Comments  18

• Marie 4/8/2011 12:00:00 AM

  Time is of the essence as the Senate is working on their budget this week. Since we are seeing some good news with climbing tax rebates, our efforts may have a positive impact!
  
  
  Write to your senator, representative, and Governor Perry now.  Talk to your children about the legislative process and encourage them to write handwritten letters.

• Very Unhappy Parent 4/9/2011 12:00:00 AM

  Let's cut some of the school debt by reducing the six figure incomes of our administrators. That way we can keep some of the teacher's positions. They are the ones that make a difference in the classrooms.
  
  

• mom 4/10/2011 12:00:00 AM

  The problem is too much bureaucracy and political lobbying- such as the emails I do not wish to receive( about all of this).  I subscribe to find out about school and district events since often we are expected to get that information from the web instead of finding out from treachers and schools.

• Claudia 4/11/2011 12:00:00 AM

  Wether we like it or not cuts will be made, it is up to us: Administratiors, teachers and parents to make sure that we can come up with enough new revenues or enough cost cutting to preserve what makes CCISD the premiere School District in the Houston area. I'm sure that many things have been analized in order to conserve money, but one obvious place that might have been overlooked is in electricity savings.

   I have seen my daughter's elementary school, lit up like a Christmas Tree at 8:00 pm, and I have personally felt how cold the school is sometimes kept. If the district analyzed the cost/benefit impact of installing smart controls, to say turn off the lights automatically when not in use, or keeping the school at a higher temperature (say 2 degrees) throughout the day, or increasing it even further at night (when no one needs it), I'm sure that important energy reductions could be reached. If we multiplied this by all the school and administration buildings in the district the economical and environmental impact can be significant. We don't even need smart controls, just unequivocal directives to turn off all the lights when not needed, ie at night, or to keep the thermostats 2 degrees higher in the summer and 2 degrees lower in the winter. Let's teach our childrens about conservation, savings and the power that each individual has to make a difference

• John 4/11/2011 12:00:00 AM

  Budget cuts are a reality that EVERYONE has to deal with.  Now is the time to figure out what is truly important for our children's  education.  Some very hard decisions need to be made.  Here are a few examples:
  
  1. Look at our top heavy administrative staff in the school district and the board of directors.  Many of which make close to 6 figures or more.  Eliminating a few of these positions will pay for several teachers salaries.  Even at the lower level of administrative staff the school district is bloated.  Do we really need so many assistant principles at one high school?  One principle and maybe two assistant principles should be more than enough, add to this a few counselors, a school nurse and cleaning staff.  EVERYONE ELSE should be a teacher and REQUIRED to teach, including ALL of the coaches.  Coaches should be teachers FIRST and coaches 2nd.  Teachers should be required to clean up their own rooms, including taking the garbage out to the dumpster.  It's amazing how much cleanup can be done by the students if they are required to help, this would be a culture shift item, but everyone can spend 5 minutes in their last class of the day and clean up.  Make it part of their participation grade.
  
  2. School buses.  Streamline the routes!  This is the only place I have ever lived that the bus stops at nearly every single block in every housing development!  This causes a lot more fuel to be burned and a lot more wear and tear, especially on the breaks and transmissions.  For instance, in the Sageglen subdivision, bounded by Beamer, Scarsdale, Sagegreen and Blackhawk (the other side of Sagegreen if memory serves is Pearland schools).  Reduce the number of bus stops to NO MORE than 2, and have them stop on Scarsdale, currently I aware of at least 6 different bus stop locations in this small area.  This would reduce the miles driven, shorten bus travel time, and as mentioned earlier, reduce fuel and maintenance expenses.  The kids can use the exercise walking generally no more than three blocks.
  
  3. School bus fee.  Another one that will get screams.  For any child not on the free/reduced lunch program, charge a whopping $1 a week for riding the buss.  Payable at the beginning of the school year, no refunds for not riding the bus.
  
  4. Kids are at school to learn, not play sports.  I know this statement is nearly committing blasphemy.  Sports can be important part of any well rounded child's upbringing, but it's time that those that want to play start to pay.  I know this suggestion will bring lots of howling and screaming, but we need to face the facts, it is VERY RARE that a student graduates and his/her performance in sports makes a difference in their college careers or any jobs they take afterward.  Having grown up in a small district that didn't have the funds... they had a novel approach.  The student athletes had to raise the money!  The team would go out and do car washes, pull weeds, and do just about anything they could to raise money.  Generally they did it during the SUMMER, oh no... expect the kids to earn money to pay for the sport they love.  Imagine that... the KIDS raised the money and paid for their bus trips, their uniforms, virtually everything.  This approach also has the benefit of teaching the kids the value of money and they tended to take much more pride in their team because of all the hard work they put into it.  Not to mention, this works for both rich, middle class AND poor students.  The school should only provide the basic facilities (such as the baseball field) and the coach.  Oh, and the coaches were required to teach classes as well! 
  
