The Decatur Township School Board is meeting in Special Session tomorrow night, Wednesday, February 24, 2010, beginning at 6:00 pm in the Board Room. The agenda is posted on the District website.
It appears that the closing of Lynwood as an elementary school is on the agenda. This should be of concern to all parents and teachers as this will directly cause class size to rise for all grades 1 through 6, and will generate about two dozen teachers who cannot be accomodated with a classroom elsewhere in the district - which will necessitate layoffs.
It is simple to redistrict and to sell of the Southwest Pavilion Office Building (former Concentra Building) to buy a couple more years to keep Lynwood open.
I discussed this very issue in more depth in "Lynwood State Takeover Fable", "Will Teachers Union Try to Save Lynwood Elementary?" and especially "What's Behind Closing Lynwood Elementary".
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Mark Small posted a blog post
6 hours ago
20 comments:
Let's hope every Lynwood student, parent, and teacher attends this meeting as well as current board members and board member candidates. I think that only the board can approve a recommendation to close a school so if the superintendent makes this recommendation despite the data you have presented then both the board and superintendent must be accountable for the decision. The people directly effected include those in all the district's schools.
Is this meeting again open to the public?
anon 3:23 - yes it is open to the public.
And again this is why someone from District 1 should have stepped up and ran for a seat on the board.
anon 3:44 -- I wish someone had, as well.
Anonymous said...
Is this meeting again open to the public? 3:23PM
Had Enough Indy? said...
anon 3:23 - yes it is open to the public. 3:43PM
Whatever your position on the various issues, you have to speak for those who can't: the poor with no transportation or babysitter, the parents who work nights (or more than 1 job), or young teachers with no protection from political revenge.
Where is the "Board Room" located? I'd like to attend but unaware of that location.
anon 10:28 -- it is in the Central Office which is the building nearest the Decatur Public Library. Go in the double doors and the Board Room is on your left.
Very interesting that some are defending the extremely high administration salaries as well deserved because the school is the largest employer in the community. Surprise, the school district's customers are the children and in most cases they have no choice. Likewise, parents are customers and most have no choice.
The administrators are different from private sector employers. They have a state supported retirement program way beyond the annuities, etc. being paid for by the taxpayers. Their TRF monthly pension being paid for their average salary would not be matched by anyone with less than a $2.5 mln. dollar savings investment. Don't be swayed by their "poor woo is me" begging for understanding.
Likewise, the highly compensated CEOs are held accountable for the profits. There have not been significant gains (student achievement) in Decatur Township Schools. In many areas, there have decreases in student achievement - especially when state gains have been superior.
Teacher salaries are NOT the issue. Do not close Lynwood. Do not move the superintendent's office staff to the Concentra building. Do not silently accept the appointments of unnecessary administrators. Do speak with the television stations and newspapers.
Don't just speak with the media. Badger the media: Why aren't they investigating the way school districts mismanage talent and funds? Why aren't they charging Mitch Daniels with educational neglect? Why don't they cover academics as thoroughly as high school sports?
Thank you to Mr. Huffman for asking questions repeatedly until they were answered.
Anonymous said...
Thank you to Mr. Huffman for asking questions repeatedly until they were answered.
and what questions might those be???????????????????????????
Here's something to make you, taxpayers, angry. Administrators fill up their personal gas tanks at the bus garage! Two years ago it was stated that the budget had to be cut along with the transportation budget. But the administrators continue to use gas designated for the school buses. If teachers want to take their students on field trips, other than the one allowed per year, (which will be eliminated next year) they must pay the cost of gas and the driver's fee. The administration has a policy to charge you... tax payers... for gas to transport your child on a special field trip, but thinks it is fine for them to fill up their personal vehicles at the school bus gas pumps! The nerve of these people. If you can not afford to buy your own gas on those salaries and benefit packages you shouldn't drive a Benz or Corvette!
Teachers pay for students who can not afford to pay their way on a field trip. Bus drivers buy treats for students as incentives and for gifts. Administrators rob them of gas for their school buses.
Need a suggestion to cut the transportation budget? Make anyone who took gas for their personal vechicle pay it back with interest!
Teachers who travel between schools have to turn in mileage. They purchase their own gas.
Any update as to what happened at this evening's meeting?
Lynwood is now closed. Parents will know by the end of the school year where their kids will be placed.
Baer commented on a retirement enticement package (2 different ones) to try and get teachers to leave, including one time cash of like 20K and 50K (numbers might be off). Even with that the board informed Stinson to come up with a list of up to 50-60 teachers to cut just in case.
Kelli McWilliams is the new AD, promoted from Asst Principal. She replaces Doug Opel, an award winning AD they fired. Jill Meerman will go back to the classroom so DCHS only has one AD now.
Not to happy with the decisions they have made. I thought schools got better taking the 5/6 grades out and now those problems we had will be returning. This administration is still not giving up enough. Mr. Stinson we still need more from you and your staff. Stop hiring more people and make all of them take a 15% pay cut not just 5%. Maybe....if you did this people would understand some of the other decisions you have to make. But right now I'm still not getting it. Question...how much is it going to cost us to break the lease on the Mitchell Building? And if we do, why don't we move the DDA and DEC into that building. The administration office DOES NOT need to move. What bugs me the most in these meeting is all we can do is sit and listen. Why can we as a community not ask any questions? I don't get it!
As a Lynwood teacher, I wonder if Stinson will be kind enough to visit us to deliver our "fate", or will we be told via video has we have in the past. Even if he does visit, I'm sure it will be more blah, blah, blah about how he supports us. Funny, though, he's not been in our building more than twice in two years. No wonder he had no clue what AYP stood for during this week's PTO Meeting.
Could you please post a new blog entry about last nights meeting? Thank You!
For Decatur, the superintendent, the business manager, and board AYP means Another Yoyo P... or Another Yoyo Position. Either way the students and community lose and the fat cats at the district office play by snagging away at the taxpayer and then purr themselves to sleep. They are well fed.
Donnie has been too busy running around the country to visit Lynwood. Remember he is reinventing Decatur. I wonder if he is going to have food service cater a tea party in Decatur? Doubt it.
Jeff will probably take his toys and stay home to play and give advice to Decatur.
What about the other retirements at the superintendent's office? Stinson has said many times that if the voters don't give him a board that he can work with he will leave. Bye, bye. Lets hope this board doesn't give him more that time. Guess we will have to wait for May and some warm weather.
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