TAP creates a stir at Pickens board meeting

A Pickens County school budget workshop offered an opportunity to look more closely at state TAP programs last week.

If TAP is an acronym, I cannot tell it; there is no explanation of the word on the state Department of Education's website, though there is a concise description of the program:

The SC TAP System was based on a model launched in 1999 as an initiative of the Milken Family Foundation. It is now operated by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). TAP encourages teachers to grow and allows them to prosper by offering new models for professional entry and training, with new compensation and career advancement possibilities. It honors the essence while changing the structure of the teaching profession.

Let me process this for a moment: A foundation created by disgraced junk bond kingpin Michael Milken -- successfully prosecuted by Rudy Giuliani, no less -- and his brother Lowell, having no background in public education but billions of dollars in business profits, seeks to change the structure of the teaching profession, ostensibly through grants to states and local school districts to push their system.

In other parts of our society, when one entity pays another to do something, that's called employment; in other parts of our society, it's called bribery. In either case, the one paying the money always stands to gain something in the transaction.

First, I wonder what the Milken brothers stand to gain from spending huge sums of money on public education, an institution far from their backgrounds?

Second, I wonder how our state and our local school districts view the Milken fund stream: as wages for employment, or as a bribe?

Third, I wonder exactly how the Milken brothers seek to change the structure of the teaching profession?

And fourth, I wonder how professional educators feel about having billionaires use vast wealth to change their profession, presumably without their input?

The department's website offers a bit of a response to my third question, but its responses lead to more questions:

Multiple Career Paths. Teachers move up the ranks knowing that compensation will increase, as do responsibilities, qualifications, performance, and professional development requirements.

Is this not already accomplished by having a salary schedule that recognizes experience and credential? Where does the multiple career paths come in, given that in education, if you're a classroom teacher, your only real option for advancement is to leave the classroom and become an administrator?

Is it the goal of the Milken brothers to move teachers out of the classroom and create an army of administrators? I can't tell.

Market-Driven, Performance-Based Compensation. Master teachers may earn as much as $75,000 each year.

A salary of $75,000 per year will make a fine average teacher salary in South Carolina, and it will more adequately reflect the value that teachers provide to their communities and state.

But if this is a goal adopted by our state, then when will the legislature get around to funding it, and why isn't it being promoted statewide?

And why is this goal being gussied up with words that mean merit pay: "Market-driven, performance based compensation"?

Here's a thought: The market demands we have teachers to teach children. Let's pay them what they're worth, and pay them for their work. Done and done; no billionaires' ideological intervention required.

Performance-Based Accountability. Determined by student progress, academic achievement, and performance demonstration. Peer reviews may be an element of advancement.

I see ideology creeping in. Clearly, the billionaire brothers seek to change the structure of the teaching profession by paying teachers based on student test scores, and by dividing teachers into reviewers and reviewees. Reviewers who play the game, and reviewees who toe the line, get to be "master teachers" and collect bigger checks. Divide and conquer.

Ongoing, Applied Professional Growth. Occurs several times each week through the professional growth blocks built into the teacher's work schedule. Collaboration among instructional personnel is important with time for reflection, planning, sharing, research, and learning.

Ah, the old stretch-out. It's not enough that teachers have full-time jobs, but they'll be subject to full-time scrutiny from reviewers, and full-time on-the-job training until they get tired of it and choose to quit.

Michael Milken spent two years in a federal prison -- negotiated down from a ten-year sentence, mind you -- for bilking investors out of billions of dollars. Reckon he spent his two years pondering how to claw his way back to wealth by imposing an unnecessary merit pay and total-quality-management scheme onto public schools across the nation?

The ultimate goal of the SC TAP is to develop policies, practices, and procedures regarding evaluation, certification, and teacher quality, which will be implemented in all of South Carolina's public schools.

Oh, so the districts using TAP right now are the test cases; the Frankenstein's monster will be imposed statewide at some point soon.

Well, let's check out how well the TAP program is uniting and improving education in Pickens County.

A benign budget workshop with SDPC board trustees and district administration became heated last week when former board chairman Jim Shelton inquired how the board’s recent vote to end the TAP program impacted teacher contracts.

School district human resources director Stephanie Lackey said that the vote to do away with the TAP program eliminated 3.5 teaching positions and sent four teachers home.

Board member Judy Edwards maintained that the TAP vote had no bearing on the current budget workshop.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s over,” she said.

Shelton pushed the issue, asking incoming superintendent Kelly Pew why the state had given Pickens County $295,000 in funding for the third year of the TAP program.

“Why did they give us that money?” asked Pew. “Because they thought TAP was successful in our county.”