  5.  Reduce the variety of sports.  It is nice to have the huge variety of sports we have but not necessary.  For instance, the swimming pools that the schools have are expensive to maintain.  Shut them down!  Many a school district doesn't have a swim team.  Keep the basics around, football, baseball/softball, basketball, volleyball, and track & field are more than enough. 
  
  6.  Get rid of most of the late arrival, half days, and faculty in-service days.    The facility costs of having the faculty there and no students is nearly identical to when the students are there.  I know, this is when the teachers 'get their training' or the school 'gives out important information.'  By the teachers own admission, most of them are a huge waist of time that is done to check some stupid bureaucratic check-box somewhere.  If the training is so important, take a week out of the end of summer and get it all done at once, with all the teachers at one school!  That way they district only has to pay to operate one school facility for that week.  Not to mention, administrative items rarely need direct face to face meetings.  Use half of the recovered time to provide more direct teaching contact time, use the other half to truly shut down the schools and save money (eg no faculty there at all).  This is a win-win, the student get more instruction time, and the facility is truly shut down more to save money.
  
  These are only a few quick items that scratch the surface of what can be done to save money.  The administrative staff need to earn their money and really take a hard gut wrenching review of all the programs, facilities and other items at and around the school and ask some very basic questions 1) Is this service, item, facility really essential to the education of the kids? 2) If it is not essential does it provide a substantial added benefit to the education program?  If a program, facility, or item does not meet these two questions.... IT SHOULD IMMEDIATELY BE SHUT DOWN, REMOVED, CANCELED etc.  The school district is NOT a jobs program.  And before you say I'm insensitive, I myself have been notified that I am on the layoff lists due to contracts ending and my work is now considered redundant.
  
  Hard times require hard answers.  Bloat has to end.
  

• Shannon 4/11/2011 12:00:00 AM

  Thank you for keeping us informed and for making this issue aware to us (the parents) through your communications: emails, mailings, phone calls, etc.  I would not like to see the class size increase for various reasons, for both teacher and student.  For the student, because they do not get that one on one instruction time or attention that they desperately need.  The larger class size can be chaotic and the child can feel overwhelmed and buried in a room with 100 different needs, learning styles, and personalities.  For the teachers, because they have to juggle all of that while getting the best performance and test scores out of each student.  It takes the joy out of teaching when you don't have the time to pour into and impart into each child the importance and joy of learning.  I pray that a reasonable solution is found so that our teachers, students, and community feels safe, secure and confident in CCISD.  

• CCISD Moderator 4/11/2011 12:00:00 AM

  @ Mom & Very Unhappy Parent:
  
  Thanks for your feedback. Without a doubt, teachers are the most important people in CCISD. We have more than 5,000 employees. Teachers make up 54% of our staff. Central Administration makes up 1% of our staff while campus administration makes up 2.8%. 

  CCISD spends:
  68.7% of the total budget on teaching students and other related expenses.
  7.6% or goes towards grounds and maintenance… this pays for the electricity, insurance, lawn and cleaning of our schools.
  6.4% of the budget pays for campus administration and campus based budgets.
  3.5% is used for student transportation and fuel.
  3.2% Guidance and Counseling
  2.2% Central Administration
  2.2% Extracuricular and Cocurricular
  1.8% Data  Services
  1.0% Instructional Administration
  1.0% Health Services
  0.9%Security
  1.5% Other

  CCISD has worked over the past two years to reduce operation costs by $11.9 million. Superintendent Greg Smith has outlined an additional $9.4 million in future savings.  That still won’t be enough to make up for the amount of money we will lose if the proposed budget is approved in Austin.

   

• REX 4/12/2011 12:00:00 AM

  I know that the administration has made significant cuts but the tough years may be yet to come.  Fuel costs are killing us and will likely continue to rise.  Cutting further into the budget through atrition, reduced service, combining duties and reallignment of administrative positions will help.  The next cut may be in other areas such as sports and more reductions in travel.  We lag behind other countries in education and must do all that we can to enhance the process.  Contract services may have to go or be assumed in house. 

• mom & former teacher 4/12/2011 12:00:00 AM

  What I do know is that I do not want any of these cuts to involve art/elective programs.  Our children have little exposure to the arts as it is & cutting art, music or any other such program from our schools would be a shame.
  
  What would happen if there were central computer labs that were shared among several campuses rather than each campus having their own?  (Or each classroom having a few computers.) It would cut spending on technology that becomes obsolete before the kids even have a chance to master it.  It would also cut repair costs,maintenance fees & updating costs. 

