Willmar-studentsfirst

Willmar- StudentsFirst      Position Statement             October 17, 2011       

Willmar-StudentsFirst Opposes the Property Tax Levy – Vote “NO” on November 8th

The current model for education funding is unsustainable and requires change. Willmar School District displays neither inclination nor statement to the community of support for
education reform.  The District opted-out when their involvement at the state level could have been meaningful. Support for the property tax levy, at this time and under these circumstances, unfortunately would be a rubber stamp for “Business as Usual.”

Teacher Union Contract negotiations - Willmar-StudentsFirst has been urging (since March) the District to initiate and complete contract negotiations prior to asking voters to approve a tax increase (renewal).  77% of the District’s expense is wages and benefits; it is unfair to ask voters to blindly approve this inaction.

Voting locations slashed to one - Nineteen (19) regular voting locations have been reduced to one(1) polling place.  Outlying towns like Kandiyohi,Svea, Blomkest, and Pennock can only vote at WEAC in downtown Willmar.  Those who typically have limited support for Tax Increases have been denied normal access to voting.  This disenfranchisement is undemocratic and manipulative.

Productivity gains are essential – Willmar-StudentsFirst has urged the District to seek productivity gains in Contract negotiations, including “a full day’s work for a full day’s pay”, i.e., an 8 hour work day, and removal of 1/3 extra pay for a 4^th class at the high
school.  We need a balanced approach to accomplish education reform.

Scare tactics aren’t called for - Use of “catastrophic” and warnings that “once programs are removed, they are not going to be able to be restored” is a scare tactic to urge
more funding.  This is not meaningful dialogue to produce change that benefits the students.  Opting to eliminate the high profile “Marching Band” to make a funding point, hurts students and strengthens opposition.  Intelligent decisions evaluating all alternatives are called for.  Management needs to become engaged, supervise, and be held responsible for outcomes.

Advocate education reform -The Board complains unfunded mandates cost too much, but the Board is politically inactive to advocate change within the community and with politicians.  The 2011 Legislation initiating principal and teacher evaluations was met with
complaints by school management, not celebrating the potential to positively improve education to our students. Throwing more money at education has historically not bought results.

Transparency needs to be improved – There is resistance to providing information to the public,  e.g., the Garfield School sale strategy, was so veiled it has impacted confidence.

See the blog for more details   – http://willmarstudentsfirst.areavoices.com

E-mail address:   willmar-studentsfirst@q.com

Willmar – StudentsFirst

September 13th, 2011

willmar-studentsfirst@charter.net

Teachers & Staff

Willmar School District #347      

Willmar, Minnesota                      

Good day to each of you.

As you know this is a time of great financial and employment turmoil in our Country and solutions to problems call for unusual actions.  Taxpayers are looking for economies, efficiencies, and reform that may challenge our ingenuity and creativity, however we think we are all up to it.  Education reform means change,  and it is all about improving outcomes for students at a lower cost.

Let me introduce our organization; you may have heard of StudentsFirst, a National group founded by Michelle Rhee to reform education. (www.studentsFirst.com).  Willmar-StudentsFirst endorses her principles and our attention is directed to Minnesota and Willmar concerns.

You may have visited our blog on the West Central Tribune Area Voices, however if not, we urge you to do so  http://willmarstudentsfirst.areavoices.com/

The Willmar School District has begun promotion of the November Property Tax Levy. We have been urging the Board and the Union to renew your expired contract in a timely manner to provide an opportunity for broad community support of the Levy on November 8th.  The letter we recently directed to them is attached to this e-mail.

A balanced approach to solving the financial needs of Willmar School District will be a win-win solution; for taxpayers, teachers, and most of all the students.

It is our hope this information will be helpful in facilitating productive negotiations, and we encourage you to ask your Union Steward to settle the contract in a timely fashion.

                                                             Linda Kacher, spokesperson

                                                  Willmar-studentsfirst [willmar-studentsfirst@q.com]

                                                  Willmar – StudentsFirst

                                     willmar-studentsfirst@charter.net 

                                                                                           August 29, 2011

School Board Members, Willmar School District #347                                             

President, Willmar Local #1209 Education Minnesota

            As time draws closer to the publicity launch of your efforts to gain public support for the Property Tax Levy we urge you to endorse, communicate, and  adopt a “balanced approach” for settlement of the expired Teachers Contract.  The precedent has been set by Governor Dayton and then further promoted by Barack Obama for a balanced approach that in this case offers a fair resolution to the challenge of “how do we finance our schools”. 

