Faced with class sizes well above the districtwide target at Harborview Elementary School and a group of concerned parents clamoring for remedy, the Juneau School District Board of Education moved at its meeting Tuesday not to fund an additional teacher at the school from the district’s budget reserve, which is already below target for the year.
David Means, the JSD’s director of administrative services, set the tone for the grim discussion by presenting both the latest enrollment numbers for the district and the district’s estimated ending fund balance for fiscal year 2013.
While the targeted minimum ending fund balance for FY13 is $500,000, the district now looks to come in $169,000 short for an actual projected balance of $331,000.
At the same time, Harborview has an actual pupil-to-teacher ratio of 25 students to one teacher in its primary grades, or kindergarten through second grade. The target PTR for primary grades, as approved by the school board, is 22.
Brian Holst, facilitator of the Harborview site council, argued in a five-minute pitch to the board that Harborview merits funding for an additional teacher in spite of the district’s lean budget.
“Adding unnecessarily crowded classrooms in primary grade just adds to the challenges we face,” Holst said.
Several other members of the public offered similar testimony.
Kurt Iverson noted that in the previous three school years, the number of students has increased during the year.
“Enrollments go up every year,” Iverson said. “We’re at capacity right now, and it’ll probably get a little bit worse.”
Kindergarten teacher Kitty Eddy, who teaches at Harborview, said she “felt really compelled” to speak at the meeting.
“Hiring a new teacher, I think, is really a necessity and something that we need to look at for our children,” Eddy said.
Riverbend Elementary School, facing a similar situation as Harborview, received the school board’s approval to hire another teacher last month.
Carrie Macaulay, who was vocal in pushing for a new teacher at Riverbend, said another allocation of funding should be approved to add staff at Harborview.
“I first want to thank you on behalf of Riverbend for adding that teacher last month. We’ve already seen positive changes at our school with our new teacher in place,” Macaulay said. She continued, “I really want to encourage you all to think outside the box and come up with funding. Harborview needs this new teacher.”
Macaulay suggested that instructional coaches could, as has been done with school nurses (http://bit.ly/V5OIVH), be shared between certain schools in order to free up funding for a new teacher at Harborview.
Board President Sally Saddler acknowledged the difficulty of the situation.
“We do have a true challenge before us, and we have a very precarious budget,” Saddler said. She added, “As board members, we do have a responsibility and a stewardship to make sure that we don’t overspend our budget.”
Board member Barbara Thurston said she has been reviewing enrollment reports for the 2012-13 school year dating back to early August.
“I think there’s no question that Harborview should have gotten another teacher,” said Thurston. “I think Glacier Valley (Elementary School) and Mendenhall River (Community School) are both borderline.”
But Thurston pointed to the budget numbers that Means presented earlier in the evening. She said she “can’t in good conscience” recommend allocating more money from the budget reserve.
“I’m not sure what to do, but I really can’t recommend cutting into that $331,000,” Thurston said. “I just don’t think that would be a responsible thing.”
In response to Macaulay’s suggestion of looking at savings from the instructional coach program, Thurston said she has received positive feedback from teachers regarding the coaches.
“I’m not ready to recommend that we cut into it,” said Thurston.
Thurston and Andi Story agreed that the board should plan next year, during the budgeting process, for potential “bulges” in enrollment.
With Thurston and other board members declining to put forward a motion, Kim Poole made a motion that she acknowledged departed from the administration’s recommendation of “staying within the existing budget and the budget plan … (and) not hiring any additional staff.”
“I move that the board acknowledge the deficits in our budgeting process that have led us into a situation where not only Harborview, but other schools, are in need of teachers, but that due to the limited reserve in our budget … we not fund additional positions this year out of our reserve funding,” said Poole.
As Poole spoke, several members of the audience got up and left. One shouted, as he exited the room, “Thanks for nothing!”
Of her motion, Poole remarked, “It does leave the option that … if funding comes through that doesn’t affect our reserve fund, it could be revisited.”
Thurston and newly minted board member Destiny Sargeant were quick to point out that distinction when Saddler read the motion aloud but accidentally left off the mention of the reserve.
“That’s a critical piece of it,” Thurston said.
“It is critical, because if some other unused money should resurface, we need to be able to revisit this,” Sargeant added.
With that noted, Poole’s motion carried without objection.
