Pattye Benson

Community Matters

Outsourcing analysis by TE School District does not stand up to public scrutiny – decision ‘on hold’

Taxpayers, teachers, PTO presidents, paraprofessionals, parents, substitute teachers, TENIG members and students brought their collective voices to the School Board meeting last night, and were heard, at least temporarily.

Standing three people deep and overflowing into the lobby, all attended the meeting for the singular purpose to oppose outsourcing of paraprofessionals in the TE School District. For over three hours, one voice after another was echoing the same message to the School Board, “don’t outsource.” For the record, not one person spoke in favor of the District’s proposed outsourcing plan.

With Fox News and ABC Action News filming most of the proceedings,Board members, District business manager Art McDonnell, personnel manager Sue Tiede and Superintendent Dan Waters repeatedly claimed that many of us had misunderstood and that the third-party outsourcing to STS would actually help ‘save’ the jobs of District aides and paras. They wanted us to believe that STS would hire all the displaced TE employees and that our employees would be making more money working for STS.

According to McDonnell, the need for outsourcing is based on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the cost to provide healthcare for the aides, paraeducators and substitute teachers working 30 hours or more per week in TESD. These employees have never received healthcare coverage through the District. McDonnell claimed the annual cost to provide healthcare coverage to these currently uninsured District employees would be in excess of $2.3M and further citing a potential fine of $1.2M annually for noncompliance.

By the time the last person had spoken out about outsourcing, it was abundantly clear that the District and the School Board had many more questions than answers. McDonnell had predicated his evaluation of the healthcare coverage costs to the District on all 175 employees needing insurance. As was repeatedly pointed out, most of these employees have insurance through their spouses and do not need the coverage. The District’s cost to insure was based on all 175 employees working 30+ hours per week which had many in the audience asking why not reduce their hours (so the District would not be affected by the requirements of ACA).

Several residents spoke of personal experience with the Affordable Care Act and its requirements. One in particular, a CFO for a local corporation, offered that the District’s analysis was incomplete and inaccurate, and suggested the Board seek healthcare benefit expertise so as to make an informed decision. Example of inadequate District analysis — The Affordable Care Act does not stipulate that the healthcare coverage must be the same as offered to the teachers and administrators. Rather than plugging in the cost for a ‘basic’ healthcare coverage in their outsourcing analysis, the McDonnell used the cost of the Cadillac-type of healthcare coverage of the administrators.

The most striking comments of the evening were from those who had called the proposed outsourcing company, STS to learn about the company and their employment requirements. They were told that STS employees only need graduate from high school, or a GED will suffice. (Remember all the aides, paras and substitute teachers working in TE have 4-year degrees and many have Master degrees). When asked if any additional training was needed to serve as a school district paraprofessional, the response from the company HR — was one evening of their STS Academy training (!). One young woman in the audience spoke last night who works for TESD but is also a STS employee. She explained STS hiring procedure and the shocking revelation that STS hired her with no interview required.

Personnel director Sue Tiede repeatedly countered the low employment standard of STS that should District use this company, they would be required to meet the TESD requirements. We also learned that STS has no experience with this type of job outsourcing. Although McDonnell and Tiede offered that a couple of Lancaster County school districts employ STS, we learned quickly from audience members that these contracts were only recently signed … therefore leading to the speculation that our award-winning school district would serve as the company’s outsourcing guinea pig.

Facing many unanswered questions from audience members and an outsourcing analysis that did not stand up to public scrutiny, at 11:20 PM, the School Board voted unanimously to table the discussion of outsourcing for the night. By the Finance Committee meeting on June 10, the administration and the Board will seek a better understanding of the Affordable Care Act (and its requirements) plus work to answer the many questions and possible solutions offered by the public last night.

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  1. What kind of School Board is this? That doesn’t even DO THE FULL RESEARCH THAT OUR CITIZENS CAN DO?

    There needs to be complete and full transparency and they need to be more proactive and bringing ALL ISSUES TO LIGHT and GIVING US THE INFORMATION rather than putting the ONUS on WORKING PARENTS who are PUTTING THEIR TRUST IN THE SCHOOL BOARD for their children to just “FIND OUT” what’s going on.

    What can be done, Pattye – what can we do to truly prevent this? How about we start with the real finances of board salaries and perks? I always thought School Board was a volunteer position. How stupid of me.

    1. “How about we start with the real finances of board salaries and perks? I always thought School Board was a volunteer position. How stupid of me.”

      Is it not? I’m 98% sure the School Board members don’t receive a salary.

  2. Great summation… Kudos to all who attended and spoke out last night…very eye-opening and you proved to everyone there that this plan was not well thought-out and not ready for adoption. The “savings” figures were plugs estimated at high values for effect, alternatives were not vetted and the contractor in question may or may not be experienced with this type of outsourcing. Still…STILL..more question than answers. I’d like to share with you an e-mail response I sent to one of your own who contacted me (and several folks) this AM:

    “It was my latest bedtime of 2013!!! You did buy yourself 3 weeks but don’t trust this Board or Administration to save you. They are a poor management team. You know the issues…Affordable Care Act avoidance and (secondarily) PSERS cost increase avoidance. Within 4 hours of notification; your group came up with salient and constructive comments/suggestions. You…as a group…are plenty smart enough to figure out a proposed solution here….don’t wait for “Government” to help you….!

    I am a Budget Hawk as Dr. Motel calls us but I can’t support this plan. It costs the District more and the employees will make considerably less…maybe…maybe there’s a cost (Federal and State Government imposition) avoidance two years out. Maybe! Get your best minds together and propose a solution…it will be far better than leaving your fate to this leadership group. You have public sentiment on your side…that’s political capital. Before you can spend that capital…you’ll need the basis of a plan that the public can rally behind. You have a voice..as it were..in Pattye Benson…use it.”

    You can do this…if I can help; I’d be happy to contribute. But remember, I am a Budget Hawk (at least that’s what the Board Member called folks like me last night). I assume the Board passed a Preliminary Budget after I went to bed. If it’s the one in the Board presentation, anticipated spending for next year will be in the $115 MM range. This is a significant increase over this year’s estimated spending of +$107 MM, which is a significant increase over last year’s spending of $101 MM. The budget for the third year in a row will be in a position of Imbalance (anticipated spending exceeding anticipated revenues). The Board says it’s a revenue issue…but they’ve raised local real estate taxes over 11.5% in the last 4 cycles. You decide…look at the expense growth…the revenue growth…the budgetary plans adopted and proposed. OK; that’s the background from a Budget Hawk…the fiscal reality that exists. Many of you…likely most of you…ARE the taxpayers in this community and therefore the voters! You will decide on this leadership group….For now; job one is developing an alternative to this poorly thought-out strategy. I wish you well and offer my support. I think you’ll find many in this community will do the same. Keep the fiscal realities in mind; do your level best to balance the needs of the whole while crafting a solution to your immediate job risks. I wish you had been given more time but I know you’re plenty smart enough to get this done.

