District Spam

This is from the comment section of this post:

For those of us on the various schools e-news lists, I must get 4 emails a day regarding this levy. They are now making it look like the principals are emailing us telling us how great the schools are. Looks at these two emails, one from Station and one from Hoffman. Look at all similar to you?

(email 1)
Dear Families:

Just a quick note to let you know that our district has had one of the finest starts to the school year that we have ever seen. Our teachers and staff have done a marvelous job and not a day goes by where I don’t see what a great job that is being done by our staff and professionals. I hope you have found the same and I am grateful to our parents, families and community for your part in helping our year get off to a great start.

Sincerely,

Shelli Miller

(email 2)
Dear Station Parents,

Just a quick note to let you know that we have had one of the finest starts to the school year that we have ever seen. I appreciate all the efforts of our wonderful students and families! Our teachers and staff have done a marvelous job and not a day goes by where I don’t see what a great job that is being done by our staff and professionals. I hope you have found the same and thank you for your part in helping our year get off to a great start.

Sincerely,

Bruce P. Stephanic

Another member of the community, after receiving the same email from two different schools, sent this via email:

Whose bright idea is it to send out these boilerplate emails? Seeing the exact same text from different principals makes this spam, not communication.

We truly hope someone from the district is reading this.

Whomever is advising you to do this as some kind of community outreach, you need to understand -- IT IS NOT WORKING. It is, bluntly, pissing people off. People's whose votes you need if you want to pass this levy.

We know this is all part of an outreach program to try and drum up support for an unpopular tax increase, but really, it's time to do that by having adult conversations.

Not by spamming people.

Not by stealing yard signs.

Not by giving heated responses (reported at the bottom of the article) to members of the public who dare challenge the board at a board meeting (and they wonder why people don't want to come address them...)

ForHilliardKids Endorses Justin Gardner for Hilliard City School Board

Many people have asked us who we are endorsing for the school board.  Today we are announcing that we  are endorsing Justin Gardner for one of the open positions.

Justin has repeatedly demonstrated one of the core tenets of what he believes -- openness and transparency -- by being the one who attends, and video records the HCSD board of education meetings.  He does this to ensure people who can't attend have an opportunity to see what is going on.

He, like us, believes that we can only fix the fiscal structural problems in the district by involving as many stake holders as possible.  We find it ironic that the district is willing to bring 150+ people together over the summer to discuss "athletics sustainability" but cannot, apparently, find any time to bring people together to discuss "district sustainability".

Like us, Justin is fed up with the way the district and the board of education manages our tax dollars.  He promises to work with everyone in community to find solutions to our money woes, something that other people on the board and running for the board have not shown an inclination to do.

So, if you are at all concerned with the way things are being run, please vote for Justin on November 8th.

Salaries and Issue 2

First off, let me make one thing about this post very clear up front.  While we've had several people contact us and ask us to make teacher salaries an issue in this levy campaign, the fact is that we have no problem with paying good salaries to good teachers.  So we are loathe to make an issue out of this.

That said, if you know a teacher (or other government employee) whom you don't believe is worth what they're being paid, go to the Buckeye Institute's website (http://buckeyeinstitute.org/getthefacts/), enter in their information, and read 'em and weep, as they say.

And now to the point of this post.

We have people supporting our campaign, and helping us get the right people elected to the school board who are also "no" voters on Issue 2 (i.e., they want to repeal SB5).

I hope that the following table of union EMPLOYEE salaries (not union members) makes people understand just why the unions are so desperate to overturn SB5.

Meeting at Jed's, Wednesday Oct 12th

We'll be hosting a meeting at Jed's (Mill Run) from 6:30pm on Wednesday.

Come share your views with us and discuss the next steps!

Propaganda

In a comment to an earlier posting, KD notes the increasing amount of propaganda being dispersed by the "other side" in the levy issue.

I think there's an obvious reason we're seeing this, and it just adds to our opinion that the district simply never listens to the taxpayers and the voters.

Back in May, the pro-levy folks ran a "stealth campaign" where they made no outside noise, no yard signs, no letters to the editor, etc.  Their goal was to make sure as few people knew about the levy as possible so that their supporters would show up and pass the tax increase.

