Accountability Has Left The Building!

The March 10, 2007 BOE meeting, in my opinion, was a brand new low point for our district. The remaining shreds of ECASD Administration appear to be completely without direction or supervision and the BOE itself is floundering after a year of fits and starts. It was downright painful to watch the struggle and recognize that Eau Claire is still in such a deep hole that we are still looking at YEARS before we can hope for relief. The first few months of Dr. Leary's initiatives showed much progress but, in the end don't seem to have resulted in much of anything. The new BOE appeared to have the promise of new levels of accountability and skills but, due to lack of leadership and failure to use even the most basic framework of Board Governance, many of their efforts have been unfocused and left unfinished. We are facing ANOTHER huge transition of leadership with the new Superintendent (and Deputy Superintendent) searches as well as Spring School Board elections and new Board leadership. However the increasing budget deficits and additional staff reductions, the continuing lack of a Strategic Plan, future boundary changes, discussion of Facilities and Technology, and a need to engage the community in meaningful ways seem unbelievably overwhelming.

But back to the BOE meeting.....

Mary Kneer was absent. Pres. O'Brien opened the meeting with communications about :

a conference at the Montessori Charter School on April 21 and 22 that was attended by Comm. Wogahn last year. Spring elections on April 1st. Spring break next week. on March 24th before the regular BOE meeting there will be Public Hearing starting at 6:00 p.m. about the SAGE program. MUCH, MUCH more about SAGE is in this posting and I hope that MANY, MANY people attend the Public Hearing. The Memorial HS Jazz Ensemble 1 has been invited to compete at the Essentially Ellington competition in NYC in May. The Memorial HS hockey team won the state competition.

Superintendent Report was the the ECASD employees were the 3rd highest contributors to the United Way campaign in spite of no matching from the employer. Dr. Leary looked at how much time the BOE members dedicate to their board service and came up with 5 weeks of time. This is remarkable and indicates the level of "acuity" our district has for issues that were left in shambles after former leaders left. Unsaid, but definitely true is that some BOE members have given, probably 8 weeks of their life in service to the district and others are at about 1.5 weeks. The workload for committee participation, school visits, attendance at meetings etc... varies widely depending on which BOE member you are talking about.

There were no Public Comments.

BOE members voted unanimously to accept something about non-renewal of contracts for a group of employees (sorry to be unsure but I don't do shorthand well!) with Comm. Faanes abstaining. It is my understanding that his wife is a teacher and therefore he, rightly, does not vote.

Then there was a proposal about the SAGE contract by Kris Dimock and Dr. Butler backing her up. I have reprinted below the information that was sent to me by Kris Dimock from the presentation. My thoughts on the report are that this is another example of missed deadlines, administrative scrambling, solutions crafted behind closed doors, and a proposal that lacks any common sense either financially or in regards to the the mission of the ECASD or the intent of the SAGE program. Background is that ECASD currently has 8 schools that receive SAGE funding (see below the purpose of SAGE) and that over the years the SAGE schools and classrooms have been "not in compliance" as regards the number of students per classroom. Apparently the DPI sent a letter in November of 2007 to all districts informing them that if schools were not in compliance they would have to apply for a "waiver" by February 1, 2008 to explain their plan for complying. NOTE DATES. Also, there is a requirement for a Public Hearing if waivers are sought. So, apparently, without informing the BOE (or the Supt.??) Dr. Butler moved forward to create a plan that would ELIMINATE SAGE funding from 4 of the 8 schools. Principals of the 4 schools were not even notified of this massive change until Thursday, March 6th and BOE members did not find out about it until they got their packets for Monday's meeting. There was no involvement with teachers, principals, parents or the community about a proposal that basically gives up nearly a million dollars and keeps class sizes to 15 in grades K-3 in schools that have a high percentage of at risk children. For this huge "giveaway" the ECASD saves half a million bucks but then has big class sizes for approx. 900 students who otherwise would be in classes of 15.

Here is the information provided to me by ECASD Administration:

SAGE Waiver
BOE Report
March 10, 2008


Purpose of Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE):

• Reducing class sizes to no more than 15:1 in grades K-3.
• Extending learning opportunities and increasing collaboration between schools and their communities by extending school hours.
• Implementing a rigorous curriculum focused on academic achievement, and
• Improving staff development

“The intent of the law is for a regular classroom teacher to have not more than 15 pupils to which to provide instruction in core subjects (reading, language arts, mathematics, science or other subjects that are considered the responsibility of the classroom teacher), no more than 15 papers to grade or projects to evaluate, no more than 15 grades or progress reports to prepare, and no more than 15 families with which to communicate. A school that does not get enough SAGE aid to pay for all the new teachers that might be needed is expected to reallocate existing resources or provide local matching funds to ensure that the class size requirement can be met. Federal ESEA funds under Title IIA and Title VA can be used for class size reduction to supplement SAGE aid where necessary. Districts with schools that do not meet the class size requirement must apply for and be granted a waiver under the authority in s. 118.38 of the state statutes.”

SAGE Guidelines (attached)
DPI Website

History of SAGE in Eau Claire Area School District:

1996-97 SAGE offered to school districts with poverty level of >50%.
1998-99 Longfellow entered into SAGE contract.
2000-01 SAGE offered to any school with poverty level >0%.
All other ECASD elementary, with the exception of Little Red, entered into SAGE contract.
2006-07 Manz, Robbins, Meadowview, and Putnam ended SAGE contracts due to low percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunches.


