Well, it looks like the Round Rock ISD may have a new superintendent lined up. Only one candidate has emerged from the school board's search to replace the highly controversial Jesus Chavez. Another Harlingen CISD veteran, Dr. Steve Flores, was announced as the lone finalist last Friday.
Several area news sources reported that Chavez "shocked the community when he announced that he would not be serving out the remaining two and half years on his contract." The truth is that few were actually "shocked," but many were relieved. During Chavez' tenure, the district has seen declining ratings, sloppy procedure, and an erosion of fiscal responsibility. His actions regarding boundaries and construction have pitted the various communities of the ISD against each other, and his political posturing has wreaked havoc with the reputation of the district. Chavez asserted last year that superintendents do not have to comply with elected school board authority, but the Texas Legislature overwhelmingly rejected that claim and passed legislation stating as much. Chavez' days were numbered.
Hopefully, if approved, the new Superintendent will focus on making RRISD a solid district again. With intense growth in Central Texas, the community will need new schools and strong leadership that works for the entire community. Let's hope Dr. Flores will usher in a new era.
Showing posts with label RRISD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RRISD. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Round Rock School Board Meeting December 13: Chock Full of Fun!
For those who have been following the many "interesting" issues surrounding the Round Rock School District, you might consider attending the December 13 Board meeting scheduled for 7 P.M. at the Round Rock High School Lecture Hall.
According to the posted agenda, during the open session the Board will be discussing the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC). Last month the Superintendent acknowledged that his administration had not followed state law in conducting the 2011-2012 SHAC, so now the Board must reformulate the council. It will be interesting to see if they re-appoint Mr. Lynn Williams, the gentleman who called attention to the improper proceedings of last year's SHAC.
Also listed on the agenda is a Superintendent's report on "School Vouchers/School Choice." In November, the administration invited the anti-choice group "Raise Your Hand Texas" to present a 'workshop' to the trustees, but as of yet the board has not heard from both sides of the issue. It appears that the Superintendent is pushing the board to take an official stance on legislative issues. If they do so, Superintendent Chavez will be free to lobby the State Legislature during the 2013 session. (And we thought we paid him over $300,000 per year to run the school district.)
Finally, while the $25 million campus for drop-out students is not on the agenda, the Bond 2013 Study Decision is listed as an "Action Item." Although the district is very much in need of elementary and middle schools, the board spent some $74 million on pet projects they knew voters would not approve. Now, however, the RRISD can plead poverty and convince voters to approve new bond debt and tax increases. Fitch reports that RRISD debt is already "Above Average" at $703 million, but this seems to be just fine with Fitch and our government culture of borrow and spend.(Supposedly RRISD isn't anything like Leander ISD with $1.3 billion in debt and a CAB Fiasco in the works. Time will tell.)
Regarding the Success High School program for drop-out students, the district continues to maintain secrecy and only point to 'enrollment' numbers. Voters should be aware, however, that students only need to show up for one day to be considered 'enrolled.' Whether or not these students actually attend the program is another matter altogether. As Trustee Romere discovered last month, average daily attendance hovers around 40 students per day. At $25 million, taxpayers are spending $625,000 per student just to build the campus, never mind the maintenance and operation costs that will come after completion.
Considering all of these issues, one finds it very difficult to trust the RRISD with such ample financial resources and/or the education of the majority of the community's children. (Remember, RRISD academic rating has fallen from "Recognized" to "Acceptable," and now has several schools rated "Academically Unacceptable.")
Taxpayers and parents should be asking this board and administration for transparency and honesty. The citizens of the community are entitled to the truth, and perhaps we need to be a little more vocal in asking questions.
If you wish to contact your elected board members, please strive to be courteous and respectful.
Pauline Law: pauline_law@roundrockisd.org
According to the posted agenda, during the open session the Board will be discussing the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC). Last month the Superintendent acknowledged that his administration had not followed state law in conducting the 2011-2012 SHAC, so now the Board must reformulate the council. It will be interesting to see if they re-appoint Mr. Lynn Williams, the gentleman who called attention to the improper proceedings of last year's SHAC.
Also listed on the agenda is a Superintendent's report on "School Vouchers/School Choice." In November, the administration invited the anti-choice group "Raise Your Hand Texas" to present a 'workshop' to the trustees, but as of yet the board has not heard from both sides of the issue. It appears that the Superintendent is pushing the board to take an official stance on legislative issues. If they do so, Superintendent Chavez will be free to lobby the State Legislature during the 2013 session. (And we thought we paid him over $300,000 per year to run the school district.)
Finally, while the $25 million campus for drop-out students is not on the agenda, the Bond 2013 Study Decision is listed as an "Action Item." Although the district is very much in need of elementary and middle schools, the board spent some $74 million on pet projects they knew voters would not approve. Now, however, the RRISD can plead poverty and convince voters to approve new bond debt and tax increases. Fitch reports that RRISD debt is already "Above Average" at $703 million, but this seems to be just fine with Fitch and our government culture of borrow and spend.(Supposedly RRISD isn't anything like Leander ISD with $1.3 billion in debt and a CAB Fiasco in the works. Time will tell.)
Regarding the Success High School program for drop-out students, the district continues to maintain secrecy and only point to 'enrollment' numbers. Voters should be aware, however, that students only need to show up for one day to be considered 'enrolled.' Whether or not these students actually attend the program is another matter altogether. As Trustee Romere discovered last month, average daily attendance hovers around 40 students per day. At $25 million, taxpayers are spending $625,000 per student just to build the campus, never mind the maintenance and operation costs that will come after completion.
Considering all of these issues, one finds it very difficult to trust the RRISD with such ample financial resources and/or the education of the majority of the community's children. (Remember, RRISD academic rating has fallen from "Recognized" to "Acceptable," and now has several schools rated "Academically Unacceptable.")
Taxpayers and parents should be asking this board and administration for transparency and honesty. The citizens of the community are entitled to the truth, and perhaps we need to be a little more vocal in asking questions.
If you wish to contact your elected board members, please strive to be courteous and respectful.
Pauline Law: pauline_law@roundrockisd.org
Brian Sellers: brian_sellers@roundrockisd.org
Diane Cox: diane_cox@roundrockisd.org
Catherine Hanna: catherine_hanna@roundrockisd.org
Chad Chadwell: charles_chadwell@roundrockisd.org
Glen Colby: glen_colby@roundrockisd.org
Terri Romere: terri_romere@roundrockisd.org
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
RRISD Tries to Silence Whistle Blowers?
At the Tuesday, November 27 meeting of the Round Rock ISD Board, 5 of 7
members voted to censure Trustee Terri Romere, apparently for asking
too many questions.
It seems that Terri Romere has been asking Superintendent Jesus Chavez to provide attendance data for the RRISD “Success High School” program for at-risk students. Success High School plans have been much in the news since the RRISD Board voted to spend $25 million from the general fund to construct an entirely new campus for the program. Taxpayers have questioned the fiscal soundness of the decision when the district is in dire need of new middle and elementary schools. At issue is how many students will attend the $25 million campus?
When Trustee Terri Romere initially requested the attendance data from the Superintendent, he refused to comply. She then asked RRISD Board President Chad Chadwell for the data, who told her that even though she was an elected official, she would have to file (and pay for) an open records request. Ms. Romere did as Chadwell suggested and filed the request. In the meantime, someone from within the district anonymously left copies of RRISD documents on Romere’s doorstep containing the relevant data, which Romere then showed to Superintendent Chavez on November 15. (Chavez had been claiming the documentation did not exist.)
The documents revealed that daily attendance at the Success High School program ran between 37 and 43 students per day. This is very much at odds with RRISD Administration's statements suggesting the new campus would serve more than 300 students.
Rather than address the very disturbing revelation that the Superintendent had pushed the board to spend $25 million in precious education dollars for a facility that would serve an average of 40 students per day, some board members decided to “kill the messenger.” In an obviously prepared statement, trustee Glen Colby accused Romere of conducting her own investigation, violating procedures, and “violating the Superintendent’s contract.” (Huh?) Colby, et al, claim that no one would have given Romere those documents unless she had ‘inappropriately’ asked for them- never mind that the topic has been much discussed since May 2012 and has prompted numerous letters to the editors of local newspapers. Romere maintained her innocence and continued to ask the single question, "What is the daily attendance at Success High School?"
This whole new RRISD kangaroo court seems to be an attempt to distract the public from some very disturbing developments within the school district. Not only did the Board vote to stifle voter influence over the governance of the district last August, but during Tuesday’s proceedings the RRISD Superintendent stated that he had the right to decide what information the elected trustees could have about the district. And some of us were under the impression that public schools were governed by a local, democratic process! We elect trustees to the school board, and the superintendent should serve the voters via the trustees. Somehow, in the RRISD, we seem to have an unelected king running local public ed.
