Open-Door Policy

Mr. Klaene's post about the "open door policy" echoes one of the main concerns of the general public. The concern is that our school system has a heavy handed administration. The same has been expressed by many teachers when speaking with those that they trust.

I respect Dr. Holliday's opinion, only when combined with the uncensored input of teachers, parents and students. However, in my opinion, the teacher's input is the most valuable tool of all. Our current educational system seems to be focused on numbers founded by statistics and reports. Some of these reports are possibly falsified to support the results that the administration needs to condone its actions. There are numerous individuals currently looking through material in an effort to prove or disprove the allegations and concerns that have surfaced about ISS operations. I don't understand the referral to a high priced attorney (in Raleigh) to obtain documentation unless that documentation would provide information to support allegations of misconduct.

I understand that being constantly questioned about one's credibility is tiring. However, that is part of the job description of a public official. I'm sure it's not easy being School Superintendant, but that is why it pays $170,000 a year plus other benefits. Being open and forthcoming with answers would speed up the process and go a long way in easing the minds of those with concerns. Referring questions to an attorney only feeds the suspicion that things are not as they should be. It also adds an increased financial burden to current budget deficit.

I encourage all those with information to please come forward and I would hope that the ISS administration would assist in resolving the issues that concern the citizens of Iredell County.

This post was written by Larry Coover.

Dr. Holliday's Profile

Do you need a good laugh? Yesterday, I was looking at the profile of Dr. Holliday that is posted on the I-SS web site and I came across something very interesting. Of course it had the usual information such as Dr. Holliday's educational background and a list of all the dubious awards that he has received. Then, the profile ends with the following sentence.

Dr. Holliday believes in 'open-door' leadership, involving all public school stakeholders- parents, teachers, students, and the community- in creating the best possible schools for the children of Iredell County.

Now, as many of you know, my own experience of Dr. Holliday's 'open-door' leadership is that of Dr. Holliday directing me to leave the I-SS Central Office and not to have any contact with the School administration. It seems like the only time that Dr. Holliday wants to have contact with public school stakeholders (parents, teachers, students, and the community) is when they totally agree with him.

Second Letter from Mr. Ramee

I mentioned in a previous post that the letter I sent to Mr. Neal Ramee had crossed in the mail with the letter that Mr. Ramee had sent to me. Mr. Ramee is the I-SS attorney in Raleigh that Dr. Holliday has directed me to contact in place of any I-SS administrator. Earlier this week I received a letter from Mr. Ramee in response to my letter to him. He started off by reiterating the things he mentioned in his previous letter and then went on to respond to my additional requests.

One of my requests was for I-SS to provide documentation that would show that the administration was following School policy that states that a designated electronics officer was ensuring that the computer databases were being indexed as required by law. Mr. Ramee responded by saying that I-SS does not have to prove or disprove an assertion and unless I am able to ask for a specific document I-SS is not under any obligation to respond.

I had also asked to see all requisitions for supplies and services from Jim Shipley & Associates (JSA). After seeing some of the invoices from JSA I figured that there must have been requisitions corresponding to those invoices. Mr. Ramee told me that no such 'requisitions' exist. I have since learned that I-SS does not use a form called a 'Requisition Form' but rather use an 'Authorization Order Form.' Thus I did not ask for the correct forms. I will now have to ask to see those 'Authorization' forms.

Another request I had was to see invoices from Mr. William McMillan and his law firm. Mr. Ramee told me that he would have to talk to Mr. McMillan and to I-SS officials before responding to my request.

I had also asked Mr. Ramee to have I-SS inform me how they determined that the charge for copies of public records would be 25 cents a page. He responded that the I-SS had determined that 25 cents per page is a reasonable charge that reflects the actual costs to the school system of providing such copies. The Iredell public library charges 10 cents a page for copies. I don't see how I-SS can justify 25 cents a page but I guess I just have to accept it.

In a previous post I mentioned that Dr. Holliday had directed me to leave the Central Office when I went there to pick up copies of public records. I asked Mr. Ramee to direct I-SS officials that if someone is at a school building for a legal and rightful purpose, that that person cannot be told to leave the building. Mr. Ramee responded that I could rest assured that I will be granted such access so long as I have an appointment for a specific time, date and place confirmed in advance through him.