Currently, the following schools are SAGE schools:

School	Free and Reduced
Longfellow	73%
Lakeshore	52%
Flynn	49%
Locust Lane	49%
Roosevelt	41%
Sherman	39%
Davey	33%
Northwoods	33%

SAGE funding:

• Generated by students receiving free and reduced lunches in grades K-3

1996-97 $2000 per student
2007-08 Increased to $2250 per student

• Funding allocated for additional staff to reduce class size to 15:1 ratio
• Programming beyond school hours, curriculum, and staff development are supplemented using Title I, Title II, and district dollars due insufficient SAGE funding.

SAGE Waiver Process:

Staffing costs have increased tremendously since 1996. SAGE aid has increased by 12% only in the past year. Schools struggle to maintain the 15:1 class size ratio. Eight schools house 100 K-3 SAGE classrooms. Current class sizes indicate:

27% of classrooms are compliant with class sizes of 13-16.
73% of classrooms are non-compliant with class sizes of 17-25.

Some classrooms provide additional staff to reduce class size for reading and mathematics only.

No SAGE school meets compliance as originally intended by the law. The DPI has enforced the SAGE waiver process and ECASD is required to submit a waiver for schools that are non-compliant.

Attached: SAGE Waiver Guidelines and FAQ

6:30 pm, March 24th__ Public hearing
7:00 pm, March 24th—BOE agenda item for approval

Meeting SAGE Compliance:

Data gathered shows increasing challenges to support schools in meeting SAGE compliance. The lower the poverty level, the more Title II and district dollars it takes to meet SAGE compliance. The higher the poverty level, the fewer district dollars required to meet compliance.

When compared to school districts of similar size and poverty level, Eau Claire has the highest percentage of elementary schools that are SAGE.

School District	% of Elementary Schools that are SAGE
Waukesha	12%
Janesville	16%
Sheboygan	25%
Oshkosh	31%
Appleton	44%
Eau Claire	66%

Action plan:

The Eau Claire Area School district will use available resources to target SAGE schools of highest need by:

1. Submitting a waiver and working towards class size compliance of 14-16 for:

Longfellow Elementary
Lakeshore Elementary
Flynn Elementary
Locust Lane Elementary

2. Discontinuing SAGE contracts for the following schools resulting in class sizes of 17-25 for grades K-3:

Sherman Elementary
Sam Davey Elementary
Roosevelt Elementary
Northwoods Elementary

Waiver Document:

The actual waiver document will be submitted for approval at the March 24th BOE meeting after the public hearing.

SAGE Funding

$2250 per student receiving free and reduced lunches

Grade Level Scenario

Assume:

• 50% free and reduced in school
• 45 students at Grade 1
o NonSAGE class size (22, 23)
o SAGE class size (15, 15, 15)
• 23 students receive free and reduced
• $51,750 in SAGE funding
• $64,700 is cost of new teacher

• $12,950 to be paid from Title II or district funding.

SAGE Compliance Scenario
2007-08

School	Free and Reduced	Allocation	Additional FTE to Meet Compliance	Proj. cost
Longfellow	73%	$ 324,000	0.50	$ 32,350
Lakeshore	52%	$ 310,500	1.50	$ 97,050
Locust Lane	49%	$ 193,500	0.50	$ 32,350
Flynn	49%	$ 184,500	0.00	$ -
	Total	$ 1,012,500	2.50	$ 161,750
Roosevelt	41%	$ 157,500	1.50	$ 97,050
Sherman	39%	$ 279,000	1.50	$ 97,050
Northwoods	33%	$ 193,500	2.50	$ 161,750
Davey	33%	$ 204,750	3.00	$ 200,100
	Total	$ 834,750	8.50	$ 555,950
	Grand Totals	$ 1,847,250	11.00	$ 717,700

Back to my comments... and my stab at a "breakeven analysis" that considers varying %'s of SAGE students in classrooms and the net cost per pupil after the SAGE funding at different levels of SAGE students.


SAGE Breakeven Analysis

Classroon Assumptions:
SAGE funding is $2,250 per student receiving Free and Reduced Lunches
45 students in the class
if no Sage: 2 classrooms of 22 and 23 students
with SAGE: 3 classrooms of 15 students each

$64,700 is the cost of a new teacher

Non Sage classes

2 classrooms with 2 teachers at cost of $129,400

ECASD net cost per pupil is $2,875 for classrooms that are 50%
larger than SAGE classes

Sage Class	80%	70%	60%	50%	40%	30%	20%
# SAGE Students	36	32	27	23	18	14	9
Teacher Cost	$194,100	$194,100	$194,100	$194,100	$194,100	$194,100	$194,100
Sage $	$81,000	$72,000	$60,750	$51,750	$40,500	$31,500	$20,250
Net ECASD $	$113,100	$122,100	$133,350	$142,350	$153,600	$162,600	$173,850
Cost Per Pupil	$2,513	$2,713	$2,963	$3,163	$3,413	$3,613	$3,863

If we recognize that there is "value" in small class sizes then should we consider paying up to 50% more (as much as $4,312) per student to properly "value" the extra services each student is receiving?

According to other articles posted on the blog, SAGE funding to create smaller class sizes to improve student achievement WORKS. If the ECASD priorities do not have STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT at the top of the list, then what else are we about?

If we try to save a couple hundred bucks per year on students in the first 4 years of their school life, how many more resources are required in the remaining 9 years of their time in the district to supplement or do remedial teaching to catch them up to grade level?