Just wondering out loud here: considering Superintendent Chavez’ peculiar statement during thewitch hunt censure proceeding, is he
refusing to comply with Terri Romere’s open records requests? If so, that is a clear
violation of the Public Information Act. The Williamson County Attorney’s
office has already admonished the ISD once this year, and just two weeks
ago Superintendent Chavez admitted that they probably had not followed the law regarding the School Health Advisory
Council. But perhaps there are more serious violations taking place here?
Which begs the question: what is the RRISD trying to hide?
It seems that Terri Romere has been asking Superintendent Jesus Chavez to provide attendance data for the RRISD “Success High School” program for at-risk students. Success High School plans have been much in the news since the RRISD Board voted to spend $25 million from the general fund to construct an entirely new campus for the program. Taxpayers have questioned the fiscal soundness of the decision when the district is in dire need of new middle and elementary schools. At issue is how many students will attend the $25 million campus?
When Trustee Terri Romere initially requested the attendance data from the Superintendent, he refused to comply. She then asked RRISD Board President Chad Chadwell for the data, who told her that even though she was an elected official, she would have to file (and pay for) an open records request. Ms. Romere did as Chadwell suggested and filed the request. In the meantime, someone from within the district anonymously left copies of RRISD documents on Romere’s doorstep containing the relevant data, which Romere then showed to Superintendent Chavez on November 15. (Chavez had been claiming the documentation did not exist.)
The documents revealed that daily attendance at the Success High School program ran between 37 and 43 students per day. This is very much at odds with RRISD Administration's statements suggesting the new campus would serve more than 300 students.
Rather than address the very disturbing revelation that the Superintendent had pushed the board to spend $25 million in precious education dollars for a facility that would serve an average of 40 students per day, some board members decided to “kill the messenger.” In an obviously prepared statement, trustee Glen Colby accused Romere of conducting her own investigation, violating procedures, and “violating the Superintendent’s contract.” (Huh?) Colby, et al, claim that no one would have given Romere those documents unless she had ‘inappropriately’ asked for them- never mind that the topic has been much discussed since May 2012 and has prompted numerous letters to the editors of local newspapers. Romere maintained her innocence and continued to ask the single question, "What is the daily attendance at Success High School?"
This whole new RRISD kangaroo court seems to be an attempt to distract the public from some very disturbing developments within the school district. Not only did the Board vote to stifle voter influence over the governance of the district last August, but during Tuesday’s proceedings the RRISD Superintendent stated that he had the right to decide what information the elected trustees could have about the district. And some of us were under the impression that public schools were governed by a local, democratic process! We elect trustees to the school board, and the superintendent should serve the voters via the trustees. Somehow, in the RRISD, we seem to have an unelected king running local public ed.
Just wondering out loud here: considering Superintendent Chavez’ peculiar statement during the
Which begs the question: what is the RRISD trying to hide?
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
About That Formal Recommendation to Change the Round Rock ISD Sex Curriculum....
As parents are becoming increasingly aware, the Round Rock Independent School District is considering adopting a new sex education curriculum. Just to review: the current programs tell students about contraception, but do not feature condom technique demonstrations. Now RRISD Board President Chad Chadwell, up for re-election on the November ballot, believes that kids should be given actual condom demonstrations.
But there's something even more curious about the entire chain of events. According to an August 23 KVUE News report, the RRISD Student Health Advisory Committee recommended that the district switch to an "abstinence plus" sex education program. Then on October 17, the Round Rock Leader also reported that:
So where is this detailed explanation for the activities of the RRISD SHAC?
It's hard to say. The RRISD SHAC Annual Report for 2011-12 only mentions "program speakers," but no actual members, nor who compiled the report. The only references that can be found to the composition of the committee indicate that Mary McGuire is the RRISD SHAC Chair, and Christine Javonavic is the Co-Chair, but this is not listed on the Annual Report.
I did speak to one gentleman who has attended all of the RRISD SHAC events, a Mr. Lynn Williams. Mr. Williams had called the school district last year to ask to be on the committee, and since then has been receiving email notifications for the four annual meetings. According to Mr. Williams, however, the meetings have only consisted of presentations from guest speakers; there has been no sign-in sheet, roll call, etc.
Here is what is especially disturbing: Mr. Williams attended the June meeting where the "committee" supposedly recommended that the district adopt an "abstinence plus" program. (The SHAC Annual Report states "a motion was made," but does not tell us who motioned.) According to Mr. Williams, 12 people were in attendance, and again there was no sign-in or roll call taken. Attendees heard from two presenters, and then they were asked by a show of hands, "who thinks the school district should move to an abstinence plus program?" Mr. Williams states that 10 of the 12 raised their hands.
That, was how the formal recommendation was established?
Later Mr. Williams was shocked to learn that this was presented to the RRISD Board of Trustees as an official recommendation based on official proceedings.
There is a post on the Round Rock ISD website from October 18, 2012 that invites individuals to "Sign-up as a potential volunteer." Perhaps more parents from the community should take the initiative and ask for an appointment to the council?
Incidentally, when I began researching this topic, I found the RRISD SHAC Annual Report on the district's website, but it disappeared while I was writing. Happily, I had saved a copy which is now available on Google docs. I'm also puzzled as to why the media keeps referring to RRISD's SHAC as a 'committee' rather than a 'council.'
Not sure what's going on here, but I think there are many questions that need to be answered before the trustees take any RRISD SHAC too seriously.
But there's something even more curious about the entire chain of events. According to an August 23 KVUE News report, the RRISD Student Health Advisory Committee recommended that the district switch to an "abstinence plus" sex education program. Then on October 17, the Round Rock Leader also reported that:
"Members of the district's School Health Advisory Committee presented a recommendation to trustees in August, to teach an abstinence-plus sex education curriculum instead of the current abstinence-comprehensive curriculum.So who is on the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) and how are committee members chosen? According to the Texas Education Code, Chapter 28.004,
The board of trustees of each school district shall establish a local school health advisory council to assist the district in ensuring that local community values are reflected in the district's health education instruction. (emphasis added)TEC 28.004 also states that the Board of Trustees shall appoint at least five members to the council, and that the majority of the members must be parents who are not employed by the district. Furthermore, the code requires that the SHAC provide "a detailed explanation of the council's activities."
So where is this detailed explanation for the activities of the RRISD SHAC?
It's hard to say. The RRISD SHAC Annual Report for 2011-12 only mentions "program speakers," but no actual members, nor who compiled the report. The only references that can be found to the composition of the committee indicate that Mary McGuire is the RRISD SHAC Chair, and Christine Javonavic is the Co-Chair, but this is not listed on the Annual Report.
I did speak to one gentleman who has attended all of the RRISD SHAC events, a Mr. Lynn Williams. Mr. Williams had called the school district last year to ask to be on the committee, and since then has been receiving email notifications for the four annual meetings. According to Mr. Williams, however, the meetings have only consisted of presentations from guest speakers; there has been no sign-in sheet, roll call, etc.
Here is what is especially disturbing: Mr. Williams attended the June meeting where the "committee" supposedly recommended that the district adopt an "abstinence plus" program. (The SHAC Annual Report states "a motion was made," but does not tell us who motioned.) According to Mr. Williams, 12 people were in attendance, and again there was no sign-in or roll call taken. Attendees heard from two presenters, and then they were asked by a show of hands, "who thinks the school district should move to an abstinence plus program?" Mr. Williams states that 10 of the 12 raised their hands.
That, was how the formal recommendation was established?
Later Mr. Williams was shocked to learn that this was presented to the RRISD Board of Trustees as an official recommendation based on official proceedings.
There is a post on the Round Rock ISD website from October 18, 2012 that invites individuals to "Sign-up as a potential volunteer." Perhaps more parents from the community should take the initiative and ask for an appointment to the council?
Incidentally, when I began researching this topic, I found the RRISD SHAC Annual Report on the district's website, but it disappeared while I was writing. Happily, I had saved a copy which is now available on Google docs. I'm also puzzled as to why the media keeps referring to RRISD's SHAC as a 'committee' rather than a 'council.'
Not sure what's going on here, but I think there are many questions that need to be answered before the trustees take any RRISD SHAC too seriously.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Chadwell: Hey! Let's Show Kids How to Put On Condoms!
Wants to show your kids how to use a condom?
A push has begun in the Round Rock ISD and other districts to implement what they call "Abstinence Plus" sex education. Although the district already has a sex education program that teaches students about contraception, the district does not provide actual demonstrations on how to put on condoms. Now, some board members, including President Chad Chadwell want to change all that. As Chadwell told the Round Rock Leader:
"I would rather risk making a few students and teachers feel uncomfortable and show them condom use and prevent some teen pregnancies..."Of course Chadwell et al., have yet to provide any specifics about how these demonstrations will take place, and the term "Abstinence Plus" is left intentionally vague. In other Texas districts these new programs have produced intense backlash from parents, as in the case of a highly graphic middle school curriculum introduced in the Cy-Fair District. As Todd Starnes of Fox News reported:
Hundreds of Houston-area parents are outraged over a new sex education program that teaches 12-year-old children about oral, anal and vaginal sex – and uses graphic curriculum to instruct students on how to use condoms...
