Link to an article on Oregon Live about the school board meeting tonight.  I should have mentioned, there were two news channels and the Oregonian there as well. 

http://www.oregonlive.com/west-linn/index.ssf/2010/08/west_linn-wilsonville_school_district_parents_question_superintendent_roger_woehls_retirement_packag.html

For those of you who were unable to attend, here’s the recap of tonight’s meeting.

First, on the issue of compensation for Superintendent Woehl’s final year, the board approved the amendment to his compensation package as outlined in the most recent post here on the parents’ blog.  The board explained that the $30,000 is “deferred compensation” from a previous time in the Superintendent’s career where the budget was tight, so the board then would give him the funds upon retirement.

The board also shared that the $500 a month for four years was comparable, if not lower than what many school districts in the area offer as retirement compensation to administrators at this level.  What was not discussed was whether or not, given the Superintendent is already going to receive a PERS retirement package, if this different package, which was negotiated outside of the PERS plan, is appropriate. Just because other districts offer it, doesn’t make it right nor is it an effective use of taxpayer dollars when one considers the retirement benefit coming from PERS.

Based on tonight’s meeting, it’s clear the school district has huge perception problem happening around this issue.  Sheree Little, the OSEA union representative, made an appeal to the board to keep the classified staff whole, essentially, that cutting days is better than cutting hours.  The issue for OSEA is that a classified staff member working for a four-hour day is in a healthcare benefit level where the cash they earn working in the district doesn’t cover the pickup cost of the insurance. So falling under four or six and a half hour shifts hits classified staff like instructional assistants, maintenance, and food service workers. 

Most parents agree that we want to see good staff do a quality job.  But we also want to make sure our children are held harmles from all the union/management negotiations that are going to continue happening even into the beginning of the school year. We want the adults to remember that school is for the benefit of the children.  Those of us in the audience were appreciative that the board is going to try to mitigate the impact to children by cutting staff development days and paid holidays where they can instead of cutting days children would be in the seats.  Sadly, this issue is still in limbo.  The board voted to only cut one day for sure so far.  They are taking a “wait and see” approach to determine if the Federal government will be rescuing Oregon schools with a bailout/stimulus bill this week.

The problem with a “wait and see” approach is that parents are struggling to plan work and childcare needs around a school schedule that is largely still unknown.  We would have liked to have seen the administration come to the board with a plan in place to cut the days needed, and then build days back into the calendar if stimulus money actually manifests. Right now, the district has about a $3.2M shortfall, of which the Superintendent believes $1.25M in stimulus funds might be directed back to the district. Any way you slice it though, we’ll be losing days.  This is hard on children, families, and employers.

The district operations manager also gave an update on the bond, sharing that the bond projects, while underway, are currently over budget by over $700K, more if you count dollars that apparently have reimbursements behind them. Again, we question how appropriate it is to be moving forward construction on new schools when we won’t have the general fund dollars in place to fill the schools with staff.

Lastly, there is an open seat on the school board.  Member Lori Beight resigned under the auspice that since she would be moving her child out of public schools, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to be on the school board.  That means we need to get some good parents with strong fiscal/budgetary management to apply for the open seat.  The deadline to file is 9/10/10 at 5pm.  The application will be made available online.

Why is this important?  The complete board will be chosing the next Superintendent. It’s going to be critical that we hire a Superintendent that has a strong sense of fiscal stewardship, has experience managing budgets, and is going to be someone parents can count on for transparency. We want a leader for our children who is willing to engage parents in the process in a meaningful way. We want someone who is responsive; we want a Superintendent who is willing to listen to us all, and be willing to go out on a limb for the folks in the minority.  And yes, even though the advice of the school’s attorney tonight was to not respond to a crowd of spectators if the items the crowd wants to talk aout aren’t on the agenda, we think it’s going to be important that the next Superintendent be willing to turn his/her whole body our direction and engage in the conversation.  We want a Superindendent who will remember that through the elected school board, we are his supervisor – he is not there to manage us.

Perception is everything.  One of the parents tonight asked Superintendent Woehl if he would be willing to think hard about the children he serves, and set those dollars in the retirement package aside for kids.  Of course, there was no response. While it’s not likely that we’ll ever convince the Superintendent to sign checks back over to the schools, I believe we have all learned a lesson from this experience.   I think we’ll be much smarter about engaging the board as we seek to hire a new Superintendent.  We’ll question compensation packages that don’t align with what’s happening in the private sector. And we’ll be vocal about requiring accountability to our children, and to our community.

