EAA MEMBER ALERT!

Dear EAA Members,

It is with sadness that I put this information on our site.  It seems that in a time when cuts are occurring that impact our students, Dr. Sherman and our Human Resources are writing contracts that give some staff members deferred compensation.  The FOIA request and the submitted information, as well as my speech on Saturday are below.  I have sent this information to our school board chair.  She stands behind Dr. Sherman and these contracts.  EAA is extremely disappointed that in a time of cuts to positions, these highly paid Central Office staff did not forgo these bonuses.  Please post your comments to our blog site and will forward them to our school board members.

Thank you.

Gina Miller, President
Education Association of Alexandria

REMARKS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY TO ALEXANDRIA SCHOOL BOARD
Saturday, February 5, 2012

Good morning Chairman Gorsuch, school board members and members of the community.

I am Gina Miller, the President of the Education Association of Alexandria and I am here today to discuss the proposed cuts to the budget.  I do not envy anyone the job of creating a budget in these tough financial times, but I believe that the proposed cuts represent poor financial choices that will directly impact students.  If we value the concept that all students deserve the opportunity to achieve, this is the wrong path for ACPS to go.

Let us start with the cutting of curriculum facilitators.  Since this cut was proposed, I have received several emails and calls wondering how the many jobs that they do will get done.  This job is not glamorous and yet vital to teachers.  I ask you, who is going to run the  grants tied to physical education, AP continuing education, assignment of librarians, providing resources to foreign language teachers, just to name a few?  My real concern is that our leadership also has no idea how many moving pieces for which the curriculum facilitators are responsible.  As it stands now, all those emails will remain unanswered.  It just does not make sense.

The next area of cuts that really make no sense are the cuts to the number of Technology Integration Specialists, or TIS’s.  Let me start by saying that we already do not have a dedicated TIS assigned to every building – that cut was made two years ago.  TIS’s scramble and run around from building to building trying to meet whatever testing and integration needs present themselves.  We have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on technology items, such as Smartboards, iPads, iTouches and iPods.  Now the staff skilled enough to train teachers on how to use these tools is being reduced further.  That does not even begin to discuss the issue of on-line testing that is now occurring quarterly, and Virginia moving to a completely on-line SOL testing system.  Again, this cut directly impacts our students.

EAA also has significant concerns with the cuts to intersession, occupational and physical therapy staff and adult education.  We have expressed these concerns several times to Dr. Sherman.  It seems that we have money for International Baccalaureate and Success for All, but not enough money for a full STEP for the people who work with children every day.  It is clear where and who is setting the priorities.  The people who work directly with children are making all of the sacrifices, and no one else.

One place in the budget that has seen no cuts, but rather a growing budget, is Central Office.  The salaries, benefits, and bonuses of which Mrs. Gorsuch has been made aware are staggering, considering this staff does not work with children.  Why, in a time where we “can’t afford” to pay people who work with children, is this school division growing its Central Office?  These six figure salaries come at the expense of ACPS staff and children.  I implore you to look again at this budget and to come up with a better plan.

Thank you.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (FOIA) REQUEST

Dr. Henson,

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act, and more specifically, Virginia Code section 2.2-3705.8 provides for public access to records of the position, job classification, salary or rate of pay, and records of allowances or reimbursements for expenses paid to any officer, official or employee of a public body whose annual rate of pay is greater than $10,000. 

This letter serves as my Freedom of Information Act request for the recipient and amount of any bonus, deferred compensation or payment in lieu of insurance paid to Alexandria School employee in Calendar Year 2011, or the 2011-2012 School year.  Please respond with the position, job classification, date of hire or length of service in the Alexandria Schools, salary or rate of pay, and allowance or reimbursements, bonus or deferred compensation paid to the following Alexandria School employees: Dr. Morton Sherman, Dr. Gwen Carol Holmes, Dr. Madye Henson, Margaret Byess, Stephen Wilkins, Dr. Margee Walsh, Dr. Elizabeth Hoover, Dr. John Brown, Kevin North, Dr. Jane Quinnville, and Tammy Ignacio and any other Alexandria School employee or official who was paid bonus,  deferred compensation or payment in lieu of insurance.  I understand that you are not required to provide me with the annual salary or earnings of school employees who earn $10,000 or less.

 

As provided by Virginia Code section 2.2-3704, I will accept access to records containing the requested information rather than requiring the creation of a separate document or the abstraction or summarization of information.   However the excision of exempt fields of information from a database or the conversion of data from one available format to another is not deemed the creation, preparation or compilation of a new public record.  I can accept delivery of the requested records electronically or access information on a website. 

 I am prepared to pay reasonable charges for copying, search and computer time expended in responding to this request.  Please advise me in advance if such costs will exceed two hundred dollars ($200) or if payment must be made in advance.

 

I look forward to receiving your response to this request within five (5) working days as provided by Virginia Code section 2.2-3704.

 

 Please make sure this information comes in hard copy on ACPS letterhead to the following address: 2857 Duke Street Alexandria, VA 22314-4512 or to Lisa Staib AND myself at the email addresses above.

Thank you,

Gina Miller
EAA President

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (FOIA) RESPONSE

Ms. Miller

This email is in response to the FOIA requests you made on January 24, 2012.  Attached is the information you requested regarding the listed ACPS employees.

  

Madye Henson

 Attachment:

Last Name	First Name	Assignment Title	Date of Hire	Daily Wage Rate	Contract  Days	Tax Sheltered Annuity	Health Insurance
Brown	John	Executive Director	16-Nov-09	$573.46	240	No	No
Byess	Margaret	Deputy Superintendent	1-Nov-06	$696.26	240	$20,000.00	Yes
Henson	Madye	Deputy Superintendent	18-Jul-11	$687.50	240	$20,000.00	Yes
Holmes	GwenCarol	Chief Academic Officer	16-May-11	$666.67	240	$10,000.00	Yes
Hoover	Elizabeth	Executive Director	21-Aug-95	$562.22	240	No	No
Ignacio	Tammy	Chief Administrative Officer	21-Aug-91	$562.22	240	No	Yes
Maxey	Suzanne	High School Principal	1-Jul-10	$625.00	240	$10,000.00	No
North	Kevin	Chief Human Resources Officer	29-Aug-11	$666.67	240	$26,000.00	No
Quenneville	Jane	Director	22-Sep-08	$495.05	240	No	Yes
*Sherman	Morton	Superintendent	15-Aug-08	$1,041.67	240	$40,000.00	Yes
Sina	Jean	Chief Financial Officer	1-Oct-09	$573.46	240	No	Yes
Walsh	Margaret	Executive Director	1-Apr-93	$584.93	240	No	Yes
Wilkins	Stephen	Compensation Strategist/Internal Lead Partner	13-Jul-09	$559.81	240	No	No
*In addition, the Superintendent receives $650 monthly transportation allowance, $984 monthly VRS service buyback, and medical and dental premium contributions.
						30-Jan-12