is dedicated to students and their success. Look at the long term contributions that those teachers have made to their students and the community and instead of deriding them in their hour of need support them.

  8. Pete

    Quote from John: “Teachers are not using stuldents as human shields. Teachers by definition work with students. If the teachers find themselves in a labor dispute students unfortunately end up being the vehicle through which teachers can make their unhappiness heard. What reasonable alternative is there?”

    You don’t “work with students…”

    You work for students.

    If you don’t understand the difference, then you don’t understand how you’ve wronged the students in politicizing the classroom.

    I bet dollars-to-donuts that some teaching positions will be restored. And it won’t be the union that saves these positions, but the parents.

    Pete

  9. fred

    Mr. D was, is and will always be one the most stand-up individuals you could ever have the good fortune to meet.

    When Devo says he worked with the students he truly did and the students were better off for having the opportunity to work with him. Unfortunately, I was never his student but I know he is a very nice person and as beloved a teacher as any in BHS history.

  10. Joanne

    It’s very clear: The SMUHSD and the Teachers Union need marriage counseling. And, as in most bad marriages, it’s the kids who are suffering.
    The reason I liked Sue Lembpert’s editorial (posted in full above) is because she didn’t let anybody off the hook. The administration, board and teachers union have all played their role.
    So let’s stop the blame game and get on to the solutions. The union is complaining that they haven’t been invited to the table; if an invite is what you want do you think that calling the board stupid or demanding Johnson’s resignation is a way to get an invite? It’s in the interests of the kids and the community to repair this broken family system….To make the marriage work all parties need to let go of the past hurts and move on to some solutions.

  11. KRN

    Its a little late for an invitation because the party has already occured. The invitation should have come when this mess began, not when it became a full blown problem. The teachers HAVE been offering aid to the district (you don’t see it in the papers) in that we have agreed to take ) 0% salary and healthcare increases and we have offered to take on more duties to help out the district. They have rejected our offer because they ONLY want a pay cut of 3% from our salaries. We are not willing to take the cut. The reason that the public has bought the 3% solution is because the Administration went to the papers with this FIRST. When this story began, the teachers union took a more ethical approach stayed out of the media game. The Administration dumped on the teachers at every level. The teachers and the CSEA have become the scapegoat and the some of the public is buying the story. Much of the public have examined the facts and don’t believe the SMUHSD administration.

    Some marriages are destined to fail. This may be one of them. The problems of this “marriage” are deep and one-sided. You have offered a simple solution to a complex problem. In your solution, your kids will benefit by the solution but my own personal children will lose 3% of their living expenses. I don’t see how my children suffering so that your children can be happy is anywhere near fair or reasonable.

    The election of new members of the school board and the selection process to choose a new superintendent may be the healing process that this community needs.

  12. KRN

    Joanne,

    Are you offering the same advice to HP stockholders?

  13. Joanne

    I’m not taking sides with either the SMUHSD or the teachers on whatever contract issues you have outstanding because I don’t know what they are. I thought the SMUHSD asked the teachers for the 3% roll-back in lieu of making the budget cuts they just made. You make it sound like they are also asking for a 3% rollback IN ADDITION to the 3.5 million in cuts that were made. This is new news.
    As far as HP? I thought you were the person who didn’t want to compare teachers to corporate America. Sam Johnson is not a CEO…A CEO would be working with budget numbers that were given to him/her by his/her own staff. And if the numbers were bad, the CEO would have the ability to fire the staff. So on one thing we can agree, I think: The SMUHSD and corporate America are not run anywhere near the same.

  14. KRN

    The SMUHSD does want a salary cut in addition to the cuts. The teacher’s salary increases were NOT the cause of the district’s financial problems, but the district put the salaries out as the blame

    As far as compensation and financial structure it is hard to compare public and private organizations. In terms of ethics and responsibility, the comarisons are much easier and comparable. I’m not just making this up, it would be found in many management courses.

    Sam Johnson is the CEO/leader of the organization. Like a CEO, he is appointed by a Board that represents the people. The Board has oversight responsibilities for the actions of the leader and the organization. Mr. Johnson was working with numbers given to him by HIS staff. The numbers were bad and it was his legal responsibility to prevent any negative impact associated with those bad figures. A CEO cannot just blame a financial debacle upon the CFO. Both a private and a public leader have a legal responsibility to know the financial status of the organization and act upon it. Mr. Johnson KNEW that the district had a $3.5 million deficit yet continued to spend. He is therefore liable for the actions of the district. Since the Board refuses to take action to repremand the leaders of the organization, the Board is not effectively representing the public.