“The action to do away with TAP, a fully funded program with no effect on the general fund budget at all, laid off four teachers,” said Shelton. “The decision to end TAP was political, not practical. What this board has done is put politics into the classroom and removed teachers and dollars.”

Because funding for TAP was available through FY 2013, Shelton said bringing it up was pertinent to the budget workshop.

“This board chose to lay off teachers. The board had the authority and resources to retain those teachers. They chose not to,” said Shelton. “And they didn’t want the public to know it.”

“The board ended the TAP program, so 13.5 Master Teacher (teacher coaches) positions were eliminated. So far all but two have found jobs in the system,” said SDPC board chairman Alex Saitta. “Last year at this time the board eliminated 85 positions, and most all found jobs elsewhere in the system over the next few months.”

Saitta also said that there is no reason to rehash the TAP vote, because it was going to cost the district $275,000 next year, $800,000 the year after, $1.3 million the year after that and $2.2 million four years from now.

“Shelton wants to keep bringing up how much Mick Zais loves the program,” said Saitta. “Wonderful. Let Zais pay for it.”

According to Shelton, Zais is paying for it, because in two years TAP will be eliminated and replaced with a similar program of Zais’ choosing.

“The funding for TAP is supposed to be a gradual stepdown over time, but we’re into year three and the state department is almost completely funding it,” said Shelton. “There is no impact to the General Fund Budget, and revenues are rising.”

Total revenues for the FY 2013 budget, which is still in the preliminary stages, total $97,495,972.

Clark Webb, school district director of financial services, said that local revenues have remained the same as the previous fiscal year at $28,423,000. Employee benefits from the state are coming in at approximately $1.2 million, and the base student cost for FY 2013 is expected to be $2,012.00 up from $1,880.00 last year.

Some of the district’s estimated expenses include a 1.7 percent retirement increase totaling approximately $450,000 and an employee health increase totaling $366,000. In addition, General Fund items increased with the addition of $90,764 for Reading Recovery and another 5.5 FTEs at $340,516.

Although Webb and district superintendent Dr. Henry Hunt advised SDPC board members that the FY 2013 budget was still in the infancy stages and subject to change depending on decisions made by the SC Hose and Senate, Webb said the budget appears to be fairly well-balanced.

In addition, there is a contingency fund in the neighborhood of $597,000 that rolled over from last year.

“A combination of a firming economy and conservative fiscal management has landed the school district on its feet,” Saitta said. “There is no tax increase or fees increase in the budget. Also the three-year streak of position eliminations due to budget deficits has ended. Last year at this time the board/ district was eliminating 85 positions. Quite an improvement.”

“Whether it’s two or 22, they are still removing teachers from classrooms,” said Shelton. “Four teachers were laid off because the board voted to eliminate TAP and the funding for the program.”

So much for changing the structure of the teaching profession. Looks like the only impact TAP had in Pickens County is the loss of four teachers.

I wonder how our educators are suffering it elsewhere?

Central's Daniel High School has new principal

Word comes from Pickens County that Daniel High School in Central has a new principal:

Danny Merck has been named principal of D.W. Daniel High School in Central.

Merck will officially begin his new duties July 1 and will succeed Sharon Huff. Huff has been named assistant superintendent of instructional services for the School District of Pickens County.

Merck has served as assistant superintendent of administrative services for the Pickens County school district since August.

He began his career as an educator in 1991 in the Pickens County school district. He taught at Simpson Academy, Gettys Middle School and Liberty High School before being named an assistant principal at Easley High School in 2000. He became principal at Pendleton High School in Anderson School District 4 in 2005 and then became Easley High principal in 2009.

A 1989 graduate of Wofford College, Merck also received an educational specialist degree in secondary and elementary administration in 1999. He earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University in 2005 and superintendent’s certification from Clemson University in 2009.

Pickens budget funds reading teachers, books, supplies

It reflects a dark day in America when the headline above elicits the kind of overwhelming relief and happiness that it certainly is in Pickens County this week. Shouldn't a county's school budget fund the essential needs of schools, including reading teachers and books and other supplies?

Somewhere down the road, perhaps a century hence, when public officials take so seriously their obligations under the federal and state constitutions that they always raise the necessary revenues and always afford access to good quality education to every child among their constituency, such headlines won't be the source of such surprised joy.

But here in the early-to-mid-twentieth century in South Carolina, we have to take the good news where we can get it. And the Pickens Sentinel gave us some early this week:

The Board of Trustees of the School District of Pickens County passed a 2011-2012 budget of $94,772,925 Monday night.

The budget includes 750,000 in funding for 14 reading interventionists, which had previously been cut from the budget figures when it looked like less funding would be available. Twelve of the reading interventionists will work full time at the larger elementary schools, while the other two will split time among the four smallest elementary schools.