They failed.  Miserably.

But not because not enough folks showed up to vote for the tax increase, but because the voters in the district didn't support the tax increase.

So now we are faced with the complete opposite.

Talk about swinging from one way to the other!  Instead of a stealth campaign, we now have an "in your face campaign" and, frankly, it doesn't resonate well with most people.  They see the cut list for what it is -- threats to get people to vote -- and they've had enough.

In the next posting we're going to look at some numbers that will shock you.  Numbers that should convince most folks that another tax increase is simply not the answer.

Does a Levy Really Affect Your Property Values?

It should come as no surprise that supporters of the upcoming levy on November 8th are already repeating the oft-stated mantra that if the levy fails, the value of your home (or business) will decline.  For those that pay attention to levy campaigns, this line is trotted out pretty much every time.

And let's face it; people who are voting for a tax increase need to justify the extra money. While we're all supportive of the kids, it's still a tax increase. So if we're going to justify voting for it, being able to do so by saying "the value of my house will go up" makes it easier to stomach.

Of course, the pro-levy side doesn't actually say that the value of your house will go up. Instead they say you need to vote for the levy to "protect your property values" and similar statements. It's people's desire to see the positive that makes them translate that into "your property value will go up."

I think it's time we put this to bed once and for all.

Without question, we have experienced the worst meltdown in housing in a very long time.  Certainly worse than the 1980s (which was caused by sky-high interest rates, and remember that today the rates are at all-time lows), and statistically worse than the Great Depression as well.

Yes, through all that, apparently if you live in Hilliard your house is now worth only 4.2% less than it was in 2005, which was arguably the height of the market.

Yet, apparently, if the levy fails, the value of your house will go down.

Really?

By how much?

I mean, if 4.2% is the drop for the worst housing crisis in living memory, how bad could a drop from a failed levy actually be?

And that's before we consider that passing the levy means higher real estate taxes, which tends to give people more cause for concern when purchasing a property than a lot of people realize.  (If it didn't, everyone would buy houses in Bexley, Upper Arlington and Dublin, and districts like Hilliard, Olentangy and Westerville wouldn't even get people looking...)

So let's face facts: voting down a levy has no real impact on your property value.  Nor does voting up a levy.

What matters is how good the education is that the children receive.

And anyone that thinks that a few cuts to non-core educational activities is somehow going to cause the teachers of the district to not continue to perform such a wonderful job every day in the classroom, well, that's an insult to those very same hard-working teachers.

I have full confidence in the teachers and other staff in the Hilliard City School District that no matter what happens on November 8th, they will continue to work hard and provide our children with the education they need and deserve.

After all, it's for the kids.

Right?

An Observation

Today, the following email was sent by the principal of Memorial Middle School to the parents of its students:

This school year the academic experiences your child has been offered have felt different than in years past.  With reductions across the district we are doing business differently.  On a district level, it saddens me that we have begun the school year with 40 fewer teaching and staff positions throughout the district due to budget cuts.  In our school alone, we have felt these losses in several ways.  The reallocation of staff has caused an increase in class size, especially in many of our advanced classes. Several classes in both the 7th and 8th grade have 30 more students.  This seriously hinders our efforts to provide more individualization and small group classroom instruction.  It also has seriously impacted our ability to provide needed interventions for students who may be struggling or achieving at higher academic levels.  The movement of technology staff and the loss of our media center aide have stretched our existing staff as we attempt to meet the 21st century learning skills of our students.  The inability to staff our In School Suspension room has limited our range of disciplinary consequences and given us fewer options to intervene with behavior issues.  Overall, we have fewer choices to work individually with students in many special situations.

First of all, let's address the fundamental issue here before we get into the observation.

The latest published five year forecast that I'm able to locate (which, interestingly isn't on the district website...) shows that the FY2012 budget expenditures will be greater than the FY2011 expenditures.

So while the principal is complaining about budget cuts, maybe his ire should be directed at where the district decided to spend the money instead, since it's not only spending the same dollars as last year, but more...

But enough of that. Let's move on to the observation.  The principal references the loss of the media center aide.  (Media Center = Glorified Library).  Apparently we need to pay more taxes for what are essentially librarians.

