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Hugh Betcha May 13, 2013 at 01:28 pm
By all means Margie, the State has done a wonderful job managing its own funds for quite some time…Read More now. A model for all states on attracting jobs, making it almost painless for small business to thrive, and most of all, its ability to ensure all necessary funds find their way to education. Are you kidding? Look at CalFire, the fire fees, and tell me you REALLY think the State is a solution. Then tell us how many kids you have in school here.
Hugh Betcha May 13, 2013 at 01:22 pm
Margie. I have no "personal stake" other than I live here, pay my taxes (which go to…Read More schools) here, and I give a crap about the condition of our schools inside and out of the classroom. A bond will relieve the yearly pinch of the COB. Not eliminate. I could not agree more about the salaries and benefits. So not sure what you mean? Maybe you don't even know....? And please define "vast majority." The previous bond failed a a few percentage points.
vb May 10, 2013 at 11:22 am
Sandra, to begin with the “draconian” cuts, first referred to by Dr. Graeff at a March…Read More board meeting, not by your teachers, specifically refer to the May and June pay backs of the “cash advances” teachers received this year. Again, my colleagues, many in our community and I see a district leadership that is unwilling to listen and collaborate to come up with creative and effective ways to cut costs, many of which have been presented over the years by our hardworking RTA negotiators. Instead they force unreasonable and unheard of measures on their employees. Second, you are free, and clearly more than willing to say what you believe, but I beg to differ with you. I KNOW that collectively, our kids, our families, and our community still come first. This is a long term issue and many ghosts from the past haunt it. Instead of finger pointing and using a narrow vision to problem solve, we ALL need to be open minded and refocus on what we are here for…the kids. I am thankful that I live in a country where we can agree to disagree, but saddened that it has turned so hateful and ugly. To me, this is the real lesson that we are teaching our children, and again they are the ones suffering. We cannot change our past, but we most certainly can change our future, best said, as always by Dr. Martin Luther King “The time is always right to do what is right.”
vb May 10, 2013 at 10:46 am
Our union has been trying for years to negotiate with a leadership that refuses to compromise &…Read More makes it a practice to walk away from the table. Negotiating is not dictating. You can be assured if teachers could make lateral employment moves without starting at the bottom of a pay scale, too many of our quality teachers, & yes there are a few still left, would be heading down the hill. Ramona is a family community and needs to provide its families a quality education worthy of moving here, and sadly the direction we are currently taking is going to scare families away. Our classified employees have already settled, and have contingency language built into their contract that is tied to a teacher settlement. Clearly, a win-win situation for all parties involved, especially since many of my fellow classified employees work just as hard and go above and beyond like so many of their certificated colleagues. I was taught by my 4th grade teacher that two wrongs don’t make a right and I still believe that. Let me say it again, this is not about the money. Teachers are willing to accept pay cuts and pay for benefits for their families, we do not want to strike, & we want to work with a leadership that we trust is following fair, legal and standard bargaining practices. It seems that a lot of people are angry because of the system, and I personally, disagree with many parts of our broken system, but right now all we can do is work within its parameters until we fight to change it.
Jeanne-Marie Lynch Gobin April 30, 2013 at 07:01 am
My children love going to school here! I love the small class sizes, wonderful teachers and the…Read More opportunity to have an excellent Christian based education right here in Ramona. One of their best additions this year was the home school learning center allowing parents more options for choosing the educational path for their children. I would definitely recommend looking into the school for your child whether he or she goes to preschool, full time elementary or homeschooling.
John Rajcic May 1, 2013 at 09:15 am
NO ONE GOT TO ME ON ANYTHING...A PRESENT VOTE IS APPROPRIATE. Just ask I will tell anyone where I…Read More stand on any issue and why ? Just send me your e-mail...I am off of Patch..takes to much time...same with facebook...
To know others is wisdom to know yourself is enlightenment.. I am agnostic about a lot of things in education but the the value of a teacher and principal , the principal by definition is the" principal "teacher at the school. www. Jrajcic.com
My colleagues on the board are not monsters and they care. I appreciate them more each meeting. I am on a learning curve..We may disagree from time to time.