I am now going to ask for an appointment to view the records I have requested as well as ask to see additional records.

Meeting Report

Tuesday night's meeting was great. As with the first meeting, there was a limited turnout. It has been brought to our attention that people are not aware of the group. However, there were mostly new faces with new information and new energy. It has become obvious that there are many people who are not only unhappy with issues in ISS, but who are also willing to use their time and resources to bring change for the benefit of our children and teachers.

The cumulative amount of documented information of issues that have become available as a result of concerned citizen input has been amazing.

Public support of our teachers has been identified as one of the top concerns of citizens. The teachers are the ones who spend time with our children. They know best what our children need. They have been educated as teachers and know how to do their job. Unfortunately they are being bogged down with testing, assessments and data gathering. And it appears that, regardless of Holliday’s “open door policy” their opinion is not wanted unless it supports the administrations agenda. The teachers are afraid to speak out and we are in the process of finding the best way to eliminate that problem. We want to hear from our teachers.

ISS officials continue to work numbers to support their own agenda. They are supported as well by outside factors for reasons unbeknownst to me.

Last night a fellow gave the dates and particulars about a poll that ran in the Record and Landmark. The information they were gathering was public opinion towards the Baldrige program. The results from these polls usually appear in the Record and Landmark, however the results from this particular poll never did. He gave a call to the Record and Landmark and was given the results over the telephone. If I remember correctly, there were less than 50 people in support of Baldrige and over 700 against.

In my opinion, the R&L no longer reports the news, but rather supports their position through one-sided commentaries. This information given by the gentleman last night about the poll supports my opinion and also my opinion that the R&L places Holliday on a pedestal.

Another concern that has been repeatedly expressed by citizens is that the ISS Board of Education seems to give Holliday whatever he wants in recent years. It has been brought up that next year will give us the opportunity to replace some of the people on the board. Also, a new law comes into effect December 1, 2009. SECTION 1. G.S. 14-230 makes it a misdemeanor for a school board member to willfully omit, neglect or refuse to discharge any of the duties of his office. Violation will result in indictment and removal from office. This will make it tough for many of our representatives on the school board since they consistently ignore school board policy.

The end of a dictatorship in our school system appears to be in sight. There is still much dedication and hard work that must be done. Parents who have tried to address issues within the school system know that being stone-walled is a commonplace school system tactic. The efforts of a concerned citizens group certainly will not be met with open arms either.

The date of the next meeting will be posted on the ISS Report as soon as we determine the location. The date is tentatively set for Tuesday July 7, from 7 pm. To 9 pm.

This post was written by Larry Coover.

Nepotism, Yes or No?

Recently, Former Governor Easley, his wife, Former NC State University Chancellor James Oblingner, and others have been criticized in regard to evidence showing that then Governor Easley and Former Chancellor Oblingner arranged for the creation of a new position at NC State and saw to it that Mrs. Easley was hired for that position. Once word of the collaboration was made public, Mrs. Easley was fired and Chancellor Oblingner resigned.

We have our own version of 'Easleygate' right here in Iredell County. Perhaps we should call it ‘Holligate.’ I am referring to the actions of Dr. Holliday, I-SS Superintendent, and the School Board. With the Board’s cooperation, not only has Dr. Holliday arranged for I-SS to hire his wife, he has recently promoted her to a Central Office Administrative position as K-5 Instructional Facilitator Coordinator. I have questioned this in the past and I question it again. Is this not a violation of the I-SS nepotism policy, which states the following?

In making recommendations for the selection of personnel, the superintendent will give every consideration to conditions which could result in the employment of two members of an immediate family where one member would occupy a position which has influence over the other's employment, promotion, salary or other related management and personnel considerations. No administrative or supervisory personnel will directly supervise a member of his or her immediate family.