As many members of the public drained out of the Juneau-Douglas High School library, where the meeting was held, Iverson pointed to a copy of a letter to the school board that he had brought with him.
The letter compares enrollment numbers at Harborview from early September to early February during the three previous school years, with the number jumping up by 17 students in the 2008-09 school year and by one and seven respectively in the following years.
“If they do nothing and then 17 more kids show up, it’s on them,” Iverson said, referring to the board members.
Iverson added via email, “Regarding the Board’s acknowledgement of their failures in the budget process to address unexpected enrollments in District elementary schools, I find it very hard to suffer their incompetence, especially with something as serious and meaningful as primary school education.”
Laurie Berg, who also spoke in favor of adding a teacher at Harborview during the meeting, described herself as “mad.”
“I do think there is money in the budget,” said Berg. “I think the Harborview community deserved an additional teacher, and I think they have worked so hard and done such an excellent job of presenting their case that I am dissatisfied with the board’s position.”
• Contact reporter Mark D. Miller at 523-2279 or at mark.d.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (27)
Add commentOMG
Harborview parents, money sitting in a back earning nothing is more important than your child's education. Now, if you lived in the Valley, well that is a completely different question.
Reduce administration by a person and fund two teaching positions.
This is a really sad statement about the school board and administration!
This is just rediculous!
This is just rediculous! JSD has more admin types than they do teachers it seems! All of them are over $100K. A good portion of them are over $200K. What do they do for the students? Statistical analysis, determine if benchmarks are being met, blah blah blah... None of them are actually working with kids! Cut the fat and have enough teachers! So glad I homeschool!
With a different Board
The motion could have stated:
“I move that we acknowledge the failure in our budget process to address unexpected high enrollments in our schools. I also move that we ask Mr. Means to provide to us, within 1 week, 4 budget scenarios where funding is allocated for a full-time teacher for Harborview primary grades. Upon deliberation, we will choose 1 of those scenarios, or an amended version of one.
Now, I’d like to speak to my amendment:
We painted ourselves into this corner by not dealing with it in the budget, and without acting on it immediately we are compromising the education of our youngest and most vulnerable age group of children.
Re-allocating funding for this position will be a difficult task. It may involve compromises, and it certainly will need a lot of creative thought. Our allocation of funds for this position may come at the expense of other sources, and that will cause a certain amount of angst.
But I believe we should follow through with this for 2 important reasons:
1) We set district-wide PTRs as part of our budget last spring and we need to stand by them. We are nothing if we are not consistent and fair. The public counts on us for this; and,
2) I believe there is no higher calling in our system than the successful early education of the children in our primary grades. Everything we strive for begins here. If we drop the ball on this one, we potentially lose on graduation rates, achievement on core standards, MAPS scores - you name it.”
A "new" school board?
It's the same people it always is!
The newly elected members, Destiny, Andi, and Phyllis, just slapped a bunch of 6 year old children in the face to avoid spending extra money that was generated by - you guessed it - those same kids.
"Sorry little guy, we gave your extra teacher to the valley kids because we knew that there are less people who will complain about things from the downtown school."
Teachers..who cares..as long
Teachers..who cares..as long as we still get cheap, subsidized skiing.
Sad
If your budget is short teachers should be the last item cut not the first.
If you limit yourself to the reserve fund then of course you don't have enough money. How about not funding the "teacher coaches" because there are not enough funds in the reserve account? Oh but that would require treating teachers as most important apparently the Board doesn't agree with that!
What that tells me is the board thinks our teachers are incompetent and need to be taught how to teach. If "teacher coaches" are that important what else are we to conclude?
What's best for children
I hope school board members spent some time in the kindergarten classrooms at Harborview before denying Harborview another teacher. If not, hopefully they will get in the classrooms and help out. Perhaps they could set up 28 computers for the MAPS testing they require and then stick around to help out when half of the computers crash. If Kitty Eddy is asking for another teacher they should listen the women has something like 30 years of in the classroom teaching experience and wouldn't be there if the situation wasn't dire. Try to imagine 28 five year olds in the same room all needing a teachers time and attention. School board please put children first. They are more important than your savings account. If you can't hire another teacher, you must come up with another solution. Don't forget Harborview always gets more kids throughout the year. This problem won't go away...
juneaugirl is right!
