Sunday, August 5, 2007

The Axeman Cometh...

I read the Ellis County Observer and the question was raised of the legality of cutting 41 people off the District payroll. Sure it's legal (these were "at will" employees-sucks to be them) and it WILL save money.

Where will this money go? It won't go to teacher pay increases or supplies to offset the average $1500/yr that dedicated teachers spend on their students/classrooms that's "not in the budget". It won't improve instruction, will reduce administrative efficiency unless they axed some of the deadwood in the Ed. Foundation or the numerous admin assistants to high dollar administrative personnel. We'll never know. The district won't publish their names. Don't think they can legally. The district won't even publish the names of the Bond Oversight Committee...who died and made THEM the end all be all of the edu-business in Red Oak anyway? I'll ask around and find out ASAP. Hopefully someone would file an open records request to get this info.

I really would not like to be in the shoes of the OTHER % of persons that will work this school year in fear of losing their positions. What a crappy time to be told "your services will not be required". I wonder if any of these employees received an pay rate equivalent of the $50K "Golden Parachute" that ex-Superintendent Craig Stockstill received? Nah, I bet not. At least the district "hooked them up" with the state unemployment folks and told them they could reapply for other opportunities in the district. What dummies would even go down THAT road after the district told them that they were expendable.

See how the district repays loyal employees that lobbied for the bond and worked their kiesters off for years? Oh I forgot....all this is for the kids right? If you believe that, I bet you voted FOR that ridiculous bond issue-CHUMP!
It's all about the bottom line and paying the debt service on the bond. This action certainly does not say much about doing this through attrition and over time. That would have been people friendly and still cost effective.

2 comments:

Admin said...

Steve, to be fair, it wasn't over the layoffs that I asked about the legality of it.

It was a separate issue, and one I should have been more clear on.

We should have had a photo linking the front page of the Red Oak Record to that article.

THAT was what I meant to ask about the legalities of the ROISD bond election...


And I will neither confirm nor deny the rumor about Mary Grace Ribaric and I :)

-Joey

Steve Miller said...

Oops...my fault. I saw that picture when it first was published in the Record and frankly just rolled my eyes and muttered "BS". Karen Stanfill is the wife of a sitting school board member and in this town the board members rule. Who's going to tell the board members' wife she can't do this during school hours if they work for the district?
It pissed me off but was par for the course in that election.
You know what...they have to LIVE with this bond and frankly firing folks to "lessen the impact on the fund balance" tells me they snookered the voters.

Mary Grace Rubaric? She was the person that ran for Council? Nice kid....you cradle robber! :<)