USING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO MANIPULATE THE ELECTORATE:

 

May 2011

The school district, staying true to form, is beginning to release pertinent "information" regarding anything they can think of to persuade the voters to re-elect the incumbents and the CHOSEN ONE. Nothing illegal about doing these things, but it's playing dirty pool in my book.

Take today, for instance. Everyone who is subscribed to KISD newsletters got one that directs them to the KISD web site where "questions" can be answered. Here's this week's batch with my comments:

(Updated: April 29, 2011)

2011-12 Budget/Staffing/Program Questions & Answers

Has the ESC ballooned with positions since 2008? No. Katy ISD’s administrative costs of approximately four percent of the District’s expenditures are well below the state allowable standard of 11 percent for a district our size. After being in the District for a year, Superintendent Frailey reorganized the administrative structure for improved efficiency and information flow. While the organizational chart may appear to have been expanded, in reality, it reflects a repositioning of a number of roles and responsibilities.

Well, actually, yes, the ESC HAS ballooned with positions since 2008. Let's start with the addition of probably 8 new assistant superintendents to the original 4 that Merrell had in 2007 when he left or the 2 that Hayes had when he left. But just in sheer numbers, in 2008 they had 206 central administrators and in 2010 there were 218. They don't tell us how many there are in 2011, but we can expect that the number is higher, not lower than 218. They also have something they call "Professional Support Staff." These aren't teachers, but they make more than a teacher, so in my book they are a "central administrator" that they're trying to hide. In 2008 there were 478 of those. In 2010 there were 505. No telling how many there are now.

The fact that they are "well below the state allowable standard of 11 percent for a district our size" is a response that begs for definitions of terms. I won't even go there, and neither will they!

Is Superintendent Frailey’s contract and salary the cause for staff reductions? The performance of the District in 2009-2010 was exceptionally good so the Board felt every employee deserved a three percent raise; however, the raise for the Superintendent was delayed until the conclusion of his evaluation. In the past, it was standard procedure to give the Superintendent’s raise at the same time that raises were given to all other employees. However, the agreement with Superintendent Frailey delays any raise he may receive until after his evaluation has been completed. His evaluation, based on the previous year’s performance, was finalized and approved in January 2011. Superintendent Frailey then received the same three percent raise as all other Katy ISD employees for the 2010-2011 budget year.

Parts of the Superintendent’s contract were approved and funded in 2009, including a one-time payment of additional compensation and one -time contribution to purchase one-year of Out-of-State Service in TRS. These costs will have no impact on the anticipated 2011-2012 budget including staffing.

That cute little paragraph in the superintendent's contract that gives him an automatic raise of the same percentage as the teachers' hasn't always been there. If I recall, Leonard Merrell negotiated those terms with these same people that are on the board now, and it shouldn't be there. Elsewhere on this web site, I explain how giving administrators the same percentage raise as the teachers would result in an out of whack pay scale, and now the chicken's have come home to roost. Three percent for a teacher's raise is a pittance compared to a 3% raise for a guy who is soaking us for $288,400.00!

Of course his raise isn't the cause of the teacher lay-offs. We aren't stupid out here!!! But it IS symbolic of the excess, the greed, the let 'em eat cake attitude that this superintendent and his Board have for all of his employees and the public that funds his excesses.

Will the district consider using its fund balance, or rainy day fund, to offset teacher layoffs? The District currently has approximately $85 million in its General Operating Fund balance. Consideration will definitely be given to using a portion of these funds to help close the projected state funding shortfall. The reduction in state funding will occur over a two-year period. The actual state budget shortfall and how available state funds will be allocated to individual districts across Texas will only be determined when the state passes its final budget. Therefore, Katy ISD must be conservative with the amount it commits from its fund balance. The District is dependent upon its fund balance to continue operations during the time before the state revenue and property tax collections are received.

It's about time the superintendent and his well paid staff admit that the budget shortfall will "occur over a two-year period." Apparently they didn't know that FACT the night Dr. Harris (the head of Human Resources for the District) made her power point presentation to the Board showing how much money the district was going to lose. (It's unbelievable that Mr. Frailey and Dr. Harris seemed not to know that Texas has a biennial State Legislature and State Budget.) So they mistakenly figured on the wrong amount and fired teachers when they really didn't have to. But don't look for an admission of that HUGE error on their part. Here is page 5 of the Power Point Presentation from the Board Meeting where you can see for yourself how they erred. Notice when you see them, the egg on the Board members' faces! [Dr. Harris has since disappeared from the Katy School District, so I guess someone finally acknowledged that she wasn't suited for the job.]

