A concerned citizen contacted me regarding trouble they were having getting contract information from the MSD Decatur Township. They had asked for a number of administrator contracts, only to receive incomplete information and what was supplied had areas whited out. These same areas of the contract were not whited out when the district supplied Superintendent Stinson's contract to the Star. I guess I'd have to ask, why were these whited out areas of the contract deemed public record when the Star asked for the information and denied as public record when a mere citizen made the request?
This person sent me the information they did get and has requested that the State Public Access Counselor rule on the remaining information.
In this entry I'd like to focus on the aspect that surprised me the most about the information the District did give this citizen. The request had been for the current contract for various individuals, including Assistant Superintendent Jeff Baer. All documents turned over, except for Baer's, were indeed current and for the 2009-2010 school year.
The document supplied for Jeffrey S. Baer was a two year contract from July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2006. Really? That's the most recent contract? Really?
Are we to believe that Assistant Superintendent Jeff Baer has been working without a contract for nearly 4 years now? How then, do you explain that the limited information provided by the district even with the old contract showing a base salary of $122,269.09. Documents submitted by the District to the State Board of Accounts provide data for Baer's 2008-2009 salary to be $136,027 (see "Top Decatur School District Salaries for 2008-2009 School Year") followed by a raise to $140,469 this school year (see "Most Administrators Saw Increase in Salary and/or Benefits")? How do you get a raise without a contract?
The document supplied by the District is the "Regular Teacher's Contract" page, but no addendum that adds benefits available to only Administrators. (see the Star copy of Superintendent Don Stinson's contract to see what I mean). Those benefits would include pension payment details, health insurance details, any annuities that are over and above the base salary, and the like. Even with this old contract, the public has the right to know the employment package deal that they are paying for with each and every Administrator, including Jeff Baer.
But, like other pieces of important information about how the MSD Decatur Township operates, it is hard to decide quite what to believe. Is Jeff Baer really receiving pay raises even though he has had no contract with the District for almost 4 years? Or, is the District trying to keep the real contract under wraps? And, why don't they disclose the entire contract - old or not?
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The Pollyanna Approach
4 hours ago
24 comments:
Well well well, the onion is really stinking up the place. Keep peeling, there is more.
Looks like White Collar to me.
All administrators except the superintendent are on one year contracts. There should be a contract for each of the years noted. Please update if you receive further info. There is much information that has been concealed from the public. When will it be announced publicly whether Candy Baer is retiring??
anon 12:20 - The Baer contract in hand is a 2-year contract, and all other administrator contracts obtained are 1-year.
I will definitely post as more information becomes available.
Ali Baba Stinson and his 40 Administrators strike again. And to think I once had respect for Pellico. Now we watch him squirm, spin the facts, and downright conceal public records from the people of this township who are paying the bills, including his fat-cat salary. I'd be for skinning his hide if it weren't for the fact that he's probably taking orders from Stinson, Baer and the bloated cake-eaters on the school board. I just expected more integrity from Pellico, if not from the rest of them. Thank God he's no longer in a teaching or school principal position to taint the upbringing of our children. As for the rest of Stinson's cronies, I'm just counting time until election day when I'll have a chance to "white out" a couple of board members, and wishing I could do more.
Anon 6:24 ---
You CAN do more. Every day between now and the election you can take time from your day to contact a Deactur resident and get him or her registered to vote, and help them understand the issues at stake on your school board. That's what we did in Perry Twp and it allowed us to regain control over Susan Adams and her pals who were driving our school district over the brink. I can't help but feel that we here in Perry may be past the worst of it now with Susan Adams gone, but I feel bad for those of you in Decatur who have awakened to find Susan and her administrator friends bilking your system like it is their personal cash cow.
My husband and I have come to the realization that "professional" administrators like Susan Adams and her new friends at Decatur travel from school district to school district looting it for all it is worth while doing a well reheased snow job about their new plans to improve our children's education and futures. You buy into their song and dance, give them a chance, and then several years later you find the only thing they've accomplished is to fill their bank accounts with your money while the district's teachers get no support and your kids test scores spiral downward. Eventually, people in the district get enough and start showing up at board meetings to complain. Then the administrators take wing, like a flock of vultures, and find a new school district where they can settle in and fleece the system.
We had what I thought was a really good superintendent until Susan Adams and her cronies collaborated to force him out of his position. It was obvious to many of us that Susan Adams was hoping to fill the superintendent's position herself, but we managed to prevent that by getting out the vote and taking our schools back. We're very grateful she is gone. You can take your schools back too from these looters who masquerade as people who care for you and your kids future. Just get out and get your networking skills going and make sure everyone is an informed voter when they walk into the voter's booth on election day. Be wary of "professional" school administrators who show up wanting a contract to run YOUR childrens schools, or who want to serve on the school board. We here in Perry were hoodwinked by slick talking shysters and spin-meisters. But we got them flushed out of our kids school system. Take care that they don't show up in your school system, hat in hand, wanting a contract to fleece YOU.
Perry Twp Tax-payer
I would like to know the procedure for requesting public records....such as contracts. I ask because I would like to see a line by line accounting of the cuts that have been made by the administration level. I'm sure the negotiators will soon be asking for teachers to take a cut in pay. The administrators took a cut in pay AFTER they all got raises in July, 09.