K-3 are critical, CRITICAL grades for kids to get off on the right foot - reading instruction is one of the primary focuses in these grades, in later grades kids are expected to read for content.
I've said it before, all Kindergarten teachers should be sainted. I like the little rugrats 1 or 3 at a time, but 20 of them in a room was too much for me.....
Agree that the board members all should have been required to spend a day in those classrooms, and that the coaches should have been cut to allow for a new teacher.
Missing details
Its even worse than the article depicts. Harborview is the largest elementary school in the district, with the highest special needs and English Language Learner populations as well. So not only do the primary teachers have 24, 25, 26 students in their class, but up to 16% are Spec. Ed, and as high as 34% are ELL students. There are also a high percentage of low income families at Harborview.
I have never seen a school board member at Harborview in a classroom or anywhere. I personally invited them at their last meeting to attend our Harvest Fair and not one of them showed.
The most reasonable person on the School Board is the student representative, Ari Gross, who said she understood the fund balance could not be tapped, but maybe looking at moving some funds around should be considered because Harborview really needs another teacher. I know Ari attended Harborview. I wonder how many students were in her primary classes?
Shame
What a shame. Can't help but wonder what the cost will be down the road when these students need additional help/instruction because of the overcrowding now. Does anyone have numbers on this? Some of these students will move forward and do just fine, but others will suffer. There is an emotional cost to which we cannot put a dollar value, but what is the economic cost for the district down the road? Ignoring a problem does not make it go away.
Tell them how you feel
The school board can be reached at:
schoolboard(at)ci.juneau.ak.us
Email them and tell them they should find the money to help the children at Harborview.
Sink or Swim
I also agree K-3 are the most important years for our children.In kindergarten the kids are full of enthusiasm and eager to learn.1,2,3. will mold them for success. if they have the proper educational environment. At these grade levels if they fall behind it only get worse at the higher grade levels. and most times can not be turned around. one solution and not a good one hold them back .or get that extra teacher as quickly as possible .People our kids only get one shot at this and we want the best for them.How many of you have older students that have graduated from high school that do not know how to spell correctly ?
We can find funds to build
We can find funds to build roads that go nowhere but when we need a teacher we have to save money?
How many multi millions is CBJ spending for improvements at our Docks and Harbors?
Instructional Coaches
I think we need to pursue the instructional coaches a little bit more....why double up on nurses and EL teachers and deny another teacher at Harborview, but the topic of instructional coaches is off the table. What is so special about instructional coaches that it trumps everything else?
If...
I'm so glad we are more concerned with artwork in the Diamond Park Swimming Pool than employing enough teachers to keep classes from being overrun with children. Nothing is more important than making sure our dropouts see art when they go to the pool...
need money ?
Go up to Eaglecrest and get it . They have plenty of it.
Responsibility to our children
The school board's first responsibility should be to the children and we are letting them down. The superintendent speaks of high standards. Those standards obviously don't apply to Harborview children. I challenge administrators and school board members to spend at least an entire day with a Harborview kindergarten teacher then reconsider budget choices
Too much fluff
The administration is over staffed, over paid, and under worked. Unfortunately this is the way the system works and likely will not improve. Regardless of the business the person who make the widgets is the most expendable. Shame on the administration. Harborview deserves more, hire another teacher.
Instructional Coach
Instructional coaches are obviously a luxury that cannot be afforded at this time. That equates to one teacher lost at every school. Ridiculous is right - I don't know how the members of the Board sleep at night with decisions like that.
K-3 most important?
Why aren't parents reading with (and thus teaching) their kids to read? My parents had a passel of kids, but they didn't rely on the school system to give us our values, our morals, our skills. They read with us, asked us questions that made us think, taught us to reason, and inculcated their values into us.
The system of public schools is a worthwhile institution of course but, seriously, don't depend on them utterly. School districts typically embody the worst traits of academia mixed in with the worst traits of bureaucracies; its a feature of the beast.
If your primary school children can't read, can't count change, can't make decisions, or can't tie their shoes, blaming it on the school system doesn't fly with anyone unless they are just as clueless. Your children are your responsibility. And yes, how they turn out really does come to reflect on you.