 

FUNDING… It is what it is!

Anticipated Shortfall

$19 –62 M annually

** No new funds anticipated minimum 3-4 years?

** Next legislative session is Spring 2013.

**************

Has the district considered salary reductions as a way to save jobs? Current language in Chapter 21 of the Texas Education Code does not allow for teacher salary reduction. There is talk in the current legislature to allow for teacher salary reduction but at this time we cannot.

But you can bet Mr. Frailey has been over in Austin bending the ears of the legislators trying to get HB400 passed and SB12 out of committee. In fact, Dan Patrick told us that Frailey had been there the day of the forum at the Alamo Theater. This bill would let the districts lower teachers' salaries, but not administrators' salaries. That specific question (regarding why administrators were not included) was asked of Senator Patrick at the forum, and he dodged it like a PRO. Everyone should know that all the Katy legislators have signed on as co-authors of these bills that will change the way teachers are treated from now on.

Does the District anticipate a budget reduction in the athletic department? If so, how will that impact current programs? Yes. The Katy ISD Athletic Department’s overall budget will be reduced by 10 percent for 2011-2012. This reduction will require adjustments in the design of the athletic programs at the secondary level; however, students will still have access to quality athletic programs.

They don't want to tell you that they are cutting athletic programs that they probably never should have begun in the first place--like "C" teams in the junior highs. Activities like that are the result of trying to please every parent and of the desire not to hurt any kid's feelings by telling him in junior high that he isn't capable of playing on the Katy High School football team.

Next time you go to a high school football game, count the number of coaches on the field, and ask yourself if you think they really NEED that many. And while you're at it, go look at the stipends list (on this web site)and see all the extra pay that coaches earn (and many of the coaches coach more than one sport) for being a coach. As a former teacher, I would like to point out that I spent a lot of time outside the classroom too grading papers, and no one ever gave me a stipend for doing so! Our school district also has a practice of allowing coaches who stop coaching to retain their stipends even though they no longer do anything to earn them! How fair is that? How budget wise is that?

How will the elimination of one assistant band director at the high school level impact the overall program? High school band directors, along with principal support, will determine the expectations and schedule for their programs outside of the classroom day. During the day, they will be offering TEKS-based required curriculum for the various band content areas to ensure student learning and skill development in courses that count toward graduation.

My understanding is that this person who was cut was the person who helped orchestrate the half-time program. I'm guessing the band director or his assistant will be doing that job now. Forget the baloney about the TEKS-based required curriculum. That TEKS based curriculum, in my opinion, is what has bankrupted the system in the first place. To throw in that sentence is just insulting. TEKS and TAKS take up way too much time in a student's day. The only purpose of this system is to dumb down our children. The new STAAR testing system (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) will cost the state $90,665.041.00 for the 2010-2011 school year. The contract for 2010-2015 is for $468,392,617.00. ALL of this money goes to the vendor, Pearson. THINK of the waste of time, effort, and money this boondoggle state mandate has caused over the twenty plus years we've been subjecting students to this mindless assessment program. If anyone wants to cut something, here it is!

Will the elementary Two-Way Immersion program continue for the 2011-2012 academic year? The Two-Way Immersion program will continue for students currently enrolled; however, TWI enrollment will be suspended at this time for any new incoming Kindergarten students.

They're keeping this program because a statewide, orchestrated protest at board meetings told them they had to keep it. Here's what a notable education writer said about the program: "How in the world can you expect kids to learn to read, write, do math, et cetera in HALF the time when they can't even learn it when they speak English ALL the time?" I will put up some articles that discuss this program on another page.

Special Ed personnel have been reduced across the district. How can the remaining teachers and aides keep up with all the paperwork and other requirements that are demanded? Will their success be monitored and adjusted mid-stream if necessary? The loss in the Special Education Department budget includes reductions in GOF and in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) – Title VI-B Grant. Because the numbers of students identified as having Autism (specifically in subpopulations of White and African American), are disproportionate, Katy ISD is required to set aside 15 percent of the IDEA funds on early intervention services. The requirement of this 15 percent set aside for 2011 – 2012 will impact staffing from the grant and is reflected in the staffing plan.

