And The Hits Just Keep Coming

Today's Journal.....

Lebanon High School principal accepts Middletown job offer

LEBANON – Lebanon High School Principal Samuel Ison is leaving to take a top-level administrative position in the Middletown City Schools district.

Ison has been hired for the senior director of instructional leadership, Middletown school officials said. He will replace Susan Combs, director of student services, who is retiring after this school year, Middletown officials said

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP????? WHAT THE HECK IS THAT ALL ABOUT? WHAT ABOUT THE LADY WHO TAKES CARE OF THE CURRICULUM? COULDN'T SHE INCORPORATE THIS INTO HER DUTIES? LIKE TO SEE A JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THIS JOB. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THERE IS A "DOUBLING UP" OF SIMILAR JOB DUTIES HERE.

Ison’s salary at Lebanon was $103,059.72. His starting salary at Middletown will be $113,828 annually NICE HEFTY LITTLE BOOST IN SALARY FOR A JOB HE HAS NOT DONE BEFORE.

ARE WE TAKING IN SOME OF LEBANON'S DIRTY LAUNDRY HERE? ANOTHER CASE OF ROTATING THE TIRES AS THE ENDLESS PARADE OF EDUCATORS MAKE THE ROUNDS WITHIN THE DIFFERENT SCHOOL SYSTEMS.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY THERE IS A NEED FOR THIS JOB MS. ANDREW AND WHY THIS NEW PERSON IS DRAWING A SIMILAR SALARY THAT COMBS DREW, NOT HAVING DONE A JOB LIKE THIS BEFORE? WHY IS HE BEING STARTED OUT AT SUCH A HIGH SALARY WITH NO EXPERIENCE IN THIS PARTICULAR JOB CLASSIFICATION?

And of course, Perry Thatcher's daughter worked as secretary for decades (name sound familiar) through his connections as a high school secretary until she resigned to tend to a $15 M  estate. The whole stte system needs to be re-enginnered. The state determines curriculum but the system creates the layers of overhead. I mean, a Director of Curriculum, when the state controls and dictates 95% of the curriculum.  What a wasteful system we have in Middletown.

Perhaps another member of the school board could address these issues at a school board meeting (or here, Mr. Fiora) if Ms. Andrew chooses not to reply. Perhaps approach them directly. Provides some drama in an otherwise boring meeting agenda.

Hmm, maybe bringing in an administrator from an Excellent rated district will be a good thing.

Vet, this is the same position I explained a few weeks ago on here.  8 directors have been cut to 6, and this new position, which is one of the remaining 6, replaces Susan Combs' position of Director of Student Services.  The responsibilities of the directors have been restructured, with everyone doing more.

Teachers Need to be motivated and taught to instruct? Seriously, this is insulting to a teacher. Cars provided to be driven with gas with all that extensive traffic and travel between schools? Please, what does it average, 100 miles a month? Let them use the IRS reference Ms. Andrew you referenced. Mr. Hammond an employee of Petermann, who also has the exact type of management inherited from other school districts, which also leads to a FTE position, instead of taking off, and reducing expense. Finally, buzz about Middletown's school district direction? What I'm hearing in buzz as how the union put on hold a raise, and Middletown is paying more to attract others to come in, while enrollment declines. Don't recall any positive 'buzz' associated with enthusiasm, other than the district pays extremely well compared to Lakota, others.  

Filling out the correct paperwork, maintaining a log of mileage used for business purposes, having the paperwork approved by your superior and receiving a check quarterly and going to the gas pumps at the bus garage and filing up your vehicles are two completely different scenerios. I'm aware of the business world and how it works. I'm also aware of the procedure that is supposed to be followed for Middletown City Schools but apparently it doesn't apply to some employees. I didn't go out and do my own investigation. I commented to a school district employee about the school district cutting jobs and services to save money and the response I received was, "The school district could save a lot of money if Thompson, Klapper and Hammond didn't fill their cars up at the bus garage". The employees at the warehouse, bus garage and treasurer's office are aware of the situation.

Same with the stipend an administrative employee received to be the library coordinator. Apparently she will receive or did receive a large sum, $5,000.00 was quoted to me, for something she never did. Never coordinated anything, never visited a library, never had a meeting. The library managers were laid off but she still has a job and a stipend. How many times does that happen? Middletown High School has a nice stipend for the teacher who heads up the newspaper at the school. When was the last time there was one published? Years ago I understand.

May 26 Journal article....

More than 50 to take retirement
Most accepted early retirement incentives
offered by district,
a school official said.