    1. Thanks Neal!

      For all of the aides, paraeducators and substitutes reading Neal’s response, there’s a couple of things. Neal attends all the Finance and School Board meetings and has the education and experience to completely understand the school district budget. So … if Neal is telling us that the analysis is flawed, you can bet it is! Neal’s offer to help you is genuine — I’d take him up on it! But you only have 3 weeks to come up with concrete options.

      It was obvious to all in the room last night, that many of the audience members had taken more time to do their homework on the topic of outsourcing than some of those elected to serve us. Rather than ‘assuming’ that McDonnell, Waters and Tiede have correctly analyzed the Affordable Care Act and associated healthcare care costs, why didn’t the School Board feel the need to ‘check’ those results? The Board knew outsourcing was on the agenda, shouldn’t the public expect that the School Board president would thoroughly review the information PRIOR to the meeting?

    2. neal, your expertise should be welcome in developing a plan that the proletariat can bring to the board. Can you be contacted through Pattye? How can the aides etc reach you, aside from this blog>? thanks for your offer to help.. being a budget hawk isn t a curse. obviously all need to sharpen pencils.

  3. You’ve done the community a great service, Pattye, by helping catalyze a through examination of this scheme.

    The bare bones healthcare plan suggested by the public seems to be an excellent solution to the AHCA problem. The PSERS component may not be so easily addressed, but one might expect that a State solution along the lines of Corbett’s current proposal to offer a 401k to new employees and constrain benefits for current ones will at some point get traction.

    It was interesting that last night the district laid all the blame for this plan at the door of the AHCA, but last week at the Finance Committee the culprit was PSERS. As far as I could tell from the presentation (there weren’t enough handouts), the communication is still far from complete.

    Perhaps the next round of analysis can also include a look at relative compensation levels, paid sick days, etc. that we are now used to reviewing for the teacher contracts.

    1. Ray’s another one of the ‘Budget Hawks’ (Pete Motel’s words, not mine) who attends all the Finance and School Board meetings and scrutinizes the budget. As Ray accurately states, last week at the Finance Committee meeting, the Board and administration denied that the Affordable Care Act had anything to do with the proposed outsourcing – yet, last night ACA was the #1 factor. Just like last week at the Finance Committee meeting, Tiede and McDonnell were absolute that the District COULD NOT impose the hiring of TE employees as a component of the STS agreement, yet last night Kevin Buraks argued otherwise.

  4. well good neighbor, I have NEVER been to a school board meeting, although I do watch on TV from time to time.
    I was there last night. I have to tell you I was very proud of our community, made up of good, smart caring people. And yes, was disappointed in the boards total lack of preparedness on this subject. I think with any democratic form of government, really republican form of government, it is the citizen that has to watch, listen, learn and get involved. With my kids out of the district now, I never thought I would find myself at a board meeting. And never thought I would be so busy on this blog.

    no matter at what level of government, no matter how good intentioned that govt is, the governed MUST be involved. This is a lesson drilled home to me last night. The board was either asleep at the switch, took bad advice, was pushed into this by the administration headed by waters, or something else. These are not mean spirited people, but members of our community, and highly accomplished too, themselves. They have alot on their plate, are under terrible financial stress and really need our help, input. I have never felt more disgusted with dan waters, never really had much feelling for him either way. But with him you get the feeling he is behind this movement, and he himself doesnt have an accurate feel for what outsourcing will bring.. Lame duck? I don’t know.

    so we must go to the next board meeting, hopefully the financial meeting too. Pretty cool to see channel 6 and 29 there.. although I didn’t see 6, Pattye said they were there.

    This is a public education crisis, and how it is funded. I respect the seniors in our community. When and if they had kids in the school district, there were other seniors that subsidized the district. So now its time to balance the current seniors fixed income status with their fair subsidy of the current crop of students attending the district. This is how it works. yes, appreciate the fiscal stewardship of our board.. where do you find money for pencils? But sometimes you have to pay for what you want. Not to say taxes must go up every year, as Dr brake indicated, maybe just sometimes.

  5. There is an excellent lesson to be learned by examining the outcome of two outsourcing votes by two school districts both occurring last night. The readers are aware of TE’s outcome last night where angry residents filled the meeting room and forced a delay. From Pattye’s description above, the board and administrators looked uninformed and out-of-touch.
    .
    A few miles south of TE at the Kennett School District another outsourcing vote was taken. The meeting was sparsely attended and there were more tears than angry words.
    Tears as KCSD announces plans to outsource support staff
    http://www.kennettpaper.com/article/20130514/NEWS01/130519993/tears-as-kcsd-announces-plans-to-outsource-support-staff#full_story
    .
    Why the difference in outcome? Kennett was transparent with their decision. The public was involved from the beginning. Meetings were held. The public was informed. Information was available. Board members were articulate.
    .
    From experience, it takes a far greater effort to involve the public in decisions from the beginning, but the effort engenders trust and avoids a debacle similar to that experienced by the TE board last night.

    1. Keith, truer words were never spoken —

      it takes a far greater effort to involve the public in decisions from the beginning, but the effort engenders trust and avoids a debacle similar to that experienced by the TE board last night.

    2. keith, tears? So the public, however informed still lost the debate? Im not sure I am getting what you mean. So TESD board just needs to get their facts straight, and the community will be mollified? Not sure that works.. you see, many think a few more dollars spent is the right thing to do.. not cut cut cut especially when there is suspicion that there is fat above.
      Glad I live here, not kennett

    3. Good piece, thanks for posting.

      Kennett used CCRES…”outsource its support and paraprofessional staff to CCRES, a nonprofit organization that provides area schools with a variety of professional support.” Don’t know if that is one of the firms that quoted our RFP. Their issue was different.,..as they all are. Kennett’s saving were immediate and related to benefits costs:
      “According to the district, the move would save anywhere between $446,000 and $793,000 in the original agreement, although a modification to the contract on May 6 allows for a slight rate improvement, reducing that figure to just over $566,000. Those savings largely come from the removal of a benefits package that, according to board member Nick Perigo, in some cases is almost 50 percent of an employee’s salary. The district also saves a significant amount with the removal of the PSERS retirement benefits – a cost that continues to increase dramatically every year.”