Because of the timing of these grant requirements, the Special Education Department was able to consider campus needs as reductions were considered and recommendations were made. Caseloads and student-to-teacher ratios were analyzed throughout the continuum of services, and adjustments were made for special education services. Department staff members are currently working on changes in processes in order to assist personnel in the completion of paperwork and to provide guidance to the ARD committees in determining appropriate services based on the individual needs of our students. Department staff will continue to work closely with the Human Resources (HR) Department upon receiving requests from campuses for additional personnel units to address program needs. This partnership with the HR Department and campuses has allowed for these mid-stream adjustments to be made as necessary in order to meet the needs of the students and staff.

I would caution the District about cutting essential requirements for Special Education students. Their needs by law must be met and should be. But I sat on the Board for five years and listened as brave teachers came to plead with the Board to stop the Inclusion Program. The Inclusion Program, for those who don't know, brings Special Education students into the regular classroom where the regular education teacher must address their educational needs. Never mind that she does not have near the educational training of a Special Education teacher. Never mind that many times these students, even if accompanied by their own Special Education aide, are terribly disruptive and derive no quantifiable benefit from being placed into this situation. I've often wondered why their parents would allow this situation which deprives their child of a certified Special Education teacher. It makes no sense to me. But my question here is why keep an activity that does questionable good especially when the law does not require the Inclusion program? If it has become law, then correct me.

Katy ISD has reduced instructional support staff (GT, Academic Support, Dyslexia, etc.) throughout the district. How does this affect the classroom ratio for these programs? In the past, Katy ISD assigned each campus 1.5 State Compensatory Education (SCE) positions and 0.5 dyslexia positions. Some campuses were allocated additional SCE staff positions upon principal request after demonstrating a need. State law and regulations mandate that SCE staffing and expenditures must be allocated based on need rather than a standard distribution across all campuses. In addition, SCE funds may only be expended on students who qualify for at-risk services according to the 13 state identified criteria.

To staff these positions for next year, Katy ISD examined the 13 state criteria for SCE and selected TAKS failures and the number of K-3 students who did not perform satisfactorily on the reading readiness test, two of the 13 state identified criteria for at-risk. Once the number of students was identified by campus, SCE staff was distributed based on need causing some campuses to gain positions and some campuses to lose positions. During the overall process, four staffing units were collapsed. The remaining SCE positions were allocated with ratios of 1:75 for elementary campuses, 1:100 for JH campuses, and 1:200 for high school campuses. These ratios will enable KISD to provide small group intervention with a ratio of 1:6 per elementary small group session and 1:15 for each secondary small group session. Staff will continue to monitor these ratios and make adjustments as necessary.

For dyslexia, Katy ISD reallocated 33 total GOF positions to form a team of dyslexia itinerant teachers who will be assigned to campuses to provide direct dyslexia intervention at a ratio of 1:6. Forming this team will provide Katy ISD with the flexibility to assign staff to campuses based on the number of dyslexia students per campus, rather than having some campuses being overstaffed in this area and other campuses being understaffed.

My only comment here would be that if students were taught to read using pure phonics, there wouldn't be all these problems with students who are not able to read. In 1994, the superintendent asked the Board to vote to fund the Reading Readiness program. (That would appear to be a plagiarized form of the copyrighted "Reading Recovery" program.) The cost for the first year was $1,400,000. That was the cost of one teacher at each of our elementary schools. The two people who would have provided oversight of that program (Stanley Thompson and I), left the board shortly after the first year, and so I'm guessing no one has ever looked at it again. All the research on Reading Recovery shows that while there is some benefit while the child gets the one-on-one instruction, after a year or two, that progress disappears. In other words, it doesn't work. But consider that we now have twice as many elementary schools as in 1994 and this program has been in place all those years doing absolutely no good. KISD still graduates at least 30% of its students as functional illiterates.

Will the elementary Challenge (GT) program and the secondary GT program continue for the 2011-2012 academic year? Yes. The Challenge and secondary Gifted & Talented programs will continue as the GT design model for next year.

I have mixed feeling about the GT program. If students were ability grouped from the third grade as was the voted on measure by the school board in 1996, these students would reap far greater benefits. A pull out program just doesn't cut it. If one understands the agenda, then one realizes that public schools are not supposed to allow any student to be deemed better than any other student, so watch for this program to continue to decline. I know I pulled my kid out of GT in the 9th grade because what they were doing was a waste of his time.

Was the Challenge/GT program staff reduced? Yes, as were other programs throughout the district. However, services students receive will not be reduced. There will be adjustments in teacher assignments and class sizes in a small number of cases, but the program design will stay the same.

Leaving the "program design" the same is the bad news here!