In Dr. Holliday’s contract, under Duties, it states that he is the chief executive officer of the Board and is responsible for all student affairs, instructional and curriculum affairs, employment affairs, fiscal affairs, and business affairs. To me, and others, this means that Dr, Holliday has direct supervision over all I-SS employees including his wife. I have also stated that Mrs. Holliday did not meet the qualifications for this administrative position since the job description for the position states that a Master’s Degree is required and Mrs. Holliday does not have a Master’s Degree.

The members of the School Board do not agree with me and even had the local school attorney, Mr. William McMillan ‘investigate’ the matter. In his report to the board, Mr. McMillan stated that Dr. Holliday does not supervise his wife since there are at least two administrative links between him and his wife. Mr. McMillan went on to say that while Mrs. Holliday’s job description does state a preference for a Master’s Degree, it is not listed as an essential prerequisite for the position. You can read Mr. McMillan’s entire statement at the web link below.

Attorney McMillian's Memorandum

At the last Board meeting Dr. Holliday stated that he has directed all Central Office staff to forward any requests from me, for public information, to Mr. Neal Ramee, I-SS attorney in Raleigh. That certainly sounds like direct supervision of all Central Office staff to me. And remember, Mrs. Holliday is now part of that Central Office Staff. Also, several months ago, Dale Ellis, I-SS Assistant Superintendent, sent me a copy of Mrs. Holliday’s job description and that job description clearly states that a Master’s Degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education is required. It says nothing about being preferred. Again, the Board and Dr. Holliday continue to ignore I-SS policy.

School Board Accountability

AN ACT MAKING IT UNLAWFUL FOR A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TO WILLFULLY FAIL TO DISCHARGE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE.
SECTION 1. G.S. 14‑230 reads as rewritten:
"§ 14‑230. Willfully failing to discharge duties.
If any clerk of any court of record, sheriff, magistrate, school board member, county commissioner, county surveyor, coroner, treasurer, or official of any of the State institutions, or of any county, city or town, shall willfully omit, neglect or refuse to discharge any of the duties of his office, for default whereof it is not elsewhere provided that he shall be indicted, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. If it shall be proved that such officer, after his qualification, willfully and corruptly omitted, neglected or refused to discharge any of the duties of his office, or willfully and corruptly violated his oath of office according to the true intent and meaning thereof, such officer shall be guilty of misbehavior in office, and shall be punished by removal therefrom under the sentence of the court as a part of the punishment for the offense."
SECTION 2. This act becomes effective December 1, 2009.
Approved 4:36 p.m. this 15th day of June, 2009

2009 NC Child and Family Lobby Day

Join Us to Lobby for North Carolina's Children and Families!

Who: Sponsored by the Covenant with North Carolina's Children, Action for Children NC, Council for Children's Rights, Children and Family Services Association-NC, NC Association of Educators, National Association of Social Workers-NC, and Prevent Child Abuse NC.

What: Join us for a day of action at the General Assembly! As NC legislators consider devastating budget cuts, we must speak out for children and families. In addition to direct advocacy, we'll be holding a press conference at 1 pm to make our case to the press and the public.

When: Wednesday, 6/24, 11 am - 3 p.m.

Where: NC General Assembly (Specific meeting location inside the building is forthcoming)

Why: North Carolina's children are the foundation of our future prosperity. When we invest in our children, they will pay us back through a lifetime of productivity and responsible citizenship. Our future will be determined by how well we prepare our next generation for the tremendous responsibilities of adulthood.

Unfortunately, the current budget shortfall threatens investments in the health, education, and safety of our children. It's time to come together to make sure that short-sighted solutions don't jeopardize our future prosperity.

Info: For more information, contact Rob Thompson - info@nccovenant.org

I was sent a link to the this information and wanted to share it with everyone.

Thursday Meeting

We had a good meeting Thursday evening with everyone sharing his or her ideas. Of course one of the topics of discussion was the adaptation of the Baldrige method within the school system. Some of the other topics discussed were the lack of administrative support for the teachers, the quality of education received by the students, school expenditures, central office administration, school policies being disregarded by the School Board and the administration, and the apparent administrative disregard of the concerns of parents and grandparents.