Some of the video was so graphic that a Houston television station was unable to air footage from the curriculum, Kalmbach said.
“I think it’s soft porn when they have a girl on the couch and she says, ‘Let me help you put the condom on,’” parent Mayte Weitzman told television station KTRK. “They’re teaching them oral, anal and vaginal sex,” she said. “They’re teaching them all kinds of sex. They’re not focusing on abstinence.”
Quite a few parents are starting to ask questions about RRISD and "Abstinence Plus," and I have been bombarded with emails over the past week. (Still trying to sort through it all...) I'm sure we'll be hearing much more about it, but the statements both Chad Chadwell and Catherine Hanna gave to the Round Rock Leader already are disturbing enough. Furthermore, some board members believe teachers themselves should be teaching these intimate sexual issues, a factor that is bound to dramatically alter the teacher-student dynamic in a highly troubling way.
Just another reason Mr. Chadwell does not adequately represent the values of the district. Fortunately, we have a choice. Early Voting began today, and I strongly encourage RRISD parents and residents to vote for Tere McCann for RRISD Place 2.
Friday, October 12, 2012
RRISD Candidate Forum Saturday
If you have not yet made up your mind about the Round Rock School Board races, you might want to check out the candidate forum tomorrow, Saturday, at 9am in the Wells Branch Community Center. For more details, see this post at Blue Dot Blues.
Remember, these folks will exert tremendous influence over your child's education and will control the lion's share of your property taxes. Get informed and vote!
Here are just a few of the articles I've written about the district.
RRISD: Status Quo or Fresh Insight?
RRISD Votes to Stifle Democratic Process
County Attorney Admonishes RRISD
RRISD Violates Open Meetings Act?
School Zone Disaster Zone in RRISD
Rotten Politics in RRISD
Inconvenient Truths About Per Pupil Expenditures
28 Psychologists and Other Fun Facts
Super Super Won't Take Pay Cut
Curious Priorities
Remember, these folks will exert tremendous influence over your child's education and will control the lion's share of your property taxes. Get informed and vote!
Here are just a few of the articles I've written about the district.
RRISD: Status Quo or Fresh Insight?
RRISD Votes to Stifle Democratic Process
County Attorney Admonishes RRISD
RRISD Violates Open Meetings Act?
School Zone Disaster Zone in RRISD
Rotten Politics in RRISD
Inconvenient Truths About Per Pupil Expenditures
28 Psychologists and Other Fun Facts
Super Super Won't Take Pay Cut
Curious Priorities
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Round Rock ISD Candidates: Status Quo vs. Fresh Insight?
When voters go to the polls on November 6 (or in Early Voting beginning on October 22,) even straight-ticket voters will have additional choices to make in local ‘non-partisan’ races. Residents within the Round Rock Independent School District will choose trustees for Place 2 and Place 7.
For Place 2, the incumbent Chad Chadwell is being challenged by Tere McCann. Currently the board president, Chadwell’s board has faced intense backlash over not one, but two disastrous re-zoning attempts and parental frustration with declining ratings. RRISD was further embarrassed during the 2011 budget negotiations during which Superintendent Chavez threatened to lay-off teachers- until it was discovered the district was sitting on $200 million in its own rainy-day funds. In the past few months, the board and administration collaborated to swipe $74 million from general funds to super-size one high school and build a $25 million campus for drop-out students. All this without public input and while the new Cedar Ridge campus is being called “portable-ville” by frustrated parents and students. But the board isn’t worried about being called to account; last month they also raised property taxes on Round Rock families.
At last night’s candidate forum, instead of answering questions Chadwell ranted about people who run as ‘Conservatives,’ saying that he didn’t even know what that meant. (Which is obvious considering his actions regarding the school district.) He insisted that the political philosophies don’t matter because it’s all about the children. Sounds like somebody doesn’t want the voters to know he’s a Democrat? (Who happens to support Matt “Not-A-Native” Stillwell.) Why should he be afraid to admit it?
Challenger Tere McCann attempted to help remedy the district’s previous rezoning blunders this year while serving on the boundary committee, but discovered that the boundary decision was a forgone conclusion. He was so disturbed by the process that he even offered $10,000 to the education foundation if his enrollment projections were incorrect, provided that anyone, anywhere, would make the same pledge on behalf of the RRISD Administration’s projections. No-one accepted the challenge. With three children attending RRISD schools, McCann decided the board needed fresh perspective and some solid guidance, and he filed for the Place 2 seat. (Learn more about Tere McCann.)
Place 7 is an open seat, and the two candidates are Pauline Law and Eric Pav. Pav claims to be a Republican voter, but his statements regarding the district have been nothing short of disappointing. Back on September 6, he opined on Facebook,
Huh? I’m not sure if Mr. Pav was just unaware of the RRISD Board’s plan to raise taxes this year (public since last July,) or if he was just blowing campaign smoke. Surely he was aware that the district is putting together a new bond package for much-needed new facilities? After all, he is a member of the RRISD bond oversight committee. Did he think the $25 million campus for the 100 or so students enrolled in the at-risk (for dropping out) program was a high priority need? Parents of students at increasingly over-crowded schools might beg to differ.
Voters have been waiting to see if Pav will show leadership in taking the board in a new direction, but thus far he has only affirmed the current administration and doesn’t seem to think any mistakes have been made at all. At a candidate forum last week, Pav was very hostile to questions about the problems of the district, and attendees noted that he often “raised his voice” and seemed very angry. At last night’s PTA forum (his wife is a member of the board,) he was much calmer and more in control of his emotions, but his “everything is fine” narrative had not changed.
Also running for Place 7 is Pauline Law, a Round Rock businesswoman with two children in the district. Law became concerned when the Superintendent was telling anyone who would listen that his district would be devastated by any state budget cuts (remember those threatened teacher lay-offs?) She then began to go over the RRISD budget line by line. After spending hours on the phone with the administration and superintendent analyzing the budget, Law saw that something needed to be done and rather than sit around complaining, she decided to run herself.
Law has lived in Round Rock for several years, and the old Round Rock ‘establishment’ has been terribly, terribly offended that someone new to the area would dare to run for office in their town. A whisper campaign has been launched, and I’ve been privy to several indignant conversations over “that woman.” I can only roll my eyes in frustration; what did they expect considering the events of the past few years? That parents will just roll over and play dead? Law is a concerned parent who wants to get the district back on track, and no-one needs to be personally offended by this. And considering that Eric Pav has all but stated he will be rubber-stamping the current administration, it’s no surprise that voters are disappointed in him as a candidate.
Just for the record, neither Pauline Law nor Eric Pav is a native Texan, but leave the ropes at home and just check out the candidates for yourselves. Here are their respective websites or Facebook pages as the case may be
Websites:
Tere McCann
Pauline Law
Facebook Pages: (These candidates don't seem to have websites.)
Chad Chadwell
Eric Pav
When you go to the polls to vote for President, Senator, Judges, State Senator, State Representative, etc., be sure to check out those contests at the bottom of the ticket. A straight-ticket vote won’t check those boxes, so please exercise due diligence.
Election Day Polling Locations for Williamson County here, and Travis County here.
For Place 2, the incumbent Chad Chadwell is being challenged by Tere McCann. Currently the board president, Chadwell’s board has faced intense backlash over not one, but two disastrous re-zoning attempts and parental frustration with declining ratings. RRISD was further embarrassed during the 2011 budget negotiations during which Superintendent Chavez threatened to lay-off teachers- until it was discovered the district was sitting on $200 million in its own rainy-day funds. In the past few months, the board and administration collaborated to swipe $74 million from general funds to super-size one high school and build a $25 million campus for drop-out students. All this without public input and while the new Cedar Ridge campus is being called “portable-ville” by frustrated parents and students. But the board isn’t worried about being called to account; last month they also raised property taxes on Round Rock families.
At last night’s candidate forum, instead of answering questions Chadwell ranted about people who run as ‘Conservatives,’ saying that he didn’t even know what that meant. (Which is obvious considering his actions regarding the school district.) He insisted that the political philosophies don’t matter because it’s all about the children. Sounds like somebody doesn’t want the voters to know he’s a Democrat? (Who happens to support Matt “Not-A-Native” Stillwell.) Why should he be afraid to admit it?
Challenger Tere McCann attempted to help remedy the district’s previous rezoning blunders this year while serving on the boundary committee, but discovered that the boundary decision was a forgone conclusion. He was so disturbed by the process that he even offered $10,000 to the education foundation if his enrollment projections were incorrect, provided that anyone, anywhere, would make the same pledge on behalf of the RRISD Administration’s projections. No-one accepted the challenge. With three children attending RRISD schools, McCann decided the board needed fresh perspective and some solid guidance, and he filed for the Place 2 seat. (Learn more about Tere McCann.)