Their intentions are noble.. Why did the district get into this financial morass? Many district of the 1000 we have in the state are not having problems. ?
Hugh Betcha April 29, 2013 at 07:09 pm
So if he "killed" his he killed mine? Damn. I'll have to see if I can find it and repost.
Stew Padaso April 29, 2013 at 05:12 pm
John Rajcic is deleting most of his comments, mostly because they just did'nt make sense. I'm sure…Read More Robert Graeff got to him and made him delete them. OBAY John Rajcic.. Sorry "Col. John Rajcic"
sandra j May 5, 2013 at 07:00 pm
jerry,
you may feel it was without due process, but surely it was with due warning. anyone who…Read More worked for the better part of a year without a contract should have taken into consideration that whatever money they were being paid was essentially a cash advance. many of us have taken even greater drops in our salary. it's not easy or pleasant, but we've handled it. i understand it's probably harder for those who believed they were immune.
jerry L May 5, 2013 at 05:59 pm
As I read the above comments, I notice that one item is missing.... the fact that all of the…Read More classfied and now the certificated employees have taken major hits to their monthly salary. For me, it is a loss of around 3K per month! My wages have been garnished without due process, which is insane! In all my years of education, I have never seen it this bad.
Whether you are for the teachers or not, is a mute point.. tell me, each one of you, not matter what the politics, if you could handle a drop in a monthly salary as we have been handed. The staff in RUSD are my friends, whether it be classifed, certificated, etc. Bottom line... how can others, dictate our financial solvency, and why do they have the power to do this?
Remember. school board members......... as a collective unit, we have followed your kids through graduation and prepared themselves for the next step. I know I did. I wonder if you can look in the mirror when you let the axe fall, and forget all the good, professionals have been there day in and day out.. I wonder what the fallout will be and if the members even care.......
Dave Patterson April 24, 2013 at 04:11 pm
There is no solution until the debt is paid off. The school board wants the teachers to offer up…Read More their salaries and benefits to pay for bad decision making by a previous board. This is wrong, and they need to change course. I hope they know what they are doing pushing the teachers against the wall. If the teachers accept the cuts, and they fail to pass a bond again, the state will take control anyway. That's my take on this mess.
JoEllen Shea April 23, 2013 at 10:11 pm
You state your point very well. I am not certain if the Ramona teachers received a COLA over so many…Read More years. I would guess no. For those who don't understand the break down, it's this simple. Imagine you are about to retire. The decrease in salary over the three year projection, will cost those who dedicated their lives to teaching, will lost all of that money toward their retirement, with no way to make it up.
There were some comments above in regard to sucking it up, teachers have for years with furlough days, loss of any COLA as well as pay decreases. How much are we worth?
While I am not a teacher in Ramona, I am watching this scenario very closely. It is any person's entitlement to cross the picket line, granted; but are you really comfortable with someone stepping in to replace the academic and social bond that has been created over time? Is your child/children going to receive the academic instruction that has been ongoing? This is just a question, but one needs to reflect on the big picture. I know, teachers have it great. Time off, but please don't forget the time on, is more than full time. The weekends, the extra weekly hours, not whining, just informing that the job for many teachers is a yearly full-time job.
It is time to get informed and look at all arenas of your budget, then make an educated decision.
bobfromramona April 21, 2013 at 03:58 pm
Again Sandra, I will concede to you - I was unaware that the step-matrix will still be in operation.…Read More That is a big difference (except to the most experienced teachers).
bobfromramona April 21, 2013 at 04:44 am
Two words for that Sandra... "Honest Disclosure" (and poor speller).
Jewels April 18, 2013 at 08:46 pm
The Patch should come out and print actual figures. District has $X in revenue each year, and this…Read More much goes to overhead, this much goes to teachers salaries, this much goes to benefits and pensions, etc. Then say how much RUSD wants to cut in each area (and if those are across the board). Then lets hear how the RTA would propose to meet the budget. Hey if they are the ones taking the hit, I am all for them having a say in how we get to break even on the budget! The Board should be too!!
