March 29, 2010

District submitted charter renewal

Related budget updates

-and-

I believe we can all agree on one point: That we must all remain committed to doing the best we can for our students throughout this renewal process. The issues surrounding the potential ramifications of our charter renewal deserve a diligent analysis. As such, we are committed to providing the relevant information for you as we continue to find answers to the questions you pose.

Without accurate, up-to-date information, misconceptions build among stakeholders

There are still many questions and interpretations circulating amongst our school community regarding Mr. Bylund’s presentations to our Board. As uncomfortable as this process has been, we must address these. We will address these issues tonight, as well as answer any additional questions you may have

There are still ‘coalitions’ within our school community We need a contingency plan to make our charter renewal a

success, no matter what the final PUSD determination is toward the charter we have currently submitted

Are we truly ‘at-risk’ at this point? Unfortunately, I believe our current campus climate would indicate yes. Therefore . . .

This plan must include all of us coming together in support of our school, no matter what decision PUSD hands down to us

Objective and Fair . . .

The information presented this evening has been shared with multiple stakeholders

This information is deemed to be accurate, and presented with confidence

Format for Evening

Q&A at end of session Review of particular slide(s) at end Breadth, then depth Objectivity is sought

Staff Parents

Simply stated: 1. The district as employer-of-record could mean some

significant changes to our campus next year

2. The PUSD Board has the prerogative to accept or reject the charter as currently written

Although the initial conversation appeared to focus only on what CCCS stood to lose from increased district oversight of all CCCS employees, there are both costs and benefits to this model, as well as to the CCCS as ‘employer-of-record’ model

How does that look in practice? What are the costs and benefits of either model?

Benefits Teaching staff has security and job rights with district Staff are all evaluated through a similar TAP/PUSD

instrument Teaching staff has committed to remaining at CCCS District assumes all liability The available pool of credentialed teachers to fill electives

(and other) positions is made of teachers of known quality Staff may participate with other district schools through a

PLC (Professional Learning Community) model Hired staff goes through a district-approved process Teachers have salary & benefit assurances Parents may continue building on the positive

relationships developed with staff over time Our academic program will have continued cohesion

District as Employer-of-Record Staffing

The district as employer-of-record will mean some changes to our campus next year. In reviewing these changes, the following are among the specific areas of impact:

All employees will need to be under the PCEA (classified) or TAP (certificated) contract. As a result, the following reflects the potential changes: We will lose a number (4 confirmed) of classified employees

as a result We will need to replace 2-4 teachers (estimated) due to

seniority (this number includes our art and science teachers) Our full-time principal position is on the district’s list of cuts Our autonomy in hiring electives teachers will be impacted Parents performing ongoing yard supervision, or daily

classroom or site custodial work will be a violation of the PCEA contract. Some current parent duties may need to be filled by paid classified employees

Our Governing Board will be ‘advisory’ only Our operating costs will rise

Benefits Layoffs of either teaching or classified staff will not

be based on issues involving district seniority Complete autonomy to make staffing (certificated,

classified, and electives) hires & decisions The sustainability for the future is based on CCCS’

staffing decisions, not the district’s Potentially less cost impact on budget Greater flexibility to compensate staff as

appropriate Staff may participate with other local charter

schools through a PLC model

CCCS as Employer-of-Record Staffing

Costs Most staff would prefer to stay with TAP/PUSD (this

creates potential sustainability issues with our current program, as we would potentially lose some or most of the teachers who have made us a great school)

Site assumes liability for staff and parent volunteers Potential cost of a CTA lawsuit (amount unknown,

and may be a district, not CCCS, cost)

CCCS as Employer-of-Record Staffing

What Would Stay the Same?•Benefits through JPA. No change.•Retirement through STRS. No change.

What Could/Should Stay the Same?*•Working conditions (e.g., hours, duties). •Salaries and benefits.

*The Governing Board could commit to at least matching the salary, benefit, and working condition structure of TAP/PUSD if we are required through the charter renewal process to operate under a CCCS as ‘employer-of-record’ model of staffing.

What Could/Would Change?•Contract length•Salaries•Evaluation Process•Bargaining Unit•Budget

District as Employer-of-Record Staffing versus

CCCS as Employer-of-Record Staffing

What are the similarities & differences between the two models?What are the similarities & differences between the two models?