Place 7 is an open seat, and the two candidates are Pauline Law and Eric Pav. Pav claims to be a Republican voter, but his statements regarding the district have been nothing short of disappointing. Back on September 6, he opined on Facebook,
“I continue to be impressed with how the administration has been able to stretch the approved bond funds and provide additional dollars to address high priority needs across the district without requiring additional immediate asks from the taxpayer.
Huh? I’m not sure if Mr. Pav was just unaware of the RRISD Board’s plan to raise taxes this year (public since last July,) or if he was just blowing campaign smoke. Surely he was aware that the district is putting together a new bond package for much-needed new facilities? After all, he is a member of the RRISD bond oversight committee. Did he think the $25 million campus for the 100 or so students enrolled in the at-risk (for dropping out) program was a high priority need? Parents of students at increasingly over-crowded schools might beg to differ.
Voters have been waiting to see if Pav will show leadership in taking the board in a new direction, but thus far he has only affirmed the current administration and doesn’t seem to think any mistakes have been made at all. At a candidate forum last week, Pav was very hostile to questions about the problems of the district, and attendees noted that he often “raised his voice” and seemed very angry. At last night’s PTA forum (his wife is a member of the board,) he was much calmer and more in control of his emotions, but his “everything is fine” narrative had not changed.
Also running for Place 7 is Pauline Law, a Round Rock businesswoman with two children in the district. Law became concerned when the Superintendent was telling anyone who would listen that his district would be devastated by any state budget cuts (remember those threatened teacher lay-offs?) She then began to go over the RRISD budget line by line. After spending hours on the phone with the administration and superintendent analyzing the budget, Law saw that something needed to be done and rather than sit around complaining, she decided to run herself.
Law has lived in Round Rock for several years, and the old Round Rock ‘establishment’ has been terribly, terribly offended that someone new to the area would dare to run for office in their town. A whisper campaign has been launched, and I’ve been privy to several indignant conversations over “that woman.” I can only roll my eyes in frustration; what did they expect considering the events of the past few years? That parents will just roll over and play dead? Law is a concerned parent who wants to get the district back on track, and no-one needs to be personally offended by this. And considering that Eric Pav has all but stated he will be rubber-stamping the current administration, it’s no surprise that voters are disappointed in him as a candidate.
Just for the record, neither Pauline Law nor Eric Pav is a native Texan, but leave the ropes at home and just check out the candidates for yourselves. Here are their respective websites or Facebook pages as the case may be
Websites:
Tere McCann
Pauline Law
Facebook Pages: (These candidates don't seem to have websites.)
Chad Chadwell
Eric Pav
When you go to the polls to vote for President, Senator, Judges, State Senator, State Representative, etc., be sure to check out those contests at the bottom of the ticket. A straight-ticket vote won’t check those boxes, so please exercise due diligence.
Election Day Polling Locations for Williamson County here, and Travis County here.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Great News: School Super Presiding Over District Decline Will Get Raise in Down Economy
Round Rock ISD School Superintendent Jesus Chavez, who was already raking in $252,875 per year plus benefits, will not feel the effects of the Obama economy. It seems that the Round Rock school board voted last night to give him an $8,000 per year raise; including his lavish benefits, taxpayers will provide Chavez with well over $300,000 per year.
Perhaps the raise was out of gratitude for overseeing the RRISD's drop from being a 'Recognized' district to becoming 'Academically Acceptable.' One of the most glaring problems in the ISD is the new Cedar Ridge High School: a nearly $100 million dollar state-of-the-art campus complete with a coffee bar for students, but an academically unacceptable rating. The school has been very much in the news since woefully inept calculations on the part of Chavez' administration led to overcrowding at CRHS and forced the board to impose yet another painful redistricting on the parents and children of Round Rock.
The Round Rock school board seems to be moving ever further from listening to the needs of the whole community. Rather than answering to the electorate, it looks like they answer to the Superintendent they hired. Despite the public outcry about the redistricting, certain board members expressed outrage that anyone would even dare to question the administration's plan. After all, they know what's best for kids, not these stupid parents. Shoot, these parents don't even have a PhD in Education; what can they possibly know about children?
By the way, taxpayers will still be on the hook for Superintendent Chavez' retirement for years to come. This raise ups his average salary and will ensure that his retirement is very, very comfortable.
Just another reason it is high time to hold our Texas School Districts financially accountable.
Perhaps the raise was out of gratitude for overseeing the RRISD's drop from being a 'Recognized' district to becoming 'Academically Acceptable.' One of the most glaring problems in the ISD is the new Cedar Ridge High School: a nearly $100 million dollar state-of-the-art campus complete with a coffee bar for students, but an academically unacceptable rating. The school has been very much in the news since woefully inept calculations on the part of Chavez' administration led to overcrowding at CRHS and forced the board to impose yet another painful redistricting on the parents and children of Round Rock.
The Round Rock school board seems to be moving ever further from listening to the needs of the whole community. Rather than answering to the electorate, it looks like they answer to the Superintendent they hired. Despite the public outcry about the redistricting, certain board members expressed outrage that anyone would even dare to question the administration's plan. After all, they know what's best for kids, not these stupid parents. Shoot, these parents don't even have a PhD in Education; what can they possibly know about children?
By the way, taxpayers will still be on the hook for Superintendent Chavez' retirement for years to come. This raise ups his average salary and will ensure that his retirement is very, very comfortable.
Just another reason it is high time to hold our Texas School Districts financially accountable.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
RRISD Boundary Committee Member Pledges $10,000 to Challenge School District's Fuzzy Math
On Tuesday, I wrote about how the Round Rock School District's Boundary determination process had become a fiasco. One aspect of the whole mess has been the enrollment projections created by staffers in Superintendent Jesus Chavez' administration, versus projections created by boundary committeeman Tere McCann, a Certified Public Account and Chief Financial Officer. While some employees of the school district have dismissed McCann's data differences as "insignificant," apparently, McCann has great confidence in his own numbers.
$10,000 worth of confidence.
Yesterday McCann sent the following press release to local media, in which he pledges donations to the Round Rock Education Foundation based on the accuracy of his projections, so long as supporters of the administration's proposals will do the same.
Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.
Of course this is how things work in the business world: accuracy and results matter. If folks like Tere McCann do not perform due diligence, they are soon unemployed. Unfortunately, such standards are practically non-existent in the public sector. Maybe that explains the RRISD administration's lack of concern for accurate predictions.
McCann's release:
The Round Rock ISD Board Meeting is tonight, February 16. The Board is scheduled to vote on whether or not to accept the Administration's Boundary proposal. However, in light of the many grievances filed, and the allegations that the District has violated its own policies during the process, the best move would be to table the issue until due diligence is done.February, 15, 2012 -- In response to the ongoing school boundary controversy at Round Rock ISD, district resident Tere McCann has issued a fundraising challenge to benefit the Round Rock Education Foundation. To raise the awareness of the importance of enrollment projections, Mr. McCann has issued a matching pledge based on the discrepancy in enrollment projections provided by the district administration and enrollment projections compiled by Mr. McCann.McCann, who serves as Chief Financial Officer of a local financial services company, challenges the data presented in the final boundary committee report and has projected a more modest increase in high school students for the fall of 2012.“After serving on the 2011 Boundary Committee, I recognized that the district administration regularly projects inaccurate information, which leads to bad forecasting and bad decision-making on behalf of our students. I have attempted to help the administration improve upon its current projection methodology and in a last-ditch effort to effect change, I decided to put my money where my mouth is, and issue this challenge so that kids will win no matter who is more accurate.”“For example, the inaccurate projections in 2008 for the new Cedar Ridge High School set off a series of unnecessary boundary changes that split communities and students from their classmates and cost the district thousands of dollars in added transportation cost. A short three years later, the district administration is forced to move some of these students back resulting in the Wells Branch neighborhood being assigned their third high school zone in three years.”Specifically, Mr. McCann’s challenge includes:· He has pledged up to $20 per high school student (up to maximum of $10,000) enrolled at the district’s five traditional high schools (not alternative schools) in the fall of 2012 (week ending September 21, 2012) that exceeds his projected total traditional high school projection of 12,903 students.· His challenge is contingent upon supporters of the administration’s projections to agree to provide a pledge per student enrolled at the district’s five traditional high schools for every student below the administration’s projection of 13,214 students less 200 students (13,014).Anyone interested in participating can email Mr.McCann at teremccann@gmail.com to get a pledge form.
If you would like to help encourage the Board to do the right thing, plan to attend tonight at 7:00pm at the Round Rock High School lecture hall.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
School Zone Disaster Zone in Round Rock ISD: Updated
Last week I described what appears to be an attempt to silence and intimidate Round Rock School Board Trustee Terri Romere and possibly other members of the board. However, there is another important aspect to the story; that of a RRISD boundary determination process that has been seriously compromised and has led the community to lose faith in a fair outcome.