Meanwhile, the Columbus Metropolitan Library just took us for a significant amount of new taxes last year so it could continue its non-core functions of job-placement help, and ... homework centers.

May I posit a theory?

If both of these government entities actually concentrated on their core activities -- no more "media centers" in the schools, and no more "homework centers" in the libraries -- then maybe both of them could make do without constant demands from the taxpayers -- correction, the property owners -- of the district for more money?

Update: Looks like all the schools are sending out similar propaganda.  In fact, aside from highlighting what they have lost, the verbiage in the emails going out is exactly the same.  The high schools are complaining about the loss of a Hall Monitor.  Oh no!


We should also mention that "40 teaching & staff positions throughout the district" equates to less than two positions per school, assuming they're all in the schools (they're not; some were administration cuts).  If you consider the number of staff members in each of these schools, especially at the middle and high school levels, you'll recognize that the loss of two members of staff is a rather small number.

ForHIlliardKids Meeting - Wednesday, Sept. 20th

We'll be holding an informational forum on Wednesday the 20th at 6:30pm at the Joint Safety Services building in Hilliard/Norwich Township.

We'll be discussing the reasons to oppose the November levy, and looking at the talking points that the district are not discussing in their propaganda.

Please join us.  Everyone welcome!

Here We Go Again

We have to say that the past three months have been disappointing to say the least. It's quite clear from the HCSD board's recent actions that it didn't get the message that the voters sent in May, and that they are quite intent, again, on business as usual.

We're not surprised, of course.  We'd hoped that they would finally begin to listen to the community, but instead they continue to ignore us.

Worse, they're now ignoring their own employees.  Two months ago, immediately after ratifying the union contract extensions where district employees gave up almost $10m in concessions through 2013, the board partially reinstated the gifted services program, and delayed elimination of Middle School sports.

To say that the district employees were mad about that, would be an understatement.  There was incredulity all around at that particular board meeting, and rousing rounds of applause after each speaker in the public participation section.

You'd think they'd listen.

But no.

So, here we go again, this time with a 5.9 mil rate.  The board made a big deal about the reduction from 6.9 mils to 5.9 mils, but the truth is that most of that reduction is a result of the Franklin County Auditor's office notifying the district that its assessment of property values in the HCSD wasn't as bad as they'd initially indicated earlier in the year.

In fact, the taxes collected will be almost identical to what the 6.9 mils were projected to collect.

So, has anything changed?

No.

And until it does, and until the district, the administration and the school board get their acts in gear, we will continue to oppose any more tax increases on the people who live in this school district.

What Next?

Please see our website for our official statement on the levy result.

Folks have been asking us all day what happens now?

First off let's just say we're relieved that the levy result was decisive.  Throughout the campaign we were hopeful that a strong message would be sent and I think we accomplished that.

So what now?  Well, the next thing on the agenda is for the community to continue to make its voice heard.  This Saturday (May 7) from 9:00am-10:30am, the board of education will be holding a "coffee with the board" which is an opportunity for discussion with members of the board.

It's very important that people come to these meetings.  They are more-or-less open forum, and it's a good way to make your points and then listen to what other members of the community are saying.  Remember, we are a community, and it's important that we learn as much about how the school system functions, and perhaps more importantly, how people think it functions, if we're going to succeed.

So, clear your morning schedule on Saturday, and be a part of the dialog to set the "agenda" going forward.

Secondly, the district treasurer will be presenting an updated 5 year forecast to the board sometime in the very near future.  We believe that it's past time that this forecast was examined in considerably more detail than it currently is and that we don't just accept the assumptions that create the forecast.  We need to understand those assumptions much better than we do, and we need to challenge the assumptions we believe are wrong.

And thirdly (and lastly for now), just as with the 'Coffee with the Board' it is important that more members of the community attend the board meetings that are held twice a month.  We can't expect the board to make the necessary changes if we show up to vote and then disappear back into the woodwork until the next time.  People in the community need to stand up as leaders and start asking the necessary questions and start examining potential solutions.  The board meetings are the way to do this.

We'll have more as we move forward.  Stay tuned!

