Hello everyone!
I hope all of you had a great spring break week.
To get back in the swing of things from a referendum perspective, this message will be a list of seemingly random issues I have had raised through emails. No single specific theme this time, just several different topics. Each issue will be followed by my “brief” response... or at least my attempt at a brief response!
TOPIC 1 – “I FEEL I PAY ENOUGH TAXES”
We all pay enough taxes. So, let’s get beyond that to the real issues. Are the children in this township worth this additional investment? Do you think home values will take a hit if the schools decline and empty school buildings sit vacant around the township? Do you care? If your answer to the last question is NO, then nothing else matters… you aren’t voting to make sure our kids are taken care of anyway.
TOPIC 2 – “TEACHERS UNIONS ARE THE PROBLEM”
This thought is being shared with me more and more in recent weeks based on the activities of our legislature and the events that have taken place in Wisconsin. My take is simply this… the issue of unions isn’t getting addressed before this referendum vote and it is a whole heck of a lot bigger than the teachers of Franklin Township, so lobby your legislative representatives after this referendum if you feel the need.
For those who do not like the concept of unions, I understand. I struggle to see the intelligence of sacrificing young, outstanding teachers like those I have mentioned previously just because of tenure. I think performance should dictate job security, whether you be young or old. In fairness, I don’t want to see a good teacher with 29 years of service be sacrificed any more than a really good 3 year teacher. I want the crappy ones to be appropriately managed and weeded out as necessary. However, having said that, this is the environment in which we live. Last one in becomes first one out. That environment has existed for a very long time and it will not change prior to May 3rd. So, let’s move on…
The better question related to unions is whether you believe our Teachers Union in Franklin Township has been a good partner or a poor partner in this cost cutting process that has taken place in recent years. I look at the sacrifice of about $300,000 in benefits by the Franklin Township teachers. While many unions have said, “We aren’t giving up a thing, so cut who you have to cut”… That isn’t the case in Franklin Township. Our teachers are working as active partners with the district.
In addition, central administration salaries have been cut more than 36% in the last four years. Principals and other administrators have not received a base salary increase since 2006. Administrators’ health insurance benefits were reduced this year by $2,080 per administrator, which means that administrators are being paid less than they were in 2006. Superintendent Dr. Bourke and his staff are among the lowest paid administrators in the county. Dr. Bourke remains the lowest paid superintendent in Marion County. He also asked to have his salary reduced another $10,000 next year. Our administrative expenditure, as a percentage of operational costs, is one of the lowest in the State of Indiana!
It’s also worth noting that the Center for American Progress studied 280 school districts in Indiana and across the nation. Franklin Township Schools were identified as one of Indiana’s “efficient” school systems.
AGAIN, here’s the deal… this referendum vote isn’t about penalizing adults because of unions or too many buildings – it is the “kids” who will bear the brunt. And, in this situation, the voters are the kids only voice.
TOPIC 3 – WHY NOT CHARGE A FEE FOR BUS TRANSPORTATION?
There were school districts in Northwest Indiana that attempted to do this and the Attorney General said this act of assessing a bus rider fee is unconstitutional. The State Board of Accounts will punish school districts that attempt to charge such a fee.
TOPIC 4 – “FAILURE TO PLAN ON YOUR PART DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMERGENCY ON MY PART”
This was the message in an editorial in the Franklin Township Informer last week.
Hindsight is 20/20, isn’t it? If I only had this super power, I think I’d run out and buy lottery tickets with the winning numbers on them!
The writer points out that student growth rates in last few years were only 2.5%... well, no kidding. He fails to mention this school district grew by 46% between 2000 and 2007. Several hundred students EVERY SINGLE YEAR!
To say that anyone knew that a subprime lending crisis was on the horizon and all of the housing growth was going to stop in its tracks is nonsense…and it would have been great for all of us to know. Wish we could have also known that unemployment would then exceed 10% and our economy would struggle for years. Heck, maybe way back then we could have used our newly found super powers to see the future and project the state’s implementation of property tax caps that weren’t even conversations at the time these buildings were being constructed to handle the massive growth… and maybe we could have projected the state cutting millions of dollars of education funding for Franklin Township. Then, with our perfect 20/20 hindsight, we could have pulled all of our money from the stock market, moved money into safe investment areas of our 401K’s… and none of us would have lost a dime. Give me a break!
For those of you who actually read the editorial, it is worth noting that our area of largest projected student growth was to be in the Intermediate buildings that the writer said should not have been built.
TOPIC 5 – HOW DO I GET A YARD SIGN TO SUPPORT THE REFERENDUM EFFORT?
Vote YES for the FTCSC Referendum yard signs will be available Tuesday, April 5 from 4 - 8 pm.
"Drive-through" at CTECH (central administration building by the high school) to pick up a sign -- rain or shine. No need to leave your car. Please place the sign in your yard Wednesday, April 6 in the evening! Wake up Thursday to find the signs all around town!
Who’s Impacted This Week...
In recent weeks, I’ve focused on specific teachers and support staff in the schools. Today, I’m going to focus on a very specific group of Franklin Township students.
Franklin Township schools are working with the Education Foundation, desperately trying to find funding for the township’s AVID program. AVID stands for “Advancement Via Individual Determination” and is a structured college prep program focused on approximately 225 kids in grades 7 through 12 who come from low income families or families with special circumstances. Historically, students in the AVID program are middle of the road students that tend to be overlooked in class and are the first in their family to think about college.
The mission of AVID is to ensure that all students, especially the least served students in the middle, will succeed in a rigorous curriculum, will enroll in 4-year colleges and will become educated responsible participants and leaders in our society. It is a fantastic program that has helped many kids in recent years.
Needless to say, a failed referendum that removes 81 teachers immediately kills this program.
Have a great week everyone!
