A special meeting of the Governing Board of the Lucas County Educational Service Center is scheduled for June 21, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. in the Collingwood Center, 2275 Collingwood Boulevard, Toledo, Ohio 43620 for the purpose of evaluating the Superintendent (a 40+year LCESC employee) and the Treasurer.
posted by RolandHansen at 01:16 P.M. EST on Tue Jun 19, 2007 #
Many educators in the county feel that the LCESC is not needed and is, in fact, a waste of tax dollars.
posted by Man_with_the_muck_rake at 03:42 P.M. EST on Tue Jun 19, 2007 #
To: Man_with_the_muck_rake
How many is many?
How many out of how many?
What are the reasons that these "many" give for their perspective?
Have these "many" conducted a needs assessment?
Have these "many" conducted a cost-benefit analysis?
Who do these "many" propose provide the services in place of the ESC?
posted by RolandHansen at 08:28 P.M. EST on Tue Jun 19, 2007 #
It seems that you are stuck with my choice of 'many.' Too bad to get stuck like that. Dwell on the concept not the adjective.
posted by Man_with_the_muck_rake at 11:18 A.M. EST on Wed Jun 20, 2007 #
To: Man_with_the_muck_rake:
Okay, I can live with that response and I have heard the same type of thing that you are saying.
However, I have also heard the opposite from many people, and by many I mean literally hundreds, who have opined that the ESC provides invaluable services in a cost-efficient manner that could not be otherwise provided by the local school districts themselves, at least not without much added expense.
For example, the ESC can hire one LD tutor and one gifted teacher and one speech therapist that may be shared by two, three, or more school districts rather than each hiring separate staff members in each district. Another example is the LCESC Alternate Learning and Career Center that serves at-risk students from several school districts. The LCESC operates the ALC at much lower. Cost savings are the result with the home districts sharing administrative costs, staff costs, supplies, utilities, and such rather than each district having to shoulder the overall burden individually in a less cost-efficient manner.
posted by RolandHansen at 04:08 P.M. EST on Wed Jun 20, 2007 #
It is my view that there is little need for tax payers of this county to fund a county school body when each separate district has most of the same services as those offered by the LCSB.
For example, in my opinion there is no need for a highly-paid 'superintendent' when each school district in the county pays for their own. The bureaucracy is duplicated as is the waste of money.
Those 'multi-millions' which you cite at the outset of this thread ought to be put to better use directly into the local schools.
posted by Man_with_the_muck_rake at 07:38 A.M. EST on Thu Jun 21, 2007 #
Although that's a good point, Mucky, it still fails in the respect that the regulated areas are different. Public schools are not private schools. Secular schools are not parochial schools. Charter schools are not failing schools.
We can't turn over regulation of the charter schools to the failing school system, since the "failers" are openly hostile to competition (which is why we have charter schools in the first place).
The problem is in the concept of a highly-paid superintendent. The concept resides within the much larger concept of ELITISM -- where one man is judged to be so much more valuable than another. The average corporate CEO is given hundreds of times the compensation than the average worker in his company. It's impossible for him to actually do 100s of times the work, yet the elitism meme persists.
Destroy the elitism that is running so rampant over all of our culture, and then you'll begin to see the improvements you desire.
posted by GuestZero at 08:45 A.M. EST on Thu Jun 21, 2007 #
One of my biggest concerns when I was a member of the board that remains a concern today is the way in which school superintendents salaries are determined. There is no pay range for school superintendents as there is with most other public service jobs.
Unless there have been any changes or codifications of which I am unaware, the standard operating procedure has been that school boards take a look at whatever salaries are being paid to other superintendents in other districts, then pay their own superintendent a bit more thinking the superintendent may leave for the better pay elsewhere otherwise. Consequently, more often than not, the salaries of superintendents continue to climb dramatically every year. I am in favor and have always been an advocate of pay ranges for school superintendents based on size and type of school district. County-wide elected officials in Ohio are under such a system.
By the way, unless I am mistaken, I believe Lucas County Educational Service Center Superintendent Sandra Frisch is currently paid a salary of $130,000.00 per year. She also receives a pension for having retired from LCESC a few years ago but she never actually left employment of the ESC.