Unfortunately only about a dozen people attended the meeting in addition to the four who organized the meeting. Therefore, one of the immediate goals that we talked about was to increase the membership of the group. Of course, if we don't have a strong group we will not be able to get much accomplished. Hopefully, if you were not able to be at this meeting you will be able to attend Tuesday's meeting. The other initial goals that we developed are to support the teachers, to continue to investigate I-SS finances, to continue to examine school policies, and to consider initiating proposals for new I-SS as allowed for under current school policy.

Again, everyone is encouraged to attend Tuesday's meeting at 7:45 p.m. in Meeting Room A at the Iredell County Library.

Brenda Clark, Consultant or Employee or Both?

In a previous post I mentioned that I-SS had hired Brenda Clark as a consultant, through Jim Shipley and Associates, and that she was later hired as an I-SS administrator. It turns out that Brenda Clark was already employed as an I-SS administrator when they hired her as a consultant. According to the invoice from Jim Shipley and Associates, Brenda Clark was hired, at the rate of $1,000.00 a day, for a two-day JSA training session that occurred on August 14 and 15, 2007. However according to the I-SS organizational chart, that was updated on July 18, 2007, Brenda Clark is listed as I-SS Chief Quality Officer. So, while already paying her a very generous salary as an I-SS administrator, I-SS turns around and pays her a thousand dollars a day as a consultant. Who in his right mind would approve of this? Oh, that’s right, Dr. Holliday approved it.

Citizen's School Advisory Committee

Meeting Reminder and Update

Primary Meeting:

Thursday, June 18th Meeting

7:00 p.m - 8:45 p.m.

Iredell County Library

Meeting Room B

Please tell your family and friends.

I have also reserved Meeting Room A from 7:45 p.m. - 8:45 p.m. in case of a large turnout. Meeting Rooms A and B can be used together to make one large room. Unfortunately Room A was not available at 7:00 p.m., but please be there at 7:00 p.m. Hopefully, everyone will be able to get into Room B, but it would be nice to have an overflow crowd.

Secondary Meeting:

Tuesday, June 23rd Meeting

7:45 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.

Iredell County Library

Meeting Room A

This meeting is primarily for those who cannot attend the Thursday meeting. It might also be used for additional discussions and for people to turn in forms that will be passed out on Thursday.

Letters To and From Mr. Ramee

As I mentioned in a previous post, I-SS administration has told me that if in the future, I would like additional information or have further questions, I am to contact Mr. Neal Ramee of Tharrington Smith, LLP, Attorneys at Law, whose office is in Raleigh. I mailed a letter to Neal Ramee yesterday morning. In my letter I outlined some of my previous requests for I-SS records, and I included a couple of new requests. As it turns out, I received a letter from Mr. Ramee yesterday afternoon. Obviously, someone at I-SS had contacted Mr. Ramee to ask about some of my requests for public records. In his letter to me, Mr. Ramee stated that the invoices from Shipley & Associates to I-SS between January 2002 and September 2007 have been compiled and are ready for me to inspect. I am to contact him to make an appointment to review them. In my letter to Mr. Ramee I stated that I had asked to see the invoices and the corresponding requisitions. So, I am going to wait until he gets my letter before I ask for an appointment. Mr. Ramee also stated that the school system is working diligently to compile the remaining consulting contracts that I had ask to inspect. Lastly, Mr. Ramee advised me that a comprehensive database index is in development. Apparently he told the school system they had to comply with my requests to see school records. This could have been much simpler for all, and cheaper for the school system, if they had just followed the public record laws and I-SS policy to begin with.

School Administration: There and Here

Source: Each System's Organizational Chart

Buncombe County Schools

Superintendent

Personnel Administrator

Assistant Superintendent

Associate Superintendent

Finance Officer

+17 Other Directors, Coordinators, etc.

Equals 22 Total Central Office Administrators

for about 25,700 students.

Davidson County Schools

Superintendent

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Administration

Chief Finance Officer

Executive Director of Auxiliary Services

+20 Other Directors, Coordinators, etc.

Equals 25 Total Central Office Administrators

for about 20,600 students.