      You are correct, they started earlier and seem to have spent more time in educating the community on the pros and cons…

  6. Good Neighbor
    I don’t live here any longer and don’t post for that reason,,but as a former TE board member, let me assure you there is no salary and certainly no perks, unless you count your kids being targeted by the occasional angry teacher who uses your child as a conduit to the board.

    Don’t lament. What happened last night was good. The board members have lives of their own and jobs of their own. Doong full research is NOT their job, but it is the district staff’s job to provide the information. As citizens, it is important to have information if you want to challenge a course of action. Just opposing outsourcing is silly, and without merit. Opposing it with information is useful, and has clearly changed the tone of the opposition.

    So remember that the board votes with the information they have. These admins are career educators, not healthcare or outsourcing specialists. If you have facts and not just vague apprehension, the system works. And I can already here people saying I’m defending the board. I am not. I had written several members expressing concern that our district is NOT broken, and did not require this major a “fix.”. When we outsourced busing years and years ago, that was totally on TENIG/PSEA, because they would not permit the drivers to work with us on an alternative model…it was full benefits or no drivers. They did not blink and abandoned the drivers in the process.
    TENIG of today allows flexibility to the internal groups. And the Aides/Paras clearly have not been addressed on any level to consider alternatives.

    So keep this approach. provide information. Seek out individual members of the board who you believe have influence on this decision. Don’t just resist this change. Understand the burden of financing a program in this “tea party” mentality tax world, in a state that handcuffs districts financially but allows no offsetting strategies EXCEPT requiring a voter referendum for any change in tax levels (limited alternatives to Act 1limits) or tax sources (EIT). When you hear a candidate dump that eternal platitude of “a great program at a managed cost”…find out what they know and what they propose.

    But please Good Neighbor…the ONUS is on all participants. School board directors are elected volunteers. It is patently unfair to even presume there is any benefit to the position. treat them as people…you might make a friend and help them to see from your point of view. But also remember–their primary constituent is the student body.

    Good luck.

    1. your tea party mentality crack is crap. You should know taxes are limited by state fiat, and exceptions would be difficult to get, maybe they should. And I am sympathetic to the boards plight as I have written here, but they must be responsible for a baseline amount of knowledge. They must be prepared too. Get an obamacare consultant in.. check options.
      last night they were deer in headlights.

      If their primary constituent is the student body, they are derelict in their duty to them if outsourcing goes through.

      1. FF
        Tea party mentality is a shot at those who ignore issues and only care about costs…not at “budget hawks”…I believe you and I are “on the same page” especially after reading that you went to the meeting and see that the public has a duty to participate. These “deer” were in many cases unprepared to be board members…so I hope this is a lesson learned by all sides, especially voters..

        I’m trying to not care and walk away…

        1. ok got it andrea.. many of those “cost only” actors are retired folks, and we have many of them, I think more than those families that send their kids to school. So as you know, and as Dr brake said, the board has many constituencies to deal with. thats the genius of governing. Making it work for the greater good, weigh the CONSEQUENCES, from an informed posititon. Tip and Reagan had it.

    2. Thank you, Andrea. What I mean by not having the onus on all the parents and people in the community is exactly what Keith said above:

      “Why the difference in outcome? Kennett was transparent with their decision. The public was involved from the beginning. Meetings were held. The public was informed. Information was available. Board members were articulate.
      .
      From experience, it takes a far greater effort to involve the public in decisions from the beginning, but the effort engenders trust and avoids a debacle similar to that experienced by the TE board last night.”

      I, like most people in the community, were unaware of the possibility of outsourcing until last Thursday, May 9. Perhaps I should be more diligent and attend all school board meetings and the finance committee meetings. maybe everyone should? And then we would get all the information needed? This is my point – you cannot expect that a parent or anyone can do this – it is not our job to attend all of these meetings – but it is the School Board’s job. They did sign up for the responsibilities of the position – volunteer or not (and thank you for clarifying that, for that I was misinformed recently).

      The School Board can easily send a notification of important items – as we learned yesterday around 3pm about the “misinformed” public email from Dan Waters.

      Thank goodness for people like Pattye and Neal and Ray above for being attentive and able to do this for those who cannot. But it seems a shame that the board can’t be open and willing to enter a discussion and try to sneak things through. We’ve had similar instances in the recent past where people did not have time to even react – because there was no transparency and open discussion.

      If someone feels they are truly doing the right thing, and it’s bad news, you still attempt to create dialogue. If you don’t, the constituents will feel there’s something shady going on.

    3. I agree with everything you say except your comment advising citizens to shut up about what the union has because We voted the people in who gave them what they have.

      If citizens shut up nothing will change. I advise citizens to keep talking, keep writing and appreciate the fact that you have a tax paying right to so.

    4. Stop it John. You have no information about my time, and I am sick of the attacks. If things were bad, where were you from 1991 to 2002….I went away. You keep,saying you will too.

  7. This board is comprised of people you elected. Don’t just “throw the bums out.”..challenge their opponents…there is a learning curve to the job. You can bet the PSEA loves rookies. It used to be true that candidates had a long connection to the process…like Neal and Ray…attending countless meetings and having some sense of the job. Any solutions to issues you do not fully grasp are not worth much. So make the candidates earn your vote.

    good luck.

    1. “the simple decision of what is right vs wrong”

      If only the world, in what I’m assuming your context is, were this simple. Unfortunately reality is usually made up of many shades of grey.

  8. UPDATE: The School Board has added a SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING — 5:30 PM on Wednesday, May 29. 12 hours ago, the School Board said the next discussion on outsourcing would occur at the Finance Committee meeting on June 10!

      1. This special meeting is held every year ..the TESB approves the list of graduates.
        At Facilities they were hoping that the ruling from Zoning ( tennis courts )would be in so that issue could be discussed but T.Daley said it could take a month .

        1. Thanks. Can we assume that further outsourcing discussion will wait until the Finance Committee meeting on June 10 as stated last night?

          Re the School District tennis courts — Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors voted last night on TESD $2,000 fee waiver request; presumably it passed.

        2. Passed 5-2, with JD and Olsen dissenting. Much discussion about precedent or lack thereof and about the need for review of township/school district interactions.

  9. I received an email from a resident who attended last night’s School Board meeting. Respectful of his privacy, I will not include his name but offer that he lost his job and health benefits three years ago. Since then he has started his own business and pays for health insurance coverage for himself, his wife and two children. With a serious pre-existing health issue, he was able to get a healthcare plan significantly less than the $16K quoted by McDonnell.

    The resident’s email is important — here is an excerpt:

    The school board apparently evaluated 5 outsourcing vendors but did not take the time to even look at one alternative health insurance provider. It is hard to call this due diligence!