Middletown’s newest retirees

Carla Amburgey, Central Academy, late primary

Vickie Andrews, Transportation, bus driver

Donna Becker, Amanda, data manager

Darol Blevins, Transportation, bus driver

Rose Bowling, Transportation, bus driver

Lucy Boyer, Middletown High School special education

Vicki Brown, Central, early primary

Thomas Buchert, Highview, 5th grade

Gary Canterbury, technology

Paula Cohen, Highview, special education

Susan Combs, administration, director

Dana Delehanty, Highview, 2nd grade

Betty Donisi, transportation, bus driver

Patricia Evans, Miller Ridge, 4th grade

Glenda Everhart, Transportation, bus driver

Roberta Fisher, MHS, secretary

Barbara Flory, Manchester, adult ed. teacher

Lester Hacker, transportation, bus driver

Rex Haller, warehouse, maintenance

Carolyn Hamilton, Amanda, 4th frade

Rachel Harrison, Wildwood, tutor

Belinda Hausman, Wildwood, 2nd grade

Kim Hayden, Highview, literacy manager

Ezra Heard, MHS, monitor

Heather Heller, Wildwood, library manager

Janalee Henninger, Manchester, psychologist

Shirley Johnson, MHS, math

Leazola Jones, MHS, attendant

Patricia Kienlen, Mayfield, 2nd grade

Marjorie, Kochunas, MHS, physical therapy

Rita Kolp, Highview, 1st grade

Janice Lyle, Vail, attendant

Cathy Maines, Wildwood, 2nd grade

Mary McQueen, Transportation, bus driver

Barbara Nein, Rosa Parks, 1st grade

Dennis Newell, MHS, principal

Donna O’Brien, Amanda, special education

Sandra Owen, Miller Ridge, 4th grade

Cynthia Perander, Miller Ridge, music

Karen Pitzer, MHS, counselor

Kim Poore, Creekview, special education

Barbara Roundtree, MHS, attendant

Susan Sant, Miller Ridge, library manager

Teddy Schenck, Central, custodian

Darrell Smith, warehouse, maintenance

Judy Somerfield, MHS, secretary

Eva (Bonnie) Storer, MHS, monitor

James Thomas, Wildwood, principal

Frances Truss, Rosa Parks, 5th grade

Thomas Weimer, MHS, art

Barbara Wilson, Wildwood, 1st grade

Ellen Wilson, Verity, custodian.

And pray tell, what would an "attendant", "monitor", "tutor" (thought this was a voluntary position), "literacy manager", and a "data manager" at Amanda be doing on a day to day basis to earn that retirement? Would appear that, on the surface, these positions were fabricated to get a friend or two into the system over the years. Are there actual job descriptions for these positions? If so, where could one go to read about what the job duties were to justify a retirement? Were they really needed or just jobs created for family and friends?

Based on this information, would Ms. Andrew, Mr. Fiora or any other school board member (like to hear from you Mr. Sauter) care to respond? Please tell us "out of the educational loop" taxpayers what is going on with these school positions and why you think they are justified.

Sorry, Vet, no smokescreen.  As was discussed in great detail at last night's board meeting, 64.5 positions have been cut from the district and will not be filled. 82 people have resigned or retired from the district.  This means that there are 17 positions, not among the 64.5 cut, that need to be filled. By contract, the people RIF'd have the first chance at the open position, if they are qualified/licensed for that position.   Yes, Mr. Hall and Ms. Million were teachers in the district before they became assistant principals, and are returning to the teaching jobs for which they are certified.  Teaching licenses are specific to a particular subject area and grade range, so someone licensed to teach pre-K to grade 3, for example, is not qualified to teach high school math.  At the end of the day, the district will have 64.5 fewer employees next school year than it had this school year.

Vet, while reasonable people could debate whether it is harder to teach/manage a class full of 5 year olds, many of whom have never learned how to behave in a group learning environment, or a class full of hormonal teenagers whose patterns of behavior or misbehavior are set, I personally agree with you that there should be some differentiation among pay based on the subject and age taught. Certainly market forces of supply and demand would justify paying more for some teachers (special ed, high school math and science, as examples of harder to fill positions).  However, this is a bedrock, go-to-the-mat issue for unions, who have fought to keep the system the way it is.  Differences in pay among teachers in the same district are the result of years of experience teaching, and level of education completed.  So yes, a kindergarten teacher with 28 years experience and a Masters will make more than a new high school physics teacher.

I would be interested in hearing from teachers on this issue.

Now that the hen-house has been cleaned, can we get an accurate number of how many double-dippers MCSD has?  When can we hope to see an end to this practice?