Iredell-Statesville Schools

Superintendent

Deputy Superintendent Of Operations

Associate Superintendent Of Learning

Assistant Superintendent - EC

Assistant Superintendent Career & Tech. Ed./Innovation

Assistant Superintendent Secondary Ed. (6-12)/Student Services

Assistant Superintendent Human Resources

Assistant Superintendent Student Services

Chief Academic Officer

Chief Finance Officer

Chief Quality Officer

Chief Accountability & Technology Officer

Executive Director Leadership Academy

Executive Director Secondary Education/21st Century Reform

Executive Director Elementary Education

Executive Director of Facilities and Planning

+19 Other Directors, Coordinators, etc.

Equals 35 Total Central Office Administrators

for about 21,200 students.

Comparisons:

I-SS has 59% more Central Office administrators then Buncombe County Schools while having 21% fewer students.

I-SS has 40% more Central Office administrators then Davidson County Schools while having only 3% more students.

Dr. Holliday has continually said that I-SS has a lower administrative cost than that of comparably sized schools. It seems like he is being very 'creative' with his statistics.

Strength in Numbers

There are many things wrong in the public school system. Not only in ISS, not only in NC, but all across the U.S. Change has to have a starting point. Our starting point is ISS where our children attend. There are many issues; spending, state and federal standards, discipline, nutrition, transportation, pay scales, student safety, special need children, the list is long.

We all have our pet concerns. Those concerns are based on our individual experiences with the school system. Those things that affect us the most directly are more clearly seen as a problem to each of us. No one problem is actually bigger than another. They are all related, they all affect our children. They all need to be addressed.

The school system is a government entity and as with all government, it has gotten out of the control of the people that it represents.Holiday’s decision to ban people from the Central Office because they politely requested public information was the final evidence we needed to measure the value of our opinions and concern.

Now is the time for ALL concerned students, parents and school personnel to work together to list their concerns. In doing so, we will find the strength and support of people who have had the same problems that we have had as individuals. We will also learn of problems and concerns that others have had that we were not aware of. There needs to be no fighting between those who are trying to right the wrongs, we all want change or we wouldn’t spend time discussing and posting our viewpoints.

I invite everyone to bring their problems to the table so organization of reform can begin. I believe that with diligence and the common bond of concern for our children, that we can bring positive change to ISS and possibly encourage others across the state and nation to do the same.

This post was written by Larry Coover.

Meeting Announcement

There will be a public meeting in the Iredell County Library in meeting room B; Thursday, June 18th from 7:00 to 8:45. The purpose of this meeting is to form an organized group to address issues in the Iredell County School system.

This meeting is being organized by citizens, NOT the school system.

Most of us have tried to talk to school personnel about concerns we have for our children's treatment and education setting. Most of us have experienced a negative response and little or no change. Individually we can't make a difference.

An organized group composed of people with similar complaints and concerns CAN BE HEARD.

This group is open to parents, grandparents, and teachers. ANYONE with an interest in the treatment and education of our children is welcome. The system is currently controlled by a handful of people who use intimidation and stall tactics to maintain their position.

It is time for that control to be taken away and returned to us who entrust the future of our children to the school system that is funded by taxes that we pay.

We want to hear any problems that you have had and the concerns that you have tried to address. We have discussed a format and a way of combining everyone's experiences into a combined force that will necessitate change. There is no shortage of people who are overwhelmingly frustrated with the school system and some of its employees. This is your chance to make a difference.

Please pass this around as much as possible since the first meeting date is only a week away!

This post was written by Larry Coover.

Comments

I apologize to those who made comments that did not get immediately posted. I had changed one of the settings on the blog format and it was keeping the comments from being posted. That was not my intent. I do welcome all comments. All of the blocked comments are now posted and any new comments should be immediately posted.