Henry Salo April 13, 2013 at 12:16 pm
In the town I live in, a student who was in track and field, was running on the track course when he…Read More suddenly drop dead on the field. The cause was a heart attack. His parents said he just had a physical and his doctor said he was OK. During an autopsy they found something else. A hidden heart defect. His own doctor didn't know it he had it. His blood pressure was normal and everything look normal. Accidents and some things do happen. My condolence to the Dorman family.
Jeff April 13, 2013 at 09:42 am
They do produce a soft version on the typical sized softball, mostly for indoor play during the cold…Read More season! That being said, even the soft softball could cause serious injuries, even death when impacting someone with a heart condition. Very sad situation here. I would recommend families with children participating in sports to understand and know what Marfan's Syndrome is, please look it up!
Jim May 9, 2013 at 10:24 pm
Ramona Townie - It sounds like your experience is more at the high school level and I can not…Read More comment, nor would I doubt your observations. I do know that Ramona is blessed with some great teachers at the High School level, but I don't have any recent exposure there. I have more first hand knowledge at the elementary schools and I can tell you that the large majority of these teachers are first class and are not in it for the money. I work in private industry, which is tough these days, but I do have the ability to look for work somewhere else if I don't like my company. These teachers ( and I am standing up for the great ones ) could also do that, but should understand that when a teacher changes school districts, it is not the same as private industry. Years of experience are not considered at a new district and a teacher starts at the entry level pay scale. I have over 25 years in my career and it would be very painful for me to start over at an entry level salary.
ramona_townie May 9, 2013 at 04:53 am
Jim, I personally have volunteered countless hours in my kids' schools. I can tell you first hand I…Read More see a lot of complacent, lazy employees who would never be able to hold a job outside a school district. Sure, I see there are a small percentage of teachers who do go the extra mile, like in ANY industry. But there are sooooo many that hide behind their tenure and the knowledge that they will never be fired as well. I sat last year and watched teachers hoard school and office supplies in individual classrooms so that the general population could not access these items in the supply closets. They hoard books and computer equipment and technology equipment and the fight over these items amongst themselves, forcing administrators to make stupid childish rules and send email policies out about "sharing" and making these items accessible to all faculty. Aren't these the same people who get on our kids for this same behavior. They haven't exactly acted professionally through this whole process either.....I swear every time I turned around my child at the high school or one of their friends were talking about yet another teacher who was blabbing about the negotions, a pending strike, what the district is doing, what Mr. Graef's salary is. How pathetic. And now they want the community to rally behind them? I think not. Their behavior has been shameful and they have pointed the finger at everyone else and taken no accountability for this situation. Shame on them!
ramona_townie May 9, 2013 at 04:43 am
RAK, where I understand your feelings expressed in your posting......you need to understand…Read More something. The families that you serve have all been affected by pay cuts, job loss, layoffs, unemployment, benefit cut backs, etc. We don't have the luxury of striking or objecting when OUR employers decide to eliminate our positions or when they decide not give us pay increases year after year. We simply are told to show up to a meeting where they announce re-structuring or downsizing and we are forced to make changes. Sometimes that means we go take jobs that we never thought we would see ourselves doing. That even though we have multiple degrees in accounting or engineering or maybe we have taken years of schooling and ongoing education in the medical field...not to mention our years of experience! But somehow, we find ourselves sitting in temp agencies because we can't seem to get a phone call back, or even an interview. Sometimes we are so desperate we are applying at retail stores, grocery stores or whatever and wherever we can just to make sure we don't loose our house.Then there are those (and there are many) who have lost their houses.You can see them all around that same district you teach in and still have a job in.You see, this is why your community isn't as sympathetic as maybe you feel we should be. No one was sympathetic to us when our families were suffering. No one allowed us to strike or argue or post-pone the pay cuts or benefit cut backs. THINK ABOUT THAT!
Elaine Crary May 6, 2013 at 04:04 pm
The students, staff and families want to thank the community for so much support. We hope you…Read More enjoyed your day with us.
Nunya Bizniss May 6, 2013 at 03:22 am
I'm not a kid, I just think everyone should mind their own business unless you personally know the…Read More details of what happened. Worry about your own kids instead of wasting your time & energy bashing on people you don't know. I'm not the one on here screaming in caps at strangers. Are you on drugs, Mistiff760? McGee never stepped foot onto school grounds. He just got tricked & they went to his house & found nothing. Its known that people get harassed when they're on probation already.
