Dear Mr. Erickson, You didn't respond to my specific question about the attorney added to the school system a couple of years ago, filling a five year vacancy, at a part time rate of $70,000.
As a parent, I had to go through 7 levels of administration just one year ago to try and get a poster up at my daughter's school for an event for neighborhood kids designed to keep them off the streets on non-school days. The posters were ultimately rejected with a condescending tone, as though I were a silly unknowing child, because "we don't approve of that specific type of activity." Would the Minneapolis school system rather have 14 year old girls hanging around in the alley behind my house like they used to... the same alley where my husband and I see scary looking guys handing off bags of something to other scary looking guys? Whatever happened to the days when the principal of a school knew enough to approve an activity? I put forth again... I dealt with 7 SEVEN levels of beaurocracy before one of them had the courtesy to call and give me a response. What a sad commentary on your respect for parents... who, by the way, pay your salaries. This is just one example of the thick beaurocracy I referred to in my original email. It's a system that has created its own life support by creating requirements that only 7 levels of administrators can satisfy. All areas of our government are over-loaded with highly paid (government-funded) administrators. What we really need is good old fashioned workers and a lot less paperwork (created by the beaurocracy to make itself necessary). I'd rather pay 3 teachers any day than 1 administrator... or two teachers than one part time lawyer. Thanks for taking the time to respond... it's more than I got last year after weeks of calling for a simple request. Wendy Introwitz Pareene South Minneapolis -----Original Message----- From: Joseph A. Erickson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2003 12:14 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Mpls] Mpls school cuts... follow the money Ms. Introwitz Pareene: We are all frustrated at the number of teachers being cut this year, but you're following the wrong tack here. It's the revenue, not the spending, that's the problem. This year's budget cuts are the third consecutive year of cuts for MPS, a three year tally of nearly $100 million dollars. The administrative fat (if there was any) was cut long ago. Our current administrative overhead (as calculated by the Deloitte Touche accounting firm in their most recent audit of the district) is a mere 4% of our total operating budget. This is miniscule by any standard and would be unthinkable in any private business (10% is more average). On the contrary, I am more concerned that we may have cut our administrative corps too much, so much that we may encounter difficulty in our oversight of the numerous and complex programs (federal, state and local revenues, grants, records, transportation, etc.) for which we are responsible. So while I agree with your concern for the hundreds of teachers being cut, we can not (unfortunately) simply cut administrative positions to make up the difference. I wish it were that easy. -- Joseph A. Erickson School Board Director Minneapolis Public Schools Southeast Minneapolis resident > In this morning's Strib, an editorial counts the number of teachers that > have been/will be cut... numbering in the hundreds... then counts the > support staff cuts. Are administrator cuts included in the support staff > category? Does anyone know how many administrators, and assistant > administrators, and assistant to the assistant administrators have been laid > off? > > Also... just before Mayor Belton lost the election, I read that her husband > had been hired by Carol Johnson as a part time attorney for the Mpls school > system. I recall he was to be paid $70,000 for his part time work... > filling a position that had been vacant for 5 years (all from memory... my > stats might be off). > > Is he still in that position? Isn't that two teacher positions right there? > > While I strongly support my tax money going to TEACH our children, and my > tax money going to FEED and HOUSE the poor and infirm, it is horrific that > enormous beaurocracies are created to "service" these programs. Then when > cuts come, the beaurocracy protects itself first, and the "clients" lastly. > > Wendy Introwitz Pareene > South Minneapolis TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