The budget also contains $40,000 in funding for buying books for the library at the new Chastain Road Elementary school and $300,000 to supply teachers with $275 charge cards for teachers for purchasing classroom supplies.

The budget includes $60,000 for the hiring of an internal auditor, $60,000 for an unexpected insurance payment, and $32,000 to payback the SCEO for a stimulus grant.

The additional funding came from unexpected funds from the state.

“I’m happy we are restoring the 14 Reading Interventionists that work directly with students on improving their reading skills, and the board is restoring the $275 classroom supply cards to classroom teachers,” Board Chair Alex Saitta said. “By and large the bulk of the additional funds are going directly in the classroom.”

Trustee Jim Shelton proposed adding two more reading interventionists, two guidance counselors, three media specialists and 2.5 assistant principals for an additional cost of $592,000.

I don't know Mr. Shelton, but he seems to understand that the role of elected officials who are responsible for public schools is to protect and strengthen those schools, not run them down and starve them of resources. According to the Picken County School District's website, Shelton's term on that board expires in 2014, which happens to be when the office of state superintendent of education is up for election again. Hint, hint.

That is, unless Governor Nikki Haley and her legislative allies are successful in taking that office away from South Carolina's voters.

Shelton noted that the district with a reserve fund of about 11 percent of the total budget.

Shelton said that he has been on the board when the trustees needed to be financially conservative and when the board has spent freely. Shelton questioned whether the board was so conservative at this point that it was hurting education in Pickens County.

“For the past five months, the board has been dedicated to financial affairs,” Shelton said.

Shelton noted that while the district was the 13th largest in the state had the 13th highest budget, pay for the Superintendent was 53rd in the state. Shelton also noted that the district is ranked 12th in the state in academic achievement. “We have been high in achievement, low in costs,” Shelton noted.

Shelton said he feared the magic Pickens County education professionals were achieving would be disrupted if the board continued to make such drastic cuts.

Shelton said that cutting the assistant principals and guidance counselors would cause disruptive students to remain in the classroom, affecting their fellow students’ education. “We have heard the public say they don’t want these positions eliminated,” Shelton said.

Shelton he felt that the cuts were extreme and unnecessary since more funding had become available from the state. “The cuts made already are taking away the meat,” Shelton said. “We’re starting to cut the bone now."

Sadly, Shelton seems to be in the minority on the Pickens County board, and his proposals failed in the final vote. Still, Pickens seems to be well ahead of most of South Carolina's districts in making resources available to schoolchildren, and light years ahead of the legislature in that regard.

Pickens board eliminates 87 positions, ignores corporate tax loopholes

Question: How does a career spent on Wall Street prepare one to lead an elected body which governs education policy, funding, and personnel matters? This is not a trick question, and there's likely not a rational answer to it. After all, this is South Carolina.

While state lawmakers are laying plans this week to dismantle public education from the top down, school boards across South Carolina are being pushed to accomplish the same objective from the bottom up. In Pickens County, for instance, the board voted on Monday to eliminate almost 90 positions to address the $5 million budget deficit. No help comes from the legislature in this matter, as its majority opposes public education specifically and government aid for public services generally. Remember, this is the legislature we elected.

Hopefully, the parents who spoke up on Monday are registered and fully aware of local and state candidates' platforms when next Election Day comes.

The vote came after the board received vigorous input from residents who nearly filled the Liberty Middle School auditorium to voice their disapproval of cuts to positions that could also affect programs.

“Education will level the playing field for all people,” Mary Kelly said. “I ask that you use your fiduciary judgment and make cuts where they least effect the students.”

The wise men of Pickens pulled the old "executive session" gambit, claiming privilege in order to discuss "cuts to individuals and positions," and to its credit, the Greenville News put up a spirited challenge to that game: "while talking about individuals qualified for a closed meeting, talking about positions did not." But the board's lawyer, Jane Turner, defended with logical jiujitsu, declaring, "eliminating certain positions would mean some individuals would either have to be 'moved or let go,' so they should not be discussed in a public meeting," the News reported.

Chairman Alex Saitta, who came under fire from members of the audience and some of the board members, said the approved plan represented a compromise.

“We had to eliminate positions,” Saitta said.

In point of fact, that was not the only option available to the venerable Pickens board and its chairman. Pickens County has a quite experienced and capable legislative delegation, whose experience and status in the legislative chambers surely inform them that a fiscal crisis may be addressed with budget cuts AND/OR revenue increases. If that delegation so chose, it could angle for such revenue increases from a variety of sources -- might I suggest closing some corporate tax loopholes? -- sufficient to ensure that no public employees would lose their positions in Pickens County. But Chairman Saitta did not mention this option to the News. Instead, Saitta promoted his "compromise."

