A Very Merry Un-Board Meeting to You!

As most of you know, a board meeting was scheduled for Tuesday night. The Sunday before, the district quietly announced they would be holding the meeting Monday morning instead. Presumably they did this because they didn't want to face the growing number of parents and teachers who are upset with the district over how bargaining is going. They thought they could avoid the crowd by changing the date and time at the last second. They were wrong. As Master Ugwe says, "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."

Saundra Hill and the school board were hoping to avoid facing a large group of unhappy citizens, but their efforts to avoid the public only resulted in making the crowd even larger and more unhappy. Hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds!) of parents and teachers filled the Booth building Monday morning. The room was packed, the hallway was packed and the line of people stretched all the way out the front door.

In the end, it didn't matter how many people were there because the district didn't allow anyone to speak. Typically there is a comment portion of the meeting where the public is allowed to address the board. This part of the meeting was notably omitted.

After a quick vote to allow superintendent Hill to hire a Seattle law firm and to use any legal means necessary to force teachers to work without a contract, the board retreated into an executive session (a private meeting that should only be used sparingly but that our board holds often.) Once the board left, parents and teachers began chanting things like "We are Pasco." At one point the police were called. When they arrived they were friendly and shook everyone's hands. They entered the room, said they couldn't find anything going wrong, and promptly left.

This is the meeting in it's entirety. (It's not very exciting because the board wasn't using their microphones and it's hard to hear them.)

For a look at the media coverage, click here.

Since the regular board meeting was canceled, some parents decided to get together and host an Un-Board Meeting! Approximately fifty community members gathered in a local park to ask questions and exchange ideas. The group, comprised heavily of members of the Facebook group Parents for Partnership with Pasco Schools, started the evening by defining their group's common mission. Then they discussed ways to achieve that purpose (to learn more about Parents for Partnership click here.)



Top on the list of priorities was how they could support the teachers during these difficult negotiations. Several ideas were suggested and work began immediately. To support the current bargaining, parents decided to email the school board members and encourage them to get involved in negotiations.

Ryan Brault: rbrault@psd1.org
Scott Lehrman: slehrman@psd1.org
Steve Christensen: schristensen@psd1.org
Sherry Lancon: slancon@psd1.org
Amy Phillips: aphillips@psd1.org

The importance of maintaining a polite and civil tone was encouraged. They also discussed calling district administrators to let them know what things were important to their own family.

To contact Saundra Hill: 546-2801 or 546-2800     shill@psd1.org

Deputy Superintendent: 546-2803

Public Affairs: 546-2686

Parents were excited by the idea of standing on the union lines with teachers outside the daily bargaining rallies. It was agreed that parents would wear grey so that they would stand out from teachers and let people know that the teachers weren't standing alone.

The next biggest priority was to support teachers by helping them have the classroom supplies they need. Two fund raising campaigns were set up. One is a Go-Fund-Me page. You can make a donation that will go strait to the purchasing of supplies for Pasco classrooms. The second fundraiser is t-shirt sales. A t-shirt is being designed as a symbol of Pasco unity. The shirts will cost $10 and all profits will be added to the teacher supply fund.

If you are interested in making an immediate difference in Pasco schools, please participate in one or more of these great ideas. Together we can make Pasco the greatest district in the state.

What's going right on the school board?

The answer is Scott Lehrman.



     Vice president of the board, Scott Lehrman was appointed to the school board in 2013.  While he has always been a great example of a public servant, he once again showed his true colors at PSD's "surprise" board meeting. 
     Hundreds of parents and teachers gathered to express their concern with the districts bargaining methods. Unfortunately the board quickly retired into a closed door session leaving the community waiting with unanswered questions. Booth staff were so uncomfortable with the crowd that they actually called the police. The police came, couldn't find any cause for alarm, and left.
     As the rest of the board left through the back door, Scott Lehrman came back to a crowded room and listened to parents and teachers who had gathered there. He LISTENED! That shouldn't be such an amazing feat, but in a district where many are expressing feelings of being ignored and marginalized, being willing to listen is truly unique.  The crowd was intimidating. They had a lot of things to say that were undoubtedly hard to hear, but Mr. Lehrman stayed anyway.

Photo credit goes to Elizabeth Vann-Clark

     And he's not just listening. He is speaking up too. Time and again the board has sat by and let Saundra Hill have her way, and often Scott Lehrman is the only one to raise questions and voice opposition.
     For this reason and many more, we here in Pascoland would like to recognize Scott Lehrman's great efforts on behalf of the students of Pasco. Thank you.

A Message from the Capitol

Attention citizens of District Pasco, we have some incoming messages from the capitol!

Please click here to enjoy a heightened reading experience through ceremonious capitol music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKKVM1n97kI

Huddle up, my fellow district residents. Strange things are happening on the PSD web site! A new post went up to address Monday's "surprise" meeting, and  Michelle Whitney's letter addressing the issue of curriculum was mysteriously replaced with a new post from PSD. The new posts can be found here (at lease for now until PSD deletes them like they do with so many other documents they've posted).

http://www.psd1.org/Page/7624

http://www.psd1.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=7446&ViewID=BFDB0E41-E373-404B-B8D3-19C77276CE2D&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=10790&PageID=1

Although you can click on the link to read the posts for yourself, we now realize the district is removing documents from their website, so we have taken the added precaution of copying and time-stamping ALL district documents for future reference (we suggest you do the same).

Alright, my denizens! Let's hear this new report from the capitol! Er, PSD!

Several questions have been asked by patrons. 
Is that us? That's us, right! 

The Board has asked that these questions and any answers be posted for all to see.  The email address info@psd1.org has been set up specifically for your questions regarding bargaining, as well as any other questions you might have. 
How handy! I actually have written to this email address with specific questions! ...I haven't gotten any replies yet, but I'm sure they are totally about to answer. Also, as an aside, why would I send anything to this email when I could just send my questions directly to the school board or call and ask to talk to an administrator in the Booth building? Almost seems like a way to file all uncomfortable questions into an informational abyss... Anyway, more announcements incoming!

