- 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.
- 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.
- 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".
- 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.
- 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!
- 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?
- 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?
"Seven Fast (and Loose) Facts"
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