Font ResizeA group of classified employees of the district attended the meeting to express their dismay and disappointment that they alone among district employees have a cap on the district’s contribution to the classified health care plan under Blue Cross. The cap applies to both current and retired employees.
Classified employees include custodians, secretaries, kitchen workers, bus drivers and classroom aides.
Harold English, the custodian at Whitethorn and Ettersburg schools led off by drawing a comparison between the way the rest of the district’s employees are treated to the way the classified employees are being treated. No other class of employees has had a cap placed on the district’s contribution to the health care plan.
English said that, as a full-time employee with many years of service to the district, his salary deduction for health care has risen to $117.
”That’s a lot to me,” he said, “and I work full time. I can imagine what this means to the aides, most of whom are working part time for the health care. It’s a really big cut for them. It hurts and we all need health care.”
He went on to say that they did have the option to get cheaper health care, but his personal experience argued against that. He had a malignant cancer on his hand and he went to a doctor who wanted to cut his arm off. Instead, he used his Blue Cross insurance to go to Stanford. The doctor there characterized the idea of amputating his arm as “barbaric” and, instead, removed the cancerous growth in a way that left him with both an arm and a functioning hand so he could continue to work.
English said that when he was standing in line for health care, he witnessed many people being turned away for a similar condition because their health insurance didn’t cover what they needed.
”With Blue Cross,” he said, “you can go anywhere, but not everyone gets such good coverage.”
In contrast to the cuts to the classified benefits, English noted that administrative personnel didn’t have a cap on their insurance and were given stipends for taking on extra duties required of them because of personnel cutbacks. He pleaded with the school board members to “help us out until the health care debate gets sorted out.”
Angel Fish, a kitchen aide, said her insurance costs have risen to $400 a month and her net pay is now down to $140. She said she thought all employees should be treated equally, a view echoed by school secretary Mary Moore.
Bruce Guellette, a custodian at the high school, said that classified employees haven’t had a raise in so long that the reduced contribution to the health care plan is effectively a pay cut to the lowest paid employees.
Sandi Mayhew, a school secretary for 28 years, wrote a letter requesting the district return to covering 100% of the classified employee’s health care benefits.
Classified employees are represented by the California School Employees Association (CSEA). Bus driver Tom Booth is the president of the local chapter of CSEA, which is currently in contract negotiations with the district. Booth said that the negotiations are not going well and he asked the board to do away with their hired negotiator. He characterized the hired negotiator as “intimidating” and urged the board to let Superintendent Michael McAllister negotiate with the employees.
”Mike can do it himself,” he said, adding that it would be a cost saving to the district.
He said that the pay range among classified employees is $10 to $17 an hour, while administrative employees are making $28 to $53 an hour.
”We are so discouraged and feel it’s so unfair,” Booth said. “We feel the district has acted in bad faith.”
Booth noted that when the classifieds suffered their job cuts, “nobody offered us stipends for the extra work we had to do.”
”My plea is for my people,” he concluded.
As this item was not on the agenda, the trustees were unable to do anything but listen.
In contrast to the situation with the classified employees, Schools Foundation president Linda Brodersen had good news to report on that organization’s fundraising, which is in its 20th year. She said that a new fundraising group called PULSE had formed which will focus on South Fork High School exclusively. The Foundation will continue to distribute the money it raises to all the schools in the district, she said. They had earlier in the week delivered more than $15,000 to help support various programs throughout the district.
District Superintendent Michael McAllister gave a report on his activities since the October meeting. He has continued to meet with an architect and the board’s financial advisor to pursue the modernization and rehabilitation prospects for local school buildings. He is proceeding to research the idea of a lease/lease back program to bring local school facilities up to standards. McAllister said he had learned that the district would not have to hire a separate project manager to oversee the construction, something that will save the district money. He said that he expected that the architect will soon have a square foot cost estimate for various scenarios and at that time, the trustees will be able to decide what they think the district can afford. McAllister said there are no hardship grants available at the moment because of the state’s fiscal collapse but such money might be available in a year or two when the economy recovers. There is currently a waiting list for such grants and he said the district ought to get on that waiting list because it will qualify for that funding due to the condition of its facilities.