Questions about curriculum:

Is it true that Pasco doesn’t have any curriculum?

Wait! Didn't we just see this question somewhere else, but with a different answer?

This is false. Pasco School District has board-adopted and supplemental curriculum and instructional materials in all content areas. The Pasco program allows for flexibility, choice, and professional discretion on the part of teachers to best meet the needs of Pasco students. A “one size fits all” approach to curriculum does not work for all students with diverse learning needs. The District provides instructional materials and has included teachers in the selection and development of those materials to best meet the needs of Pasco students. This Excel workbook outlines our adopted and supplemental materials K-8.

Didn't they just say in the other post that they are looking into whether or not we have sufficient curriculum? And I've actually heard teachers complaining that no, they don't have curriculum, which I'm assuming a teacher would actually know. Also, haven't multiple teachers complained that they are asked for their input in matters like this, only to have all their comments and suggestions ignored or misrepresented to the board? I guess they do have a point here, one size does NOT fit all, but if nothing is provided, you can guarantee that coat don't fit. Am I right?
 

The state standards in multiple subjects have changed several times over the last few years, including this year.  2014-15 is the first full year of implementation of the new Washington Standards which were adopted from the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.  Because these standards in Math, English/Language Arts and Science are new, the publishing companies have not been able to keep up in the development of instructional materials to match the standards.  Any adoption in these subjects will cost millions of dollars and the District does not want to sink that much money in materials that aren’t updated.  Teachers need materials and resources to meet the new standards.
The common core state standards may be new to Washington, but they are not new. They have been around for several years, and quality books are available.  Sorry, but this is a really lame excuse. Like parachute pants in 1996 lame. Some of our text books are more than 20 years old and out of print. Has the district been waiting for 15 years for a common core aligned book to be written? Um, nope. They have simply neglected curriculum for years and they finally got caught. So they are making up excuses to cover their own, generously compensated behinds.  Will it cost millions of dollars? Yup. But it's worth it. What good is a school without curriculum? The state has given us millions of dollars over the past fifteen years to use for curriculum, but we chose to use it on other things. Not investing in curriculum now is like telling a child you won't buy them a coat this winter because it probably won't fit them next year.

The District has provided time and support for teachers to work together to plan lessons and units. Curriculum and Professional Development leadership continues to expand the work began last spring to find materials that better match the brand new standards.

Actually, I believe one of the things being bargained for is adequate, uninterrupted time for teachers to do exactly that. I believe you have claimed this extra fifteen minutes for planning would cost over 900,000 dollars, even though the first sixty minutes you have quoted out as about 300,000. While I appreciate time is money, it seems some time costs more than others.

 

In any school district, work is ongoing to make sure teaching practices are current and innovative ideas can be implemented. For example, last year teachers were given the unique opportunity to develop innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) lessons for Franklin STEM Elementary. They were paid for the time they spent on this work.
OH! So you are saying the only current and innovative curriculum in the district was written by the teachers? How nice! Teachers are pretty amazing, aren't they?

In addition, with the change in state standards, all districts must ensure their curriculum, materials and lessons meet the standards, and that any gaps are addressed. This work is underway in Pasco.
Not to sound jaded, President, er, Superintendent Hill, but I would really love some proof of this. Otherwise I feel this is as empty a promise as a single toffee in the hunger games. After you've been mortally wounded by a snake.  

What can the district communicate about bargaining?

We will continue to post the most recent proposals from both PSD and PAE on our website www.psd1.org as they become available. 

The district does post proposals, unfortunately they change the price of things at every turn, so it is hard to understand exactly how good or bad a proposal is. It would be nice to have this in a consistent, more simple to understand format.

We remain optimistic that an agreement will be reached and that students will be back in school on time. 

Are you really optimistic? That's hard to believe, when the school board just authorized Saundra to become the supreme chancellor of the public school senate and use any means necessary to force teachers back to work. It seems like the optimistic thing to do here would be to at least wait till after the next five bargaining days are complete before handing Emperor, er, Superintendent Hill the single push nuclear red button. 

The district agrees that teachers deserve higher salaries which are the responsibility of the State. 

The district agrees that teachers deserve more pay, but say they can't offer it because it is the responsibility of the state. If this were true every teacher in every district in the state would be paid the exact same wage. But they aren't. Teachers in many other districts have salaries funded by local money.

However, in order to settle this contract, the District has increased its financial offer over 300% since bargaining started.  The parties remain far apart. 

Hmm. You say you have increased their financial offer 300%. Let's assume for a minute that we can trust this fuzzy math. But... just because you offered more money, doesn't mean you are offering a better deal. Let's pretend you need a car. Someone responds by offering you an apple.  Then to "compromise" when you indicate that no, an apple is not a car, you are offered a puppy. The puppy is roughly 300% larger than the apple! Great deal right? No! Of course not, it's still nothing like a car! And you have to feed it and clean up after the poop! Even if it's a really cute puppy, unless you can ride that puppy to work every day, this is not a good compromise. Just because the district claims to be offering something bigger doesn't mean it's actually a better deal.

What is the ending fund balance?

Ending fund balance is a snapshot of a school district's net assets at the end of the fiscal year on August 31. Districts are required by law to separate the balance into three areas based on the claim against them. These claims could be external (grantor or special program restrictions, purchase order commitments) or internal (board direction, management recommendations). 

Bucket #1 contains dollars that are already spent, being carried over for items purchased before August 31 that will be paid after that date, and carryover from special purpose funds, such as federal or state grants which are not available for flexible use.

Bucket #2 is the board adopted 5% of revenue unrestricted fund balance. This is among the sound accounting practices that earned the district top bond ratings, saving Pasco taxpayers dollars. 

Bucket #3 is assigned by the board.  Assignments are made based on the board’s priorities and to manage future expenses, like one’s savings account when a big purchase is in the future.  For example, an assignment exists to replace electronic devices.  In the world of fund balances only Bucket #3 is flexible and can be reassigned based on the board’s priorities.  These priorities were developed in public meetings.