We need to start circulating a Grand Jury petition to look into any illegal matters of the School Board, Superintendent Don Stinson, Assist-Superintendent Jeff Baer, Assist-Superintendent Candace Baer, Stinson's Assist Susan Adams, Gary Pellico, and anyone else involved.
My Attorney advise me on how to force to them answer our questions. She said the School's Spokesperson Gary Pellico is dragging his feet to look for ways hide information about Jeff Baer's contract. Under the law he needs to disclose current information ask by Taxpayers in order to avoid violating the Freedom Of Information Act.
The Indianapolis Star has an article (see indystar.com) on the fact the the Indiana Teacher Retirement Fund is underfunded and retirees stand to lose pension benefits. Jeff Baer's retirement pension is a great example of whey the fund is going broke. Why should Decatur buy him additional years of services. His annual salary has been raised so much by his "other" items like paid health insurance added to the calculation of his pension. Stinson's contract is even worse. The Teacher Retirement Fund needs to straighten out these kinds of things before they go broke just like Decatur is just plain out of money.
had enough . . .
Have you seen or heard about the email that Stinson sent out to every employee in the district today?
Yes. Stinson said that other districts only reported their central office staff on their administration budget but Decatur included everyone, so the are not overspending in that area, just reported it differently than others. Something like that. Correct me if I'm wrong. It was vague.
I assume this was in response to the media's report that Decatur's administrative budget was 4% of the general fund compared to other districts 1 or 2%.
That report came out last week and he is responding to it now. takes a while to come up with a good defense.
Anon 8:54 p.m. Don't think ALL of the other schools reported differently than Decatur. The business managers are given specific directions for preparing these reports submitted to the State.
Would hope someone could get a copy of the e-mail and just type his message verbatim so that further investigation could be done.
The $$$ numbers have to be examined because they are looking to "cover up" something???????
Interesting that since he sent e-mail to employees he did not place a statement on the website for the viewing by all community members. Stinson just does not understand that this is a public school and funded by the citizens of the community. Employees were not the only people who saw the Channel 6 report. Maybe if he moves to the township he will get further understanding.
Any news on where children are going to attend school next year????
They already have bus routes prepared. They know where your child is going now and have for a long time. They just are not telling you. They are postponing the storm as long as possible. Wait until parents find out they are sending their child to an underachieving school from a 4 star school. Wait until parents figure out they are going to dummy down the 4 star schools to bring up underachieving students. All brought about by our administration new invention and failing programs instead of discipline, reading, writing, and arithmetic
Proof of the dummy down theory.
They are going to use the 'Literacy Collabrative' program in all grade schools next year. The same program they have used at Lynwood and Stephen Decatur for the past few years which has resulted in lower grades and scores.
Superintendent’s Update
There has been some information distributed concerning MSD Decatur’s Administrative Budget expenses which I would like to clarify. Our administrative costs are in line with all other Marion County school districts. The budget appropriations that were cited for MSD Decatur included all administrative positions and their expenses. Other school districts had included the Superintendent’s Office expenses only under Administrative Budget and had administrative appropriations broken down further, therefore showing a much smaller percentage in the category of Administrative expenses.
In conclusion the information that we presented is accurate. We apologize for any confusion this difference in accounting may have caused.
Donald H. Stinson
Superintendent
administrative appropriations
I thought those were expenses????
Is 6NEWS looking into this letter sent by Stinson, if so will there a news report on t.v.?
The letter Stinson has sent out IS A JOKE. Does he truly believe that the Taxpayers and Teachers will listen to his cover-up? He saying the Indiana Board of Accounts is lying. The School Board, Stinson,and Jeff Baer are the ones that signed off those reports, DUH!
Tell me Stinson, I no longer use Mr.Stinson since I no longer have any respect left for you.
Which fund are you taking the $9,000.00
out of that you have allocated for catered school board meals in next years budget ?
Where can we see next years budget?
anon april 21 6:58 pm - in the side column on the main page of the HadEnoughIndy blog, I have a link to the Indiana Coalition for Open Government, and a link to their form for a letter requesting an open record. They have made it quite simple, where you answer a couple of questions and it fills in the letter with that information. Presto.
You can email the letter, mail the letter, or walk the letter into the Central Office. If you use mail or email, they have one week to tell you if they have the records you requested - if you walk in they have 24 hours for the same. Then, they have 'reasonable time' to actually get you the record(s). If they don't get them to you, say within two weeks, then you can call the Indiana Public Access Counselor, who usually can help you get the records. www.in.gov/pac is their website. In addition, there will be a charge of up to ten cents per page for the documents. Some governmental units will waive this fee entirely, if you don't have too many pages. One can also request an electronic form for receipt of the record - you will have to adjust ICOG's letter a bit to get that rather than a piece of paper.
anon april 22 5:12 pm - I agree with you totally. Buying pension years, padding base salary with health insurance costs, and taking retirement only to be hired under contract simultaneously, all would seem to me to be outside the spirit of the Pension system and could easily lead to underfunding of the system.
anon april 25 6:47 pm - next years budget will be prepared around August. The School Board will have a few work sessions to review the budget put together by Stinson and Harris. There will be notice of the budget and its affect on property tax rates before the Board votes to approve it - which must happen at a special meeting of the Board where public comments can be made.
Given the history of budgets in this District over the last 10 years, close public scrutiny of this year's budget would be a very good thing.
Well the good thing is they can not raise our property taxes now! They are a 1% cap unless we vote on addtional money for school funding.
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