Time to Send a Message

So here were are, election eve.  Everything comes down to what happens tomorrow.  If the levy passes, we get to watch the district squander our tax money once again.  Yes, people say it's all for essentials, but the reality is it's all going in the pockets of the district's employees through their salaries and benefits.

And that's the problem.  It's not that district staff don't deserve to be paid, or that their pay shouldn't be above minimum wage.  It's that the rate at which the spending on compensation increases each year is now at a point where the tax base simply cannot support it any more.  It's not just this levy.  It's the ones coming in 2013, and in 2015, and in 2017.

At some point the train comes off the tracks, because it continues to increase speed and not one person steering the train is willing to apply the brakes.  OK, well ONE person -- Paul Lambert -- is willing to try, but none of the others will let him near the brake pedal.

And in the end that's the crux of the issue: we have a bunch of folks running the train that don't understand how it works.  And those people need to be changed.

But that's November's battle.  Right now the focus is on tomorrow.  Right now we must send a clear message to the board of education that enough is enough.  Cut spending -- heck, just cut the rate at which it's growing to start with -- and live within your means.

People in this district have lost their jobs.  Our senior citizens on fixed incomes have seen no Social Security increases since George Bush was the President.  Let that sink in a minute.  Three years and no increase.

They're managing -- so why can't our district also manage?

Why must they continue to ramp up the speed of the train, knowing full well it will derail and that the kids that are still waiting to get on the train -- those yet to start school -- will be the ones paying the price when the train they're left with to get their education is nothing but a mangled wreck.

And it IS about the kids.  Just not in the way that the Hilliard City School District and its board of education would make you think.  It's about our future as a community for the next generation of kids.  At some point, the adults in the community need to step and take a stand, and force those in charge of the train to take their foot off the pedal and bring it under control once again.

That time is now.

Vote NO on Issue 7.

The $6.5m "Cuts"

From the Columbus Dispatch's recent article on the Hilliard Levy:

McVey said the district has cut $6.5million in spending growth since 2008. That includes $4.5 million after a 9.5-mill levy was rejected that year, resulting in the loss of five administrative positions and 34 teaching jobs.

After voters approved a 6.9-mill levy in November 2008, the district continued to trim anticipated expenses, he said.

So, let's see if I have this right.  They've cut $6.5m.  (Something we know is false since spending went up $15.5m.)  But $4.5m of that is cuts implemented when the levy failed initially in 2008.

So only $2m in cuts came AFTER the last levy passed?

But wait, there's more!

Didn't the district reinstate the $4.5m in earlier cuts when the levy passed?  Wasn't that part of the promise made to the voters if they passed the levy?

So, bottom line is this, if you are still wavering on how to vote:  Were they lying then?  Or are they lying now?  Either way, do you trust them with more of your money?

From the Mailbag

We thought we'd share a comment received on the website.  I think it speaks volumes.

I find it ironic that your organization ask for donations and volunteers and when the schools YOUR children go to you do the same you come up with this stupid site. Your all a bunch of hypocrites. Brainwashed sheep being lead to slaughter. Idiots the all of you

--Kay Manley, Hilliard

Now, we don't know who Kay Manley is, or even if it's their real name, but what we do know is that apparently this person believes a school levy is a donation.

Wow.

It's no wonder we're in the mess we're in today.

Also, if you haven't yet donated, please do so. We've VERY close to meeting our goal for defeating this issue!

Open Letter to ThisWeek Hilliard

ForHilliardKids, the group opposed to the levy, was willing to provide information to ThisWeek Hilliard regarding its activities against the levy.

However, the Editor of the paper decided that unless we provided various pieces of information that were irrelevant, such as an exact number of people in our PAC, they wouldn't talk to us.

They wanted to make sure that it wasn't "just three guys".

So, according to the law, if there's 2 or more people opposed to a ballot issue, they have to register as a PAC to advocate for or against a ballot issue.  But that is apparently not good enough for ThisWeek Hilliard.

It seems that ThisWeek Hilliard is in bed with the school district and the pro levy campaign.

That's a shame.  It appears that we're now down to just one local newspaper that is willing to present a balanced account of local politics.

For a comparison, please read the stories in the Hilliard Northwest News, and ThisWeek Hilliard.

