From the Pittsburgh Tribune. Here's a look at one of the unsung heroes of the educational system: The school nurse.
PA state laws on school nurses are not tightly defined. That's probably not the best response, but with so many other fish to fry, like equitable funding of school systems, I could see how the nurse could be an afterthought. After all, who really needs the nurse anyway? A teacher or someone can slap bandages on the skinned knees. It's all about the money.
Just wait until you need the nurse.
School nurse plays vital role
By Carol Hackenbracht
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Not long ago, a school nurse was called away from her Montgomery County elementary school to give medication to a student in a school a few miles down the road. Not wanting to leave her building because of the number of children with medical problems, she delayed her departure for a few minutes.
As she prepared to leave, a young student entered her office, scratching his stomach. Aware that the student had a food allergy, she instinctively checked him for hives while asking him if he had eaten anything he shouldn't have. He shook his head no. Within a matter of 30 seconds, he grabbed for his throat, and the nurse again asked him if he had eaten anything he shouldn't have. This time he nodded his head yes.
Taking the epinephrine out of the medication closet, she injected the youngster with the life-saving medication. She felt chilled by the realization that she could have been en route to the other school during the child's anaphylactic reaction instead of being there to save his life.
This true story brings up some very important questions. Do you know if there is a school nurse in your child's school? Is the nurse there every day? For how many students is the nurse responsible? Is it a reasonable number? Will the nurse be there for your child, should he or she need emergency medical help?
There are no laws in Pennsylvania that require a school nurse to be in your child's building on a daily basis. The current mandate, established in 1964, states that a school nurse may serve up to 1,500 students. Realize that if your school district has three elementary schools with fewer than 500 students each, your district could potentially direct the school nurse to be responsible for all three buildings. Or your district could assign just one nurse to care for all 1,500 students in a single school.
Every day, more and more students with special health-care needs and chronic illnesses enter the school population. School nurses, who provide specialized care for students dependent on medication and medical technology, develop, implement and monitor health care plans for these students. In Pennsylvania many school nurses regularly provide technical medical procedures, including nebulizer treatments, blood sugar testing, insulin-pump management and bladder catheterization.
Children with special needs often require additional services, including tracheotomy care, intravenous therapy, tube feedings, suctioning, rectal Valium administration and oxygen therapy.
School nurses serve a unique role in the school setting. They assist children and their families in obtaining needed medical and social services. They also address the physical and emotional needs of students suffering from cancer, infectious diseases, anxiety, eating disorders, physical and sexual abuse, homelessness, mental health problems, teen pregnancy and substance abuse.
The National Association of School Nurses and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend a maximum school nurse-to-student ratio of 1 to 750 students, with a decreasing ratio as the population of children with special health needs increases. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American School Health Association and the American Nurses Association also support a maximum ratio of one school nurse for every 750 students.
Will there be a school nurse for your child, should he or she need emergency medical help? Does your child's school nurse have a safe, reasonable assignment? If you have any questions about your school's nursing services, don't hesitate to contact your school district.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Community Growth and School Funding
From the BCCT. The graphics from the story are pretty compelling. Take a look at the Bucks districts vs. the Montgomery districts.
Growth at issue in talks
At the heart of Souderton’s contract dispute is whether its growth is helping or hurting its ability to pay teachers more.
By RICH PIETRAS
When weighing the salary issue that remains a big part of the Souderton school strike, the district and the teachers union are telling taxpayers to look at two different things.
The teachers point out that Souderton is growing, and its residential tax base is growing with it. The district argues that while more people are moving in, the school district does not have the commercial tax base that other school districts in Montgomery County enjoy.
That disagreement lies at the heart of the salary dispute that has kept teachers and students out of school for a week. A fruitless negotiating session held Friday lasted only an hour and no new talks are scheduled.
“We acknowledge the school district is growing,” Jeffrey Sultanik, the district’s solicitor and chief negotiator said. “But in comparison to the other districts, we don’t receive the same commercial taxes as others.”
To bolster its case, the district points to the state’s “aid ratio,” a number that combines the number of students in a district, the amount of taxable real estate it has and how much income its residents report and puts it through a formula to help determine how much state aid it will get.
Michael Race, of the state department of education, said that while the aid ratio isn’t the sole factor for determining funding, it is a number that is useful in determining the rank of a district’s residential and commercial wealth.