Instructional coach, if even
Instructional coach, if even necessary, should be the one floating between schools. Not the nurse. What is the purpose of this coach anyways. Teachers already have requirements to keep their certification. During school hours teachers are working. Coaching is for inservice and summer days. That's why teachers have the summer off, isn't it? I guess these coaches go around observing and writing evaluations. That was the pricipal's responsibility when I went to school. So the reason they keep the coach is because they are doing someone else's responsibilities.
So Lets Do Something
How easy it is to sit back and complain that the school board isn't doing anything. This is how it is everywhere, school districts are strapped for cash. SO LETS DO SOMETHING, this is a very public problem. So as the public lets stand up and actually take action. How hard would it be to cordinate and publish a whole day devoted to raising the money for this school and the children.
If we can get 100 volunteers to be all over town at once on the same day with collection boxes, every dollar counts. Even if $100 is raised it's sending a clear message that this community is taking it's students seriously.
Imagine if every person in town donated $1 to this very worthy cause, that would take a huge chunck out of the cost of the new teacher and then the board would have to reconsider. lets get the press involved, the more exposure the better!!
MoM
Are you kidding? Juneau is already spending over $19,000 per child per year. Money is not the answer, dumping this administration and electing a responsible school board is!
Bring your signs and bodies
I invite all those in support of Harborview getting equal treatment, to come down to the school district office on Monday on your lunch break with a sign and lets have a protest. And have you heard Montessori got an additional teacher without even having official approval of the school board? Now THAT is interesting.
There isn't enough money... Oh yeah sure.
The spurious argument that there isn't enough money to fund reduced PTR in JSD being forwarded by the administration and school board is absolute nonsense. It doesn't matter how they want to spin it the bottom line is there is more than enough money available it's just not being put into the classroom. The numbers don't lie...
Using JSD's published Budget Fact Sheet it quickly becomes apparent that JSD does NOT have a budget problem. They (as usual) have a resource allocation problem.
The bottom line:
FY 2013 Proposed operating budget = $91,561,875
FY 2013 Estimated Enrollment = 5000
FY 2013 Annual Per Pupil Dollars = $18,312.38 (US National Average is under 12k)
FY2013 Per Pupil Per Day (180-Days) = $101.74
FY2013 Per 25 Student Classroom Per Day = $2543.50
FY2013 Per 25 Student Classroom Per 180 Day Year = $457,830
Current Number of JSD Employees = (780) - Seriously? No really, SERIOUSLY!
Estimated Enrollment Divided by JSD Employees = 6.4 Pupils Per JSD Employee. Which means there are nearly three OTHER employees for every certified teacher in JSD.
You may draw your own conclusions but these are the facts.
If a classroom of twenty five pupils cannot be taught by JSD for 180 days for $457,830 per classroom spending 50% more than the national average per pupil per year, then clearly the board and the administration need to be replaced with more fiscally intelligent and prudent individuals who can.
http://www.juneauschools.org/uploads/0/district/administrative_services/...
One thing I do not understand...
...is how is one more teacher going to do much? In that the class sizes are 25, but should be 22, right? I am not familiar with how many classes there are at Harborview as it has been more than a few years since I attended class there in the early 80's. However, if there were 30 classes, adding a teacher would lower the class sizes to 24, while some would remain at 25; if there were 15 classes, then it would drop the classes down to 23, and 24 pupils per class. I remember being in school, and the class sizes did not seem to matter as much as whom the teacher was, as far as how much attention each child received; and that is what the teacher-pupil ratio is all about, right? There are other methods of getting the children more attention, without involving money (at least I do not think it would, but then again I have no idea of how to run a school board). [Please feel free to educate me if I am looking at the situation incorrectly. Thank you.]
When my parents split up, I moved Down South with my mother and went to high school in Washington. The school made a change in the middle of my attendance there. They made it so there was only 4 classes instead of 6, and they were around 1 1/2 hours long; so no child was left without a chance to work 1-on-1 with the teacher. Of course, at the elementary level, kids often just have the same teacher all day; so perhaps this would not work for Harborview, but maybe it could work at the high school and free up money for more teachers at lower levels?
Non-classroom Employees
JSD is top heavy with high salary administrators, counselors, psychologists and other desk jockeys. If you don't work in the classroom you're far less important to the students than teachers.
The administration comes up with these budgets and the board
always passes them almost unchanged so don't expect more teachers and better schools.