Estimated Cost Increase Under District as Employer-of-Record Model

(based on our analysis of what we know from the district-provided numbers)

Certificated & Classified Staff:Our current ‘CCCS hired’ positions will need to be under a TAP or classified union (PCEA) contract. These include the following:

• Intervention Specialist• Art Teacher• Lead Science Teacher• Maintenance & Operations• Office Manager/Principal’s Secretary

Estimated cost increase: $50,000 annually

(benefits, salary schedule, hours, other)

Custodial and Supervision:Classroom cleaning and extra duties provided from parents such as yard duty, etc. will need to be fulfilled by district personnel or a grievance may result

Cost: Approximately $35,000 annually (in order to maintain our current level of classroom cleaning and playground supervision)

Electives:Electives classes must be filled by credentialed individuals

Cost: Unknown in terms of dollars (estimated 10K), but significant in terms of lessening our flexibility to hire some of the quality, non-credentialed instructors we are familiar with

The sustainability of our electives program may be impacted

Estimated Cost Increase Under District as Employer-of-Record Model(cont.)

Estimated Cost Increase Under District as Employer-of-Record Model(cont.)Staff Lay-Offs:

All laid-off teachers and staff could be replaced by individuals higher on the seniority list. CCCS may have some say in who is placed on our campus as a replacement.

Cost: Unknown. The number of impacted teachers from the estimate of 3-4 could also be higher or lower, based on the state’s May budget revise.

Other Potential Costs:

•Classroom academic support that is on-going and systematized•Snack Shack personnel/coverage•Lunch distribution

These three are still being reviewed, as there may be no impact on the budget.

Note: The elimination of the parent participation ‘requirement’ is NOT based on the model of staffing we ultimately end up with. It has no bearing on this.

Estimated Cost Increase Under District as Employer-of-Record ModelIn sum, the estimated figure (based in part on District Office Business

Services data) in order to maintain our current level of services, programs, etc. will be an approximately $75-100,000 annual increase in operating expenses. To review:

•$50,000 increase from salary & benefit adjustments for employees now under a union contract • $25,000 increase for part-time custodial support• $10,000 increase from current electives costs (estimated)• $7,000 increase for yard supervision (difference between current wages and being under a PCEA contract) • $$$ increase from staff members being laid off and replaced by higher/lower cost employees___________________________________________________Note: There could be a cost savings from the required lay-offs of our current classified positions, as CCCS’ contract may be paying a higher wage than the PCEA (classified union) contract of those who will replace our current staff (currently unknown).

Cost savings: Unknown, but could be in the $10-20,000 range annually

To cover the increases shown above, we will need to make some difficult decisions about our program’s breadth and depth.

In light of the above numbers, can we keep our school open? Yes, definitely. No doubt on that one.

Estimated Cost Increase Under CCCS as Employer-of-Record Model

• Staffing contracts and legal costs to transition to and maintain CCCS as employer-of-record

Cost: Unknown, but could be initially significant

• Diminished parent confidence and lowered enrollment from loss of certificated and classified staff

Cost: Unknown, but potentially significant

2010-11 Budget Outlook It is important to note that our monies from the state have dropped significantly

over the past three years, almost $900 per student (!), thereby creating the currently poor state of our budget

We have built our current, renewal submitted 2010-11 budget on a total of 255 (we are currently at 220) students and the same staff we have now

The submitted numbers give us the following to work with: $40,000 reserve (approximately the required 3%) + $22,000 above this reserve

As positive as these numbers may first appear, the following must be noted: Current legal issues regarding contracts will likely be a cost to CCCS, regardless of which staffing

model we choose Our cost overrun will, again, be the approximate amount shown under a district as employer-of-

record model. A CCCS as ‘employer-of-record’ model could also have associated costs that may require similar difficult program choices. As such, we will need to reconcile a potential budget shortfall with the current breadth and depth of the program as written in the charter renewal

Solutions? We will work together to make these decisions . . . Again, can we make either the PUSD or CCCS as ‘employer-of-record’ model work? Yes, CCCS will

open next year, and we will have a quality program

Where do we go from here? What may happen in the near future?

?

