An Anonymous Letter to the WGSD and WTA....

The following letter was sent to Dan Jensen, president of the WG5D board. It might be of interest to the Waterford Taxpayers Association. An added note of interest is the fact that none of the administrators, including principals, are residents of WG5D. This may lead to the lack of a vested interest in the community.


July 21, 2009

Dear Mr. Jensen,

It is my sincere hope that you will take the time to read this with thoughtful consideration, as I have spent a great deal of time wrestling with the following events. Waterford Graded 5chool District has gone down a slippery slope since Gary Tilleros retired. The current administration is sadly lacking in honesty, integrity and respect for its staff. Their agendas are unclear, but are certainly not concerning what is best for the students and lack fiscal responsibility.

Let's begin with fiscal responsibility. Administration has all the right things to say to the board and the public, but often don't paint the whole picture. In the past, the board seems to have taken this information at face value and been willing to approve things which have helped put us in the financial situation we are now in. Much of it was unnecessary or overkill. It's like an infomercial. All you get is why this product is needed, none of the drawbacks or complications in using it. How many of us have purchased some such item, only to be disappointed because there wasn't enough time to use or learn all the bells and whistles. Therefore, it either collects dust or we use it for the basics which could have been accomplished for much less money.

Take Smartboards for example. Yes, they are high tech, interactive and cool, but they are far from necessary. They are often used for videos and as overheads. There are some teachers that utilize them more often, and perhaps those are the teachers that should have one. However, it seems like an awful lot of money to spend for all classrooms to have them, especially within such a short period at time. I know of districts that ask teachers to write proposals or grants for these types of items. This way there is more assurance that the money is well spent and spending is spread out according to proposals and amount of money available.

On the topic of technology, just how much money exactly has been spent in the past two 'years on this? Not just hardware(which has been substantial-desktops, laptops, 5martboards, projectors, movie cameras), but including software, licensing for access to all computers, frequent outsourcing for issues that have continued to pop up, time spent by maintenance on installations of Smartboards, etc. Not all of these expenses occurred under the technology budget. When Mr. Bui was hired, part of the deal was the district would save that money by not outsourcing, as he knew all we needed regarding networking, PCs, etc. Prior to this administration, there was not even enough money to buy some software. How is it that the board could approve all this expense!? It was initially thought by this administration that WG5D had too many computers and the number of labs should be cut down. Instead, they purchased more computers than they ever had! These computers could have been phased in to some degree. Have these expenditure really been in the best interest of our students? Aren't 'quality teachers, support staff, and small class sizes better suited to help students succeed? Even as our students progress, technology doesn't do the teaching, it does the reinforcing. This all sets a precedent that continues.

Moving on to curriculum, how much was spent on Direct Instruction that has gone out the window? How much for the Scott Foresman and Investigations math programs and all the peripherals that were purchased and thrown out before two years' time? How much for the Every Day Math brought in and the online games to track students' activities? The online games were an unnecessary expense and I wonder how often these were actually accessed? I know of another district that does EDM, but opted out of the online games due to its expense. Why has our board been unable to say no to all the extras? We have many other ways to check our students' progress including MAP testing. There is free software on the internet that could be utilized it researched with lists given to teachers.

What is the cost of Compass Learning? Are students and the district getting their money’s worth out of it or is it a tool for busy work? This seems it would be more suited to students that are already motivated learners who would be just as successful with other types work. What about the unmotivated student or those easily distracted? Is this just time on their own when they are not really getting instruction? Do scores show that the good students get better and the lower students are stagnant? These are things to research.

Part of the problem seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. This district used to choose to go with the tried and true curriculum. This is good for students AND fiscally responsible. Trying to be cutting edge is experimenting with our students. We have begun to lean too heavily on technology, especially in younger grades. Yes, they need exposure to technology, but basics in the early years are crucial. This makes it easier for students to be successful as they get more difficult class material. Some things are best learned by rote, e.g. multiplication tables. We have fifth graders who do not know their facts, and therefore cannot divide either. Also, many students already sit in front of games on computers much of the day. Perhaps a move AWAY (of course not completely) from technology in early years is beneficial.

To add further to our fiscal issues, the administrators were given substantial raises in the beginning of this year. What is the total dollar figure of these combined raises? How many people would still have jobs this coming year instead of a lay off? The economy was very poor then as it continues to be, yet these raises were justified to the Waterford Post by Dr. Nelson as nothing more that the teachers would be getting. Now, no teachers are being replaced, some support staff have been laid off, and there is talk there will be no raises for teachers. However, there seems to be money to buy new Smartboards, for a Linux system and new curricula. Some districts have put off purchasing new curricula for a year to ease up some finances. Many put their value in the staff, knowing they are key to making a district successful.

Stimulus money here has been used for Smartboards even as six special education aides have been laid oft. This is a prime example of the lack of value and respect for staff. It is obvious that technology, and not staff is what is valued in this district. You have trained, licensed, experienced special education aides that have been laid off. Now remaining aides, no matter what area, are being asked to get their license so they can work with special needs students. Not only do you then have inexperienced staff, but it also taxes the classroom teachers and special education teachers more. To top it all off, the district is advertising part time special education aide positions?!! What is the agenda here? None of this seems to be in the best interest of the students.

Next, according to the Racine Journal Times, WGSD state funding went down $425,000, but Dr. Nelson is giving a figure of $600,000. Which is correct? I understand we are entitled to an increase in Title I funding due to an increase in our community of low income families. Has the district taken this into consideration when determining the tax levy? What is the tax levy going to be? Also, what was the final dollar figure in Dr. Nelson's request for her insurance benefits in cash? Now there is also threat of a discrimination lawsuit. The district is fortunate more lawsuits have not been filed regarding bullying and harassment to employees by members of administration. Again, the focus is not on creating a climate of goodwill among staff. People are too afraid for their jobs and ramifications if they were to speak up. Staff members have been on the edge of their seats for the past three years waiting to see if they would be the next target. This is unacceptable and detrimental to the functioning of this district. At one point, this professional, educated staff was told by Dr. Nelson that she would not explain her decisions nor her agenda when asked specific questions, as she felt staff was not capable of understanding the thinking of an administrator.

There is also a distinct lack of communication from administration and the board to staff and to the public. Unfortunately, staff is often left to rely on getting information in the form of rumors. This can and has created a great deal of stress. This takes focus away from teaching.

Board meetings in the past have been extremely vague with such wording as "refer to email sent" or "refer to packet sent." These items were not available to the public so they would know what anyone was talking about at meetings. There is also little information given in the minutes. WGSD should be following the example of the high school in using figures and options so the community can actually participate and know what is happening. There needs to be full disclosure aside from personal issues dealt with in closed session. This is one reason for frustration in the community, as it appears things are not done above board and with fiscal responsibility in mind. If Time Warner Cable still does community access, it would be nice to have the board meetings broadcasted. If not, why not use the new video cameras purchased for online concerts last year and post the video on the website.

Is this really the direction Waterford wants its schools to take? Although a board should not dictate to a school district, neither should administration dictate to a board. It would be nice to have board members communicate with staff, be present in the buildings, and find out, get a feeling for what is best for the students AND the taxpayers. Families move here for the good schools. We are included in that group. Honesty and integrity are necessary to keep this reputation. That is not the direction WGSD seems to be going.

It would be nice to have nothing to read in the Waterford Post but positive things teachers and their students are doing.

Thank you for your time.