Danville school board contract offer
The Danville school board offered this package proposal to the Danville Education Association on Aug. 16:
The board would freeze most salaries at the 2009-10 level. Exceptions would be made for employees who are taking advantage of a previously negotiated retirement incentive or those who complete additional college hours and/or certifications. Those employees would move horizontally on the salary schedule according to the current contract.
If the proposed freeze is accepted, the board would agree to the following:
– Health insurance would stay the same even though the district's costs have increased 31 percent in the last two years, district officials said. Employees with individual coverage would continue to pay no premium, and those with dependent coverage would continue paying $300 to $350 a month under the HMO plan, or $300 to $375 a month under the PPO plan.
– Retirement incentives would remain intact.
– In response to the union's request to change the employee sick bank, the board countered with a general pool for employees who have donated to bank, and a waiting period to use the benefit; and a maximum number of days each person may donate, and a maximum number of days each person may draw from the bank.
– The district would continue to maintain four full-time nurses. With attrition, they may be replaced with registered nurses. The board has offered to increase registered nurses' salaries from $27,300 to $35,000.
Laptops. The board would make no-interest loans to teachers to buy personal laptops through a payroll deduction plan.
Employee access to schools. The board would increase employee access to buildings before and after school hours.
Other language items including length of the workday and layoff procedures would remain the same.
Source: Danville school board
Danville District #118 paints a dark picture. Here they say insurance costs increased 31% in three years. No where else had such raises, and then in another article the DEA's Clint Cunningham says concessions saved 30%. Everything else seems to be really about "Take no raise and we will let you come to work early and stay late."
Having lived in Danville my entire life, one knows that during contract negotiations or referendum proposals, Danville acts broke, on the brink of disaster, and usually hold the kids hostage to try to get what they want. To prove who is telling the truth, I'd like to see Danville publish its insurance costs from 2003-2010. No estimates or scare tactics. Also, Danville needs to state the number of employees it has. A top Danville administrator told me that because of grants, like preschool for all, kindergarten classroom reduction grants, and reading improvement aides, that the number of employees increased by over 100 for the same time. It is plain lying to say insurance costs increased 31% when the work force increased 20% during the same time period. This would be an 11% increase in three years (that sounds reasonable, because what competent person would let costs soar 10% per year). This would mean the district saved 19%!
Denman, you really seem to know your stuff. Just because it is not mentioned on here, I think I should add it. I work for a large accounting firm in Danville, and you previously pointed out that if one reads the District #118 budget on the website http://www.danville.k12.il.us, one sees that there is a projected reserve after the next fiscal year of 17.5 million dollars. Also, on the budget proposal, there is a "2.4 million dollar deficit" claim by the district, yet 17.5 million dollars in reserves and page 2, line 18 shows that the "contingency fund" (which is what one thinks they might spend on emergencies, which could conceivably be $0 or twice as much) is exactly 2.4 million dollars. All other funds decreased from the year before except that one. This is definitely where discussions begin.
WHY DIDN"T THE DISTRICT POINT OUT THAT THERE IS A 20% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES? Going back to the district's website, it shows under the link "response to the state crisis" at http://www.danville.k12.il.us/pdf/Reduction-In-Force-Board-Approved.pdf that the 80 positions are grant funded that were let go. It doesn't take a genius to realize that Denman is right -- the district is playing fast and loose with the numbers to try to win the battle instead of doing what is right. My son, who goes to Edison, is anxious about what might happen. Maybe Frank Young, who wants to be a judge and once was state's attorney, can breath some sense into these people.
Wish most of us could believe that Frank Young has any interest in schools. He fooled himself when he saw serving on the board as a stepping stone to a judgeship. When someone's first input as a board member was to suggest a reduction in the number of board meetings, it became quite evident that his interest was anything but sincere. The bottom fell out of his election hopes and many feel he has little interest in the school system beyond the high school football team.
I know how difficult things are right now. My hours have been cut at work over the past year. But then someone says that if they are taking home less, so should everyone else. I don't agree. If the district has the money, and in this case they saved a bundle last year by cutting a lot of staff members, then give small raises to help their employees out. Anyway, what is $400 or $600 really going to do? The reason, I say this, is look at the administrator's salaries on the Danville website:
Superintendent Mark Denman, $184,915, Associate Superintendent Diana Kirk, $143,806, Director of Human Resources Kathy Houpt, $112,484, Director of Business and Finance Heather McKiernan, $90,237, Director of Building and Grounds Ron Henton, $86,057, Director of Educational Support Programs Diane Hample, $108,567, Director of Special Education Steve Runyon, $109,369, Director of Informational Systems Christel Powell, $86,437, and Administrator of Alternative Programs Tracy Cherry, $97,596.