First off, we understand the rationale behind the board’s decision. The decision was made to reflect what was felt to be best for students, and teachers are a big part of that. Simply put – we have great teachers that no-one wants to lose. Let us put our disagreements in terms of how to best save our staff behind us, and agree that we all share the same desire to retain our teachers

We wait to hear back from PUSD as to the likelihood of adoption/acceptance. We could then take it to the county for approval, if denied by PUSD. It appears highly unlikely that the county will approve it if PUSD first turns it down

We draft a ‘transition plan’ that allows us, in time, to move to an CCCS as ‘employer-of-record’ model, should PUSD desire us to do so. Should we go that route, we must take into account the strong desire to retain the number of staff members we will lose next year during the transition, as well as to figure out a way to reconcile our potential cost overruns

Should we not be asked to transition to an CCCS as ‘employer-of-record’ model, we must continue to look for ways of retaining the staff members subject to lay-offs The district continues to afford us the autonomy befitting a successful charter school. We continue to offer a diverse and academically challenging program, regardless of our staffing model

Question: How can we best work together to maintain the fidelity of our program, the philosophy of charters, and the integrity of our word to do what is best, ultimately, for our children? Let’s work together to make our success a reality

No matter what model, we need to come together on this . . .-OR-

All involved parties need to work together to come up with an alternative solution.

An example of such might be:

The Governing Board commits to, and drafts through MYM, binding contracts reflecting similar working conditions (hours, days, salary & benefits) for staff

The district continues to afford us the autonomy befitting a successful charter school. We continue to offer a diverse and academically challenging program, regardless of our staffing model

We respectfully ask the district to work with TAP to develop an agreement that allows our teachers to take a 2-year leave-of-absence to help pilot a CCCS as ‘employer-of-record’ model (allow our teaching staff time to decide)

The staff seeks alternatives to TAP as a bargaining unit, and the Board supports their move to alternative union representation through CTA, AFT, Green Dot, or others

Question: If PUSD requests our charter renewal indicate CCCS as ‘employer of record’, how can we best work together to maintain the fidelity of our program, the philosophy of charters, and the integrity of our word to do what is best, ultimately, for our children? Let’s work together to make our success a reality.

No matter what model, we need to come together on this . . .

Some thoughts:

1. We are forming research groups to become even better informed. We need your input and assistance in compiling information.

(Frontload) Note: To the 90% of you in the audience who are conducting yourself in an appropriate manner on a daily basis, thank you! This upcoming second point need not apply to you . . .

2. We need to re-unify now. Please, no more verbally bashing one another because we ‘care’ or ‘don’t care’ about one group or individual versus another. We all care about all the individuals on our campus. Continued inappropriate verbal and written conflict will only sidetrack us from the mission at hand: To create a plan that allows us to retain all staff, no matter what direction potentially given us by PUSD.

3. If there is a desire to make your point known, and to voice a group opinion, please address the board during open session! If you are uncomfortable with any of the current Board’s decisions and desire a reconsideration of their vote, follow the correct channels in making your wishes known. Write your views down, but be reminded it needs to have a date and signature/name and do not use slander or attack anyone related to the campus or PUSD. This is unprofessional and does nothing good for the campus.

4. The charter renewal document is still a ‘work-in-progress’ and should always be considered a working document, subject to revisions based on any current and future needs. The current and future board will be open to a continued dialogue toward that end.

5.Ask questions and check the sources of information we have/are looking to provide. This presentationwill be posted on our EduBlog (http://cccs.edublogs.org/).

6.Remain focused on student opportunities and the achievement of all who attend CCCS. The next slidehighlights some activities and events we should combine our efforts behind!

• Jog-a-Thon

• Charter renewal review• April 14th

• Open House• April 15th

• STAR TESTING• April 19-30• Information will be sent immediately after break

• Spring  Break/spring behavior• Please remind your child that school is still in session, and that all the old rules still apply!

• High School Counselors coming to 8th grade on April 13 and 15

• Announcement of Graduation Meetings - Last Thursday in April

• Math Bowl - May 21

• Board Meeting Summary• Board summaries to be sent home & posted on website

Information Updates & Dates to Remember

Thank you for coming tonight . . .

Questions? Please ask!

To view this PowerPoint, please also access:

http://cccs.edublogs.org/