I'm sorry, you're going to have to go back here and show me which public meeting these priorities were developed in. I've been to school board meetings and read the minutes from them. Little communication happens, which is mostly unrelated to approval items, then things are approved. It looks like all the discussion took place previously before important decisions are made. But I can't find out where these public discussions happened. It really looks suspiciously like all important decisions are happening through private email, phone and other conversations. Or, the ever ubiquitous, Pasco School Board Executive Session.

How much is the ending fund balance? Is it really $37 million?

The ESTIMATED ending fund balance in all three buckets last fall was a total of $37 million, broken out as follows:

Bucket #1: $12.5 million in specific program carry over and encumbrances which have legal restrictions on their use (money that has already been spent or can only be spent on specific programs)

Bucket #2: $8.2 million in the Board-adopted unrestricted and unreserved 5% fund balance.

Bucket #3: $15.2 million in assignments which are priorities established by the board.  These dollars can be and have been reprioritized by the board, but are only one-time dollars that cannot be used for ongoing salaries.  The board could choose to use them to pay for one-time costs which have been part of the District’s bargaining proposal.

So you're saying this is for big, one time expenses. That means we could use if for something like Curriculum!

Why can’t you use the ending fund balance for salaries?

The ending fund balance is made up of money assigned over time for future purchases that are larger than any single year’s expenditure budget. There is no revenue stream to replace the dollars once they are spent.  Salaries are ongoing costs and must have a revenue source to support them from year to year.  Once it’s spent, there is no more to replenish it.

A Big, One Time Expense like curriculum! Please? Curriculum please?

The District cannot commit money it doesn’t have to future, ongoing expenses.  Let’s say you saved $100 from every paycheck until you had $4000. While you could use that money on a down payment for a house or car, you could not plan to use that $4000 to cover your house or car payments every month for the future.

The 37 million dollars is money they have left over. That means it was income at some point. Extra income! We don't have 37 million each year, but we do have some extra each year and that pile of cash has been growing. Where is this stockpiled cash coming from, exactly?

Was the Monday, August 24 special board meeting legal?

Yes.  

No. At the best it was questionably legal and totally flew in the face of the purpose of public meetings and the laws we have for announcing them.  Which is to, you know, provide adequate notice and opportunity for the public to attend these meetings.

The Board may call special meetings when it deems it necessary.  The district is required to provide notice 24 hours in advance of public meetings. Notice was sent out to the media and the meeting was posted on the District website on August 23, 2015 prior to 9 a.m. announcing the special meeting on August 24, 2015 at 9 a.m.

Really? Really? Because most parents, citizens and tax payers watch media outlets like hawks on Sunday mornings, so it was a good guarantee that all your constituents would have adequate notice. Never mind that many people have work Monday mornings so that even knowing the time and place wouldn't allow them to attend. Why not put it on your own website front page? Or announce it at 9 a.m. on your Facebook page? It looks like you mentioned it only after people pawed through the information elsewhere and blasted it across other social media platforms.

Executive Sessions may be called for specific purposes only and are allowed under state law.  Board decisions can only be made in a public meeting.

So what was their specific purpose for this suddenly announced and much criticized meeting? They can only meet to discuss the possible price of real estate and to discuss disciplining a specific employee. Which one were they talking about today?

Why did the board cancel the regular meeting of August 25?

The board and its bargaining team will be focusing their energies on reaching an agreement with PAE and getting our students back to school on time. There is no more important business right now. It is the most important work that can be done.

The board, per your suggestion, has not attended a single bargaining session. Why would they need to cancel a meeting to focus on bargaining?. And if they really want to deal with bargaining issues wouldn't it be good to have a venue where parents and teachers can express their concerns first? The next bargaining day isn't until Wednesday, so why couldn't the regularly scheduled board meeting still be held on Tuesday night?
Oh, and by the way, it is illegal to reschedule a regularly scheduled board meeting without 20 days notice. You might have sort-of checked boxes, but you've still broken faith with the public here. 

Didn’t the legislature give districts more money?

Yes, but it came with strings attached and very little discretion on how it is spent. The legislature is still not fully funding education.  The 3% for salary increases goes directly to state-funded staff, while districts must provide that COLA to other employees through local levy dollars. As school funding steadily decreased over the years, districts were force to cover the cost of operating, to include personnel costs, with local levy dollars. For example Pasco pays librarians, counselors, and student achievement specialist, just to name a few, with levy dollars.

You mean those levy dollars that are at risk because the voters might not choose to fund another levy after all the dust settles from this fiasco? Yep. Breaking faith with the voters is gonna have fiscal consequences eventually. Too bad, because it's the students who inevitably suffer when this happens. I will be having an "I told you so" party in 3 years, you can bring the cake.
 
Didn’t everyone get a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) paid for by the State?

Yes, everyone gets a COLA.  But, no, the State will not pay for everyone’s COLA. Providing the 3% (in 20015-16) and 1.8% (in 2016-2017) to employees not paid by state dollars falls completely to the District’s local dollars, stretching that revenue source even further.

You mean that it would be very wise to spend all our money in a prudent conservative fashion and not go about paying for things like a lobbyist, an expensive Seattle law firm to help keep Ms. Hill out of jail, or other prudent things like that?

Do teachers have to buy all their supplies?

The District strives to ensure students and staff members have the necessary materials and supplies in classrooms. School buildings are allocated money for supplies and materials every year, based on the number of students enrolled in the school.  Schools have the flexibility to decide how these funds are allocated to support teachers.

Wow. I can't... even... Okay, ask any teacher. Seriously, go out and do it, right now. They are buying school supplies out of their own pockets. Teachers have been told they cannot ask students to bring anything. Some have actually been reprimanded for asking for outside help. So even parents who are willing to provide support are kept in the dark about what is needed in the classroom. I am sorry but "striving to ensure" staff members have what they need is clearly not cutting the mustard here. Claiming otherwise is deceptive in the extreme.