    While the financial and budgetary structures of private and public organization may be different, their organizational structures and ethical responsibilities are quite similar.

  15. Pete

    Fred-

    I apologize to Devo.? My rhetoric was harsh with the use of You,? rather than Teachers.?

    I should have written: Teachers don’t work with students. Teachers work for students.?

    Fred, as you note of your acquaintance, I know he is a very nice person and as beloved a teacher as any in BHS history.?

    However, you do argue to my point. I’ll explain:

    It is precisely because this teacher is a nice person and a beloved teacher that his profession requires him not to call attention to these very attributes. Indeed, he must sacrifice these very attributes so that his students may benefit from the trust and love he so deservedly merits. To ask students to focus on the teachers’ person or concerns is to welcome them into a peer relationship which is false and thus fraught with misunderstandings, frustrations and eventual mistrust.

    Simply: students are not the teachers’ pals. It’s like parents who refuse to parent in order to avoid conflict in the home- who want to be their childrens’ friends.

    Once a servant, whether teacher or parent, losses his or her capacity to decrease, that the other increase,? then too much light has shown onto the magic and the brilliance of the professional teacher (or loving parent) becomes the daily drudgery of the indentured servant.

    Disinterested leadership has always been the line over which professionals (and yes- even parents,) dare not cross in relation to their charges. Professionals who get too close to their charges forget the healing power that professional distance provides for both. A love which calls too much attention to itself is a selfish love.

    Pete

  16. fred

    The Burlingame High School I knew had a tapestry of different personalties for teachers. They were given the freedom to teach in the manner that suited them. Much like the wide ranging personalties of professors and employers that await students in the future.

    If you want uniformity and always an arm’s length relationship why not just teach the children over the internet?

  17. Joanne

    KRN, Sam Johnson is given projected income figures from the County. They don’t report to him. You know that.
    KRN, it is very clear that you want Sam Johnson fired. But that isn’t your decision to make. It’s the Board’s decision and if I were a betting woman, I’d bet they aren’t going to do so. So forget the divorce and get the marriage counseling.

  18. Anonymous

    Looking back I think that the teachers who most influenced me were the ones who weren’t just teaching their subjects, they lived and breathed them. They made an effort to make the connections between day to day life, and the stuff of books. Now I don’t think that most of the subjects taught in high school have much to do with management ethics, or unions, but there are probably history, civics and economics classes where current events, including this one, could be integrated into the lesson. If done properly, I wouldn’t think it abusive.

    A teacher who wasn’t passionate about something they taught, enough to make it real and tangible for a student, was just boring to me. I never found it wrong or a misstep to bring contemporary or actual problems into the mix. We had a (race) riot a month after I started San Mateo High School in the 70’s. They shut the school down for a couple of days, and then we all shuffled back like nothing had ever happened. The teachers might have been forbidden to talk about it, because most of them didn’t. I think that was a mistake to keep us in a bubble. Certain teachers could have used the event as catalyst for certain discussion, for essays, or readings. This was and is a real crisis for all involved, and I think that there are ways to use the events as a learning tool where appropriate. Some topics for discussion could be: Responsibility, Trust, Cooperation, Healing

  19. KRN

    I live in the district. I pay taxes in the district and I have the same say in this issue as you do… one vote. You don’t have to like it but Mr. Johnson and the Board are subject to popular approval and can be removed.

    The income figures are given to the Asst Sup of Business. This is the CFO of the district. It is the job of the Asst Sup and the Sup to ensure the financial stability of the district. They have a legal responsibility to act in a prudent manner in handling these figures. They did not carry out this duty. The district has overspent its budget and now it is firing innocent people to cover up its error.

    Our own income figures show that the district has been deficit spending for 3 of the last 4 years. It is a known fact that tax revenues have also been declining. Our own committee told the Sup that he could not afford a 7 period day without a parcel tax HOW MUCH INFORMATION IS NEEDED TO MAKE A QUALITY DECISION? These facts were all known and all ignored.

    The district is now driving a wedge between itself and the teachers and the CSEA employees. Isn’t it funny that the teachers and the CSEA are NOT asking for higher wages or benefits or anything else for that matter yet they are being made out to be the instigators of this problem. These groups are RESPONDING to threats and insults, not initiating them. Why are we the ONLY school district in the state having financial troubles?

    As far as the Board is concerned… If you were at the last board meeting you would know that there are citizens and parents groups discussing a recall on members of the board right now. Do you believe that all of the members of the Board could survive a recall? Do you think that the public will pass the bond in light of what has happened?

    This divorce is for the good of the kids… and everyone else for that matter.