According to the state, the aid ratio for the Souderton Area School District puts it 16th out of 21 Montgomery County school districts.
Gary Smith, who is representing the teachers union, said solely looking at the aid ratio today does not take into account incoming growth.
“There are certainly a lot of people moving in, but there’s a huge amount of commercial growth occurring right now along the 309 corridor. Souderton is going to be one of the busiest places.”
Smith also contends that the district pleading the case that it is a poorer district is simply not true.
While Souderton ranks 16th in the taxable real estate portion of the aid-ratio formula, it ranks 13th in the personal income category.
While the district says it can’t afford the teachers’ 8.2 percent average salary increase proposal over the next four years, Smith contends the total taxes collected in the district rank seventhhighest in Montgomery County.
The union also contends the school board, which has offered the teachers 2.5 percent over three years, has refused to dip into a nearly $17 million reserve fund to help with new teacher contracts.
“What we’ve found out is Souderton has somewhere between $17 [million] and $20 million in reserved funds, which is around 20 percent of their expenditure. But the Pennsylvania Department of Education advises school districts to hold between 5 and 7 percent of their expenditure in a rainy day fund.”
Sultanik agreed Souderton has a large reserve fund and said the district was willing to spend “some” of that money on new contracts.
“This money is allocated for specific purposes,” Sultanik said. “When you have 7,000 students housed in many buildings that need money for upkeep, and you are also building a new high school, all districts need a fund balance to deal with.
“The fact that we have a savings account, does not mean we spend it all on teachers.”
And if all the statistics, reserve funds and salary demands seem high, the stakes might be higher.
“We have three contracts up, not just one,” Smith said addressing the situation with the teachers, secretaries and aides that have been without contracts since June. “If any of those contracts are not settled, they won’t be opening that new high school next year.”
Growth at issue in talks
At the heart of Souderton’s contract dispute is whether its growth is helping or hurting its ability to pay teachers more.
By RICH PIETRAS
When weighing the salary issue that remains a big part of the Souderton school strike, the district and the teachers union are telling taxpayers to look at two different things.
The teachers point out that Souderton is growing, and its residential tax base is growing with it. The district argues that while more people are moving in, the school district does not have the commercial tax base that other school districts in Montgomery County enjoy.
That disagreement lies at the heart of the salary dispute that has kept teachers and students out of school for a week. A fruitless negotiating session held Friday lasted only an hour and no new talks are scheduled.
“We acknowledge the school district is growing,” Jeffrey Sultanik, the district’s solicitor and chief negotiator said. “But in comparison to the other districts, we don’t receive the same commercial taxes as others.”
To bolster its case, the district points to the state’s “aid ratio,” a number that combines the number of students in a district, the amount of taxable real estate it has and how much income its residents report and puts it through a formula to help determine how much state aid it will get.
Michael Race, of the state department of education, said that while the aid ratio isn’t the sole factor for determining funding, it is a number that is useful in determining the rank of a district’s residential and commercial wealth.
According to the state, the aid ratio for the Souderton Area School District puts it 16th out of 21 Montgomery County school districts.
Gary Smith, who is representing the teachers union, said solely looking at the aid ratio today does not take into account incoming growth.
“There are certainly a lot of people moving in, but there’s a huge amount of commercial growth occurring right now along the 309 corridor. Souderton is going to be one of the busiest places.”
Smith also contends that the district pleading the case that it is a poorer district is simply not true.
While Souderton ranks 16th in the taxable real estate portion of the aid-ratio formula, it ranks 13th in the personal income category.
While the district says it can’t afford the teachers’ 8.2 percent average salary increase proposal over the next four years, Smith contends the total taxes collected in the district rank seventhhighest in Montgomery County.
The union also contends the school board, which has offered the teachers 2.5 percent over three years, has refused to dip into a nearly $17 million reserve fund to help with new teacher contracts.
“What we’ve found out is Souderton has somewhere between $17 [million] and $20 million in reserved funds, which is around 20 percent of their expenditure. But the Pennsylvania Department of Education advises school districts to hold between 5 and 7 percent of their expenditure in a rainy day fund.”
Sultanik agreed Souderton has a large reserve fund and said the district was willing to spend “some” of that money on new contracts.
“This money is allocated for specific purposes,” Sultanik said. “When you have 7,000 students housed in many buildings that need money for upkeep, and you are also building a new high school, all districts need a fund balance to deal with.