To balance the current school year the district a year ago eliminated 105 positions. Saitta said the compromise would lower that number by about 20 percent. He also said “basically none” of the district’s classroom positions would be eliminated.

The district did not release any specifics on which positions would be eliminated until after individuals were notified. Superintendent Henry Hunt held out hope that not all the positions would be lost. “As we work through the budget we hope some things might improve,” Hunt said.

The board decision left the Simpson Academy and its programs intact, which was a major concern of many who attended the meeting.

This suggests that the board is entirely capable of establishing priorities; it simply chooses not to establish the entire district as a priority. I wonder if the board has issued any public statement or resolution entreating its state legislators and leaders to make choices that hold public services and employees harmless in the present budget morass? I'm not aware of one but would feel better knowing the board had adopted such a position.

And, because it's Pickens County, there was the requisite reference to the War of Northern Aggression on the anniversary of its commencement.

The public-input portion of the meeting culminated when former chairman Jim Shelton spoke out, seemingly aiming his comments at Saitta.

“Next month marks the 150th anniversary of the first shots in the War of Northern Aggression,” Shelton said. “It seems appropriate that in Liberty, the first shots against Northern aggression and Wall Street” have been fired.

Saitta is a New York native and worked on Wall Street before moving to South Carolina.

At least the reference was artfully made, and by a former board chairman, to boot. Well played, Mr. Shelton.

In recent weeks, the board and district staff have focused on personnel cutbacks, including school resource officers, guidance counselors and assistant principals.

Unnecessarily so, and unnecessarily jeopardizing the futures of Pickens County schoolchildren. What happened to the role of a school board as chief advocate for the children enrolled in its schools?

At least the districts' schools will remain safe, according to WYFF's reporting.

It appears school resource officers have been spared, according to Superintendent Henry Hunt.

"Right now with our (school resource program) looking at it we hope through the budget process they would be preserved," said Hunt.

When News 4’s Mandy Gaither asked about guidance counselors and assistant principals, Hunt said, “Well, looking at the whole picture of things there trying to come up with a balanced budget, we have to have some reductions and we'll be working with our individuals, notifying folks there about position eliminations."

Because children need protection but not guidance. Wars have been fought to preserve this very principle.

100 more educator jobs to be cut in Pickens: Speak up now

Elections have consequences.

Men (and sometimes women) file to run for public office, and they tell us in their canned speeches that they're for smaller government, less taxes, more personal responsibility. Who isn't?

So on Election Day, we elect these people and they drive off to Columbia. When they get there, they set to work cutting the budget, rewriting laws to make government do more with less -- which usually means making government do less -- and sending out press releases reminding constituents that they're doing exactly what they promised.

And so they are.

The state cuts taxes, appropriates less funding to school districts, and then tells the school districts to cut the fat from their budgets. And when all the fat is gone, cut some meat. When the meat is gone, shave the bone. Still can't balance the budget? Why not eliminate some of those bones altogether?

Which brings us to Pickens County, which gave 64.3 percent of its votes for governor to Nikki Haley just five short months ago. Today, it's having to cut 100 MORE educator jobs and close a school.

From WSPA in Spartanburg:

You will have a second chance to have your voice heard on a plan to eliminate 100 positions with the Pickens County School District. The district announced a new meeting will now take place Monday, April 4 at Liberty Middle School, at 7:30 p.m.

It comes after hundreds of people packed a school board meeting Monday night, to voice concerns over the cuts. The plan, proposed by Superintendent Dr. Henry Hunt, includes the elimination of 100 positions, from guidance counselors, to assistant principals and school resource officers at the county's middle schools. The plan also includes closing JT Simpson Alternative Education Center. If closed, those students would be dispersed among other district schools.

"What about the kids' education," asks Nancy Holcombe. She has three students in Pickens schools, and is concerned over the possibility of Simpson closing. "We'll stop them from closing this school," she says. "This school does not need to be closed, it needs to stay open for these students."

School Board member Jim Shelton says he doesn't want to see any cuts, but the district has to be practical. "We're going to have to make hard decisions," he says. Shelton proposed the board go back to the drawing board, using new figures from the state that increase student spending. Per-pupil numbers would jump from $1750 per student to $1788 per student. It could save at least $600,000 and a dozen positions, according to Shelton. "Don't put something aside, don't take those dollars and stick them in the backyard in a mason jar, let's use them," he says.

Yes, what about the kids' education, indeed?

I don't know if then-candidate Haley ever delivered her canned speech in Pickens County last year, but she delivered it elsewhere many, many times, and she told us about the kids' education. Clearly, not everyone was listening.

Or, perhaps 64.3 percent of Pickens County voters want to raise the county's unemployment rate and close schools there. It's a logical conclusion.