    While the ACA requires healthcare benefits, that requirement can be met with a policy that costs quite a bit less than $16K per year and the take-up rate is very unlikely to be in the 80-100% range as they estimated. In other words, estimating that healthcare for 175 staff in 2014 and 175 staff and their dependents in the later years at $2.3M is totally ridiculous.

    If the board cannot get a better deal on group health insurance than I got on an individual plan they do not deserve to hold their positions. I would be willing to bet that a plan can be gotten for $4K annually. Employees can be asked to pay $1,200 towards their plan. That would leave the board paying $2.8K per insured per year. With a take up rate of 50% (remember this a population that has other insurance already) that would make the cost to TESD $245K — or more than $2M less per year than what is estimated by the board. The projected savings of a few hundred thousand dollars from outsourcing go away if my analysis is anywhere near correct.

    In other words, the proposal the board is trying to slide past everyone may in fact end up costing us more than keeping the aides as TESD employees with a low-end health plan,

    I would hope that the board uses the next month to refine the numbers and look at the price of healthcare that meets ACA and what the take-up rate is. That would be at least a start at due diligence.

  10. I was at the meeting last night and can’t add much to the discussion other then I was angered and outraged at the lack of information, the dispelling of inaccurate information, and the boat load of uneducated excuses (not to mention false assumptions, lack of due diligence… I can go on and on). I was proud of the community for standing up and speaking out, and grateful for a website like this that adds to the transparency and discussion. Since I was THERE, I can tell you that this recap is accurate. What I DID do is start a petition, which I plan to deliver prior to the next meeting on the topic. If folks reading this feel that outsourcing is a bad idea, can you please click the link below to sign and forward to other like-minded people in the district? It would be GREAT to have a solid number of signatures to present. Thanks all, and keep the dialogue going!

    MD

    http://www.change.org/petitions/the-tredyffrin-easttown-school-board-no-outsourcing-of-para-educators-and-aids-in-t-e-schools?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_created

  11. John
    Your concern about my legacy is laughable. I left the board in 2001. That was a LIFETIME ago in school years. I dont recall hearing from you EVER during my 3 terms. You are wrong about so many things that I won’t waste time dealing with you any longer. Pattye allows more personal assaults from you than anyone. But it’s her blog and I respect her control. I am appreciative of her allowing us non-residents, who lived in TESD from 1954-2013 to care.

    I want no gold star, but if you continue to assault people who are in the public eye, you will be left with little more than the deteriorating program you claim you see. You ran and lost. You had party support. So as much as you want this to be about politics, I support FF above in his recognition that government is a two way street. choosing candidates for endorsement is not the only option. demanding skills and time while only returning ugly scrutiny is hardly the model an all volunteer board demands.

    For me, taking up the cause of the aides and paras is only important in how they affect the kids. I said it before–our system is not broken, and this “fix” is an over reach. It was my experience during my own family K-12 experience that few if any in that job ever applied hoping it would pay a lot of bills. These were largely volunteer positions a generation ago that became paid positions to ensure continuity and accountability. Many were held by parents with a professional background (Mom’s…not sure any were men). laws required clearances and processing volunteers was not practical for positions that had responsibilities. TENIG is a different story, and is represented by the PSEA.

    So please keep it going. An educated electorate will make better choices. But before personalizing attacks, consider the possibility that these positions are not very appealing, and to get a good result, you need good candidates. Snd risking even more profanity aimed my way by John, I will again say there is a learning curve to these jobs. Newer, unfamiliar members are much more dependent on administrators for guidance. With experience comes confidence and indepence. And if you want to take John’s view of history, one can only wonder how TESD has ever managed to earn the rankings it has, as well as question why we have such an extensive support staff. You do get what you pay for….and the last time anyone took a census, the breakdown of households with kids in the schools vs. just taxpayers without kids is about 80 – 20…In the 50s and early 60s, when we were adding these buildings to our district, it was about 65% families…so the community was like-minded. I don’t know when or why the paranoia about information came. I left the at the final non-televised meeting. I wanted people to come and learn. Perhaps TV and blogs have opened up the opportunities to learn, but I still encourage people to come and contribute. If people can’t explain their decisions…they are not qualified to make them.

    So, while John says my only good decision was to move, I hope you all can educate your neighbors about the social contract of living in a community and supporting the schools,regardless of age. Then my decision to care will be a good one…and my vile nemesis can launch epithets my way because he is frustrated by his inability to poison the well.

    Where I live now, the only people in the public schools are those who cannot afford private schools. My taxes are 20% of my TE taxes. I am so very grateful my 3 kids got their educations from committed educators. I went to Valley Forge and Hillside the year they opened. I moved back to TE with my kids because I believed in the schools. Every generation has a duty to those that follow. Again, keep your interest high. make them accountable TO YOU.

  12. Sorry…80% without kids…in the 90s, we had taxpayers with 80/20 t-shirts suggesting we should not have AP classes because they were only for subsidizing college costs for rich kids.

    1. well Andrea, in a sense it does. But it also gives non rich kids a chance too. but I understand your point..

  13. Andrea,

    Our only hope for independant thinking from board members are term limits. The longer they serve the more in service they become to administrators because administrators lull them into relying on them more and more. The sad thing is they don’t even know they’ve lost their independance and think they have a profound understanding of the way education works. The meeting last night was a perfect demonstration of my point.

    The board member with the most independance is crowly and she has served the least amount of time. The longer they serve, the harder they are to influence.

    I hope Ms. Crowley posts on cm matters the moment her time on the board is over.

  14. As someone who has spent the last 5 years of my business career studying leadership I am disappointed in the manner this was handled. Top flight organizations are built on trust and respect. Toyota has a great expression that defines their commitment to teamwork ” all of us are smarter than any of us”. We have a financial crisis brought on by a slow economy and unbalanced contracts. I don’t blame the teachers union. They did their job of getting the best deal they could for the teachers. The people we elected to bring balance to the negotiations did not do a good job for us. A true leader would bring together all of the employees of the district and share the challenges. Together with input from the taxpayers (perhaps in the form of the above budget hawks) the best alternatives would be developed.

  15. John,
    The practice that you speak of is true. I personally know several employees of the school district who work 40 hours per week but have two different job titles. This allows the school district to avoid/deny benefits.

    The ethics and legality of this is definitely questionable.