Will employees who are terminated or resigned due to budget reductions have rehire priority when/if Katy ISD starts hiring again? Katy ISD will give preference to candidates that resigned/terminated due to budget reductions as appropriate to positions being filled.

The rule ought to be first out, first in. The manner in which teachers were terminated was awful. No other word for it. Making them choose between benefits and a possible rehire sounded like something the Mafia would do.

Why are we building new schools if we’re laying off teachers? Despite education cuts across the state, the Katy area continues to grow – with a large portion of our district listed among the fastest growing communities in the country. Therefore, we must create the room for students that are coming, as well as accommodate those campuses that are already over capacity. The district continues to look at cost saving opportunities associated with growth.

Notice that they're now saying "a large portion of our district is listed among the fastest growing communities in the country." They use the word "portion" because other parts of our community are declining greatly in student numbers. They used to say we were gaining by 3,500 students a year, but those numbers haven't appeared in years. In fact, we only grew by 2,011 students this year and 2,253 last year, and 2,429 the year before that, so our enrollment increase is going down, not up. Schools at the east end of the District are under capacity and those on the southwest side are over capacity. Clearly they need to rezone and adjust populations. I'm all for neighborhood elementary schools, but no one ever promised anyone their own neighborhood junior high or high school. The rezoning needed to be done BEFORE they decided to build more schools that they cannot afford to staff.

Why can’t we use bond funds to save teacher jobs? Bond funds are authorized by the voters to fund capital projects and cannot be used to fund general operating expenses. By law, teacher salaries cannot come from this fund.

But they DO hire employees using bond funds. Just ask the old Xpediant employees which fund paid for them. Ever wonder why they were so hot to pass the 2006 bond referendum?

What is the difference between the M&O Fund (maintenance and operations) and the Debt Services Fund? The M&O portion of the budget is use [sic] for general operating expenses such as salaries and operating costs to run the district. The Debt Services Fund is used to pay off debt related to capital projects.

They got one right! Bill Moore probably told them what to say.

I pay a lot of money in school taxes each year, so where are my tax dollars going? The district has published a Fast Facts document that outlines expenditure areas.

When will the new schools open? Three new elementary campuses and one new junior high campus are slated to open in fall 2012. High School 7 is slated to open in 2013.

Why did the district give three percent raises last year if it knew that there was going to be a deficit? One percent of the raise was mandated by state law. The additional two percent was approved by the Board in order for the district to stay competitive with other districts.

Well they don't pay teachers as much in Katy as they do in Plano!

How were teachers chosen for termination? Teachers and staff chosen for termination were those who had probationary contracts in the areas of reduction.

Actually it was a bit more complicated than that. They chose the ones with probationary contracts who were in their third year over those with less experience so that they would have the others available if they have to cut more of them next year. No consideration was given toward basing the decision on merit. Pretty cold, I'd say.

Will a list of eliminated positions be released to the public? Personnel information is treated with the utmost confidentiality. Human Resources, in addition to immediate supervisors and/or campus administrators, are aware of staff members’ employment status. However, professional contract personnel who choose to go through the termination/non-renewal process rather than resign, will have their positions listed as public information as the Board of Trustees votes on termination/non-renewals.

I have asked for this information and am being stonewalled while they figure out what to do. I indicated in my open records request that I did not intend to publish anyone's name. I'm guessing they will eventually give me positions without names. I know teachers think their salaries and stipends and other aspects of their job are private, but they are not. Teachers work for a government, and in our country, our government must by law be transparent on these matters.

Will those being laid-off be eligible for unemployment? Katy ISD does not determine who will receive unemployment. Information pertaining to unemployment can be obtained from Texas Workforce Commission.

Who received termination notices? The individuals receiving termination notices were those with Chapter 21 Probationary Contracts. By law, Texas school districts must notify contract employees 45 days prior to the last day of instruction – which is April 19 for Katy ISD.

What are Probationary Contracts? Probationary contracts are given to employees who are new to Katy ISD, or new to the teaching profession. Employees who are new to the district but have previous educational experience receive a probationary contract for a minimum of one full year. Employees who are new to the district and new to the profession receive a probationary contract for three full years. A full year is defined by a teacher employed by the start of a contract year, through the end of that year – with no interruptions of employment. Katy ISD has approximately 1,100 staff members with probationary contracts.

That's about 23%.

Has the Board of Trustees declared state financial exigency for Katy ISD? What exactly does financial exigency mean? The Board has not declared a state of financial exigency for the district.