• student 4/12/2011 12:00:00 AM

  Rather than cut the elective funding and laying off teachers cut back on buying big screen TV's for the cafeteria...I mean really do we have to have these distracting screens in the front office, the lunchroom and while were walking down the hall.
  Rumors are spreading due to budget especially at Clear Springs- statue in front of the school...what?!?!?!?!  Stop laying off the teachers and start getting rid of admin.
  As a student I have been in larger than normal classes and I hated them. I couldn't hear myself think over the roar of everyone talking. I was unable to complete assignments in class and it was just plain miserable.
  I've been one of the "smart kids" for as long as I can remember. I used to love coming to school because I enjoyed learning anything and everything you could trhow at me. I'm horrified to know that my little siblings will be stuck in larger classes with teachers who wont have time to focus on one student who needs a little more help than the rest.
  You think the teachers have it hard now...wait until the classes are bigger...I feel worse for them than i do of half the time nonexistent admin.......

• CCISD Moderator 4/13/2011 12:00:00 AM

  @ John,
  
  We acknowledge there is widespread perception that school districts are administration heavy and this perception has been a struggle for us to overcome. While we cannot speak for other school districts in Texas or the nation, we can tell you that CCISD has been recognized for high student performance and low operating costs by the State Comptroller of Public Accounts (www.fastexas.org). It has one of the lowest administration to staff ratio in the State with 4% versus the statewide average of 11%. That 4% includes administrative salaries and budgets.

  CCISD’s administration accounts for 1% of the total employees for the district. In an ongoing attempt to reduce administration Dr. Smith has eliminated or reassigned 17 positions within the central and operational levels of the district, including the communications office. Perhaps we have not been effective in communicating this to our taxpayers. We will continue to improve!

  Regarding specific job functions:

  ~ The school board is not paid. They are volunteers

  ~ The District’s expectation is that all coaches are teaching core or elective courses with the exception of Athletic Coordinators. Each comprehensive high school has one.

  ~ As part of the recent announced $9.4 million reorganization, the District has eliminated one assistant principal and correlating secretary at each high school and has eliminated some aide positions.
  
  ~ Adjusting custodian cleaning schedules will save $750,000

  Yes, we are reviewing bus routes to reduce expenses. In fact we implemented the following walk to stop distances at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. The estimated annual cost saving is $200,000. Elementary students walk no more than .15 miles to their bus stop, intermediate students walk .30 miles and high school is a half mile.  We review bus routes every school year.

  State law prohibits districts from charging a bus fee if the district applies for funding through the state allotment. This is a confusing formula and is currently under review as the State only reimburses CCISD for $1.9 million while transportation costs are around $9 million annually.

  There is no cost savings in eliminating the Early Release or Late Arrival Days. Many of the professional development days have legally mandated training that is required. These days are designed to give teachers short -focused, just in time, professional development.

   According to the U.S. Department of Education, “research confirms that teachers are the single most important factor in raising student achievement.” 39 Higher standards for teachers accompany the push for higher standards for students and greater accountability for student learning, and professional development is a critical link among new policies, school reform, and improved educational practice (Knapp, 2003).

  John, you bring forward some interesting cost-cutting ideas. We have a Citizens Finance Advisory Committee meeting right now and we will share your cost-saving ideas with them. Thank you and good luck on your job search!

   

• CCISD Moderator 4/13/2011 12:00:00 AM

  @Mom & Former Teacher
  
  We believe the fine arts are important components of a world-class education. We will continue to have art and music in our schools! All budgets will likely be reduced but that is across the board and not something unique to the arts.

• Lilly 4/13/2011 12:00:00 AM

  In order to make money. Faced with budget cuts and declining enrollment #'s etc....public schools are looking overseas to bring in students and $$
  
  States like Maine, California, Arizona, Arkansas, Floridia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia and Washington are all activly trying to get Chinese students to fill up their public schools.
  
  Ken Smith who is the Super of Millinocket Maine's school said that he hopes he can get 60 Chinese students by next year...he said that each Chinese student pays $13,000 per year in tuition and about $11,000 per year for room and board
  
  In Newcomb NY..the high school has 9 international students, 3 russian, 2 France, 2 Vietnam and 1 Korea who pay $3,500 each for tution and another $3,500 to live with a host family.
  
  When recruiting these schools..the Chinese parents say its not about where the school is, or how much it is going to cost.....it is about the number of advanced placement classes made available and imersing the Chinese students in the English language so they can have an easier time of being accepted to an American University.
  
  Some other examples
  
  Orono High school Maine.....$13,000 tuition $8,000 room and board...Chinese..and a goal of 40-45 new international students next year
  
  Camden Hills High School Rockport Maine.....$15,000 tuition....$5,000 room and board
  
  This is something CCISD can try.
  