DHS Principal $134,419, and 4 Assistant Principals: $96,532; $87,363; $88,098, $88,171; School Manager: $71,090
SVMS: Principal $101,068; Asst. Principal $86,811; Manager $83,833
NRMS: Principal $98,052; Asst. Principal $86,811; Manager $77,533
9 Elementary Principals making between $88,000 to $95,000
Total costs to run the central office: $1,019,468 (this is a whole 9 people!). The costs to be an administrator at DHS? $565,673 (6 people). Heck, if I were an administrator, I wouldn't care about giving those greedy employees raises either. My friend is recently divorced and a teacher's assistant in the district. She has three children, but she makes $13,000. I can't believe the gall of people making over $100,000 telling her that she can come early and stay late, but she is overpaid. My daughter's favorite teacher at North Ridge last year, David Eberlin, made a whole $34,924. Something is upside down here. Teachers like him who make a difference should be at the top and those who sit in an office and never deal with kids should be at the bottom. If the district does not settle this, I know I'll be voting for new leadership.
Everything is upside down here! Best buildings go to administration while East Park, North Ridge, and South View look like the remnants of a war zone. Look at the furnishings your student has and then visit the Jackson Building, which has air conditioning, museum quality lighting, and carpeting throughout! Be sure to go to the basement, where you will find students crammed into a room. It brings to mind a can of sardines. But upstairs a beautiful room sits unused most of the time so the board can meet in luxury!
A reading teacher at the high school? How do you get to high school and you CAN'T READ? Shouldn't that teacher be in place in grade school? Upside down?
$$$$ Spent on extra curricular activities? EXTRA is the key word here. If you do not have money for basics ,like teachers, how do you have money for extras? Poor , poor money management. I am certain that NO Extra curricular activity pays for itself,not even the almighty football team. Think about it-coaches, security.lights, refs, uniforms, trainer, insurances costs, travel,meals to name a few. Forget about the "booster" club.; they aren't that effective.
More pay for administration than those in the classroom? How do they contribute to your child's education? They do not. Oh sure, they hired a few hand-chosen new administrators. A few have spent more time in front of a mirror than they have in front of a classroom. They are clueless but teachers know how they got their jobs. What's up with 6 administrators at Danville High School. Chaos reigns there. Kids are forced into "houses" where they do not want to be and put into classes they do not want to take. Ask some of them about their wonderful Chinese class last year! What a joke. Teachers from foreign countries when we have local teachers without a job? A teacher who speaks English is a real asset!!
Too many teachers at the high school and too few at the elementary level. Upside down!
If a kid hasn't learned to behave by the time they get to high school, they are never going to behave. Get a clue. Put strong teachers in the lower grades and nip these problems in the bud. All it takes is for a child to realize there are consequences ( and that does not include a social worker , who tells them that life has dealt them a bad hand and the whole world should feel sorry for them and adjust to their rotten behavior- NEWS FLASH- we will NOT adjust to them, they need to be taught common, acceptable behavior 100% of the time) High school is too late to deal with them. Upside down!
Just a start!
Well said. I've known Nanette Mellen for years, and I wonder, why did she never have these problems? I've never heard her say the district is falling apart. She had pride, dignity, and integrity. Above all, she was a constant advocate for Danville. How did things go from great or even best ever to worst ever so quickly? What a difference a year makes.
everything is not down under. what you tell only proves my point that we need more administers in school to keep the teachers to doing they jobs. if we have 6 administers at danville high school than how come the teachers think they deserve massive 100 per cent pay raises? hello?! you are not to administer to those schools so you do not need to get there paychecks from them. each and every principle need good lighting in there office and if they look like museums than that is none of your business. if we take away from them paychecks how else will they buy there pen and paper and staple? do you think computers grow on the tree? they dont make no more than no one else.
you wine too much. mark danmen was my faverite math teacher. he deserve every cent he make. you don't know how tough it is to be administer to more than a dozen schools in danville or you would behind him 110 per cent. my son graduated from dhs in june. he makes 8.75 per an hour at walmart. its a good job. teachers have good jobs who should be teaching our kid and not wining about mark danmen who cares about are kid each and every one of them. how much the principles make is irrelevent because they totally different jobs from teachers. if teachers work harder they will be good at there jobs and not have to worry about getting raises next year.