We value our teachers and the work that they do. 
"We value you, we just don't want to talk with or listen to you."

We believe they should be fully compensated for their work. However, the State controls the revenue sources for full and fair teacher compensation.  Our legislators must fully fund education in our state, including fair and sustainable salaries and benefits for our teachers. 
And yet the district can find the money to "fully compensate" all the inflated paychecks and benefits packages of the Booth building administrators.  They "fully compensated" Saundra Hill with a $24,000 bonus last year, and a $41,000 bonus the year before that. It appears that PSD actually believes in fully funding their own Pampered Chef parties and Mustang convertibles.   

The real tragedy here is that we are losing so many great teachers who are getting burnt out and leaving.  

PSD's actions continue to baffle us. We do not know when or how a solution will be reached. What we do know is that we love our teachers. We really love our teachers. And we stand with you in your fight to provide the best possible education to our children.

  

Please click here to enjoy some exciting exit music!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdYDzTtaulo
 



For those of you who haven't gotten enough, here is the new version of what use to be Michelle Whitney's letter but is now just a letter....

We don't think it's necessary to post this first letter in its entirety, anyone can compare this new document to the one previously posted and copied for view by reviewing our own previous blog post. (http://pascotruth.blogspot.com/2015/08/curriculum-mysteries-with-special-guest.html) Much of what was posted is just a rehash of Michelle Whitney's letter from last week, but her name and face have suddenly been removed from this post. Perhaps they simply don't want Ms. Whitney associated with this "information"?

Is it true that Pasco doesn't have any curriculum? 

No, it is not true. First, our content and instructional approaches are outlined in our strategic plan.  They are Balanced Literacy, Developmental Writing Continuum, Inquiry Science, Problem Solving Math, Guided Language Acquisition Design, High Yield Instructional Strategies, Danielson Instructional Framework, Literacy Squared and Instructional Framework including Interventions. 

Note that none of these things are actually curriculum. The district even says it themselves. They say these are "instructional approaches."

 

These were identified in 2008 as part of the strategic planning process and approved by the board.  They have been part of the strategic planning process, and have been refreshed and renewed since that time.

Still not talking about curriculum...

 

We have instructional materials that philosophically align with the expectations of our content and instructional approaches.  The transition to the new Washington State Learning Standards has created a context requiring us to be reflective about the extent to which our existing content/instructional approaches and materials align to the new academic expectations.

So now we have some "instructional materials" that may or may not align with state standards.
 

Our approach is two-fold.  First, is to provide a support system for teachers in the short term. 

·         ELA Pacing Guide/Math Curriculum Guide

·         Aligned interim assessments

·         Vetting process for units, lessons, materials and strategies

Is there mention of who will make these? When teachers will receive them? How they will be implemented? Is this happening now or is this a hope for the future? So many questions!
 

Second, a plan of reviewing instructional materials K-12 will be developed in coordination with principals and teachers.  This systematic approach to materials review will begin with K-8 Literacy in the fall of 2015.  

Are you saying we don't already have a plan for reviewing instructional materials? How do we know if/when we need new materials? How have we been functioning as a district this long without  a plan? Why are several people paid more than $100,000 a year to be in charge of curriculum, but it's still not taken care of?
 

This Excel workbook outlines our adopted and supplemental materials K-8.  There are also spreadsheets outlining the Literacy Library titles at each building and materials provided for our bilingual classes by grade level.  A similar document for 9-12 is under review and will be provided as soon as possible.

As you can see this is basically the same document as was posted last week, just without Michelle Whitney's name attached to it.  Why this was done is anyone's guess.

The story of the Five Little Pigs

     Once upon a time there were five little pigs. The five pigs lived together with their mother in a large brick house. The little pigs were very good. They always obeyed their mother. The pigs were very happy together. 

    One day the little pigs asked if they could play outside. Mother Pig said, "Oh no! It is dangerous out there. Angry and selfish wolves are waiting to eat you. Stay inside and be safe."  

     "Angry wolves?" cried the little pigs.

     "Don't worry, my children," said Mother Pig. "You are all safe with me."

    One day there was a knock at the door.  "Who could that be?" cried the pigs. Mother Pig peaked through the curtain.  "It's a wolf," said Mother Pig. "Hide!" 

     The little pigs huddled in the corner waiting for the wolf to leave.     The wolf knocked louder. And louder. And louder! The five little pigs stayed quiet, and eventually the wolf went away.  "What good little pigs you are," said Mother Pig.

     Many happy days went by in the little brick house.  Eventually Mother Pig ran out of flour.  "I need to run to the market," said Mother Pig. "When I get home, I will bake you a cake!" And away she went. Mother Pig had only been gone a few minutes when the little pigs heard a knock on the door.

     "It's a wolf!" cried the five little pigs. "Let's hide."

     "I know you're in there pigs," huffed the wolf. "Please open the door. I need help," puffed the wolf.

     The first little pig turned to his brothers and sisters and asked, "Should we open the door?"

     The second little pig cried, "No! Mother Pig would never allow it. It's not safe!"

     The third little pig said, "I'm curious to know what this wolf wants."

     The fourth little pig sighed, "I wish we could help him."

     The fifth little pig just cried.

     "Won't you help me little pigs?" huffed the wolf even louder.

     The first little pig unlocked the door, and the five little pigs poked their heads cautiously out the door.  "Quickly!" puffed the wolf. "Your haystack is on fire, we need to put it out or it will catch your whole house on fire!"

     "Our haystack in on fire?" asked the first little pig with his eyes wide.

     "You don't want to eat us?" asked the second little pig as he trembled in fear. 

     "You're trying to help us?" asked the third little pig.

     "What should we do?" asked the fourth little pig, and the fifth little pig sniffed back a tear.