  16. I attended the meeting and I believe the costs the board was throwing out in terms of not outsourcing were wildly incorrect and misinformed in regards to the Affordable Care Act.
    I would like to offer some information, however I am not a lawyer, accountant, or benefits expert.I am however pretty familiar with the affordable care act from campaigns i worked on and information I researched on line. If anyone has information that contradicts please share! Lets figure it out now before the meeting and get our facts straight.
    In terms of the cost of health care for the 175 workers. The board continually repeated the penalty of not paying for the insurance as over 2 million dollars. They used the “sledgehammer penalty” as the example and said that would cost the school $2000 per school employee. However that penalty is easily avoidable. By OFFERING the school plan to all workers who in 2013 worked over 30 hrs (and note from what we heard that is not all 175) they will not be subject to that penalty. The school can make the health care plan 100% employee funded and never contribute to it at all and still avoid the penalty! However, for most if not all of the aids that will be offered this 100% paid by employee plan it will probably fall under the category of “unaffordable”. (cost is more the 9.5% of salary for employee) IF one of the aids then qualifies and actually gets on the exchange (no spouse to get insurance, low family income and other qualifiers) then the school will have to pay a non tax-deductible penalty of $3000 per person who gets on the exchange. Reasonable example from info. garnered at meeting: half of 175 actually work over 30 hours last year. of the remaining 85 most have other means (spouse etc) of getting insurance. For the few who will qualify and use the exchange i believe they should have that opportunity to get insurance and the school should pay the penalty that allows them this insurance through the exchange. We live in an affluent community and we should value the people we trust with our children enough to allow them to be able to have healthcare for themselves and their families! By outsourcing they all lose that opportunity. Fair to say 10% might qualify and have the school pay a penalty? 18x$3000= $54,000…far from 2+million! Link below offers more detailed information on the law (tack hammer penalty)
    http://www.schoollaw.com/html/pdf/726.pdf

    1. Joanne,
      .
      As Pattye mentioned above, the potential PPACA penalty quoted by the business manager was $1.2M. That would be 600 employees times $2K per employee. That calculation makes sense, but as you mention there are better, less costly alternatives.
      .
      In the slide presentation, the business manager mentioned a $2.3M yearly effect of PPACA on the Cost of Aides, Paraeducators, Paraprofessionals on slide 3. This is probably the cost of offering the standard district healthcare plan to the 175 paras and having each one enroll at a district cost of about $13K.

  17. Another point that needs to be checked out.
    The school board repeatedly said that a “benefit” for the aids for outsourcing will be that they can collect unemployment in the summer to supplement their income. I can see how that would work this summer (district fires them, they wait to see if STS hires them) but not in future years. One of the board members sited a relative who collects unemployment every summer to substantiate the claim. But with states having to deal with huge increases in unemployment claims that “benefit” may have been closed in PA http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/31/news/economy/seasonal-unemployment-benefits/index.htm
    Also, the way STS is getting away with not having to offer the workers health insurance under ACA is they can pay them on an annual contract that is not subject to the rules of the school that have to view them as 30+ hours during the school year and therefore eligible for health insurance. So how can they have it both ways? Can anyone out there speak to this?

    1. Joanne,
      Privately employed school bus drivers, and by analogy paras, can collect unemployment compensation during the summer months. Drivers and paras employed by the district cannot.
      http://rckelly.com/Articles/tabid/189/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/572/language/en-US/How-Will-Changes-to-Pennsylvanias-Unemployment-Compensation-Law-Affect-School-Bus-Contractors.aspx
      .
      STS is subject to the same PPACA rules as the district. Can you explain what you mean by, “the way STS is getting away with not having to offer the workers health insurance under ACA is they can pay them on an annual contract that is not subject to the rules”? As I understand the law, any STS employee working more than 30 hours is a full time employee. Therefore, STS must either provide insurance of pay a penalty.

    2. Joanne, thanks for all the info. Do you (or does anyone out there) know if the district would be able to claim any kind of tax credits for offering a healthcare plan to the aides/paras?

  18. I can. they can’t. It seems the board has said they are going bankrupt and have no money to pay no matter what the vehicle… insurance nor penalties. To me the solution would be to reduce ALL weekly hourly rate to 29 hrs maximum.. for all employees. I don’t know why this seems so difficult to do. Over the course of a week, 15 minutes less per day for 4 days per employee seems reasonable and doable, with little impact on the performance of their duties.

    Someone raised an interesting question. It maybe a non starter, but I wonder what the steadfast, imperious march towards STS represents under the radar. Is their an outside interest in this company from someone in the school district? A relationship that we don’t know about? If this is paranoia, then I apologize. With the level of trust so low, with the pathetic performance of the board at mondays meeting, with no clear understanding of Obamacare since no EXPERT was consulted prior to putting forth the outsourcing plan, what is one to think? Also, how quickly was the board to outsource to a company in a wage tax municipality, ironic since this has been debated here in TE and shot down. Never brought to a referendum. And our lowest paid employees will be subjected to this, further reducing their take home pay. And the money stays out of TE..

    1. I thought the same thing about nepotism b/w STS and the school board or someone high up- Even googled the names found on the website. I didn’t find anything, but I’m not convinced (at all) that there isn’t some hidden connection.

    2. FF, You’ve got it wrong. Art McDonnell says that the aides will be making MORE money. (oops, I meant “compensation” would be more) I want to know where he learned his math skills. :)

  19. PS.. if the outsourcing company can pay on an annual contract, why cant the district spread the payments on an annual basis?? Is it against the law? As John pointed out, if the district is legally paying other employees in a split way, having 2 job titles and half the hours to each “title”, should this be considered for the aides?

    So many questions. Unfortunately the board doesn’t know much, except they followed Waters and others lead and said ok,, OUTSOURCE!..

    1. The law is clear and the govt. recognizes the school year calendar and employees working over 30 hours at a school are required through ACA to have access to healthcare. STS does not fall under that exception. Plan A should be how does the district stay within budget, not outsource and give access to healthcare for the employees that deserve and need it. (see above email for how little that could actually end up costing) Plan B should be lower hours to skirt the requirement but still have control over who is hired. Lets not forget, although it may be that the majority of aids and para-educators are not dependent on the school for sole income their may be some. And if we can afford a pension bonus plan that was just approved two months ago for the top administrators for the next 4 years…surely we can do the morally and ethically right thing and support the people on the lower pay scale who help our children every day by giving them access to healthcare and not lower their hours.

  20. “I think it is very clear that folks like Waters, McDonnell and the entire TESD Board are a bunch of unethical people.”

    I think if you talked to any/all of them on a personal level it would be very clear that this is a false statement.

    1. macdonnel is a bean counter. nothing wrong with that if you line up your bean columns correctly and fill with accurate numbers of beans. accountants not always great at thinking out side the box…sorry guys.. we need you but not exactly entrepreneurial. and his making goo goo eyes at dan waters left me with an uncomfortable feeling. Just reading body language.