I-SS Citizen's Advisory Committee

Update: Thursday, June 11th

If you have been reading the comments posted on the Record & Landmark web site in relation to the article 'Schools prepare for budget crunch' you know that several individuals are interested in starting a group to address a number of issues regarding the Iredell-Statesville Schools. (The article can still be found on the paper's web site. One way to access the article is to Go to Local at the top, then Statesville and look for the article under June 9. Another way is to use the search feature.) I have now reserved Meeting Room B at the Iredell County Library on Thursday, June 18th, from 7:00 p.m. until 8:45 p.m. They are still checking the availability for Tuesday, June 23rd. Both rooms are already booked on Tuesday but they may be able to move one of the groups downstairs. My thinking is that some people might not be able to attend on one of the two days. Also, we might have a lot to discuss. If you are interested please let me know by leaving a comment or sending me an e-mail (pklaene@gmail.com). Also let me know if you would be willing to help organize the group. Perhaps we could set up some kind of silent partnership for the teachers who would like to support the group, but are afraid of retaliation from the I-SS administration. If you willing to attend a meeting, help organize the group, or if you have any ideas to share, please let me know. I am willing to help organize the group but I don't want my concerns and issues to determine the direction of the group. If this is going to work then it has to be a collaborative effort. We have to work together to help improve the school system so that all students are given a chance to excel.

Banished From the Central Office

I spoke during the public comment section of this evening's Board Meeting. I am inserting the text of what I said.

My name is Paul Klaene. Thank you for allowing me to speak this evening.

Last Thursday, I had an appointment to view certain school records. I was instructed to mark any pages I wanted copied and that those copies would be available to pick up today. I did mark a number of pages to be copied. Today, when I went to the Central Office to pick up the copies, I was told that there would be a cost of $18.00. I tried to explain to Dawn Creason that there should be no charge since I-SS policy states that when a person first requests copies of school records, he will be told the cost for copies. When I first asked for copies of school records in January, Mr. Ellis told me that there would be no charge for copies. As I was trying to explain this to Ms. Creason, Dr. Holliday walked up to me and very gruffly told to leave the building. When I calmly tried to explain myself, he again directed me to leave the building. He did allow me to pay for my copies before leaving. Attached to the copies there was a note stating that if, in the future, I would like additional information or have further questions, I am to contact the school attorney, Mr. Neal Ramee whose office is in Raleigh.

One of the records I wanted to see last Thursday was the I-SS computer database indexes. I was told that the indexes were not available. As you know, NC state law and I-SS Policy requires that all computer database indexes should be made available to individuals requesting public records. I first requested public records in January of this year, and I specifically asked for a copy of the database indexes two months ago but I have not yet received them. As I stated last month, I am asking the Board to direct the school administration to expedite my request for these indexes as well as my other requests for public records to which the administration has not yet responded.

Last Friday, I sent an e-mail to Mrs. Wike asking for an appointment to examine additional school records on Thursday of this week. I have not heard back from Mrs. Wike. Will I be allowed to view those records at that time?

NC state law and school policy give me a right to examine school records. No school employee should be allowed to impede that right.

Let me also add that my grandson was with me today when I went to pick up those copies. When we got back to the car my grandson asked: who was that mean man? My grandson is a first grader at Third Creek elementary and that is now his impression of the Superintendent.

During Dr. Holliday's time to comment at the end of the meeting he stated that he had directed all of his staff not to have any contact with me and that he had told me to direct my requests through the attorney, Mr. Ramee, so that they could make sure that they comply with the Freedom of Information Act. Dr. Holliday also stated that my request for information had cost I-SS $5,000.00 in staff time and attorney's fees.

If the administration had just complied with my requests for public records as required under the Freedom of Information act and NC state law they could have saved a lot of money. I-SS has been retaining the services of Mr. McMillan here in Statesville and now they are going to hire an attorney in Raleigh. Dr. Holliday is the one causing the system to spend all of this money, not me.