    

     "Grab water and blankets and follow me," huffed the wolf.  The little pigs grabbed blankets and water and ran after the wolf.    The wolf and the pigs ran to the haystack. They soaked the blankets in the bucket of water and used it to cover the flames. The wolf huffed and puffed as he worked to pat the flames out. The little pigs watched with surprise. When the flames were all gone, the wolf turned back to the little pigs and smiled. Then he sat down on the grass to rest. The little pigs stared at the wolf.

     "We thought you were an angry, selfish wolf," said the first little pig.

     "You scared us," said the second little pig.

     "You were yelling so loud," said the third little pig.

     "And you were huffing and puffing," said the fourth little pig.
     "We didn't think we should trust you." said the fifth little pig.

     "I saw your haystack was on fire, so I came to warn you," said the wolf.  "I was only yelling so loud because I thought you couldn't hear me. And I was only huffing and puffing because I was tired from trying to put the fire out all by myself. I'm sorry I scared you, but I was scared too. "

     Just then mother pig came home carrying a sack of flour. Entering the yard she saw her little pigs sitting in the grass with the wolf, and she passed out cold.  The first little pig picked up the sack of flour. The second little pig turned to the wolf, "Would you like to come inside for some cake?"  The three other pigs picked up mother pig, and the wolf smiled as they all went into the house.

-As parents, teachers, and community members we are here to help make schools better. We are not the enemy. The more you push us away, however, the louder we will get. So open the door and let us in, we are here to help.

  

    

Will the Real Superintendent Please Stand Up?

Nobody likes Saundra Hill.


There, I said it. It's out there. I feel better now that I got that off my chest.



*sigh*



Okay so that's not really true. And I'm a little bit sorry for saying it.
Lots of people like her. She has a family and friends who all think she's great. She probably has some co-workers and acquaintances who think she is all right too. So saying "nobody" likes her, isn't really fair.



But the truth is a very large part of Pasco who are well acquainted with her (namely teachers and parents) are not at all happy with the way things are going in Pasco School District.  And by "unhappy" I mean down right furious.  Torches and pitch forks angry.  Going on strike mad!

(I would like to add that the torches and pitch forks are metaphorical. Nobody even owns pitchforks anymore and I certainly wouldn't want people using them for anything besides good, old-fashioned straw chucking.) Ahem. Where was I...


Last winter when Ms. Hill announced her retirement there was a considerable amount of rejoicing. When we learned she wouldn't be leaving for another 18 months, there was a little less rejoicing. When we heard that Michelle Whitney was to be her successor, there was confusion.

We all like Ms. Whitney. We really do!
She is nice. She is very approachable. She is a great listener and a great teacher. She is intelligent. She appears to be sincere and thoughtful in every way.  But.... she's an insider.

When the district conducted a survey to find out what everyone wanted in a new superintendent, you know what people said? They wanted someone new. Someone different from Ms. Hill.

When asked: What qualification do you believe is important for a new superintendent?

"Willing to do differently than what has been done before."

"I highly recommend we get a new pair of outside eyes. Please do not hire anyone from Booth Building. We need a new look on things. There has to be some very successful supers out there in the wild."

"Bring new and fresh perspective to Pasco that will rebuild trust and between leadership and certified staff and the community."

And when asked: What do you see as the greatest challenges a new superintendent must be prepared to address?

"Continuing to do processes in the same way."

"An absolute mess of administrators with no leadership skills and no decision making power."

"A willingness to shake up the status quo and align stakeholders to a common vision to do what is best for kids."

Now we find ourselves in a rough spot. Parents and teachers are demanding curriculum. The district keeps trying to say we have it, or we're getting it, or we're going to see if we have it, or we might get some in the next five to six years, or, or, or.  Saundra Hill and the PSD bargaining team are refusing to come to the table and bargain in good faith. The teachers have just voted to strike. Teachers are forced to choose between spending time out on the picket lines in front of the Red Lion or going to their classes to get lesson plans ready. Parents and students have no idea when school will begin. What Pasco needs right now is a real leader.

Michelle Whitney, Pasco Parents needs you to stand up for Pasco's kids!

Will the real superintendent please stand up?

Ms. Whitney, we are begging you. This is your chance. This your your moment. You can stand up and be the leader we need. The leader our children and community deserves.

Saundra Hill is refusing to come to the bargaining table.
Ms. Whitney, don't be like her. Come to the table. Talk to the teachers' union. Find a solution. Do it with or without a mediator.  You can do it.

Saundra Hill isn't worried about a teacher strike because she thinks she can get a court injunction to force teachers back to work. But you don't want that. You know how much that will hurt teachers to have to go through with a promised strike. You don't want to be the leader of a district who filed charges against its own teachers. So tell Saundra Hill, and the PSD bargaining team, and the school board that enough is enough. You can do it.

Saundra Hill says we have comprehensive, district adopted curriculum. You know this isn't true. You know it. We know you know it. Stand up and say it. Admit that we are lacking adequate text books for some grade levels and some subject areas. Tell us the truth. You can do it.

Saundra Hill says it will take five to six years to study and assess the curriculum we have and improve it. You know our kids can't wait that long. You know it has to be done now.Right now. It will be hard. We understand that. But you can do it!

Saundra Hill hasn't been in a classroom in years. She doesn't really know what's going on in there. But you do. Stand up for our students. Stand up for our teachers. YOU CAN DO IT!

This is your chance. This is your moment. Not only can you be the leader Pasco needs, but you can put to rest any doubts that you weren't the right person for the job.  If you are going to be the future leader of Pasco schools, prove it now. Not in small ways. In bigs ways! Not in strategic plans or in lunch room discussions. Do it in public! Do it out loud! Do it in a way that lets everyone know things are changing in Pasco, the status quo isn't good enough anymore, and you are going to put Pasco's kids first! YOU. CAN. DO. IT.


There is a school board meeting next Tuesday at 6:30. What will you do? We'll be watching.


Will the real superintendent please stand up?

*               *               *

The teachers quoted above were not alone. This is only a small sampling of the teachers who, while answering the superintendent search survey, begged for a new leader, one who didn't stick to the same methods and models. You can read more of them by clicking here.