Thank you to all the parents who came out to the board meeting tonight.  As a collective whole, we’re going to need to continue to be diligent in safeguarding district resources for whom they were intended – our children!

We’ve received multiple emails about the upcoming school board meeting where the board will approve a compensation package for the Superintendent’s final year.  We’ve attached the full proposed outline of compensation below.

Some quick highlights -

* a $30,000 bonus at the end of the year, atop the $135K salary and $9000 “mileage” allowance.

* $500 a month for the four years post retirement – or $24,000.

* Additional health insurance pick up until age 72.

We’re sorry, did we miss something here?  Is the Superintendent not going to get his PERS retirement that we need to provide additional dollars to him after he retires? Is this compensation package unique to just West Linn-Wilsonville, or is this par for the course across our state?  If it is, then we think we have bigger problems with education then we know.

We don’t take any issue with him receiving his state PERS retirement, nor the health insurance pickup. However, the $54,000 in total bonus compensation for retirement is at best, in poor taste given the budget climate and the cuts the Superintendent has handed to classified and teaching staff throughout the district.  However, based on the stream of steady email coming in from parents, we’re given to believe it’s an inappropriate package to give a school board administrator.  The position is already fairly compensated and includes a generous state retirement.

The Superintendent is going to receive $135K in base wage.  He’ll receive 20 days vacation, and like everyone who is fulltime in the district, 12 paid sick days.  The mileage allowance certainly covers more than what is stated.  At $758 dollars per month, the superintendent would have to be driving close to 1500 miles a month on his personal vehicle every month on school district business, which is highly unlikely.

We believe the compensation package, without the bonus dollars, to be more than fair.  If as the Superintendent has always maintained, that his work in the district has always been for our children, then please leave our children unharmed by a bonus package that is outside the norm for many Oregonians right now. $54,000 in additional compensation is a teacher’s salary.  One of the 35 salaries that were just cut from our schools in June.

For those that can attend, the school board meeting is on August 9th, at 7pm at the West Linn High School Auditorium.

A quick link to the agenda can be found here – https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicMeetingMaterials.aspx?ak=1000227&mk=50009929

If you can’t attend, you should at least email the school board and tell them how you feel.  

WEST LINN-WILSONVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT This seventeenth Amendment to the Employment Contract of Roger L. Woehl is made and entered into this 9th day of August, 2010, between the WEST LINN-WILSONVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT (“District”) and ROGER L. WOEHL (“Superintendent”).

WHEREAS, the Superintendent has successfully completed the prior year of his current three-year employment contract with the District; and

WHEREAS, the Superintendent and the District desire to extend the term of the contract and to provide for compensation thereunder;

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree to amend the Superintendent’s current employment contract as follows:

1. Paragraph 1 is amended to provide a new term of the contract commencing July 1, 2010, and ending June 30, 2011, unless extended, modified, or terminated as provided therein;

2. Paragraph 4(a) to remain as previously amended to provide for compensation of the Superintendent at an annual salary rate of $135,200.

3. Paragraph 4(b) to remain as previously amended: If the Superintendent meets and/or exceeds the goals and objectives set by the Board with the assistance of the Superintendent as provided herein, the salary, beginning July 1, 1994, and on the commencement of each year of the contract thereafter, shall be determined by the Board in its discretion.

4. Paragraph 8(a) to remain as previously amended to provide for general expense reimbursement of the Superintendent at the rate of $758 per month. If adjusted, the mileage reimbursement rate established annually by the IRS will apply to serve as a percentage adjustment from year to year.

5. Paragraph 8(c) to remain as previously amended to provide for payment of annual COSA dues and professional subscriptions.

6. In recognition of the superintendent’s prior ten years of service to the district and as further incentive for his continued service, the district agrees to provide additional compensation on the following terms and conditions:

Provided the superintendent completes the following year of service, the district will

pay the designated amounts into the superintendent’s retirement account on June 30th of each year of eligibility:

a) After seven years of service through June 30, 2011, the sum of $30,000.

7. Superintendent shall be entitled to [not less than] 20 [school] working days with pay for each twelve months of service, in addition to such other time granted Superintendent as District may determine in advance from time to time. No more than five (5) days of unused vacation time shall accumulate in any one year, though Superintendent may accumulate up to five (5) days of unused vacation time in each year of this contract.

8. Provisions for retirement, commencing on retirement date will include:

a.) $500.00 (Five Hundred Dollars) per month ending on June 30, 2015.