I-SS Administration: Then and Now

Then:

Iredell-Statesville Schools

Source: 2003-04 Back to School Information

ADMINISTRATION

Superintendent: Dr. Terry Holliday
Deputy Superintendent for Operations: Dr. Steve Lane (
Assistant Superintendent for Personnel: Lucy Martin
Finance Officer: Terry Haas

Projected 2003-04 enrollment: 19,131

Now:

Iredell-Statesville Schools

Source: Organizational Chart 6/11/08

ADMINISTRATION

Position, Name, (Annual Pay)

Superintendent: Dr. Terry Holliday ($210,000.00)

Deputy Superintendent Of Operations: Brady Johnson ($129,900.00)

Associate Superintendent Of Learning: Brenda Clark ($129,900.00)

Assistant Superintendent - EC Suzanne Huggins ($121,245.00)

Assistant Director—EC Director of 504: Michele Jordan ($78,007.00)

Assistant Superintendent Career & Tech. Ed./Innovation: Dr. Steve Hill ($113,000.00)

Assistant Superintendent Secondary Ed. (6-12)/Student Services: Ron Hargrave ($118,000.00)

Assistant Superintendent Human Resources: Dale Ellis ($110,970.00)

Assistant Superintendent Student Services: Ron Hargrave ($118,000.00)

Chief Academic Officer: Melanie Taylor ($120,000.00)

Chief Finance Officer: Melisa Wike (≈$121,000.00)

Assistant Finance Officer: John Kachmarik ($81,625.00)

Chief Quality Officer: Mathew Fail ($76,939.00)

Chief Accountability & Technology Officer: Pam Schiffman ($121,758.00)

Executive Director Leadership Academy: Marty Moore ($105,000.00)

Executive Director Secondary Education/21st Century Reform: Melissa Bartlett ($91,447.00)

Executive Director Elementary Education: Jed Stus ($92,000.00)

Executive Director of Facilities and Planning: Dr. Kenny Miller (?)

Director Prime Time: Renee Edwards($85,488.00)

Director of Federal Programs: Dian Morgan ($66,788.00)

Director of Fine Arts: Dr. Coite Sherrill (?)

Director Recruitment: Dreisa Sherrill (?)

Director Child Nutrition: Trish Campbel ($65,719.00)

Director Athletics: David Rothwell (?)

Director Construction: Rob Jackson ($81,017.00)

Director of Student Services: Kelly Marcy ($76,035.00)

Elementary Instructional Facilitator Coordinator: Denise Holliday ($61,650.00)

Secondary Instructional Facilitator Coordinator: Amanda Sauer (≈$66,000.00)

Director Public Information: Dawn Creason ($71,925.00)

Professional Development Coordinator: Colleen Allred (?)

AIG Coordinator: Debra Harwell-Braun ($70,656.00)

Partnership Coordinator: Susie Wiberg ($50,732.00)

Classified Personnel Coordinator: Linda Gillon ($41,100.00)

Transportation Supervisor: Terry Campbell ($55,859.00)

Principals’ Coach: Chip Weddington (?)

2008-09 Enrollment: A bout 21,200

Big changes thanks to Dr. Holliday and his Baldrige initiative, and all at the expense of the taxpayers. Thanks to Renee Dulin for showing me where I could find the 2003-04 information. The pay amounts were the best I could ascertain from a couple of sources. Please contact me if you know of any incorrect values.

Viewing Documents

The I-SS administration is up to its same old tricks. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Janey Munday and I had made an appointment with Mrs. Wike, I-SS Financial Officer, to view a number of the School’s financial documents. Janey and I went to the Central Office yesterday (Thursday) to see the documents. The first item we saw was a note that was presumably from Mrs. Wike. The note was to inform us that not all of the requested documents would be available for viewing. The 2007-08 audit report and the invoices from Jim Shipley and Associates were provided. However, only some of the consulting contracts were made available. In the note it was relayed that the staff pulled all the contracts they could during the time they had to work on this task.

The database indexes that I have been requesting were unavailable. We were informed in the note that the index is currently incomplete and that after consulting with 25 other school districts and municipalities the Central Office could find no other entity that has the index completed and available. In addition it was stated that the district is currently working with legal council and NC Dept. of Cultural Resources, Archives and Records division to complete the work necessary to fulfill the legal requirements of the database index. I asked for a copy of the database indexes two months ago. State law and I-SS policy both state that the indexes are to be available to anyone requesting public records. Why is the administration just now starting to work on getting this information together?