The Saga of the RRISD Boundary Process is rather lengthy, but worth the read. The evidence shows that:
- The RRISD Administration has used insufficient methodology to predict enrollment trends resulting in inaccurate projections..
- The RRISD Administration's boundary proposal ignores the needs and desires of most of the community.
- The RRISD Administration has controlled the Boundary Committee agenda, refused to allow presentation of a second viable boundary proposal to the committee, and misrepresented the details of the second boundary proposal.
- The RRISD Administration allowed the Boundary Committee chairman to inappropriately poll select committee members in a non-open setting without the knowledge of the other committee members, and with incorrect data.
- The RRISD Administration and Boundary Committee have not followed procedure and policy as outlined in the Boundary Committee charter.
Insufficient Methodology and a Brief History
The problems with the RRISD boundary determination process actually date back to 2008-09. At that time, the district was preparing to bring online a new 5th High School, Cedar Ridge. As is inevitable with any rezoning process, some parents were unhappy with having to move their children, but there was more to it than that. First of all, at that time the district plan did not consider parental demand for 'Vertical Alignment,' that is, keeping neighborhood students together through elementary, middle, and high school.
Secondly, several members of the community noticed that the district was using unreliable methods to project enrollment growth. (More on that later.) Erik Okerholm, a business intelligence professional who holds three Masters Degrees, worked to formulate accurate projections and create a boundary proposal that would maintain Vertical Alignment. Furthermore, the Okerholm plan was designed to serve the district for 12 years or more.
Unfortunately, despite some very controversial hearings and impassioned pleas from the community, the Board voted to implement the proposal created by the RRISD administration. The decision became a factor in the subsequent school board elections as both trustees Bobby Seiferman and Terri Romere campaigned that they would have voted for Vertical Alignment, that is, the Okerholm plan.
Unfortunately for the families of the District, the administration's projections were inaccurate, and by 2011 the administration was forced to call for yet another boundary determination process to relieve over-crowding at the new Cedar Ridge High School. The RRISD Board and Administration drew up a new Boundary Committee charter and appointed new committee members, including Tere McCann, a CFO and CPA.
Since the 2009 plan did prove to be problematic, one would think the RRISD Administration would try to improve the process. A few changes were made, but again not enough to provide accurate projections. For starters, according to Tere McCann and Erik Okerholm, the Administration is still not using reliable methods to project enrollment growth. For example, Okerholm notes that while the Administration's boundary proposal bases growth projections on a 3 year trend, Okerholm's Vertical Alignment proposal (VA) relies on 5 years of growth trends. Also, the administration's analyst does not seem to understand the importance of basing calculations for high school enrollment growth on real numbers of students in the system's lower grades. (McCann and Okerholm refer to these as 'kids in seats,' and this kind of data has provided a far more accurate methodology.)
In addition, the Administration projections are based on spreading projected growth across the entire district, when in actuality, the 'land-locked zone for Westwood High School will not grow as much as the zone for Stony Point High School due to new housing/population growth there. Also, historically growth in the area is not spread evenly across grade level. Elementary grades tend to grow at a higher pace than Middle School grades, and High School growth drops off further. (For a more in-depth explanation of cohort survival ratio read here, and see paragraph “How are new housing developments taken into account?”)
How significant are these differences? Very. According to Okerholm, the RRISD Administration's 2008 projections for 2012 were off by nearly 500 students, while his own methodology was accurate to within 21 students. Regarding the 2012 projections, although enrollment growth over the past 5 years averages at only 1.63% with the highest year at 3.8%, the Administration claims that student growth next year will be a whopping 6.1%. (View graph here, Detailed data here.)
Needs and Desires of the Community: Vertical Alignment, Real Children, and Fiscal Responsibility
There are several other important differences between the Administration's boundary proposal and Erik Okerholm's VA proposal, more of the most significant being Vertical Alignment for Round Rock families. While the Okerholm plan considers the human aspect of the equation and creates a district-wide Vertical Alignment, the Administration plan only protects Vertical Alignment for students in the Westwood High School zone. Even more disturbing is the Administration proposal's requirement that Wells Branch neighborhood would move to their third High School zone in three years.
The utter disregard for the families of Wells Branch is difficult to fathom. One explanation might be the socio-economic status of Wells Branch as compared to say, Great Oaks. Since in many Wells Branch families both parents work, they have less time for activism and have been less vocal. There is also lower voter participation in Wells Branch, and consequently certain Board members may not be as interested in that community. (The only RRISD Board Member who appears to have reached out to that part of the district is Terri Romere.)
And as always, there are fiscal aspects to the two proposals. The Administration proposal will require 58 portable buildings spread across the 5 High Schools, while the Okerholm VA plan only requires 18 portables, and only where needed. Fewer portables means better facility utilization, and under the Okerholm VA plan, the district would save approximately $540,000 next year alone. Furthermore, while the Okerholm/VA plan is designed to serve the community until 2020, the Administration proposal will only maintain manageable enrollments through 2015, forcing yet another set of boundary changes in 2016 with all the associated costs.
How do we know the community supports a Vertical Alignment boundary plan? Every Boundary Committee hearing has been overwhelmed by parents opposing the Administration proposal. They have been vocal, impassioned, and pleading, but for the most part ignored.
And by the way, the ONLY RRISD Board Member who has attended every single hearing held by the Boundary Committee is Terri Romere. Only two other Board members bothered to attend, and they only went to two hearings.
Third World Politics: “Everyone Gets to Vote, But There's Only One Candidate”
Probably one of the most troubling aspects of this story is the Administration's handling of the Boundary Committee. The Committee consists of 15 individuals, 7 appointed by the respective members of the elected School Board, and 8 appointed by the Administration. They held their first meeting back on November 16 and have held 4 hearings since then.
Although the public perception and expectation was that the Boundary Committee would solicit and act on input from the community and adjust proposed boundaries accordingly, that is not what occurred. From the beginning, the Administration controlled the agenda of said meetings, and even after repeated requests from the public, and even after the Committee agreed to consider the Okerholm VA Proposal, the Administration refused to allow Okerholm to make a presentation to the Boundary Committee.
Even worse, the Administration only allowed the Boundary Committee to use its own Administration comparison numbers between the two plans, and those numbers were incorrect. As both Tere McCann and Erik Okerholm pointed out in a January 13 meeting with the RRISD superintendent and demographer, (as well as in official grievances filed, ) in the last communication prior to the Boundary Committee's recommendation on January 19, the Administration plan numbers were incorrect due to a spreadsheet error, but the Okerholm/VA plan numbers were also, inexplicably, incorrect.
Improper Polling of Select Committee Members
The final meeting of the Boundary Committee took place on January 11. As the district's data was provided to the boundary committee a mere 87 minutes prior to the start of the final committee meeting, Tere McCann did not notice the errors in the data provided by the Administration to the committee. Consequently, the Committee took a vote on the boundary proposals without corrected data. McCann had been in frequent email communication with the Administration and Committee President Tom McDonald on these errors after the final committee meeting and before the board meeting.
In response to McCann's protest, after the meeting and vote, Boundary Committee President Tom McDonald sent an email ONLY to members of the committee who had voted for the Administration's plan: He presents a “quick comparison” of the 'corrected' numbers, and then states:
“The basic comparison looks the same to me, with the district plan relieving Cedar Ridge better than the EO plan. The revised numbers don't change my opinion that the district plan is better.”
But I want to hear what you think - please let me know.”
But I want to hear what you think - please let me know.”
What's more is that the 'corrected' information Tom McDonald sent to the select members of the committee still misrepresented the Okerholm/VA Proposal, and possibly inappropriately swayed the votes taken by those committee members.
Intentional Misrepresentation?
Prior to the Board meeting on January 19, McCann continued to discuss the errors with the Administration and Committee President McDonald. He had hoped that in light of the errors, the Administration would recommend a postponement of the vote. In his grievance filed with the district he states:
“I made my second of the two biggest mistakes as a boundary committee member; I trusted Mr. McDonald and the administration to present my views and contributions accurately and fairly.”
He was wrong. McCann notes in his grievance that although he was out of town on business he turned on the televised RRISD meeting and “was surprised to see Dr. Chavez and other board members commenting on my efforts in a false and misleading manner.” In addition, he was further surprised to receive the final committee report at 10:35pm after the boundary committee presentation to the board. The final Boundary Committee report as submitted to the Board of Trustees on January 19, contained multiple misrepresentations of his both his data and his stance, but according to McCann, the Administration and Committee President have refused to amend the report.
District Violates Own Policy
Regardless of which proposal one prefers, all residents should be disturbed by the district's apparent violations of its own policies. In her email to Dr. Chavez and President Chadwell, Board Member Terri Romere outlines these alleged violations of policies in which the ISD has chosen not to address.