Monthly payments are considered to be wages for tax purposes and are subject to all normal taxes on wages.

b.) Heath insurance covered for superintendent and spouse under a Medicare supplemental policy until age 72.

9. Except as amended herein, all the other terms and conditions set forth in the current contract of employment remain in place.

WEST LINN-WILSONVILLE

SCHOOL DISTRICT

SEVENTEENTH AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT

OF

ROGER L. WOEHL

WLWV parents,

It’s come to our attention that there’s a new threat to an already delicate position of teachers and class sizes for the next few years in our district, and it’s coming in the form of an increased water bill to the school district.  Thanks to the COP parent who gave us the heads up on this issue.

This coming Monday night, the West Linn City Council is going to vote to put a change in how the city calculates water charges.  This will be based on a tiered system whereby those who conserve save, and those who use more will pay more.  In theory, this is great because water conservation should be a priority for all of us.

However, one of the biggest consumers of water in the city is the school district.  A change in how the district pays its bill could mean the loss of yet another teacher per year over the next five years.  You can see the water calculator the city is proposing HERE and if you play with it, you’ll see how the fees would increase over time.

Maintenance and infrastructure are important to keep any system running effectively.  But given the current economic climate, financing that infrustructure on the backs of children seems wrong.  Yes, the school district is a high consumer of water, but we all use the infrastructre that keeps water flowing into our homes and businesses.  The council should consider another way to fund this rather than asking the school district to shoulder a large chunk of the cost.

As taxpayers, we’re going to pay for this one way or the other. However, a decision to increase fees on the West Linn side has ramifications across the district.  It’s unlikely if the district has to pull a teacher to pay for water that it would be a West Linn teacher.  We’ve seen that the system for RIFfing teachers is lottery based, so a potential loss of a teacher would be equally as likely to happen on the Wilsonville side as it would the West Linn side of the district.

The city council is going to meet on Monday.  If you have some time, please email them and let them know how you feel about a change so significant that it has the potential to adversely affect children in a way the council might not have comprehended when they put this item on the agenda.

If you can attend the council meeting, that would be helpful as well to make it known that this approach to funding infrastructure might not be good for schools.

Thanks for taking the time to be involved in your child’s education!

See the city council  AGENDA HERE for dates, times, and location!

If you’re breathing a sigh of relief after tonight’s board meeting that taking one program out of the educational ecosystem is going to fix our budget woes, sadly, we’d all be mistaken.

The suspension of the language immersion program was like a butterfly bandage on an arterial cut- it’s not going to stop the bleeding any time soon.

The district is faced with budget cuts.  The local option funding saw a reduction of over $3M dollars.  The current staffing plan is reflective of those cuts, and there were teacher losses as a result of the funding issues.  However, there are quite possibly very real cuts that will run even deeper.  The district is waiting to hear if the state will receive federal stimulus dollars that would for the short term, keep the lights on in Oregon’s education abyss.

If the district doesn’t get additional dollars, then we’re looking at either deeper staff costs or a reduction of class days.  It’s probably important to note that Oregon already has one of the most condensed school calendars in the country.  Cutting 15 days would be like cutting three academic weeks.

The school board will meet again on 6/29 at West Linn High’s auditorium to adopt the current budget.  Riding on the wave of momentum from tonight’s school board meeting, it would be great to have parents come out and watch the process.  We’ll be encouraging parents to attend, and hope you’ll include that request to the people in your network.

We also want to reiterate that in the face of steep cuts, all school buildings will need additional parental support in place.  This will mean volunteering in the classroom, working to raise funds, and supporting your child’s teacher with the help he/she needs to make the class successful.  Now’s the time to put your teachers on your calendar for next year so you can help keep the classroom going.

We look forward to connecting with you at the next board meeting. We hope to see you there!

“Courage is what it takes to stand & speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down & listen.” - Winston Churchill

Those words held true this evening, where courage was in full-force at the school board meeting. No matter what position a parent or community member came down on the side of maintaining Spanish Immersion, it took great courage and strength to be advocating in the auditorium for your child.

The school board responded to parents who had mobilized from across the district by calling a special session school board meeting late last week.  Anticipating the attendance would exceed the capacity at the administration building on Stafford Road, the meeting was held in the auditorium at West Linn High.  It was a smart move because the room was filled with parents from nearly every school in the district.

The meeting started with Superintendent Woehl sharing much more detail about the history of the program; the anticipated cash costs; the human cost in real numbers that will hit our district as a result of the budget crisis; and revealed that community support for language immersion had never been strong.  Rather, it was revealed that parents would have rather had an opportunity to have exposure to language through other means.  Our own assumption would have been something more like how we do art or PE where all children are exposed during the course of the school week, but not as a core element to the education process.