In viewing the audit report I could find nothing out of the ordinary. Of course, I am not a CPA. I was hoping to find some indication as to how much I-SS spends on central office administrative costs but it seemed like that information was comingled with all the other budgetary data. I did request that they provide copies of some of the pages so I could look over the information again. The consulting contracts that were available were mostly architectural contracts. The few other contracts seemed relatively minor.

The most interesting information was what Janey found contained in the invoices from Jim Shipley and Associates (JSA). JSA is a big supplier of Baldrige information, supplies, and services. In the last two years I-SS has spent some $20,000.00 with JSA. Some of it was for supplies, but I-SS also arranged for JSA to have Brenda Clark provide consulting services for 2 days at $1000.00 per day and to have Marty Moore provide consulting service for several days at $1800.00 per day. I-SS also paid for their travel expenses. Since that time Brenda Clark and Marty Moore have been hired as I-SS Central Office administrators. Dr. Holliday does like to hire his Baldrige cronies even if he has to create a new administrative position to do so.

Janey and I plan to go back to the Central Office next Thursday to view the documents that were not available yesterday as well as some additional invoices from JSA. I wonder what excuses the administration will have at that time.

This post was written by Paul Klaene.

Iredell County Representatives

NC General Assembly

Iredell County Representatives

Rep. Julia C. Howard Email: Julia.Howard@ncleg.net

Rep. Darrell G. McCormick Email: Darrell.McCormick@ncleg.net

Rep. Grey Mills Email: Grey.Mills@ncleg.net

Rep. Mitchell S. Setzer Email: Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net

Senator Austin M. Allran Email: Austin.Allran@ncleg.net

Senator James Forrester Email: James.Forrester@ncleg.net

Senator Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr. Email: Fletcher.Hartsell@ncleg.net

Would it be possible for the Governor and General Assembly to consider alternative cuts in education which do not directly affect the daily instruction of the children ofNorth Carolina? There have been many administrative positions created by NCDPI and local school systems whose impact is negligible considering the current education crisis. If we are reversing the strides made in education regarding class size, teacher assistants and other personnel who provide instruction or interventions in classrooms, then let us also do the same with costly administrative positions.

This post was written by Renee Dulin.

Committee of the Whole Meeting

I attended the I-SS Committee of the Whole meeting last night. As you might suspect much of the time was spent talking about the budget for next year. The Statesville Record and Landmark has much of the information in today's print edition and posted on-line. There was a lot of bad news but I did get the impression that the Board and Dr. Holliday were sincere in their desire to retain all employees and especially teachers. The biggest concern seemed to be with respect to the teacher assistants. The state is considering no longer funding teacher assistants for the third grade. Of course this would mean that it would be difficult to retain all of the teacher assistants. It would also impact the running of the school buses since many of the teacher assistants are also bus drivers. They did say I-SS might be able to hire some of the fired teacher assistants as part-time bus drivers. I am sure that is not much consolation for those teacher assistants. There was also talk about changing assistant principals from 12 month contracts to 11 or 11.5 month contracts but no one suggested reducing the number of Central Office administrators. In my opinion, and in the opinion of others, I-SS has too many administrators and that I-SS could save some money by eliminating a few of them. Dr. Holliday did mention that if they did away with the Instructional Facilitators, those individuals would go back into the classroom and then I-SS would probably have to fire some non-tenured teachers since the Facilitators are tenured and have seniority. I think I-SS could keep those teachers if they did eliminate a few of those Central Office administrators. Dr. Holliday also stated that the Instructional Facilitator model is funded through Title I, Title II, and IDEA funds. Considering that the current implementation of the Instructional Facilitators is to enforce the Baldrige plan, is that really the proper use of those funds? Speaking of the Baldrige plan, another issue mentioned last night was that the fact that teachers were going to be asked to do more work for less pay. Wouldn't this be a great time to tell teachers that if they wanted to continue doing all the Baldrige paperwork in their classes they could do so, but that it would also be quite acceptable to use a different teaching method in their classrooms.

This post was written by Paul Klaene.