            A “balanced approach” would offer you hope in receiving community support to renew the Property Tax Levy, and …….the “balance” would be provided by the Teachers agreeing to offer an equal amount of benefit to that provided by the taxpayers.

            The teacher contribution would not be a salary reduction but added productivity provided by an extended workday.  Many teachers already work an 8 hour or more day but for those that do not, this would mean a few more hours.  Other states call this a Full day’s Work for a Full Days Pay plan.  School administration (management) could then schedule those hours to optimize classes and increase student desk-time.  The combination of a renewed Levy and more teaching time will improve student learning in a cost effective manner and enhance the perception of teacher professionalism

            Other contract reform measures advocated by Willmar-StudentsFirst include :

1.  Eliminating premium pay for teaching four(4) HS classes – (needed to efficiently use added hours and restore responsibility & management to principals)

2.  Transfer the billing function for dues to the union – (terminates School District responsibility for collecting partisan political contributions)

3.  Freeze salaries for 2 years, (provides breathing room for cost control)

            We look forward to your reaching Agreement by the time you ask taxpayers to vote “yes”.

                        Willmar-StudentsFirst

                                                                        Linda Kacher, spokesperson

                                                            Willmar-studentsfirst [willmar-studentsfirst@q.com]

Willmar-StudentsFirst has been sending letters to the School Board, urging them to authorize more than one(1) voting location for the November TAX LEVY balloting.  We recruited the support of Mayor’s and our state Senator & Representative, Joe Gimse & Bruce Vogel.   We perceive Board reluctance as an attempt to manage the outcome in a way that is discriminatory, inconvenient, and downright thoughtless for working Mom’s, the disabled, the elderly, and those living in outlying cities of Pennock, Blomkest, and the township of Dovre.  A population area in excess of 25,000 persons to be served by one voting location.  Creating a situation like this is an example of why Voter ID is needed. 

Well, we lost that one, however the good news is the Board adopted our recommendation not to increase the TAX LEVY, but to simply renew the expiring amount.

And, they listened to our recommendation and set the term of the renewal to coincide with a normal election event, not wasting money required for a single purpose election, like now.  Here is the testimony of Willmar-StudentsFirst as presented to the School Board.

 I’d like to speak to your agenda items calling for a Tax Levy upon the property owners of Willmar School District.    

 My name is Linda Kacher.  I live at 407 Country Club Drive NE, Willmar, MN and I appear both as an individual and representing Willmar-StudentsFirst. 

          Willmar-StudentsFirst applauds your willingness to serve theSchool District with your time and talent.  Not everyone would be willing to devote the time and the dedication to children that you demonstrate by being here, and we don’t forget about that for a moment.  My comments are offered in a spirit of constructiveness offering a different perspective.

          Your considerations today, of possibly increasing taxes, has heightened importance.  It was a bad week here in Minnesota; first Moody’s followed Fitch ratings reducingMinnesota’s financial outlook from “stable to negative” ……….and then we are all familiar with our Nations, 1st ever,  credit downgrade.  We may be testing the limit of how much bad news, taxpayers can absorb.

  In response to financial pressures like these School districts throughout our country have been reforming restrictive labor rules and practices; those that protect ineffective teachers and discourage hardworking teachers to display extra effort.

          It is only fair for taxpayers to ask, “what’s changing in Willmar?”  Your labor contract with teachers has now expired.  School is about to start, and it appears to be “business as usual”.  You have not announced any attempt nor achievements in negotiating productivity gains from your largest cost element, Teachers.   Your Board never signaled support forMinnesota reform to legislators, the Governor, nor the community.   We are unaware of any announced pay freeze, there seems to be no list of reform improvements that would impact productivity and thereby cost.  We believe these steps should have preceded a Levy request. 

In summary you have not laid the ground work for a Levy increase;

Willmar-StudentsFirst advocates you limit the Levy to at most, the renewal amount.

We are opposed to one central voting site in lieu of the 19 regular & normal voting locations.  Our survey of the mayor’s and others within WillmarSchool District revealed there was little awareness & understanding of the voting limitations we understand you are about to adopt.  All registered voters need and should have an equal opportunity to express themselves. This election should be not be confined to the Community Center but be conducted at all normal voting locations.  Under the guise of saving money “one site fits all” will be perceived in the District to be engineering a outcome.  If conducting a vote on this property tax issue is worth doing, then it is worth doing without depriving voters of convenience and accessibility.