"Things will only get worse." "Times are perilous." "The deficit . . . ." Sound like a familiar tune? These are the only phrases Danville administrators know. They never mentioned them in the past ten years, but now that, according to Mike Helenthal at the Commercial-News, Danville wants to be the only district in Vermilion, Champaign, and about 99 other counties to stiff staff members (some making as little as $12,000), everything is dooms day. The CN reported every other district tried to work with its staff members EXCEPT Danville. Why is Danville so special that they can thumb their noses at the community?
If one reads the above, one gets the same Eeyore feel. Reading the DEA website (http://www.danvilledea.org/), one sees that they quoted the Illinois State Board of Education's website on the financial health of districts. They looked at districts by how many days they could operate if they did not receive another penny. Guess what? There are only 3 schools better than Danville and 9 schools worse (if all central office pay was eliminated, I bet Danville would move up a spot or two). Yet, now Danville wants to talk about "urgent" building needs. The longer negotiations go on, the worse Danville becomes . . . yet, the rest of the year, Danville seems to have no such worries. How convenient.
Stop fearmongering and do the right thing. Danville does not need the lies, innuendo, and gossip. Here is a real chance for the District to bring the community together and move on. And by the way, don't believe me or the district. READ THE FACTS! Apparently the district doesn't want you doing that.
Denman, you are very passionate. Lighten up. I still read your post and followed the links on the DEA website you provided. Anyone interested go to http://webprod1.isbe.net/finprofile/profile.aspx This site is maintained by the Illinois State Board of Education and provides a no-BS third party view of Danville and the DEA. I thought $18m in the bank was better than anyone but a day-by-day expense account is definitely the most accurate way to summarize a business or school district's finances. Danville is in awesome shape but there are a handful of districts around the state with better finances. Why all the shenanigans.
I've heard DEA members comment that Bill Dobbles is the highest paid Danville teacher ever at $102k 6 years according to The Champion.org website. This is not relevant. Just because Bill Dobbles now believes raises and the retirement incentives are not needed for those steal teaching does not mean he is a "turncoat". People change their minds after a lifetime of fighting for something and must fit what their new found, altered beliefs are with the current economic reality that might, possibly be a potential to presumably happen in the future if all the maybe's turn out to be true. Leave the man alone. I hope he and others settle the contract. If Nanette Mellen was still here she'd step in, take a beating for the teachers and do what is right. I know my children think it would be cool to miss a day or two, but they'd be upset about school in June. Even if the district can't think of themselves, please think of the state ranked football team.
I don't get why anyone is even still arguing the finances of Danville District #118. They are great. Also, it is still, not steal. Don't ruin all the hard work the football team has put in because the district administrators want to be the only district in the state to not give raises. Think of my daughter's 8th grade year. She doesn't need any disruptions. My husband heard his union proclaim that teachers wanted huge raises when I made him look it up and email to his friends that most won't gen anything. Settle if you care about the kids.
Reading the websites really opens my eyes. I guess I don't get something. The board members are in charge but they never go to any of the meetings. This is important and effects everything from my children in school to the football team. Board members, if you don't want to serve or don't have time, then get a move on. A small raise helps with the cost of living. Industry does this by raising prices. The district raised taxes a bunch. Just look at Jim McMahon, the Vermilion County Board Chairman. He lives within his means, doesn't overbudget, never cries wolf like these bunch of hooligans, and yet gives small raises to employees. One word: RESPECT or rather, lack there of.
I know that the district said no raise but they'd *let* teachers come early and stay late. What a deal. I'm just wondering if the district is lying. On the article today in the NG about urgent work, the district claimed, "School officials must correct the urgent work within a year of filing the health and life-safety report with the state, and the required work within five years." The costs for the urgent work is $24 million and the required work is $59 million. The grand total = $83 million. I guess the district is adding better recessed lighting to the suites at the Jackson Building and upgrading the Danville High School penthouse. Someone should check to see if this is true or a total lie. If true, then we will have to shut our doors, lay off all staff, and rebuild the entire town for the next five years before letting kids come back to school. $83 million. Don't believe that foolish lie for one minute.
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