* Sadly, the regularly scheduled school board meeting was canceled. Instead an early morning meeting was hastily scheduled in an attempt to prevent parents and teachers from speaking out. I guess we'll never know what Ms. Whitney would have said.

Bargaining Mysteries: With Special Guest Host, Saundra Hill!

Welcome to another exciting episode of Bargaining Mysteries! I am your host, Alice and I’d like to welcome today's special guest host, Saundra Hill, the current superintendent of Pasco School District!

I have to say, this is quite an honor. I know for a fact that everyone on the teacher bargaining team has been trying to get you to talk with them for the better part of three months! Thank you so much for joining me!

This summer, everyone's been on the edge of their seats to hear how bargaining is going. Well wait no longer! Ms Hill has given us a beautiful little glimpse into the status of Pasco schools. If you'd like to read her letter on your own, you can do so here:

http://www.psd1.org/cms/lib4/WA01001055/Centricity/Domain/1/Saundra%20Letter%208-20-15.pdf

Let's not waste anymore time now, let's jump right in!

Thank you for being here Ms Hill. I hope you are having a great summer!

Saundra: "I hope that you are enjoying these final days of summer and that you’ve been able to enjoy some time with your family and friends."

Ah thanks.  I have! Now what prompted you to come out today and make a public statement?

Saundra: "At this time, the School Board and I want you to be aware of the status of negotiations with the Pasco Association of Educators, which represents our teachers."

I'm glad you are giving us an update. We are all curious how things are going. Although I am wondering why you haven't been at the negotiations, but we can talk about that later. Go on.

Saundra: "The teams have been meeting regularly since June, however an agreement has not yet been reached."

Now when you say they've been meeting regularly, what you really mean is they have been meeting only a few days a month because your team is refusing to negotiate without a mediator, right? And that often your team comes to the table late, without any plan at all, refuses to discuss any serious issues, and then leaves early, right?  Oh, never mind. I forgot you aren't there, so I'm sure you don't know. So what else can you tell us?

 Saundra: "Last week we learned that the teachers’ union had voted to authorize a possible strike. We were disappointed by that news."

How disappointed were you?  Would you say you were super disappointed or just a tiny bit disappointed? We've talked to some teachers and they were very upset that things have come to this, but they feel it is the only way to help the district realize just how serious the situation is. I'm just curious how much a strike would actually affect you personally. There are still a lot of open positions to be filled in the district. It seems like you might like a strike because it would give you an extra week or two to hire the staff you need to successfully open schools. But that's crazy, no one would specifically force a strike to cover lack of staff. What a silly idea. Besides, we heard from one of your coworkers that you aren't worried about a strike at all because you are confident you can get a court injunction to force teachers back to work.

Saundra: "We are confident that an agreement will be reached through the mediation process and that our students will be returning to school on September 1. "

Really?  There is only one day left of mediation and the bargaining teams are no where near an agreement. I wish I had your level of confidence. You must know something we don't'.

Saundra: "This situation is not unique to Pasco; other Washington school districts are also experiencing difficult negotiations."

Difficult, yes. But nobody else has voted to strike. That's seems like a big deal. Are you worried about losing teachers to other districts with the current teacher shortage looming all over the state?

Saundra: "We deeply value our teachers and the crucial work that they do. We are proud to stand beside them working towards our common, primary goal of providing the best education possible for all Pasco students."

Wow! that sounds super nice. Does that mean you will be providing a comprehensive district adopted curriculum soon?

Saundra:  "We have a long history of reaching agreement with PAE and I remain confident that we will reach an agreeable resolution that is within the financial means of our district."

So was that a yes to purchasing curriculum?  The state provides millions of dollars every year to be spent on curriculum, so surely we can afford that, right?

Saundra: (sits silently with a regal expression on her face)

Okay, so you don't want to talk about curriculum. Let's talk more about how you value teachers. That sounded promising.

Saundra: "We believe that teachers should receive additional compensation for their important work. The fact remains that paying teachers is a state-level responsibility and our Legislature is not providing adequate funding to Pasco, or any other Washington school district. Districts cannot pay teachers the salaries they deserve without adequate funding from the state.  It’s not fair, and it’s not right."

It sure would be nice if the state paid more for teachers. But isn't it true that the state only pays $58,000 a year per administrator and yet in Pasco the average administrator makes $110,000? It seems like if you really believed teachers should only get paid what the state funds for them, then the same would be true for administrators. The state funds administrator salaries just like it funds teacher salaries. But then the district kicks in a little extra money from levy funds. And when I say a little money, I mean $1.8 million extra dollars paid to just fifty school administrators plus you. That was last year, alone. It looks like you make quite a bit more than that too. Last year you made $151,000 in base salary. That doesn't count the added benefits you get (like a car!) plus the $24,000 bonus you received last year. That all seems like a lot of money. Maybe you could use some of that money to pay for some of the things teachers are asking for. What do you say?

Saundra: "We urge you share your opinions on school funding with your elected officials."

It sounds like you want to push this responsibility off onto the legislature even though you have the means to fix this problem yourself. So if you aren't inclined to help settle contract negotiations, what can you do for Pasco?

Saundra: "If it becomes clear to us that the start of school will be affected, please be assured that you will be informed as quickly as possible."

So your plan is to keep us informed? You make it sound like you are just a casual observer reporting the news, instead of the leader of the largest employer in the city of Pasco. How do you feel about the chaos that Pasco schools are in?

Saundra: "It is business as usual right now."

I'm not sure if that was suppose to make us feel better or not. Do you mean that it is not that bad yet or that it's normal to have teachers out on the picket lines begging for curriculum when they would rather be in their classrooms setting up for the coming year?

Saundra: "Teachers and other employees are participating in professional development to prepare for the coming year. Student athletes are back on the fields and in the gyms. The sounds of marching bands are filling our neighborhoods as band students prepare for the year ahead."

So you're saying that teachers are still going to training, principals are still preparing to open schools, and students are still participating in sports and music. Basically everyone is doing their job.  Well, except for you I guess, since your job is to provide curriculum and pay teachers.  But I'm sure you'll take care of that really soon. 