“The fact that we have a savings account, does not mean we spend it all on teachers.”
And if all the statistics, reserve funds and salary demands seem high, the stakes might be higher.
“We have three contracts up, not just one,” Smith said addressing the situation with the teachers, secretaries and aides that have been without contracts since June. “If any of those contracts are not settled, they won’t be opening that new high school next year.”
Punishment over Negotiations?
From the Inquirer. It looks like a long series of meetings ahead in Souderton.
But wait. Why should they have all the rancor and angst? There's a second story from the BCCT, and it looks like Morrisville can witness some of the Souderton tough love negotiations right here in our backyard. The Souderton solicitor is going to be representing the Pennsbury school board during this year's contract negotiations.
One of the comments left on the BCCT article provided some food for thought: "How is $77,000 a year, with a master's degree & 15 years of experience, making too much?" It's too much only to the people who wasted their own opportunity at gaining an education and now know it's too late. Bringing others down to their level of knowledge makes then feel better about their own poor choices.
Talks break down in Phila. area school strike
By Dan Hardy, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Sat, Sep. 6, 2008
Talks between striking Souderton Area School District teachers and the school board broke down yesterday morning after one hour, with no progress reported.
Negotiations likely will resume next week, said Bill Lukridge, president of the Souderton Area Education Association, but no date has been set. The strike began Tuesday.
The sides are far apart; the main issues in the 5,900-student district are wages and health-care benefits.
Each side blamed the other for the stalemate.
School board attorney and negotiator Jeffrey Sultanik said that because the strike is in progress, the school board brought up proposals at the session on how many teacher days would be made up, salary retroactivity, and health care payments.
"We had also requested that the union counter our salary proposal that we made on Labor Day, which they had never countered," Sultanik said. After state mediator Jill Leeds Rivera told the board that the union was not countering the salary proposal and not responding to the new strike-related proposals, "she suspended the talks," Sultanik said.
Rob Broderick, a staffer with the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in a statement that "the school board came in and instead of negotiating what was on the table, threw new items onto the table related to what happens after the strike." He added: "The board is obviously more interested in punishing teachers than in negotiating."
The 512-member union's last wage proposal was for a 5.98 percent wage increase in the first year of a four-year agreement, 9.40 percent in the second year, 7.14 percent in the third and 6.90 percent in the fourth. The school board has proposed a three-year contract with increases of 2.5 percent each year.
The school board wants to eliminate the teachers' highest-tier health plan, and to institute higher premium contributions and more co-pays for the remaining two plans. The union wants to leave all three plans in place with the same percentages of premium contributions that are now in effect, and wants improvements.
Even if no agreement is reached, under Pennsylvania law the teachers must return to work by Sept. 24, in time for students to receive 180 days of instruction by June 15, 2009.
The Souderton strike is the only one in the Philadelphia area this fall, but on Wednesday, teachers in Delaware County's Springfield School District authorized their leadership to call a strike if necessary. No strike deadline has been set; a bargaining session Thursday night did not result in an agreement. No further talks have been scheduled.
----------------------------------------------
Souderton solicitor tapped for negotiations
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
Jeffrey Sultanik, the solicitor involved in Souderton's tense contract negotiations, will represent Pennsbury's school board during this year's teacher contract negotiations.
The district's previous contract negotiation in 2005 resulted in a 21-day teacher strike over a salary and benefits dispute.
Contract negotiations in Souderton, where Sultanik is representing the school board, have likewise come to a standstill.
Teachers there are on strike in part because their starting salaries are lower than those of other Montgomery County school districts. The strike has forced schools to remain closed.
The Souderton school board is concerned that teachers in the top tiers of the salary schedule will be overpaid if the union's proposal wins.
According to the union proposal, teachers with a master's degree at step 14 of a 15-step pay scale will receive a $17,280 pay increase.
The board proposed adding further steps to the salary schedule to prevent large differences in pay from one year to the next.
About 40 percent of district teachers are at the highest step.
If a resolution is not reached by Sept. 23, teachers will have to go back to work while arbitration proceedings begin.
At $77,524, Pennsbury's average teacher salary ranks within the top 10 of 727 school districts in the state.
In Souderton, the average teacher salary was $63,158, ranking at 55th in the state in 2006-07, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The district hired Sultanik in late spring after interviewing three attorneys. He is a labor relations lawyer for municipal and school organizations.