Romere notes that:
*the District did not hold the required hearings at each affected school,
*The district ignored input from the majority of participants at the hearings,
*The District gave less than 24 hours notice to communities affected (Policy requires 5 days)
*The District only provided notice via one channel of communication.
Additionally, although the charter says that the Boundary Committee “shall look at all high school campuses to relieve the projected growth at Cedar Ridge High School,” the Administration has refused to consider any proposal that considered enrollments at Westwood or Round Rock High Schools.
The established policy guidelines along with Romere's comments can be viewed here.
Treating All RRISD Children Equally
To be fair, there are a vocal few who wholeheartedly support the Administration's plan. A handful of parents from the Great Oaks neighborhood have been especially vitriolic in attacking the Okerholm/VA proposal because it would return Great Oaks to its 2009 zone, that is, to McNeil High School. These parents have been circulating emails containing various mischaracterizations of the VA plan. (And even some rather far-fetched conspiracy theories about diabolical football coaches contriving to steal star football players.) Those emails led to the email chain to which I referred last week. Sadly, the emails sent out by this group of Great Oaks parents reveal a shocking lack of compassion or concern for any other children of the district, including the students of the Wells Branch area (who will be sent to their 3rd High School in 3 years).
It should be noted however, that the Great Oaks neighborhood is far from unified in support for the Administration proposal. In fact, Great Oaks resident Whitney Loitz is one of several parents who have now filed a grievance over the District's alleged policy violations and disregard for community input. You may read her grievance here.
There is one other difference in the two proposals. The Administration's plan does not allow younger siblings to attend the same high school as their older siblings; only those who apply and are approved by a subjective administration review will be allowed to transfer. On the other hand, the Okerholm/VA proposal allows for something about which this administration has never been comfortable: a good measure of parental choice. The VA plan allows current high school students and their siblings to voluntarily move to the newly assigned zones. If they wish to remain at their current high school, they may do so.
Since the Wells Branch students moved from Round Rock High School last year, they are very enthusiastic to move back-allowed only under the Okerholm VA plan. The Administration plan takes volunteers too; but only allows the Wells Branch students to move to McNeil High School, their third high school in three years. Wells Branch parents vow they will not voluntarily move to McNeil, and this is part of the reason that the Administration's proposal will not relieve over-crowding at Cedar Ridge High School next year.
Other neighborhoods are equally unhappy with the Administration plan; pleas from parents in Stone Oak and Mayfield Ranch to return to Round Rock High School have fallen on deaf ears, as have the requests from Great Oaks parents wishing to return their students to McNeil. To all appearances, it seems the Administration plan ignores the vast majority of parents in the district.
Final Comments
Special kudos to those who've read through all of this. I would like to note that I have received a vast quantity of documents, statements, and email evidence from concerned members of the community, in fact, there is much more than I can possibly upload for you. I have linked to the most significant documents, but I can assure you that I have source material for the statements in this article.
The series of events I've outlined here indicate that the boundary determination process has been seriously compromised. Consequently, the most prudent course of action for the RRISD Board would be to postpone the boundary proposal vote until these issues can be properly vetted and remedied. The ISD's own local policy FC states a decision needs to be finalized by May 15th -plenty of time to reconcile the mass amounts of grievances and perform due diligence on both plans.
If you agree, please contact the respective members of the Board, and please plan to attend the meeting at the Round Rock High School Lecture Hall on February 16, at 7pm. I hope to see you there.
Please email members of the Round Rock School Board:
brian_sellers@roundrockisd.org
diane_cox@roundrockisd.org
catherine_hanna@roundrockisd.org
charles_chadwell@roundrockisd.org
glen_colby@roundrockisd.org
bobby_seiferman@roundrockisd.org
terri_romere@roundrockisd.org
UPDATE: Apparently Tere McCann has issued a challenge to the Round Rock Administration numbers; McCann will donate up to $10,000 to challenge. Read more.
UPDATE: Apparently Tere McCann has issued a challenge to the Round Rock Administration numbers; McCann will donate up to $10,000 to challenge. Read more.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Rotten Politics in Round Rock ISD
Something is rotten in Round Rock ISD. Last week the school board voted to ask the Williamson County Attorney's office to investigate Board Trustee Terri Romere. The Austin-American Statesman happily lapped up the narrative of an elected official engaging in illegal behavior. Of course, few print newspapers engage in investigative journalism anymore, and as expected, the Statesman's story completely missed the big picture.
But there is oh, so much more to this story.
The backdrop for this drama involves an ISD Boundary determination process that has been so riddled with mistakes, misunderstandings, and deliberate mis-characterizations from the beginning, that the community has lost all faith in a fair outcome. But the tale of a boundary process gone wrong will have to wait; to begin with, I would like to address specific aspects of the allegations against Trustee Terri Romere.
The flap regards an email sent by a RRISD parent, Craig Zawadzki, to all RRISD Board members, RRISD Superintendent Jesus Chavez, and RRISD Director of Communications Joy Lynn Occhiuzzi. Mr. Zawadzki had heard some rather fantastic rumors about one of the Boundary proposals under consideration by the board, and he rightly expressed his concerns. Romere then forwarded Zawadzki's email, not to just a 'parent activist,' but the author of the proposal in question, Erik Okerholm, so that Okerholm could address the specific concerns over his plan. Okerholm then sent an email to numerous residents with questions, including Mr. Zawadzki, correcting the mis-characterizations circulating about his plan.
The alleged 'crime' committed by Romere is that she did not redact Zawadzki's email address. However, the communications were not part of an open records request, but part of a chain of communications about the two boundary proposals.
Here things get pretty interesting. On January 10, Zawadzki sent an email complaining about having his email forwarded. He did not file a grievance, nor ask for an investigation. Unfortunately for Mr. Zawadzki, he now finds himself being used as a pawn by the Administration and some trustees.
On January 12, Superintendent Chavez sent a rather curious communication to the Board that never mentions Romere by name, but insinuates that forwarding an email without redacting the sender's email address would be a violation of Section 552.137 of the public information act, and that the offense is a “misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000; confinement in the county jail for not more than six months or both the fine and confinement. In addition, the violation constitutes official misconduct.” Dr. Chavez adds to the January 19 Board meeting agenda a call for a Closed Session to “discuss duties of public officers and employees.”
On January 19, Ross Fischer, attorney for Terri Romere, sent a letter to the RRISD attorney questioning Dr. Chavez's email. (I have obtained copies of Fischer's letters; you can read the full text of this letter here.)
Fischer writes:
“It does not appear that Mr. Zawadzki is alleging a violation of the RRISD's policy on Board Email Communication (which does not appear to prohibit the forwarding of an electronic message), nor does it appear that Mr. Zawadzki is alleging a violation of state law. In fact, it appears that the message is a simple inquiry by a member of the public directed to RRISD officials (and dozens of other members of the public). It appears that Dr. Chavez has taken a simple inquiry and somehow construed it as a complaint against a member of his governing board. “
Fischer sure seems to smell something fishy here, and he also notes that Dr. Chavez has significantly misrepresented the statute in question. He quotes Chavez' message, and follows with this:
This is a misrepresentation of the law, which actually states:Section 552.137 of the public information act states, “An e-mail address of a member of the public that is provided for the purpose of communicating electronically with a governmental body is confidential and not subject to disclosure under this chapter [emphasis added].This omission by Dr. Chavez is significant. The statue states that an e-mail address of a member of the public is not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552 of the Government Code. Therefore, had someone sought copies of Mr. Zawadzki's e-mail via the Public Information Act, the RRISD would have had to treat his e-mail address as confidential. However, our client knows of no such request filed pursuant to Chapter 552.
The RRISD attorney, Bill Bingham did not respond until 2 weeks later. His response, dated February 2, states, ”I do not believe that there is a pending “complaint or charge” involving a Board member.”
Even more disturbing are the revelations in Ross Fischer's next letter to the RRISD. (Full text here) Fischer asks for the following:
*First, please confirm whether our client Ms. Romere is the subject of any complaint or investigation that has been commenced by the Round Rock ISD.*Second, please provide a copy of any complaint alleging misconduct by our client Ms. Romere.*Third, Please provide a copy of the standard of conduct which our client Ms. Romere has allegedly violated.*Fourth, please provide the legal authority authorizing the Board of Trustees to sanction, reprimand, or otherwise discipline our client Ms. Romere.*Fifth, it has come to our attention that certain documents have been provided to the Austin American-Statesman pursuant to a Public Information Act request. On the tenth page of the documents provided, certain private emails are clearly visible. Therefore, we would like to know the name of the Round Rock ISD employee who released these email addresses, those employees or officers that approved the release, and whether the owners of the following email accounts consented to the release of their email addresses: ...
Wait, what? Somebody in the RRISD Administration is determined to convict Romere of a crime she didn't commit, but their own personnel did?
Fischer goes on to note that while the ISD seems to be stonewalling his client, they are sure eager to give the media select documents.