  20. ASE

    Wow, I’ve been gone for a while and now I have to catch up…

    First, Pete: where did you attend high school? I have a feeling it wasn’t in this “stellar” district, because 1) you don’t show the fantastic qualities that the SMUHSD teachers instill in us and 2) you have no appreciation for the unique type of education that occurs here thanks to our invaluable teachers.

    Second, Joanne: there are some major differences between our current issue and a marriage. Most importantly, marriages involve emotion, lots of it. Emotion inspires the initial marriage, emotion keeps it going, and in some case a change of emotion causes a divorce. I can tell you right now (and I’m sure some others will agree with me) I have no emotion for Sam Johnson, therefore it is easy for me to look at the mistakes he’s made and decide for myself that he should be removed from his position. Now in this case and with marriage people always say that “it will hurt the kids, we should stay together for the kids.” I can tell you that that is a fallacy. I am the product of a divorce, and I am a better person because of it. I live in a happier healthier environment now that my parents are divorced and I think this “professional separation” from Sam Johnson and the majority of the board would be the best thing for the students of district and create a happier and healthier environment for them to learn.

    I can tell you that I will be joining KRN: the board officially has 2 recall votes for next November, and let me tell you, there’s a whole lot more where that came from.

  21. jim

    Going back to “Devo”‘s comment re the “benign” nature of the teachers’ lunch protest…it wasn’t so benigh for my student who was stood up for promised help in AP calculus and then proceeed to do very poorly (and no, I don’t mean that she just got a C instead of an A)on an important test…she is doing better now thanks to a very high priced tutor, but probably will not be able to get more than a C+ at best in this class…with helpfrom the teacher who is suppsd to be teaching this class she could be doing much better academically and psychologically. I personally am glad to see that others believe the teachers truly let down their students and the whole community when they pulled the lunch hour stunt. Certainly they lost my support.

  22. ASE

    Jim, is it more important for your child to do poorly on that one test or one unit, or for your child to be “psycologically” hurt by having her teacher replaced mid-year because the calculus teacher had to leave to find a better paying job to cover their living expenses? Yes, I say one test or one unit, because teachers are back doing what they do best, helping the students. And I would like the public to know that Jim’s student has all the potential in the world to do better than a C+ overall. See Jim what you didn’t know when you made that comment, is that there are AP Calc students, such as me, reading them, who have a better understanding of the grading system in that class than you do. If your student works hard and takes advantage of the after school help that is newly available again, then she can do well in the class. One bad test score will not hurt her as much as you imply.

  23. Pete

    ASE- Welcome back- we’ve missed your voice.

    For homework: Look up “Stockholm Syndrome.”

    A head’s up: Marriage based on emotion will end up in divorce.

    Pete

  24. RCC

    Jim don’t worry about your AP student for the following reasons: one can bounce back from this point in calc, you’ve gotten a tutor (I’ve gotten one too) they work miracles some how hearing it from another person can help, the calc teacher is often at school early by about 10 minutes(I know b/c I’m almost always early) turns out to be a great time to go in for help, and lastly a C+ isn’t a bad grade and don’t make your student think so. A C+ in an AP class is a B+ in a regular class not to mention just because she is taking AP Calc a college is going to look well upon her. Really Jim you don’t need to worry.

  25. Ed Larios

    Teachers are doing the job that they get paid to do. It seems ironic that some want teachers to continue giving up their “free time” and accept less compensation. This situation is a result of a board that has never listened to the public. When the issue of the 7 period day was discussed at two different meetings, hours and hours of public input was presented to the board. When it came time to vote the board took a total of 10 minutes of discussion totally disregarding or acknowledging the public’s concerns and voted to aprrove the 7 period day. This was an insult to those who thought that they were speaking to board members with an open mind.
    Regardless of what side you take, the issue is
    that our district is in a financial crisis. The teachers did not make the expenditure reccomendations to the board that caused this mess, the Sup. did. The teachers did not approve the expenditures that caused this mess, the Board did!! They should be held accountable

  26. KRN

    I suspect that the tutor came at a price of $75 per hour, that is the market rate. It is also the value of a teacher’s free time. Take a look back up at “Devo’s” comment and find out just how much your kids are getting from teachers.

    By the way… the student help time that teachers used to give has also been eroded by the 7 period day. Not only have students lost 11 days per semester of classroom instruction (loss of time per period) , but the longer school day also eroded the amount of after school time available. At BHS school ends at 3:07, but at other schools its 3:15. Also, two late start mornings per month were originally for student help. The District has “captured” those late start mornings for teacher collaboration. Even if teachers WANT to tutor during that time, they cannot. Many teachers would tutor during late start Wednesdays but can’t, the District won’t let them.

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