Then board chair Jeff Hallin surprised many in the audience by making a motion to suspend the immersion program.  Last week, his vote had been to keep the program. His motion tonight was seconded with not much initial discussion.  The board opened the floor to the audience members to speak.  It had been agreed upon that in the interest of time, the points of each group would be synthsized by one person.  In all, only three speakers went to the podium.

Ultimately, after hearing the administration’s presentation, the community input (which was  more than just 12 minutes of public speaking tonight – the board has been inundated all week), and having just had some time to reflect, it was clear that with heavy hearts, the board felt that reversing the June 7th vote was the wisest course of action. It was agreed by a vote of 4-1 to suspend the program.  Board members Mary Furrow, Hallin, Dale Hoogestraat and Keith Steele voted in the affirmative.  Member Lori Beight, whose child was in the program, voted against the motion.

Kory Kimball, one of the community presenters said it very succinctly during his presentation – “after this vote we need to go back to finding ways to be a community.”  Our state would be well-served by the passion and energy we saw this week from our community.  Looking forward, how do we use this momentum to address Salem and elect leaders who are going to make education a priority.  Our current funding isn’t stable, and Oregon needs to find a better way to give children the level of education that will ensure they have the tools to they need to suceed. That could well indeed include a foreign language.

Courage – it was shared by everyone in the room this evening.  Courage on the part of the Superintendent to own he moved the program forward, and maybe because he interpreted the message to do so incorrectly. Courage on the part of the parents who rallied around what they believed to be best for their children, and spoke loudly to be heard.  Courage on the part of the board, who quietly acknowledged that they didn’t have the best information the first time the motion was presented, and that what transpired this week should never have come to pass.

We should all not forget that the school board is a representation of us as parents.  It’s our job to inform them of our needs, to be engaged, and to hold the board and the district accountable for their actions. The level of transparency we had this evening was vastly improved over what parents were presented with on June 7th.  For that, we’re appreciative.  But as parents, we must continue to expect transparency and honesty from the board and the district.  We anticipate as time goes on and budgets get even tighter, that this will become more important now than it has ever been.  However, sunlight in government only works if we all stay involved with the issues.

Moving forward, we hope this site will serve as a way to achieve what Kory spoke of and keep parents informed and engaged.  Although summer is upon us tomorrow, there will be more to the discussion in the weeks to come.  Let’s not lose this momentum, and remember to keep each other involved.  All of our children depend on it.

Thank you to all the parents who have written the board – they’ve heard your emails.  This next Wednesday, June 16th at 7pm. 

Normally, school board meetings are held at the Administration Building on Stafford Road.  Due to the interest in this meeting, the board has the meeting scheduled at West Linn High School in the auditorium.

The auditorium seats around 600 people. So grab the other parents in your children’s classrooms, split the cost of a baby sitter, and plan on attending.

The agenda for the meeting will be made available early this coming week.  On it, we hope that there will be a board action item to reopen the motion to suspend the program that was made on June 7th.

We implore parents from across the district to attend the meeting.  While the issue at hand is Spanish Immersion, it’s important to show the school board that parents in the district are watching and listening.  We expect honesty and transparency.  And we know that this is going to likely be the first of several conversations in the coming years about district programs as Oregon’s poor planning continues to ravage school districts across the state.

If there was ever a time to seek accountability and fiscal responsibility from our school board and administration, the time to demand it is now.

We look forward to seeing the board agenda and will post it as soon as it’s made available!

Newest email about the budget is live on the District website.  Thanks to to Tara at the District for leaving the comments here on the site that is is live.
Here’s the link!

Current budget information from Superintendent Roger Woehl is available at:

http://www.wlwv.k12.or.us/DistrictDepts/Superintendent/MessageFromTheSuperintendent.asp

We’ve learned this week that both primary and middle schools have been working hard to shore up both time and programs in an effort to stabilize class sizes and educational offerings.

The parents of primary schools will see a restoration of PE in the 2010-11 school year, and principals are working diligently with the administration to hold class sizes to a manageable load for teachers.

But what we’ve also heard is that the stabilization at the primary schools has come in part from middle schools that sharpened their pencils to figure out where they could contribute resources back to the primary schools.

So thank you middle schools for any sacrifices you’ll be making next year.  The willingness of teachers and principals to do more with less will not go unacknowledged!