  21. Joanne,
    .
    Let’s remember that every employee, part time and full time, high wage earner of low wage earner, with or without pre-existing conditions has access to to healthcare insurance under PPACA. There is no legal, moral or ethical reason the the employer has to provide it. The state provides an exchange if the employer finds it is not economical to provide their own plan. The non-participating employer pays a “tax” if they choose not to participate to offset the cost. The low wage earner gets subsidized insurance to make it affordable.
    .
    I note you’ve said, “surely we can do the morally and ethically right thing and support the people on the lower pay scale…”.
    .
    Do you really mean something like, “surely society can do the morally and ethically right thing and supply a social safety net for all those people unable to provide for themselves and their dependents”?
    .
    I’m uncomfortable with singling out one segment of workers for above market rate compensation paid by funds designated for education.

    1. Isn’t that what just happenend when one segment (Administration) got bonuses? I think those funds were designated to education.

  22. Keith,

    When you consider the first part of Joanne’s statement………And if we can afford a pension bonus plan that was just approved two months ago for the top administrators for the next 4 years….surely we can do the morally and ethically right thing and support the people.

    You’re a real piece of work Keith,,,,,,,, first you leave out the first part of the statement………then you change Joannes wording to give the appearance she was talking about society doing the right thing instead of the people who live in this district.

    This was low even for you.

    1. When you consider the first part of her statement, it changes the meaning entirely.

      Keith, please, this is a very sensitive issue in this district. People are really hurting and these comments from you are just out of line and insensitive. Please stop now!

  23. Keith,

    That is what I propose. That the school takes the “tack hammer” penalty and pay the “tax” for an employee using the exchange. It is $3000 per employee that actually take the exchange. Only a small percent will qualify and this will not break the bank. However, if they outsource the employees, the employees will not be able to get the exchange because STS is able to categorize them in a way that does not qualify them for healthcare benefits through an employer. According to the school board at the meeting, STS is able to look at the hours over a 12 month period and since it does not work out to more then 30 hours a week they are not obligated to offer healthcare. The school is not able to do that and therefore is obligated to offer (not pay..offer!) healthcare. And yes there is a safety net of medicaid but we are just shifting the burden…its still taxpayers money.

    1. Joanne,
      .
      I would modify your plan. I would offer a healthcare plan to the paras that met the “minimum value” requirement and set the employee contribution just small enough to meet the “affordability” requirement. TE is self insured and uses the Reschini Group as healthcare administrators and advisers. They can create a plan that has a high deductible that would cost the district less than the $3K “tackhammer” penalty. There is no requirement that says the same plan that is offered to the teachers or administrators or TENIG has to be offered to the paras. As you mention above, very few paras would need or take the plan.
      .
      For the PSERS problem I would explore paying paras half in normal salary and half as a “longevity” bonus. Bonuses are exempt from PSERS contributions.

  24. Dear Pattye and Community,

    I have a few questions to pose to the community:

    1) Why is the first budget cut directed at special education?
    2) Once the third party administrator takes over, STS, will parents (who have NOT been formally notified of the change at hand) have to sign a release? Do we want our children’s IEP’s in the hands of a third party administrator?
    3) Is everyone aware that working with STS will NOT guarantee one regular work, either at a regular location or regular student assignment?
    4) Where is the money going after it’s been “saved” for five years?
    5) Are you aware of how little STS pays their contractors? Should I choose to work for STS, I would have to apply for welfare. I live a VERY meager lifestyle.
    6) IS THE OUTSOURCING LEGAL? Is it legal to cut a special education service and replace it with something sub-par? Presently, T/E requires that all aides have a bachelor’s degree. To be honest, most aides have higher than a bachelor’s degree. I have a master’s degree in education. Further, many of my co-workers (i.e. my fellow aides) have a master’s degree in education or hold a valid teaching license.
    STS requires a GED.

    I will stand up for students with disabilities because they can not stand up for themselves. Please stand up for the aides who don’t have a voice. I literally feel sick walking into work everyday. I am driven to the point of fighting back tears on a daily basis. The injustice is disgusting, immoral, and inhumane.

    Cut sports. Cut extracurricular activities. DON”T CUT SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES. Our kids deserve better. I’ve been laid off before, but it’s different this time. It’s different this time because the decision to outsource aides does not just impact my life, it impacts the lives of the neediest children. If you are not sickened by this situation, you aren’t paying attention.

    1. AA TE Aide,

      You are correct. The board demonizes special education even though it is only 15% of the budget while they are silent on the biggest culprit, salaries and benefits.

      If anyone went to a board meeting or watched one on T.V. when Karen Crunkshank was president, she often blamed money woes on the rising costs of special education. (in very angry tones) while she was conveniently silent on 70% of the budget being salaries and benefits. It was ludicrous.

      You are an easy target. It’s shameful.

  25. Further, I am literally disgusted that the parents have not been formally notified that the aides may be outsourced. Many aides are with a student the entire school day. As an aide at T/E, we are not permitted to communicate with parents. It’s not right…How can we spread the word to parents about the outsourcing votes, especially the parents of special education students?

    1. I know that there are many, many letter writing campaigns going on and Maive Duska has started a petition signing campaign. Parents are getting the word out on face book and the district e-mailed the Q and A to parents e-mails last week. It is my understanding that most parents in the elementary schools know as well as the middle school. High school students are more independant so I’m assuming that might be a place to get the word out.

      I confirmed that teachers knew about this for months and were told by administration not to talk about it and they still aren’t talking about it. I think this is disgraceful.

      I heard but have not confirmed that the next two meetings on the topic will be held at CHS. If someone can verify that, I would appreciate it.

      I think your best bet is to do what you are doing. Keep posting on this blog, talk about it with your colleages at school, and find some sympathetic teachers to help. There have got to be a few out there.

      1. This is the schedule for the School Board Meetings:

        Wednesday, May 28 Special School Board Meeting: 5:30 PM TEAO
        Monday, June 10 Finance Committee Meeting: 7 PM, Conestoga HS
        Monday, June 17 Regular School Board Meeting: 7:30 PM, Conestoga HS

      2. Please, pleases sign this petition and forward to anyone you can think of who is like minded. I will present this to the board before the next meeting on the topic. Is there any clarification that the next meeting on the topic will be the June 10 meeting, or will they sneak it into the Special meeting on the 28th of this month?

        The only way to effect change is to speak out and encourage others to do the same!

        http://www.change.org/petitions/the-tredyffrin-easttown-school-board-no-outsourcing-of-para-educators-and-aids-in-t-e-schools?utm_campaign=share_button_mobile&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition

        MD

        1. The special meeting on the 28th is just to approve the graduates from Conestoga. They do this every year. The next meeting where they discuss outsourcing should be June 10-I believe that it’s at 7pm. Then, they will probably make the final vote at the Board meeting on June 17. Both those meetings are going to be held at Conestoga High School not TEAO. They usually post the agendas for the meeting on the district webstie the day before the meeting, although sometimes not until the actual day of the meeting. Thanks for starting the petition!