Whether you support the levy or not, you should be appalled by the stance taken by ThisWeek Hilliard, and we call upon the pro-levy campaign and it's co-chair, Bobbi Mueller, to publicly rebuke their action.

Just What Is A Step Increase?

As we work through this campaign we find that a large number of voters don't realize that many employees in the school district receive two salary increases annually -- a cost of living adjustment (COLA), also known as a base pay increase, and a step increase (SI).  While not all of the employees receive the step increase, the majority do, and it makes a mockery of "pay freezes" when that only refers to the COLAs as was the case in Grove City a few years back.

So what is a Step Increase?

Well, there's actually two types.

One is a guaranteed salary increase simply for being an employee another year.  In the HCSD, this occurs for the bulk of the district's employees in years 1-15, 20, and 23 of their "tenure".  The increase is 4.15%.

Do you receive 4.15% annual raises?  And that's before the COLAs.

In the last contract, these employees received between 3% and 7.15% in annual raises.

Step Increases are meant to compensate for the lack of promotional opportunities in the public sector.  But anyone who has worked in the private sector knows that only the very best of the best employees receive promotional raises that come even close to what the district's employees who qualify for step increases receive.

But there's also a second type of Step Increase, one that is even worse, and that's the one that's based on the level of education achieved by the employee.

For example, obtaining a master's degree results in an automatic pay increase.

Do you know of any private business that automatically rewards its employees for further education achievements?  Of course not, and in fact many private sector employees further their education to simply remain competitive and keep their jobs.

But it gets worse.  There are 4 steps:  Bachelors, Bachelors + X hours, Masters, and Masters + X.

Now, the employees will claim that it makes them better at their jobs.  Frankly we have yet to see any correlation between the number of hours studying in a classroom and someone's ability to teach.  There are some incredibly talented teachers with Bachelors degrees, and some incredibly bad teachers with Masters degrees.  And we are speaking generally here, not as a slight to teachers in the HCSD.

We're sure there are some employees who absolutely become better at their jobs with further education.  Anyone who has taken college classes while working knows that some of the are invaluable (and other classes, not so much).  But to receive an automatic increase?

But look at this chart:

You can clearly see from this that the COLAs are not what is driving compensation increases.  A teacher's salary would double in 15 years even without any base pay increases!

So, the next time you hear talk about "pay freezes" in any of the school districts currently negotiating new contracts (sadly, not ours, and we'll talk about this in an upcoming post), make sure you read more closely and see if it applies to both COLAs and SIs.  Because the COLAs are a trivial piece of the equation.  It's the Step Increases that are the problem.

Rebutting the "Seven Fast Facts"

In the latest mailer from the district, 'Seven Fast Facts' are presented.  In this post we'll rebut each one in turn.

1. Hilliard City Schools has already cut $6.5 million from the budget including pay freezes for administrators, teachers and staff members.
   
   We dealt with this alleged cut in this post. But let's look at the pay freezes as well since they bring them up.
   
   I give great credit to the district's employees in accepting the freeze.  Cost of Living adjustments (COLAs) were 0% for one year.  This is good, because Social Security recipients also received no increase.  Step Increases (SIs) were deferred 6 months.  Previously, SIs and COLAs took effect at different times, January for SIs and mid-year for COLAs.  Under this deferral, they'll now occur at the same time.  So yes, there was a savings for six months.
   
   Of course, Gahanna Jefferson just agreed to two year pay freezes, so we probably shouldn't jump for joy too quickly.
   
   
2. Issue 7 will cost under $18 per month per $100,000 of home value.
   
   Also true.  But for most people that will come to somewhere between $400 and $500 a year since very few homes cost $100,000, even with the dramatic downturn in the housing market.  And a not insignificant number of families will see a tax increase of more than $1000.
   
   
3. The last levy was stretched one year longer than promised.
   
   This depends on your definition of stretched.
   
   This implication is that the district took the tax dollars raised by the last levy and made them last longer.  The reality is that the federal bailout in the summer of 2010 gave the district (via the state) one-time funds.  This was the only reason the tax dollars raised by the last levy was "stretched".
   
   
4. Hilliard Schools have been rated as "Excellent with Distinction" by the State of Ohio three years in a row.  Only 29 out of more than 600 school districts can claim this!
   