It is unfortunate that the District seems more willing to provide detailed information to the Austin American Statesman, as evidenced by the article in today's newspaper, than to one of its own Trustees. We hope that you will point out to the District's officials that, in its rush to ambush our client, it is subjecting its own Trustees to possible criminal liability.
Yesterday the RRISD sent its request to have Romere investigated by the Williamson County Attorney's office, but they have yet to respond to Ross Fischer's information requests.
All of these factors seem to point to some kind of desperate attempt to either embarrass or punish Romere, with the explicit threat of jail, fine, and removal from office. So what is all this intended to accomplish? Well, for one thing, on December 15, many interpreted the Board's reaction to Chavez's performance review as a prelude to his contract not being renewed and ultimately his dismissal. In fact, the Board could have taken action that evening but for a technicality in the meeting posting that was controlled by Chavez. The official vote has been re-scheduled for February 28th. Absent Romere, the Board could easily split evenly in a 3-3 tie on Chavez's dismissal or, worse yet, others could be intimidated into submission. The tactics against Romere are clearly designed to intimidate her and others willing to stand up for what they believe is right.
Of even more concern to RRISD parents anguished over the corrupted boundary process, the vote on a boundary plan is scheduled for next Thursday, February 16. Judging by past history (Trustees Colby and Sellers wisely opposed similar boundary alignment changes in 2009; Trustees Romere and Seiferman ran their campaigns on opposition to that plan), a 4-3 vote against the Administration’s proposal is a real possibility unless intimidation and manipulation are allowed to rule the day, and ultimately the District. One has to wonder how the Administration has lost sight of its most important duty – educating the children in RRISD classrooms.
This is local politics at its worst. And, I hope you will not let it stand.
I will be writing more about the RRISD boundary fiasco next week, but residents should be aware that numerous grievances have been filed about the process. It seems that the ISD has violated its own policies regarding the procedure. I strongly encourage RRISD parents to attend the February 16 RRISD meeting to demand a delay until these errors have been remedied. RRISD needs to hear your voices telling them loudly to follow their own procedures, respect the public and parental input, and make the right decision for Round Rock children’s education.
Please email members of the Round Rock School Board:
brian_sellers@roundrockisd.org
diane_cox@roundrockisd.org
catherine_hanna@roundrockisd.org
charles_chadwell@roundrockisd.org
glen_colby@roundrockisd.org
bobby_seiferman@roundrockisd.org
terri_romere@roundrockisd.org
Please attend the February 16th meeting: 6:30 pm at the Round Rock High School Lecture Hall.
Update: New article posted today: School Boundary Zone Disaster
Friday, February 11, 2011
RRISD 'Budget Reduction' Community Meeting Feb. 15
The Round Rock Independent School District will be holding a Budget Reduction community meeting on February 15, 6:30 pm, at the Round Rock High School cafeteria. (map)
The amount of expected cuts in the State's contribution to the ISD range rather widely; anywhere from $17 million on up, with Superintendent Jesus Chavez claiming it could be $73 million. RRISD will have to enact cuts to their $336 million budget.
Over the past few weeks we've learned:
-The ISD has $198 million in its own rainy day fund.
-The ISD has an additional $92 million in the debt reserve fund.
-Total district expenditures per student is $11,420. (TEA AEIS Reports)
-RRISD is heavy on administration and administrator salaries:
Of the 5,423 Employees:
-179 are administrative staff members
-555 are 'paraprofessional' staff members
-1,200 are 'auxiliary' staff members
-53.8% of the total staff are teachers
-The average salary at Central Administration is $88,794.
-The Superintendent's salary is $252, 875 (plus generous benefits, although reportedly the superintendent is repaying the illegal bonus he received in 2010 ).
-There are 4 Assistant/Associate/Deputy Superintendents, adding $548,338 to the budget.
While it is never pleasant to cut budgets, this is a very good opportunity for parents and taxpayers to closely examine the way the district is spending education dollars, and make suggestions for change. The non-profit, non-partisan Texas Public Policy Foundation has some in-depth analysis and suggestions here.
Surely it is possible to educate children for less than $11,420 each.
The amount of expected cuts in the State's contribution to the ISD range rather widely; anywhere from $17 million on up, with Superintendent Jesus Chavez claiming it could be $73 million. RRISD will have to enact cuts to their $336 million budget.
Over the past few weeks we've learned:
-The ISD has $198 million in its own rainy day fund.
-The ISD has an additional $92 million in the debt reserve fund.
-Total district expenditures per student is $11,420. (TEA AEIS Reports)
-RRISD is heavy on administration and administrator salaries:
Of the 5,423 Employees:
-179 are administrative staff members
-555 are 'paraprofessional' staff members
-1,200 are 'auxiliary' staff members
-53.8% of the total staff are teachers
-The average salary at Central Administration is $88,794.
-The Superintendent's salary is $252, 875 (plus generous benefits, although reportedly the superintendent is repaying the illegal bonus he received in 2010 ).
-There are 4 Assistant/Associate/Deputy Superintendents, adding $548,338 to the budget.
While it is never pleasant to cut budgets, this is a very good opportunity for parents and taxpayers to closely examine the way the district is spending education dollars, and make suggestions for change. The non-profit, non-partisan Texas Public Policy Foundation has some in-depth analysis and suggestions here.
Surely it is possible to educate children for less than $11,420 each.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
RRISD Gave Superintendent Improper Bonus
KXAN Investigates has a great story tonight on School District Superintendent salaries. Some of the district stories are pretty shocking; for example, despite learning of the budget shortfall, Bastrop ISD gave Superintendent Steve Murray an immediate $20,000 raise, and approved another $10,000 to be paid in March.
In Williamson County, the Leander ISD Superintendent's contract guarantees an annual 6% raise, and, along with Round Rock's Super Super, he gets extra weeks of paid vaction time. However, RRISD superintendent Jesus Chavez may accrue unused vacation time to cash out a later time, presumably at a higher salary.
Also, RRISD pays an extra $6,000 per year for premiums on his private life insurance policy, but here's the real scandal:
And hey, look whose signature is on the contract...
RoundRockISD2010SuptContract
In Williamson County, the Leander ISD Superintendent's contract guarantees an annual 6% raise, and, along with Round Rock's Super Super, he gets extra weeks of paid vaction time. However, RRISD superintendent Jesus Chavez may accrue unused vacation time to cash out a later time, presumably at a higher salary.
Also, RRISD pays an extra $6,000 per year for premiums on his private life insurance policy, but here's the real scandal:
And in Round Rock ISD, superintendent Jesus Chavez’s contract allows the Board of Trustees to award him no more than $10,000 for reaching certain performance levels.Dude. And we wonder why the district is spending over 11,000 for each student.
However, last September, the board awarded him an extra $5,000 as a one-time bonus. In addition, Chavez was also awarded a $6,750 bonus in the form of an annuity.
After a call from KXAN, the district responded that he wasn't supposed to get that $5,000 bonus, and that he's paying it back to the district with interest - and then the district thanked KXAN for bringing it to their attention.
And hey, look whose signature is on the contract...
RoundRockISD2010SuptContract
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Some Inconvenient Truths About Per-Pupil Expenditures At Round Rock ISD
Many Texas School Districts are claiming they will have to lay off teachers and increase classroom-size in the face of budget cuts from the state. A closer scrutiny of some of these districts however, reveals that there are areas other than teaching staff that would be logical to cut. The Round Rock District has an astounding $200 million in its rainy day fund that would more than cover state cuts, and examination of district expenses reveal that there are many other opportunities for savings.
One area that seems especially prime is non-teaching staff salaries. According to policy analysts, growth in administrator and support staff salaries has far outpaced that for teachers. In the Round Rock district, first-year teacher salaries stand at about $42k, but average central administration salary is more than twice that: $88,794. Ten of those central administration employees make well over $120,000, but of course the most eye-popping salary goes to the Superintendent at $252,875.
In contrast with most RRISD employees, Superintendent Jesus Chavez has enjoyed annual raises for a total 23.5% in increases since his original hire contract in 2006. (This while private sector wages have been steadily decreasing, and unemployment has roared to 10%.) Teacher salaries, on the other hand have grown at a much slower rate with increases of 1-4% each year. Not only does Dr. Chavez enjoy a hefty annual salary, but also receives many other benefits, including bonus pay of up to $10,000 a year, an annual contribution of $10,000 to his retirement account, and a $5,800 expense account for which he does not have to submit receipts. (Thanks to former ISD Board President Diana Maldonado.)
Taxpayers also pay for Superintendent Chavez' membership in various professional 'associations.' One of those 'associations' is the Texas Association of School Administrators, where Chavez is a member of the Legislative Committee. The TASA legislative priorities are very much in line with left-of-center education policies in demanding more funding with little or no reform. For example, TASA is asking the State to build automatic increases into the education budget, to give districts the power to raise property taxes without voter approval, and opposes caps on the amount of tax that can be levied on property. Furthermore, the group opposes any financial assistance for families who cannot use their assigned public school, since that might take funds away from the district. (In other words, if parents cannot afford to seek alternatives for special needs education, too bad.)