  26. The school board reporting that we have to either put up 2.3 million to pay for healthcare for all 175 workers or pay the 1.2 million in penalties is simply wrong. The school board is not required to have to PAY for their healthcare to avoid the “sledgehammer penalty”. They simply have to make the school plan available to the workers. They can put the full cost ($12,000?) on the employee! The school board then has to be willing to be subject to the $3000 tax per person of the worker who actually qualifies because your “offer” may not be affordable to them (over 9.5% or persons salary) AND when that person has to actually take the exchange. (they can qualify, not take the exchange and school board does not pay) At the end of the day, knowing most are on spouse’s insurance or have a household income that will not qualify them for the exchange anyway the $3000 penalty will probably be for a very small percent of employees. Please read link for the law and further clarification http://www.schoollaw.com/html/pdf/726.pdf

  27. SG,
    .
    I see your are up to your old tricks of avoiding any substantive discussion of the issue by using the smoke screen of “out of line, insensitive, stop now, that was low and changed wording”.
    .
    Just address the issue – Is it morally and ethically right to compensate a certain segment of employees (either the administrators, TEEA, TENIG or paras) at above market rates with taxes paid by TE residents with money that is designated for education?

    1. I’ve never used those words Keith. Today was the first day.

      Joanne is correct………..if we can afford a pension bonus plan that was jusr approved two months ago for the top administrators for the next 4 years, surely we can do the morally and ethically right thing and support the people on the lower pay scale…………

      Joanne’s words Keith, not mine.

      Is it morally and ethically right for the administrators tomake more than double the national average in wages and grant themselves raises, bonuses and retirement golden parachutes with money designated for education when we’re outsourcing an entire segment of employees who make $13.00 pe hour?

      Just address the issue

  28. Joanne,
    How is having 100% employee paid health insurance considered health insurance being offered by the school district? I don’t understand that statement

  29. Another thing to ponder…Sue Tiede responded to someone’s question the other night about the summer program. An aide brought up a good point today, most of the workers with the summer program are our aides. Sue Tiede said the summer program would not be impacted. If the aides are outsourced and they decide not to work for STS (many of them have already said they won’t) how will the summer program NOT be impacted? There won’t be any employees because the school district will have already terminated them.

    1. take out an ad in the suburban and wayne times. Big. half page, ASAP..

      Just cut workers hrs to under 30 hrs. this all goes away. Right?

      the allocation of money by the school board is obviously a problem. Impacts aides for sure. not sure how to combat that, short of being more involved in financial meetings and throwing these bums out.

      1. im sure with 175 aides someone can take charge and collect 20 bucks per person to pay for the ad…

        1. In addition to an ad, call the patch or the Suburban and have a not so anonymous aide give an interview on the ramifications of outsourcing. I think the patch had a blurb on it today. At least half of aides in elementary schools have already stated they will not come back if this goes through. The wage tax in Media adds insult to injury when thinking about the pay cut they will suffer. It’s not worth it to them and as I have said for months, the lack of respect and decency is so overwhelming, they would rather walk away then be further humiliated.

          Many aides are using their names to get the word out. What do you have to lose?

          Did you see the signs Pennsbury put up to rally against outsourcing? Make signs and post them throughout the district. Put them right next to the school board candidate signs posted throughout the district. One next to “Give me a Brake” would be especially effective and add a little levity to this humorless situation.

    2. I’m talking to all the parents I can. At this point, I don’t really care what they think. What’s the worst they can do? Fire me?

      1. Supportstaff:

        Be careful. The district can be threatening. Band together.
        Get every parent of every child who adores their aide. Ask them if they wish to have someone with simply a GED from an outside source with their child every day.
        Remember our very own school board president is up for reelection so think about that at the polls.
        It’s time the town demands that it is time for change. Time for new administration and time to focus on the best interest of our children.
        Not the best interest of the wallet. If they cared that bonus wouldn’t have happened in the brink of this madness.

  30. Because an individual cannot come close to getting access on their own to a healthcare package at the same cost as a group can get. So being included in a group package with the rates an employer is able to negotiate is a benefit. And if they were compensated enough to afford the package then it all works. Since in this case they probably are not…that is when the govt. has to step in with the exchange but not without the employer paying the $3000 penalty to help offset the govt. cost. Ideally it is not the goal of the ACA for employers to take the hit of the penalty rather then give an affordable healthcare package (where the employer pays a large percentage of the cost) but if this case where it looks like it is a very small percentage that will qualify and take advantage of the exchange it makes sense

  31. Keith,
    I think these comments end up being posted out of order so I missed your solution of offering an affordable healthcare package etc.
    That could be the IDEAL solution. I agree and did think of that. I think we need more information to see if we can get there. Someone has to do the math and we need some real numbers on healthcare plan costs etc. . And the school is obligated to offer this to every one of the employees who in 2013 clocked in more then 30 hours a week. So how many of the 175 does that include? The school should know that if they did due diligence

  32. the school district does not want to pay one dime for healthcare (or penaty) for the aides.. Aint this a great solution to health insurance issues in our country?

    Knock the hrs down. Done.

  33. Give the paras who worked more than30 hrs a week last year two options for employment. Take a slight pay raise with less hours (29 hrs) or keep the same hours, same pay but have the option of a minimum coverage health insurance plan suggested by Keith. You may be surprised where the numbers fall.

  34. a couple of things …

    I want to offer a special thank you to Andy Settler, Executive Editor of Main Line Media for supporting the importance of possible outsourcing. http://mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2013/05/15/main_line_suburban_life/news/doc5193e507b01d8235446529.txt
    Community Matters is included in Brent Glasgow’s article.

    Thanks to Pete Kennedy, TE Patch for his article on the possible outsourcing, http://te.patch.com/articles/tesd-outsourcing-decision-pushed-to-june-17

  35. I also need to clarify — I have been told (from a very reliable source) that the teachers had no advance warning of the possible outsourcing of District aides, paras and subs. It was suggested that they knew a month in advance and were not allowed to talk about it — I have been told that is absolutely not the case, they knew nothing in advance of anyone else. The teachers are in the corner of the aides and the paras 100%!

    1. Pattye, we’ll have to exchange sources because mine is very reliable too. The teachers are not talking about it with parents. I have first hand experience. I know that is true!