Saundra: "We can’t wait to get started!"

We can't wait for you to get started too. You've wasted the whole summer refusing to bargain, and now we are out of time. You've wasted the past 15 years not getting curriculum, and now we have failing schools. We hope you get started on this really soon. We sure appreciate you coming to talk with us today, and we look forward to seeing you Tuesday night at the school board meeting!

Well, it appears as though Ms Hill is out of information for us. As usual the mystery around bargaining remains unsolved, with little in the way of actual facts and solutions having been presented to the public. I think I can answer for Ms Hill when I say it was a pleasure sharing this update with you and we look forward to a happy resolution to the bargaining in the near future!

Curriculum Mysteries: With special Guest Host, Michelle Whitney!

Welcome to Curriculum Mysteries! I am your host, Alice and I’d like to welcome our special guest host, Michelle Whitney from Pasco School District, whose credentials include Leadership in Curriculum & Professional Development and Deputy Superintendent!

Recently the whole city has been abuzz with a single question: Where is the curriculum in Pasco school district? To address this issue Pasco’s deputy superintendent has gone to the trouble to create a post specifically addressing this on PSD1.org! You can find the post here!

http://www.psd1.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=7456&ViewID=7b97f7ed-8e5e-4120-848f-a8b4987d588f&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=10746&PageID=1

*update*  Unfortunately this link is no longer valid.  Just days after this blog was posted, PSD removed Michelle Whitney's original letter and posted something else in its place.

The specific question Michelle is answering for us today is: “Is it true that Pasco doesn’t have any curriculum?” We’ll be talking about her answer on the show today, but you can follow along by reading her very words!

PSD indicates that “Information surrounding this topic can be found here: http://bit.ly/1NvxTjv”

Michelle, take it away.

Michelle Whitney: 
“Since my transition into my new position I have been asked specific questions regarding curriculum, materials and instructional approaches in our district.  
I have been doing some intensive research in an effort to provide answers.”

Have you really? Michelle Whitney, your previous position in PSD was director of teaching and learning. Curriculum and instructional materials should have been in your specific purview during the entire course of your employment and you have been working here for 19 years. Have you really only begun intensive research about this topic recently? Surely you jest. But please, do continue.

Michelle Whitney: “First, our content and instructional approaches are outlined in our strategic plan.  They are Balanced Literacy, Developmental Writing Continuum, Inquiry Science, Problem Solving Math, Guided Language Acquisition Design, High Yield Instructional Strategies, Danielson Instructional Framework, Literacy Squared and Instructional Framework including Interventions.”

Hmm. So you say "content" and "instructional approaches," but all I see here are instructional approaches and no content. I assume you are trying to refer to curriculum here, since that is what you say this entire post is supposed to be about, correct? I’m sure you know that instructional approaches are not curriculum. Teachers know this, though your average layman may not. It appears as though you are attempting to pull a fast one by counting on the average citizen’s ignorance of this disparity. But you wouldn't do that would you? 

I suppose you don’t want to get too specific here, hence your use of generic terms. If you’ll forgive me though, I will get specific here for just a bit.

For example, the Danielson Framework you refer to here was presented to our teachers, by yourself, as a system used for teacher evaluations. Teachers all know what this is, and supposedly you do also. Why is a tool designed for teacher evaluation being presented as part of the argument for complete curriculum? 

Balanced literacy and Guided Language Acquisition are both approaches, not curriculum, which I’m sure you know. 

Literacy squared is still in a research and development phase, it certainly is not current and complete curriculum. But of course you know all this too, this is all part of your job. So, sorry to get specific on you, but it appears this list appears to be padded. But excuse me, you were talking about your content and instructional approaches?

Michelle Whitney: “These were identified in 2008 as part of the strategic planning process and approved by the board.  They have been part of the strategic planning process, and have been refreshed and renewed since that time.”

Ah. Strategic planning processes are wonderful aren’t they? But are they universal curriculum for the whole district? Here we read that content and instructional approaches were adopted in 2008 and have been renewed since this time. Nowhere is it indicated that curriculum has been adopted or renewed. I’m sure it was somewhere in there, but reading this doesn’t clarify that for me. Also, I hate to mention it, but not everything in the strategic plan is related to curriculum, and it might be considered a misrepresentation to present these tools to the public in a way that implies they are curriculum. I’m sure that’s not what you meant at all! But please, do go on.

Michelle Whitney: “We have instructional materials that philosophically align with the expectations of our content and instructional approaches.  The transition to the new Washington State Learning Standards has created a context requiring us to be reflective about the extent to which our existing content/instructional approaches and materials align to the new academic expectations.”

Whoohoo! Slow down there, Michelle! You’re using a lot of fancy terms for me, the average layman/parent/taxpayer. If I didn’t know any better I would think you were trying to make yourself difficult to understand! So if I understand this correctly, you just said we ‘have some stuff that fits our plan.’ And then you said ‘new standards are telling us to check to see if our stuff still fits with the new standards.’ Did I paraphrase that correctly? I would like to point out that neither of these statements actually address your original question of Is it true that Pasco doesn’t have any curriculum? But I’m sure you’ll be getting to that soon.

Michelle Whitney: “Our approach is two-fold.  First, is to provide a support system for teachers in the short term.

·      ELA Pacing Guide/Math Curriculum Guide

·      Aligned interim assessments

·      Vetting process for units, lessons, materials and strategies”

It looks like your short term system includes supporting teachers and vetting your materials. I do hate to nit-pick, but neither pacing guides, math guides nor interim assessments, aligned or otherwise, are really full curriculum. Who do you plan to vet these materials with? That is something that I’m sure all the teachers would like to know. Also, again I hate to split hairs but do you have a timeline for this “short-term” approach? I've heard the teacher's union is asking for a 1-2 year plan, but the district is countering with a six year plan. Is that true? That would be a fairly pertinent thing to let us all know, I’m sure you’d agree. It seems to me that for a question answering session your information seems to be creating more questions than it’s answering.

