March 10, 2017 at 9:07 p.m.
Board should make the right decision
Letters to the Editor
To the editor:
I am writing my final letter before Jay School Board votes on a very difficult topic.
I have presented a plan that offers significant cost savings while considering our entire county, a plan far better than that presented by Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley. I would like to directly respond to some comments received from current board members as well as comments in the newspaper regarding the plan and Pennville Elementary.
“What number of students is too low to keep Pennville open?”
“The day Pennville dropped below 100 students it should have been closed.”
My response is simple: Pennville didn’t lose its students; they were taken from them.
•During the summer of 1998, the boundaries for Pennville were reduced and 20-plus students removed. The summer of 2001 saw another reduction, removing 50-plus students.
•Moving sixth grade to the middle schools furthered our elementary school losses.
The boiler system has been mentioned as a reason to close Pennville.
•The town of Pennville is prepared to step to the plate to make funds available to replace the boiler system, if necessary.
It has been reported that my plan would close Westlawn.
•The middle schools would consolidate to East Jay, with Westlawn students relocating to the West Jay building.
I have been told that my plan isn’t under consideration because it involves construction costs.
•For approximately $100,000 in construction costs, $1.3 to $2.3 million is gained. Mr. Gulley’s plan offers $300,000 to $600,000 in total savings, two to four times less than my proposal.
It’s been said that my plan would eliminate school choice. This is not true.
I’ve heard a committee has been formed to decide what to do with the building when it closes. To my surprise, I was a member of that committee. I also learned that discussions had been ongoing with individuals from across the county. Considering that I had no knowledge of the committee that I was a part of, I decided to reach out to many of these individuals. I quickly learned that many conversations had been drastically fantasized and erroneously reported.
Throughout my research I have used only reliable sources and presented fact rather than opinion. I, along with many others, have spent countless hours reviewing numbers, plans and ideas and remain convinced it is not necessary to close our school.
In review of the 2016 Report of Public Employment and Compensation, I have found that we have many options remaining. Consider the following Jay School Corporation numbers:
•26 administrative positions, including secretaries ($1,757,708.45)
•Eight administrative secretaries ($312,628.23)
•Seven high school secretaries ($182,466.83)
•Six middle school secretaries ($93,434.47)
•Seven computer coordinators ($287,834.85), one of which makes $115,505.87
•64 employees making more than $60,000
•Pre-school coordinator ($83,050.97)
•Business manager ($98,718.72)
•Teacher to administrator (including secreataries) ratio – 10.5/1
•Student to teacher ratio – 13.5/1
These numbers are alarming. Why do we have so many secretaries? Why are we not outsourcing IT for less money? Why do our administrative positions make a higher dollar figure than other school districts? Why do we have a lower teacher to administration ratio than student to teacher?
We need these questions answered before we consider closing schools.
Our issue isn’t schools, it’s people, and appears to be less and less a teacher issue. Closing a school building is a simple cover-up for reducing staff. While staff reductions are never ideal, let’s not make more mistakes because we don’t want to address the issue.
If closing schools must be a reality, then I believe that you should be voting on my plan, which provides far more savings while keeping a school in each of the current areas of the county. My plan puts our county first, our communities first and, most importantly, it puts our students first.
As elected officials you have the responsibility of upholding the will of the people while securing the sustainability of our schools, staff and students. The people are speaking to you loud and clear. The facts have been presented and the evidence lay before you. I beg you to not make the easy decision, but to make the right decision.
Our communities and our students are counting on you.
Pennville Bulldog for life,
Joseph Vinson
Pennville
I am writing my final letter before Jay School Board votes on a very difficult topic.
I have presented a plan that offers significant cost savings while considering our entire county, a plan far better than that presented by Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley. I would like to directly respond to some comments received from current board members as well as comments in the newspaper regarding the plan and Pennville Elementary.
“What number of students is too low to keep Pennville open?”
“The day Pennville dropped below 100 students it should have been closed.”
My response is simple: Pennville didn’t lose its students; they were taken from them.
•During the summer of 1998, the boundaries for Pennville were reduced and 20-plus students removed. The summer of 2001 saw another reduction, removing 50-plus students.
•Moving sixth grade to the middle schools furthered our elementary school losses.
The boiler system has been mentioned as a reason to close Pennville.
•The town of Pennville is prepared to step to the plate to make funds available to replace the boiler system, if necessary.
It has been reported that my plan would close Westlawn.
•The middle schools would consolidate to East Jay, with Westlawn students relocating to the West Jay building.
I have been told that my plan isn’t under consideration because it involves construction costs.
•For approximately $100,000 in construction costs, $1.3 to $2.3 million is gained. Mr. Gulley’s plan offers $300,000 to $600,000 in total savings, two to four times less than my proposal.
It’s been said that my plan would eliminate school choice. This is not true.
I’ve heard a committee has been formed to decide what to do with the building when it closes. To my surprise, I was a member of that committee. I also learned that discussions had been ongoing with individuals from across the county. Considering that I had no knowledge of the committee that I was a part of, I decided to reach out to many of these individuals. I quickly learned that many conversations had been drastically fantasized and erroneously reported.
Throughout my research I have used only reliable sources and presented fact rather than opinion. I, along with many others, have spent countless hours reviewing numbers, plans and ideas and remain convinced it is not necessary to close our school.
In review of the 2016 Report of Public Employment and Compensation, I have found that we have many options remaining. Consider the following Jay School Corporation numbers:
•26 administrative positions, including secretaries ($1,757,708.45)
•Eight administrative secretaries ($312,628.23)
•Seven high school secretaries ($182,466.83)
•Six middle school secretaries ($93,434.47)
•Seven computer coordinators ($287,834.85), one of which makes $115,505.87
•64 employees making more than $60,000
•Pre-school coordinator ($83,050.97)
•Business manager ($98,718.72)
•Teacher to administrator (including secreataries) ratio – 10.5/1
•Student to teacher ratio – 13.5/1
These numbers are alarming. Why do we have so many secretaries? Why are we not outsourcing IT for less money? Why do our administrative positions make a higher dollar figure than other school districts? Why do we have a lower teacher to administration ratio than student to teacher?
We need these questions answered before we consider closing schools.
Our issue isn’t schools, it’s people, and appears to be less and less a teacher issue. Closing a school building is a simple cover-up for reducing staff. While staff reductions are never ideal, let’s not make more mistakes because we don’t want to address the issue.
If closing schools must be a reality, then I believe that you should be voting on my plan, which provides far more savings while keeping a school in each of the current areas of the county. My plan puts our county first, our communities first and, most importantly, it puts our students first.
As elected officials you have the responsibility of upholding the will of the people while securing the sustainability of our schools, staff and students. The people are speaking to you loud and clear. The facts have been presented and the evidence lay before you. I beg you to not make the easy decision, but to make the right decision.
Our communities and our students are counting on you.
Pennville Bulldog for life,
Joseph Vinson
Pennville
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