McAllister said that one of the advantages of the lease/lease back construction model, in which the district leases the existing buildings to the contractor and then leases them back when they are refurbished or rebuilt, is that the use of local labor for construction is likely. In the traditional construction, contractors are not likely to hire local labor, he said.
The trustees spent a good deal of time discussing the ins and outs of the financing, including a probable bond election to match the grant and loan combination that will help finance the construction or reconstruction.
Trustee Dennis O’Sullivan asked for guarantees that the state would indeed be able to fund the projects on the waiting list.
”They will have to because you qualify,” McAllister said.
”Will we have it in our hands before the bond measure?” O’Sullivan asked.
”You’ll have their promise,” McAllister said.
”Guaranteed if the bond passes?” O’Sullivan asked.
”Yes,” McAllister answered. He said also that the design of the refurbished or rebuilt buildings will be “very utilitarian and functional,” and that material costs are at an all-time low because of the economy.
Board president Susan Thompson asked for an idea of how long the process was going to take. McAllister said that the advisors say that the district is well ahead in the process.
However, the board itself is facing some unknowns, such as what will be the configuration of the rebuilt or refurbished district. Will the junior high be restored?
McAllister said that he and the architects are looking at possible consolidation, although they expect the school population will increase over the next 20 years.
O’Sullivan remained skeptical and said he wanted some background on the accuracy of previous projects their advisors have taken on.
Trustee Jim Baker said that he thought the board needed some education on the process of lease/lease back construction. The possible reconfiguration of the schools in the district will be discussed at the December meeting, and a workshop may be held on the subject.
McAllister said also that he had met with Dr. Garry Eagles of the County Office of Education and Dr. Jeff Marsee of the College of the Redwoods about the future of their association with South Fork High School. There had been hope that a local form of the Academy of the Redwoods could be instituted at South Fork and that students at South Fork could take college classes for college credit and both institutions would get concurrent ADA money. However, the state has put a cap on enrollment and will not pay ADA for enrolled students over the capped number. CR already has more students than it is getting ADA for. Only one college class will be offered on the campus during the school day.
In regard to the purchase of the Sprowel Creek property, Superintendent McAllister said that negotiations are working on “cleaning up the language” in the agreement between the district and CR and with the help of the district’s attorney they hope to come up with language that is mutually agreeable.
McAllister is on the CR Master Plan committee. He will be attending meetings to represent the district as CR plans for the next 20 years.
McAllister also had some bad news for the trustees. Enrollment at South Fork has fallen below what they need to keep their funding stable. They are looking for 25 to 30 new students but not expecting that to happen, McAllister said. He projected a loss of $100,000 in ADA for the next school year, and that money will have to be found somewhere if the school expects to continue offering the programs it is offering this year.
Enrollment at the high school is 213 at present. There are only 39 seniors this year, one of the smallest classes in recent times. Because of the nature of school funding, the district loses money every time a student is absent, whether because of illness or medical appointments. At one time, funding was not deducted from schools for excused absences, but excused absences aren’t allowed in school any longer and every time a student doesn’t come to school, or leaves the school before 1 p.m., the district loses money.
Higher numbers in the kindergarten and first grade levels indicate that student population will increase in future years, but at the moment, enrollment is not strong at the higher grades. This makes it difficult for the school to come up with enough money to provide a good education.
Finally, Student Trustee Arturo Lopez had been asked at the previous meeting to survey the students at South Fork High School and find out their feelings about rebuilding or relocating the high school. Lopez produced a report with colored pie charts that both pleased and impressed the adult trustees.
Trustee Paulette Thiele called it “beautiful and informative.”
The results of the survey show that 45% of the students want a new school in a new location; 30% favor rebuilding on the existing campus, and 25% favor modernizing the existing campus. Trustee Jim Baker noted that this mean that the majority of students (55%) favor staying in Miranda.
Among those things students would most like to see upgraded is the gymnasium, the sports field and the library, but an overwhelming 54% would like to see the classrooms improved. A large number of students want the bathrooms improved. Lopez said that the deteriorated condition of the bathrooms at South Fork is a major concern among the students.
Students also expressed a desire for better books, especially in the English Department, more nutritional food in the cafeteria, Powder Puff football, and better janitorial work. The two custodians at the meeting said they were sorry the students felt that way, but since the number of custodians and the hours they are allowed to work have been so reduced that they are not able to keep up.