Ramona Mom May 3, 2013 at 09:34 pm
Hey Kathy-- I don't use my real name for several reasons. Anyway, I dont mind you knowing who I am.…Read More Just please be careful not to run into people with your shopping cart anymore.
RamonaMom May 2, 2013 at 02:41 pm
The problem is Andrew that like you siad so many parents want to keep their head in the sand and…Read More don't want to believe their little angels could be smoking pot, or drinking. Can't tell you how many times I have seen kids on Instagram or Twitter showing off their underage drinking, or smoking. These kids have no consequences, and continue to do it.
Jane Tanaka MD May 2, 2013 at 10:14 pm
Also I spoke to the registrar/former attendence person at Abraxas. And they have their own truancy…Read More officer , and they also have the kids and parents sign a special contract, that is stricter than the rest of PUSD... and if they violate the contract they are out. Their graduation rate is also very high.
Jane Tanaka MD May 1, 2013 at 05:07 pm
Even though we have a 95% attendance rate at RUSD, it would still be worthwhile to reduce that from…Read More the financial standpoint. Per Mr Stoody:
"Use this (and the approximate $29.00 per student) for round number figuring only - but this is pretty close to a simplified outcome of 1.5 million. In reality, as with everything from the state, the formula is more complex than it should be. As Tambo mentioned in his Sentinel article last week there are reporting periods that do not count - such as the end of the year period. So a (Fall) push for attendance would assist more than one would now.
Annually even a 1% increase would assist over time.
If I calculate (in round numbers); 6K total student’s x 180 days = 1,080,000.
5% would be 54,000 days x $29.00 = $1,566,000.00 that we lose annually."
"Also realize that for counting attendance (not truancy) it doesn’t matter if it is an excused absence or not, the State does not give credit for the attendance that day. Sounds bad that you take your child out a day for a legitimate family outing, or dentist appointment but the school does not get the money for the student, yet that is how it is (except for the student homework contracts I mentioned earlier). Feel free to share this information as guidelines not facts."
Jane Tanaka MD April 30, 2013 at 07:06 pm
Bob Stoody, President of the RUSD Board clarified: "It is true that approximately 1 out of 5 of…Read More our students last year were absent for one or more days of school for a reason other than illness. A student is "unexcused" when the parent forgets to call the school, when the student goes on a family trip or to Disneyland, to a friend's birthday party, or for any reason other than illness. A "truancy" is not necessarily when a student intentionally ditches class.
You are on track, as I think it would be good to try to reduce the approximate 5% we are losing. Simple things like the parents acquiring a homework contract, prior to a student’s departure (if they will be gone for more than a few consecutive school days) would help us not to lose those dollars (even if it is for a vacation), or making doctor appointments on non-school days (or even in the afternoon – after attendance has been taken on school days)."
Jewels April 11, 2013 at 08:13 pm
Let be me be clear. I like positive new stories. I like to read about how our schools are doing…Read More well. My daughter attended OPMS, and that is the school i like best in RUSD. So my comment was never meant to bash them. I am thrilled they are continuing to do a good job. My only comment is this is not breaking news, and as such it shouldnt be coming into my inbox so I have to click on it to find out what major thing in Ramona is going on. I am done commenting on this, as I think it takes away from the article and accoldaes to the school.
Anthony Haskins April 26, 2013 at 09:19 am
Just would like to say, as one of many thousands of
highly qualified out of work teachers in CA,…Read More and a potential "scab", I am fully credentialed, have 9 years full time classroom teacher experience and a Masters degree. I hope that gives you some confidence in a mere sub's ability to educate.
Jewels March 21, 2013 at 06:58 pm
why isn't anyone concerned with the raises given the RUSD administration? I read on another article…Read More on Patch where a woman has posted the question the RUSD facebook page and they keep deleting it. Why on earth would we give raises out with this kind of fiscal problem and why doesn't everyon know about it? Why doesnt Patch do an article on that!!
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