Michelle Whitney: “Second, a plan of reviewing instructional materials K-12 will be developed in coordination with principals and teachers.  This systematic approach to materials review will begin with K-8 Literacy in the fall of 2015. “

You refer to multiple plans of reviewing processes as a "systematic" approach. I do not think that word means what you think it means. Systematic is a fun word meaning methodical, organized or orderly, but your proposed plan looks more like a systematic method of eternally putting off some fairly urgent needs in the district. But I’m sure that’s not what you meant. You’d certainly never drag out an important process like this so long that our current 6th graders will graduate from Pasco Schools without ever having had a universally adopted and current curriculum. That would be crazy. What else do you have for us?

Michelle Whitney: “This Excel workbook outlines our adopted and supplemental materials K-8.  There are also spreadsheets outlining the Literacy Library titles at each building and materials provided for our bilingual classes by grade level.  A similar document for 9-12 is under review and will be provided as soon as possible.”

Information! Exactly what we were hoping for! Oh.... I hate to get specific on you again, but this list seems to be different than lists previously provided to the Tri City Herald, the teachers' union, and the public when the district was asked about curriculum just a few months ago. You left out a lot of things that you included on the other list. I’m looking through this and nowhere in your current list are the sections of science curriculum that were adopted in 1997. I also can’t find the social studies book for third grade; you know, the one originally printed in 1990 and no longer available? It seems to have been left off, I can’t imagine why. One would think you were selectively representing the adopted curriculum to the public, but you wouldn't do that.

I also don’t see these spreadsheets outlining the Literacy Library titles. I’m sure, since you’ve provided the other spreadsheet to us that you could certainly make it available online. That’s easy as pie and much more convenient for information seekers. And I just cannot wait to see this document you’re talking about for our 9-12 students. Do you have any idea about when that might be available? No?

Well, it appears as though Michelle Whitney is out of information for us. As usual, the mystery of curriculum remains unsolved as we have done a perfect job of truly surrounding the topic with information but never actually saying anything specific that could definitively answer Pasco School District’s self imposed question! I think I could answer for Ms. Whitney when I say it was a pleasure relaying this to all of you and I hope you join us again for another show in the near future!

 

Please feel free to peruse Michelle’s recently released list of K-8 materials, with their link at the bottom of the page on PSD1.org’s site.

http://www.psd1.org/Page/7624

Then if you like, take a moment to compare it to the list of adopted materials and curriculum previously released to the teacher’s union and the Tri-City Herald.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4y0Myz3brEieFh4WmxTamVib2R5dkljbXBhNEhZcE5rY2lF/view?usp=sharing



 

*              *               *

If you, like many of us, felt like Pasco School District's post didn't really answer the question of whether or not PSD1 has curriculum or not, allow me to take a stab it it. 
The answer is yes, Pasco has a limited amount of adopted curriculum. It is scattered in grade level, completion and age but there is some. Therein lies the problem. Some  of our kids have access to quality resources. Some of our teachers get to use books.  But only some. With our curriculum in the state it is in, each child in Pasco is dependent on the dedication of their teacher, the building they are learning in and the random whims of fate for what kind of education they will receive in Pasco. Some is just not good enough anymore. We love ALL of Pasco's kids, and we think they ALL deserve access to quality curriculum in EVERY school in the district, at ALL grade levels and in ALL subject areas.

We could say a lot about what we think of this but we think the teachers said it best. The following quotes are from Pasco School District's own survey conducted this winter during the superintendent search. This was a survey specifically about a superintendent, but what it reveals about the teachers' needs is very telling in answering the question of curriculum in Pasco.

*              *               *

"I would like to see the new superintendent embrace curriculum. We can no longer teach this amount of students, with a growing range of abilities and language skills, with these extensive requirements with theory alone. Districts nearby and others with similar demographics are being given the tools they need to teach these rigorous standards. There needs to be consistency in instruction between buildings, grades, and classrooms to ensure achievement equity across the district. This does not happen when each teacher/school is making their own materials and assessments."

"We need a specific literacy curriculum."

"We must revisit our curriculum, especially in the area of mathematics. We need a problem-solving curriculum that truly aligns to our standards. Currently, we have Investigations. The publishers wrote supplemental lessons to meet the Washington Learning Standards but those supplemental lessons are short and only come up once or twice. We need a curriculum similar to Investigations that is student-focused and allows students to follow the three part lesson model of launch, explore and summarize."

"The district is falling apart, good staff members are leaving because of the lack of curriculum and administrator support."

"Many great teachers and staff are capable and willing to help students succeed but they need books, supplies, and curriculum, not "frameworks" and contradicting theories and expectations.Get rid of some of the district level administration. We pay way too much money for administrators and district office staff and not enough money on books, supplies, and curriculum for the classrooms."

"Curriculum adoption and purchasing of materials to keep our students updated on the latest available materials on an ongoing basis, in imperative to our students future success."  

"Their teachers are unprepared to teach because they must create so many materials."

"Each school is doing whatever you want with the materials given and are not all following a plan. When students move from school to school they are never on the same pace."

"Lack of curriculum and materials in the district maintains the achievement gap with our students and those of other districts nearby."

"The tax payers money is not going to the right things. Teachers need books, supplies, and curriculum, not "frameworks" and contradicting theories and expectations."

"Why is there no common curriculum? Why do we keep dumping money into more and more "curriculum" that not even our neighbor districts use? Com'on son!"

"No curriculum consistency. Too many variables in how teachers design their own curriculum. Students are falling behind."

  

"Curriculum is the number one issue facing this district. When surrounding districts are experiencing success because they have the foundation of a unified curriculum, it is mind-boggling why we can't do the same. The hodge-podge way in which each grade level in each building is creating their own resources (curriculum) according to their interpretation of the standards, cannot continue to be how Pasco operates. The gaps in learning this practice creates are unacceptable. This is not a best practice nor should it continue to be embraced."