  Here are two articles:
  
  

  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/education/27students.html

  
  
  

  http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/03/06/news/feds-approve-chinese-exchange-students-at-stearns-high-school-in-millinocket/

  
  
  

   

• ESL/bilingual/regular classes 4/14/2011 12:00:00 AM

  Does bilingual school cost more than the regular school?
  Does paper work translation cost the district some money, too?
  I came to this country with absolutely no English (in my early 20), if I had been provided a translator, I would have ... not writing this comment now (Maybe ... that's the purpose of providing translation now, hehe).  So, please do not set them up for failure, force them to learn English, if you want them to go on to College, and maybe they can support themselves in the future.  Yes, it can be done.  And leave the choice of reserving cultures to the families, and their communities.  My kids are fluent in English AND their mother/father native language (read and write, too).  They do not get it from public school.
  School lunch, healther lunch?  Can you put that back to us, parents?  I think, you do not need school lunch at all.  We, parents, will have to deal with it.  And believe me, we will.
  Cost of handling bad behavior from students.  We already pay for jail, let's use it.  It costs ~$30000/inmate per year.  They will figure out the way to make it $1000/inmate per year.
  And why do we have so many programs, regular, Pre-AP, AP, WAVE,....I think  you only need to separate them by behaviors.  Our kids are smart, they sometimes do not know how to behave.  So,  I suggest no more such thing as regular or WAVE.  I bet you can save money there.  Please note that my kid is in one of your advance programs.
  HR vs. TEACHERS.  The choice is so clear.  TEACHERS make trememdous contributions to our children education.  HR with nonsence regulations/rules can only make the job of our great teachers harder.  
  Thank you so much;
  

• concerned citizen 4/16/2011 12:00:00 AM

  Has anyone looked into the excessive cost of the new Educational Village and the fancy furnishing/decorations used for it.  Seems I read that it went way over budget.  Class sizes there were kept smaller than at some other schools in the District.  How much was spent on all the bragging about CCISD being the largest Exemplary District only to have to correct all the signs and literature and restate it  as ONE of the largest Exemplary Districts?  Seems to me that there is a lot of money being spent on throwing the newest, latest information at students without teachers being properly trained in how to teach or use the new information.  CCISD has wonderful teachers and great parent support....let the teachers do what they are great at...teaching the kids. 

• Another mom and former teacher 4/17/2011 12:00:00 AM

  I know there are many other stay-at-home moms like me with teaching degrees.  I am one of those few who are room moms, PTA board members, officers of Booster clubs, etc.  Working full time would make those volunteer positions almost impossible.  The district could save a lot of money by hiring teachers in part time positions(1/2 day) and not including benefits---like insurance.  I believe it would save money and get more quality teachers back in the game.

• Concerned 4/18/2011 12:00:00 AM

  Since other districts have already begun to lay off teachers and make other cuts, I wonder why CCISD is not taking immediate steps.  I would like to see ACTION rather than waiting until the last minute so those teachers and aides affected will be scrambling with last-minute job searches and possible relocation.  In addition, parents have a right to be informed so they can make decisions about where they want their child educated.  If certain things change, a parent may decide to enroll their child in a private school.  Waiting until the last minute helps no one.
  
  In addition, decisions should be made by those who are in the classroom and at the schools who know how the students will be impacted.  The students ARE our priority, right?  When is the last time our school board members faced a classroom of 25 middle school students?  When was the last time our administrators had to teach a science lab to 25 high school chemistry students?
  
  Maybe someone needs to explain the new math to me.  How does 975 (number of employees in excess) minus 200 (number absorbed through attrition) equal zero (number of employees who will lose their contract)?  And when are contract deadlines?

• CCISD Moderator 4/19/2011 12:00:00 AM

  @ESL/bilingual/regular classes
  
  Bilingual education is required by the state of Texas for any grade level with 20 or more students in the same grade level with the same native language across a school district.  The federal government also requires a different educational program for non-native English speakers, but does not specify bilingual education.  Because our bilingual program is a requirement, we receive additional state and federal funds to support bilingual education.  These funds are used to provide resources we would not otherwise be able to provide, such as native language reading materials or materials to accelerate linguistic and academic acquisition to achieve student success.  In addition, teachers hired for bilingual positions receive a stipend.  Currently CCISD provides bilingual education in Spanish, Vietnamese and Urdu.  Additionally, CCISD has one Mandarin bilingual teacher.  CCISD values diversity, and encourages the maintenance of students’ native languages and cultures as they acquire English.

  District forms, assessments, and important documents are translated and this is at an additional cost to the district.  An in-district translator is paid to translate these items.  CCISD provides translations because we believe communication with all stakeholders is necessary for the success of students and the school district.