While the Round Rock Independent School District likes to advertise that their operating expenditures per student is only $7,505, if we include all costs for the district, (such as debt service, teacher pensions, and building and remodeling,) the total expenditure per student is $11,196. (State average is $11,024). Furthermore, when we calculate per classroom spending (multiplying per pupil spending by average classroom size) claims that Texas schools are spending 65% on classroom instruction crumble. (for example, teacher salaries are only 18-20% of classroom spending.)
RRISD receives 17% of its revenue from the state, and is properly preparing for cuts. However, claiming that the only way to survive is to eliminate teaching positions is disingenuous at best, and there are many non-teaching expenses that may be cut. Perhaps a good starting point for RRISD would be to stop funding membership in left-leaning 'associations,' cut the superintendent's salary back to the rate on his original contract, and cut all administrator salaries by 20%. I realize this would pose quite a hardship on poor Dr. Chavez, but we in the private sector have been making those adjustments for several years now, and I assure him, it can be done. After all, no state governor in the U.S. makes anywhere near Dr. Chavez' salary, and they all seem to do just fine.
The districts' response to such suggestions have been a snippy statement that it wouldn't be enough to make up the cuts. No, but it is a start, and as the adage goes, you eat an elephant 'one bite at a time.'
One area that seems especially prime is non-teaching staff salaries. According to policy analysts, growth in administrator and support staff salaries has far outpaced that for teachers. In the Round Rock district, first-year teacher salaries stand at about $42k, but average central administration salary is more than twice that: $88,794. Ten of those central administration employees make well over $120,000, but of course the most eye-popping salary goes to the Superintendent at $252,875.
In contrast with most RRISD employees, Superintendent Jesus Chavez has enjoyed annual raises for a total 23.5% in increases since his original hire contract in 2006. (This while private sector wages have been steadily decreasing, and unemployment has roared to 10%.) Teacher salaries, on the other hand have grown at a much slower rate with increases of 1-4% each year. Not only does Dr. Chavez enjoy a hefty annual salary, but also receives many other benefits, including bonus pay of up to $10,000 a year, an annual contribution of $10,000 to his retirement account, and a $5,800 expense account for which he does not have to submit receipts. (Thanks to former ISD Board President Diana Maldonado.)
Taxpayers also pay for Superintendent Chavez' membership in various professional 'associations.' One of those 'associations' is the Texas Association of School Administrators, where Chavez is a member of the Legislative Committee. The TASA legislative priorities are very much in line with left-of-center education policies in demanding more funding with little or no reform. For example, TASA is asking the State to build automatic increases into the education budget, to give districts the power to raise property taxes without voter approval, and opposes caps on the amount of tax that can be levied on property. Furthermore, the group opposes any financial assistance for families who cannot use their assigned public school, since that might take funds away from the district. (In other words, if parents cannot afford to seek alternatives for special needs education, too bad.)
While the Round Rock Independent School District likes to advertise that their operating expenditures per student is only $7,505, if we include all costs for the district, (such as debt service, teacher pensions, and building and remodeling,) the total expenditure per student is $11,196. (State average is $11,024). Furthermore, when we calculate per classroom spending (multiplying per pupil spending by average classroom size) claims that Texas schools are spending 65% on classroom instruction crumble. (for example, teacher salaries are only 18-20% of classroom spending.)
RRISD receives 17% of its revenue from the state, and is properly preparing for cuts. However, claiming that the only way to survive is to eliminate teaching positions is disingenuous at best, and there are many non-teaching expenses that may be cut. Perhaps a good starting point for RRISD would be to stop funding membership in left-leaning 'associations,' cut the superintendent's salary back to the rate on his original contract, and cut all administrator salaries by 20%. I realize this would pose quite a hardship on poor Dr. Chavez, but we in the private sector have been making those adjustments for several years now, and I assure him, it can be done. After all, no state governor in the U.S. makes anywhere near Dr. Chavez' salary, and they all seem to do just fine.
The districts' response to such suggestions have been a snippy statement that it wouldn't be enough to make up the cuts. No, but it is a start, and as the adage goes, you eat an elephant 'one bite at a time.'
Monday, January 31, 2011
Did Round Rock ISD Overcharge Taxpayers by $31 Million?
While RRISD Superintendent Jesus Chavez was drumming up hysteria over teacher layoffs should the state dare to cut the education budget, he revealed something rather surprising: his ISD has a Rainy Day Fund of nearly $200 million, $35 million of which is immediately available. (Since the original interview on KVUE, Dr. Chavez has revised the 'immediately available' figure down to $31 million.) The 'fluidity' of all these numbers prompted me to do some investigating into these mysterious funds.
According to documents available on the RRISD website, the 'Rainy Day Fund' (unreserved balance fund,) is set up to cover the cost of operating the district for 2 full months, (about $57.9 million), and to cover any possible delays in revenue collection (another $117.6 million!). According to what ISD claims it needs to hold, this totals $169.5 million.* Since there is actually $198,000,798 in the RDF, $31.5 million more in than what they think they need for a 'rainy day,' that is what Superintendent Chavez considers 'available.'
While it does seem wise to have some reserve funds, the ISD formula leading to $169 million seems overly generous. Between 2003 and 2007, the reserve fund grew from $68.6 million to $115 million, but seems to have made a huge jump since then. Even if the district can justify amassing such an astronomical amount, one would assume the fund was established to be spent at some point. Furthermore, if we accept the premise that the district needs to sit on $169 million, why are they collecting $31.5 million more than 'needed'? Since the Round Rock ISD property tax rate, at $1.38, is significantly higher than the state average of $1.22, perhaps we the taxpayers are being drastically over-charged.
In investigating the RRISD finances, I found some other disturbing trends. The current bond debt stands at $739,213,931, (including an increase of over $53 million dollars between June 2009 and June 2010). Interest on district bond debts is $44 million for 2011, but will climb to a whopping $108 million in 2016. (In the meantime, the ISD has another $91.3 million in a debt service fund reserve.) Perhaps part of the justification for such hefty reserves is that, like many other government entities, the ISD has a looming debt crisis of its own.
I suspect that much of the scaremongering by our school districts is an attempt to direct attention toward the state budget and away from any scrutiny of district spending and borrowing. Ironically, these districts are demanding use of the State's Rainy Day Fund, but seem completely unwilling to make any cuts or tap into their own, sometimes extensive, backup funds. It is disingenuous (and frankly disgusting) for these districts to use children and teachers as 'hostages' when there are other ways to manage the economic recession. Parents and taxpayers should not be deceived, but should demand an accurate picture of the ISD finances.
*RRISD Annual Financial Report, pg. 69
According to documents available on the RRISD website, the 'Rainy Day Fund' (unreserved balance fund,) is set up to cover the cost of operating the district for 2 full months, (about $57.9 million), and to cover any possible delays in revenue collection (another $117.6 million!). According to what ISD claims it needs to hold, this totals $169.5 million.* Since there is actually $198,000,798 in the RDF, $31.5 million more in than what they think they need for a 'rainy day,' that is what Superintendent Chavez considers 'available.'
While it does seem wise to have some reserve funds, the ISD formula leading to $169 million seems overly generous. Between 2003 and 2007, the reserve fund grew from $68.6 million to $115 million, but seems to have made a huge jump since then. Even if the district can justify amassing such an astronomical amount, one would assume the fund was established to be spent at some point. Furthermore, if we accept the premise that the district needs to sit on $169 million, why are they collecting $31.5 million more than 'needed'? Since the Round Rock ISD property tax rate, at $1.38, is significantly higher than the state average of $1.22, perhaps we the taxpayers are being drastically over-charged.
In investigating the RRISD finances, I found some other disturbing trends. The current bond debt stands at $739,213,931, (including an increase of over $53 million dollars between June 2009 and June 2010). Interest on district bond debts is $44 million for 2011, but will climb to a whopping $108 million in 2016. (In the meantime, the ISD has another $91.3 million in a debt service fund reserve.) Perhaps part of the justification for such hefty reserves is that, like many other government entities, the ISD has a looming debt crisis of its own.
I suspect that much of the scaremongering by our school districts is an attempt to direct attention toward the state budget and away from any scrutiny of district spending and borrowing. Ironically, these districts are demanding use of the State's Rainy Day Fund, but seem completely unwilling to make any cuts or tap into their own, sometimes extensive, backup funds. It is disingenuous (and frankly disgusting) for these districts to use children and teachers as 'hostages' when there are other ways to manage the economic recession. Parents and taxpayers should not be deceived, but should demand an accurate picture of the ISD finances.
*RRISD Annual Financial Report, pg. 69
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