With Miles finally gone and the 4th of July holiday over, it’s time for the real fireworks to begin.
There can be no more denial or delay regarding the 2015-2016 budget for Dallas ISD; it’s time to get down to business and tell the public where the money is coming from and where it is going. Informed observers warn that it’s looking like disaster looms.
Michael Hinojosa, the interim superintendent, is no stranger to DISD budget disasters. There was a huge budget explosion on his watch that the public still hasn’t forgotten.
And now, it appears that he’s about to preside over another one. Is the looming stain on the tatters of his reputation (I doubt Hinojosa realizes how unfavorably most of Dallas still views him) worth $25K a month? Because, even though he didn’t cause this budget disaster, he’s likely to be blamed if he doesn’t take action to avert it.
The problem is this: It’s been alleged that there was a supplanting scheme going on, where students at comprehensive schools were shorted regular education dollars and the special monies intended to provide them with extra services were instead used to pay for a very, very bare-bones education. The regular education dollars the students should have gotten were allegedly given to students at magnets, as well as to Miles’ pet projects. As a result, a group of parents and taxpayers filed a Title VI complaint against the district in April.
Since Miles has high-tailed it out of town, taking his Texas driver’s license with him, Hinojosa faces 2 choices: continue the apparent supplanting (to the delight of the “reformers”) and risk his own problems with the Feds or stop the supplanting and watch the magnets and choice schools scam, along with a dozen other Team Miles’ initiatives, wither and die on the vine.
Remember that at least one choice school is paying a principal and an assistant principal high salaries (where were those jobs posted?) to run a school for only 100-150 students at a cost of $20,000 per student. Mr. Interim Superintendent, how much is being spent per student at your alma mater? Were you treated so inequitably when you were in high school? Or were you given a fair piece of the pie? Don’t today’s students at Sunset deserve the same funding as the students at the IDEA school?
On top of the supplanting issues, there’s also the question of teacher pay. Most teachers are under the impression that ALL teachers are getting a 4% across-the-board raise. The truth, however, is not so clear-cut.
Before he resigned, Miles presented to the board a need for $20 million to cover teacher pay raises.
Based on last year’s figures, around 1300 newbies will be employed this year with an increased price tag of $51,000 each (an increase of $4K per teacher) to bring them up from an area-low starting salary of $47,000. In other words, upping the pay of teachers with NO experience will take $5 million of the $20 million.
(By the way, the Title VI complaint also pointed out that part of the issue of teacher recruitment for the District was below-market compensation for starting teachers and gross overpayment of central administrators.)
But wait! Don’t forget about the experienced teachers who are making less than $51K! They, too, will be bumped up (guess they didn’t need all of those TEI-driven Spot Obs, after all) so the actual cost to bring them, as well as the newbies, up to competitive standards will be about $10 million of the $20 million.
That leaves $10 million for the remaining 60% of teachers to divide.
So no, all DISD teachers are NOT getting a 4% raise. Many, many veteran teachers making over or even slightly over $51K will receive nothing, despite their experience, their credentials, their scores, their Spot Obs averages and their compliance with the endless meetings and mandates.
How will all of this affect the compensation for teachers new to the district with 15 or more years of experience? Do they now take a pay cut they are unaware of? Or is the goal to deprive low-income students of any teachers with experience?
The vague, undetermined salaries at this time of the year will drive up the numbers of teacher vacancies, which will in turn drive up the need for more and more waivers. All of this will result in more overcrowded classes filled with low-income students who desperately need more individual attention (except at the IDEA school, of course, where $20,000 per student is being spent).
The cherry on top? Everyone not subjected to the TEI nonsense will be getting a 3% raise. Will Tonya Sadler Grayson get this 3% raise?
Actually, the comparison to fireworks may not be quite accurate, since fireworks explode. It would be more accurate to state that DISD is headed for another budget implosion, with Hinojosa at the helm again.
July 10th is coming up, teachers. Do you REALLY know what your salary is for next year? And if you don’t, how can you commit to another year in this district?