Financial exigency is defined in District Policy DFF (Local) as any event or occurrence that creates a need for the District to reduce financial expenditures for personnel including, but not limited to, a decline in the District’s financial resources, a decline in enrollment, a cut in funding, a decline in tax revenues, or an unanticipated expense or capital need.

Doesn’t the Board of Trustees have to declare a state of financial exigency before teachers can be laid off? According to District Policy DFF (Local), a state of financial exigency must be called when a reduction in force requires the termination of an employee contract governed by Chapter 21 of the Education Code during the contract period, or a contract not governed by Chapter 21 of the Education Code during the contract period.

The Chapter 21 employees with probationary contracts who are receiving termination notices this week will complete their 2010-11 contract. They will not, however, receive new contracts for the 2011-12 school year.

Are the teachers in KISD unionized and do they have tenure rights? No, Katy ISD teachers are not unionized, and they do not have tenure rights.

Does KISD have teachers suspended but being paid at this time? No

Could administration duties/responsibilities be reduced through simplification of some processes? Administrative processes are being analyzed and recommendations are being made regarding duties that can be shared and/or reduced, while identifying which are instrumental in day-to-day district operations. Employees may be asked to assume additional responsibilities.

Could student organizations provide volunteers to handle many of the administrative processes? This is not a viable option.

Did the Katy ISD Board of Trustees schedule an emergency meeting on April 11 to discuss the district’s budget? The Katy ISD Board of Trustees did not call an emergency meeting, but rather scheduled a special meeting, for April 11, which was posted 72 hours prior to the meeting. Emergency meetings are only called if immediate action is required of a governmental body because of an imminent threat to public health and safety, or because of a reasonably unforeseeable situation. In addition, in order to be eligible for a two-hour emergency meeting, the notice of an emergency item must clearly identify the emergency.

But they DID forget to post the meeting notice on the District's web site and were caught! By law they only have to post it at the Administration Building (and yes I know it's the ESC, but I don't like that name--mostly because there's nothing "educational" going on there that I can see, they don't "serve" anyone, in my opinion, and it's not the "center" of anything meaningful).

Here is the District's statement on this year's budget as I copied it from their web site on August 16, 2010. Note how the tone and content have changed since then! Remember too, that they were trying to get everyone to vote FOR their bond which fact explains everything. Since we now know that they knew then that the state was going to cut their budget, this attempt to paint a great picture of KISD's finances seems all the more duplicitous....

Preliminary Figures Point to a Balanced 2010-11Budget for Katy ISD

(July 22, 2010) – The Katy ISD Board of Trustees recently got its first look at the preliminary budget for the 2010-11 school year and what they saw were preliminary figures that paint a strong financial picture for the upcoming year. In addition, the nearly $562 million budget includes a three percent raise for teachers and staff, an increase in allocations for campus discretionary budgets, and no tax rate increase for taxpayers.

“We are cautiously excited about this year’s budget as it looks as though we will be ending the year adding to our fund balances, rather than drawing them down,” explains Katy ISD Superintendent Alton Frailey. “Over the last three years, we have made a concerted effort to reduce costs in ways that would not negatively impact student learning as we must always be cognizant of the fact that we are expected to spend taxpayer dollars wisely.”

Payroll expenditures comprise 88 percent of the general fund at $393 million. Of this amount, $236 million is salaries for teachers, counselors, librarians and speech pathologists, with $92 million going to non-teacher salaries, which includes employees from maintenance and operations, food service, transportation, campus support personnel, paraprofessionals, and campus and central administration. The remaining expenditures are for stipends, substitutes, summer school pay, overtime, health insurance, and teacher retirement.

“Katy ISD is a human capital intensive business, and our budget reflects that,” says Frailey. “This budget also reflects the fact that over seven of every ten payroll dollars are dedicated to those who work closest to our students.” In addition, the district’s administrative costs are just at four percent, well under the state requirement that sets the standard allowing up to 11 percent for administrative costs.”

The district’s general and special revenue funds are expected to see fund balance increases of $191,253 and $51,361 respectively, during the 2010-11 fiscal year. While the preliminary figures in the debt service fund currently show a use of fund balance, it is anticipated that the fund balance will increase during the 2009-10 fiscal year offsetting any use in 2010-11, thus maintaining a healthy level.

Katy ISD will hold a public meeting on Aug. 18 at 6:30 p.m., to discuss the district’s 2010-11 budget. The meeting will be held in the Education Support Center Board room, located at 6301 S. Stadium Lane. Members of the public are invited to participate in the discussion.