         And lastly, we urge you to fix the term of the renewed Levy, not at the statutory maximum, but to coincide with when an election would regularly be conducted.  Expense control is everyone’s concern; pick the correct term, 8, 9, or 10years to minimize cost and voting events.

Thank you for providing this opportunity to offer input for your consideration.

Our overzealous governor continues on his destructive course for shutting down Minnesota government. His single purpose of raising taxes “on the rich guys” , has lost its’ appeal for responsible taxpayers. They are shocked at Dayton’s disregard for excessive costs, poor planning, secretiveness and lack of compassion for those who will be laid-off.

For K-12 education……….the Governor peremptorily turned his back on increased Republican offers that would total more than he ever has asked for. It proves the point that it isn’t about settling, it is about winning at all costs. In the meantime, back in the District, our Superintendent is writing letters to legislators urging compromise; we hope he is also writing to the obstructionist Dayton.  And how about the School Board, have they been expressing their views?  Lets hear them.

Newspapers have been notoriously biased in covering the St.Paul stories. In this confusion, well intentioned but misinformed readers send Letters to the Editor loaded with bad information, which when repeated often enough begins to gain some credibility.

Keep a few facts in mind regardless of the continued, but thinly veiled, attempts at obfuscation -

1. The last biennium General Fund spent $30.5 billion, a record high for MN.

2. Several Republican legislators wanted to start the budget with a 5% cut, echoing voter     sentiment and the private sector, and start at $28.5 billion. However returning Republicans convinced them to offer $32 billion, the increased revenue estimate.

3. Governor Dayton initiated his $38billion demand, funded with new taxes, and he has yet to reveal a spending plan, while he cajoles the Republican budget plans.

4. The State Department of Revenue revised their estimate by + $2billion & Republicans increased their offer to $34billion. We hope they are correct; time will tell.

5. Dayton cut his unsubstantiated demand to $36 billion and that is where we are stalemated.

You can articulate this in any way you choose however keep in mind Governor Dayton is demanding $36 billion, 20% higher than ever before spent, and Republican legislators are offering $34 billion, a 12% increase.  Republican reform cuts are hard to find.

Willmar welcomed Margaret Kelliher, last week. She was the DFL endorsed candidate for Governor. Now representing the MN High Tech Association Ms. Kelliher,  highlighted the challenge ahead in K-12 education…..”we are graduating students not proficient in math & science. We have large budgets at college entry points for remedial education in basic subjects. Someone’s’ dropping the ball and things need to change. Future jobs require college preparation and many of our students are having difficulty qualifying for admission.

Watch for Board action on how they will split the cost-saving on renewed Health Insurance premiums.  Remember a few years ago when premiums went up, it was the justification for teacher increases to cover their costs; lets see if the District can benefit from the full reduction now the Teacher contract has expired.

The Board continues to be unwilling to negotiate a contract before talking LEVY.  Who would want to increase their property taxes and not know where the money would be spent and how much productivity would improve?

Spending more education dollars without reform ……….and expecting improved results, is irresponsible, unwise and wasteful.  Doing the same thing over & over but expecting different results = lack of understanding (at best).

As Senator Alan Simpson said, ” the days of going to Washington to bring home the bacon are over; the pig is dead.”

So too, the Willmar School Board delay to begin negotiation for Teacher contracts for September, waiting for a St.Paul handout,  is way past.   Reality needs to set-in knowing increased teacher productivity is a “must” in all educational reform programs.  Willmar has many changes that can be implemented in the name of Educational Reform to better educate students at a lower cost. It’s time to begin the dialog.

While Willmar-StudentsFirst is non-partisan we are hopeful and optimistic however we observe it looks  like the Governor is on a self-destructive course.   For him to demand an increase in spending in excess of 16% based solely upon wanting the “rich guys” to pay more is touting distasteful class envy. Too bad the college presidents, baseball players, rock stars, and other CEO’s don’t speak up and tell him enough is enough.

The Republican budget proposal is hardly a spending cut,  offering a 3.2% educational funding increase, apparently not enough for Dayton.  But as we believe you know throwing money at education doesn’t buy better educated students. We believe in students, we are pro-education, pro-teachers, and pro-education reform.

The School Board shuns the idea of settling a new teacher contract while they talk property owner tax LEVY.  We don’t believe anyone should support a LEVY of any amount with  Board unwillingness to tell you how it will be spent. Without a contract and then facing the January 15th statutory deadline, you can already hear the tune, settle or we’ll get a fine.  No thank you, they have time to do it correctly if they get a move-on.  It is the responsible thing to do if they represent the taxpayer; we’ll soon see if they do.