Oh, in addition to the superintendent, at least three of the highest ranking administrators who receive a fairly good salary are also collecting pensions.
posted by RolandHansen at 01:59 P.M. EST on Thu Jun 21, 2007 #
Muck-rake-person, you stated the opinion that there is no need for a highly-paid 'superintendent' when each school district in the county pays for their own. The bureaucracy is duplicated as is the waste of money.
Why not go the other way and eliminate the multiple school systems in the county and instead just have one County-wide school system? Would that not result in even greater cost-efficiency, less bureaucracy, and savings of tax dollars?
posted by RolandHansen at 02:09 P.M. EST on Thu Jun 21, 2007 #
Back in March, I posted the following:
Oh, by the way people, there is an important job opening at the LCESC. I have copied and pasted its announcement below:
POSITION TITLE: Executive Director, Student Services/School Improvement/Administrative Services
EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Full-Time; Exempt
LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION/QUALIFICATION:
• Educational Specialist, Assistant Superintendent or Superintendent license; Master’s degree
• Minimum of five years of administrative experience in the areas of special education and school improvement.
SALARY:
Based on salary schedule and/or commensurate with experience and education.
DESCRIPTION:
The Executive Director provides administrative support to the Superintendent in the task of providing leadership in developing, achieving, and maintaining quality educational programs and services throughout the Lucas County ESC service area, with a specific focus on student services and school improvement services.
An employment application is available at www.lucas.k12.oh.us or by calling the Lucas County Educational Service Center Human Resources Department at 419.246.3079. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 15, 2007.
June 15 has come and gone, but there has been no decision announced yet about this position.
There are a number of other positions open at the ESC. To learn about the job openings, look here.
posted by RolandHansen at 08:10 A.M. EST on Mon Jun 25, 2007 #
Still no word on the Executive Director, Student Services position. I cannot fathom the reason for the lack of inforfmation and/or movement on this position.
It has been filled on an interim basis for well over a year.
As an aside, I did hear an unverified rumor that the position is being filled by an "inside" person.
posted by RolandHansen at 09:22 P.M. EST on Fri Jul 06, 2007 #
Here is the website of a candidate for the Lucas County Educational Service Center Governing Board.
I place it here because historically the candidates for this elected position very rarely receive any attention from the traditional mass media.
posted by RolandHansen at 03:36 P.M. EST on Sun Jul 08, 2007 #
I heard that the LCESC Superintendent is doing a total makeover of the Superintendent's Office.
I wonder how much that costs.
posted by RolandHansen at 07:05 P.M. EST on Mon Jul 09, 2007 #
At the most recent LCESC Governing Board meeting, the Superintendent Sandra Frisch and the Treasurer Richard Cox were both given 3% salary increases. Then, they were awarded ten additional vacation days. Meanwhile, several account funds are running deficits and several funds have been declining dramatically over the past two years.
There is some scuttlebuck going around that the Shuer Center, the Challenger Learning Center, the Waterville Building, and the Lucas the Learning Worm Day Care Center may be closing. It's been difficult to ascertain the validity of the rumors. Questions regarding specifics about these issues go unanswsered or have been met with nonanswers.
posted by RolandHansen at 08:37 A.M. EST on Mon Jul 23, 2007 #
I took a trip down to the Lucas County Board of Elections today to look at the candidate petitions book.
As of noon today, only two persons have taken out petitions for the LCESC Governing Board.
One is Michael W. Spahr of 6214 Steeplechase Pkwy, Whitehouse Ohio 43571. That person took the petitions out on July 23, 2007.
The other name has a notation in parenthesis next to it that reads "Took out for others" but it does not say who the 'others' are. The person pulling the petitions is listed as William M. Krotsky of 615 Miami Manor, Maumee, Ohio 43537. Those petitions were taken out on May 21, 2007. I wonder if those petitions might possibly be for Angela Wallington Zimmann who had announced her candidacy earlier this year and has a campaign website.
Incidentally, no one has yet filed petitions to appear on the ballot for the LCESC Governing Board. There are two seats up for election this year.
posted by RolandHansen at 01:48 P.M. EST on Tue Jul 24, 2007 #
Apparently, according to a person with whom I spoke yesterday, Mr. Krotsky (known as Will) is the Democratic Party Ward Chairman in Maumee.
posted by RolandHansen at 05:45 P.M. EST on Thu Jul 26, 2007 #
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