      1. I work as a classroom teacher in the elementary school, and we weren’t told by anyone not to talk about it. About a month ago, letters were received by some paras and others at our school related to the potential loss of jobs that caused a lot of talk around the school. That went away until last week when the STS outsourcing plan came to the forefront… It definitely caused panic amongst our aides and paras, and many teachers came out to support them at that meeting because we need them…and we want them to know they are appreciated… You wouldn’t believe the amount of extra work and off the clock work they do. They practically beg to help me with anything because honestly they just care about helping the kids and the school become the best they can be….

        1. Thank-you for posting TE teacher. We need more like you to step up and support these very important people who play major roles in the lives of all our children. Many of these “aides” have more education and world experience than many teachers and administrators. It would be such a tremendous loss and drain on our school system to lose them.

          I know the amount of extra work off the clock they do. They are my friends, and they are my neighbors and I know how much they care about helping the kids.

          Are you talking about it with the parents at your school? Do you think it’s possible that both my post and your post could be true?

        2. Perhaps every board member should sit inside a school and see the behind the work the aides/ para’s do. Copies for each teacher, attendance, to helping teachers, to simply dealing with the needs of kids who need it most. Recess, lunch duties, bus and car pool, hall details. I am sure the list goes on!
          Let’s not forget the person sitting in the line of fire the greeter.

    1. William,

      Go to the upper left side of this blog. See Blog History and click on Month. Go to And click April 2013. Go to April 1st – How Can School Board approve longevity bonuses to retiring administrators equal to as much as 100% of their salary?

      You will see a list of all administrators, their base salary and one time bonus.

      Then click on Jan. 2013 – Go to Jan. 27th – Consent Agenda Item Approval for Aministrator Bonuses and Compensation Plan.

      Good Luck!

  36. Why is this not in the news? Why are parents not made aware that their special needs child will likely receive sub-par service in a matter of months?

    1. Write to the Patch or better yet they hate bad press. So call every news source and get it out there.

  37. The Paras and Aides in all the schools are collectively gathering real data (not theoretical assumptions) to present to the Board.

    We are gathering information who already have health insurance, and if PSERS were to be eliminated due to outsourcing, who would return. Preliminary numbers are tragic, the overwhelming majority already have insurance, and many stating they will not return if outsourced. Many employees (of those surveys we have received) stated they currently work fewer than 30 hours already so health benefits aren’t even relevant and have no idea why the total “175” used in the calculation. Final “real” numbers will be provided to the Board. Someone at the meeting said that legally an employer can’t “ask” so we are being proactive and getting this information. The survey also asks if current employees are willing to reduce their hours below thirty to remain TESD employees, so far everyone has appeared flexible and has agreed to make these allowances. This is definitely a group of committed individuals who want to work together with the Board to make this budget work. If very few need health insurance, as we had suspected, the net differnce may be a few hundred thousand-the amount given to the Admins in bonuses a few weeks ago.

  38. Liba, great news to hear of the organizing of the aides and getting real info.
    My one concern is the board will come back and tell the current group of aides that while they understand most of you if not all would NOT take insurance for the reasons you mentioned, they would say they cannot project that in 5 years there may be a different group of aides or the same group who would opt to take the ins. Be prepared for that.

    My impression is your true leverage in this “negotiation” is to offer to work less than 30 hrs week.. all of you. healthcare wise, there is no reason this should be rejected. They will come back with PSERS. Financial costs have to be compared with outsourcing..

    1. Yes, when we have final numbers I will post the results immediately. We will not get 175 replies since many of the Subs are so infrequently here Abd we can’t find them. We are still waiting on several schools who said they are still gathering the info Our goal is to get replies from over 100 aides/paras (more if possible) which should hold weight as a statistical representation with a high confidence level. Reducing hours below 30 is absolutely the way to go, these people are very accommodating. No doubt about it.

      1. There is a TENIG mtg on Mon. 5/20 at TEMS at 4pm. While you are doing your tally, could you also see how many of you might want to join the TENIG union? We can ask our union reps on Monday to see how we go about that. I heard somewhere that you would need only 5 people willing to sign-but I don’t know if that’s true.

  39. At the SB meeting, I asked Art McDonnell the names of the other 4 vendors besides STS — he could only remember a couple, including Kelly Services. I asked him about the RFP and responded that it was not required. Obviously, as many of learned (including myself) during the course of the evening that STS does not have experience with this type of outsourcing. Your point is well taken John, what exactly was the criteria did the District base the decision to recommend STS? I also asked McDonnell, in lieu of an RFP, was STS the lower bidder and the response was yes and that their 22.5% fee was negotiated.

    I agree with you, that as important as the proposed outsourcing issue is — honesty, integrity and transparency in how the School District is operated needs everyone’s focus.

  40. John, well stated. In keeping with your logic, then the fact that parents haven’t been notified can be construed as a violation of sunshine?

    On another note, apparently the cafeteria worker who spoke on behalf of the aides was issued a letter from waters saying that another action like that will bring “repercussions” to her.
    I am not lawyer, but this sounds like some kind of violation of her right to speak publically. She is also a resident of the township. RICO? Does waters know what he is igniting?? I will await your opinion thanks

    1. It wasn’t because she spoke out at the meeting, It’s because she went to a few other schools(after work) and spoke with lobby aides and gave them a letter to try and get the word out to parents-it worked! You are not allowed to “distribute any communication” in a school building without the Principal’s approval. Oops!

      1. so without union representation there is no way to organize? Screw them.. Organize the best you can wherever you can… boomerang will be on the district.

  41. Liba and John
    I agree reducing hours under 30 is the easiest sell but don’t give up the fight so easily on some of your colleagues who may need the hours or whose jobs just need more then 30 hours a week. Find a breakeven point that works. Have them rewrite the job descriptions going forward. Agree maybe 75% are under 30 hours and 25% are not (or maybe its 10%). See what your survey says. Can the budget handle offering 30 positions with a bare minimum health insurance plan? Don’t forget they get a tax deduction with each person’s plan. We are also competing for talent with Lower Merion and Radnor school districts both from what I understand have all their part timers get full benefits and are put in a healthcare pool. It may be worthwhile to find out the specifics of their plan if someone knows someone.
    And in the end it is about money AND quality of services. The fact that STS standards of hiring is so minimal makes a strong point. STS is a company designed to make a profit not designed to educate and help our children
    John-
    If they knew better then they underestimated the taxpayers intelligence. Not too smart on their part.

  42. John, Great info. thanks! You say those with children with IEP’s should lodge a complaint. Lodge a complaint with who. the district? Is there a form for that? My child’s IEP is not until later in the summer. Can I demand my child have a district aide next year, now? Do you know how I would do that.

    I would appreciate any info you could provide.

    1. I think that you need to inform every parent you know that has an aide and rally them to the meetings.

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