   This is all well and good.  Except we have entire buildings in the district in failing status.  Which means while the district as a whole is "Excellent with Distinction," some of our kids are being massively short-changed.
   
   I don't know that the district, if it were being entirely honest, should be touting this as loudly as it is.  I know that if I were the parent of a child in failing status, I wouldn't be keeping quiet.
   
   
5. Strong Fiscal Management has been part of Hilliard Schools' success for years.  The district has earned state and national recognition for efficiency, accounting and accurate financial reporting.
   
   Note the way is written; you can be "efficient" have good "accounting" and "accurate financial reporting" and have lousy fiscal management.  Think about it.  One does not mean the other, yet the implication here is that recognition means they're doing a good job with the finances.  No, they're just doing a good job of reporting and keeping accurate books.  Not the same thing at all.
   
   If the district has such strong fiscal management, why does the districts own 5-year forecast show deficits every year?  And that's assuming the levy in May passes!  This is not strong fiscal management at all.  It is special teams -- good at kicking the ball down the field for someone else to have to deal with later!
   
   
6. Savings will continue via reviews of energy, technology, positions, programs and benefits.
   Great.  Any details?  Positions?  More lay-offs?  Programs?  More cuts?  Any organization can make that statement, save $1, and claim savings.  How about some specifics people?
   
   
7. Every new dollar is for education essentials: the teachers, textbooks, technology and instructional programs students need to compete for tomorrow's jobs.
   
   This one is my favorite.  Sounds wonderful.  Except they should have added "in that order" to the end, because almost all of the revenue generated by the levy will go to employees.  When you spend 88% of your operating budget on compensation, it stands to reason that 88% of any increase in spending will go to the same.
   
   It also stands to reason that since almost all of the "cuts" threatened if the levy fails are personnel, then doesn't that mean almost all of the money raised will go to the same thing?

In conclusion, we have a suggestion for the district for a new title for these facts:

"Seven Fast (and Loose) Facts"

Did the HCSD Cross the Line with Latest Mailer?

There is an update at the bottom of this post that makes for interesting reading....

Yesterday, the latest mailer from the Hilliard City School District arrived in our mailbox. Disguised as a community update, this latest piece of propaganda included not one, but three items about the levy.

First up was the board president, Doug Maggied talking about the importance of the Issue 7.  While I may disagree with Doug on this issue, he at least presented his side of the story in a calm and measured manner and he should be commended for that.

Of course, whether he actually wrote it or not is another matter since sections of it sounded identical to other propaganda, err, circulars related to this levy.

Also on the front were 'Seven Fast Facts'.  A rebuttal on those is available here.

But it was inside where I believe the district crossed the line, and actually lied to the voters.

Consider the following from the opening paragraph:

"Hilliard City Schools (HCS) reduced expenditures by $6.5 million since 2008."

Really?  That's odd, because the district's own numbers show expenditures of $146,383,330 in 2008, and a forecast of $161,965,755 for 2011.  (Forecast only at this point as the actuals wont be complete until the end of the school year.)

Now, I may not have as many degrees as some of the employees in the district, but my calculator shows me that's an increase in expenditures of $15,582,425.

Now, maybe they cut $6.5m of planned expenditures, but that's like Washington D.C. claiming a $38.5B budget cut, that turns out to only be $300m or so because it was a cut from the planned increase in 2011.

Look, I know it's a political campaign, and I fully expect the district to play loose with the facts.  But this wasn't playing loose with the facts.

It was a flat-out lie and the district needs to apologize to the voters for providing this mis-information.

UPDATE: I am looking right now at the numbers and I can no longer say with certainty that the district did in fact cut $6.5m of even planned spending.  In fact while this number may be connected to something, it's certainly not connected to reality.  In the Oct '07 5 year forecast, planned spending for 2011 was $181,692,204.  Currently, that number is forecasted by year end to be $161,965,755.  So that would mean a reduction in planned spending of almost $20m.  As noted earlier spending increases by about $15.5m in the time period, so where the district comes up with $6.5m, I have no idea...

---

P.S. For a great take down of the pro-campaign's Issue 7 mailer, read Justin Gardner's blog entry.