“We were very impressed with him when we interviewed him. He seemed to be very well versed in contract negotiations and had a good reputation,” said Gregory Lucidi, Pennsbury's school board president.
Lower Makefield resident Simon Campbell, who closely follows teachers union activities, is pleased with Pennsbury's choice.
“I know a lot of the lawyers that negotiate these contracts, and he has a reputation for being a tough negotiator, which is a good thing. The local school boards are the last line of defense for taxpayers,” he said.
Campbell is president and founder of Stop Teacher Strikes Inc., a group that advocates making teacher strikes illegal in Pennsylvania, one of the 13 states that allow them.
He argues that teachers get paid too much and that union proposals for higher pay are a drain on taxpayers.
Lucidi anticipates starting some negotiation sessions with the Pennsbury Education Association in January so both sides can present their proposals. “We might even start with just a sit-down session to throw ideas around,” he said.
The Courier Times was unsuccessful in reaching union representatives after several attempts Friday afternoon.
But wait. Why should they have all the rancor and angst? There's a second story from the BCCT, and it looks like Morrisville can witness some of the Souderton tough love negotiations right here in our backyard. The Souderton solicitor is going to be representing the Pennsbury school board during this year's contract negotiations.
One of the comments left on the BCCT article provided some food for thought: "How is $77,000 a year, with a master's degree & 15 years of experience, making too much?" It's too much only to the people who wasted their own opportunity at gaining an education and now know it's too late. Bringing others down to their level of knowledge makes then feel better about their own poor choices.
Talks break down in Phila. area school strike
By Dan Hardy, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Sat, Sep. 6, 2008
Talks between striking Souderton Area School District teachers and the school board broke down yesterday morning after one hour, with no progress reported.
Negotiations likely will resume next week, said Bill Lukridge, president of the Souderton Area Education Association, but no date has been set. The strike began Tuesday.
The sides are far apart; the main issues in the 5,900-student district are wages and health-care benefits.
Each side blamed the other for the stalemate.
School board attorney and negotiator Jeffrey Sultanik said that because the strike is in progress, the school board brought up proposals at the session on how many teacher days would be made up, salary retroactivity, and health care payments.
"We had also requested that the union counter our salary proposal that we made on Labor Day, which they had never countered," Sultanik said. After state mediator Jill Leeds Rivera told the board that the union was not countering the salary proposal and not responding to the new strike-related proposals, "she suspended the talks," Sultanik said.
Rob Broderick, a staffer with the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in a statement that "the school board came in and instead of negotiating what was on the table, threw new items onto the table related to what happens after the strike." He added: "The board is obviously more interested in punishing teachers than in negotiating."
The 512-member union's last wage proposal was for a 5.98 percent wage increase in the first year of a four-year agreement, 9.40 percent in the second year, 7.14 percent in the third and 6.90 percent in the fourth. The school board has proposed a three-year contract with increases of 2.5 percent each year.
The school board wants to eliminate the teachers' highest-tier health plan, and to institute higher premium contributions and more co-pays for the remaining two plans. The union wants to leave all three plans in place with the same percentages of premium contributions that are now in effect, and wants improvements.
Even if no agreement is reached, under Pennsylvania law the teachers must return to work by Sept. 24, in time for students to receive 180 days of instruction by June 15, 2009.
The Souderton strike is the only one in the Philadelphia area this fall, but on Wednesday, teachers in Delaware County's Springfield School District authorized their leadership to call a strike if necessary. No strike deadline has been set; a bargaining session Thursday night did not result in an agreement. No further talks have been scheduled.
----------------------------------------------
Souderton solicitor tapped for negotiations
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
Jeffrey Sultanik, the solicitor involved in Souderton's tense contract negotiations, will represent Pennsbury's school board during this year's teacher contract negotiations.
The district's previous contract negotiation in 2005 resulted in a 21-day teacher strike over a salary and benefits dispute.
Contract negotiations in Souderton, where Sultanik is representing the school board, have likewise come to a standstill.
Teachers there are on strike in part because their starting salaries are lower than those of other Montgomery County school districts. The strike has forced schools to remain closed.
The Souderton school board is concerned that teachers in the top tiers of the salary schedule will be overpaid if the union's proposal wins.
According to the union proposal, teachers with a master's degree at step 14 of a 15-step pay scale will receive a $17,280 pay increase.
The board proposed adding further steps to the salary schedule to prevent large differences in pay from one year to the next.
About 40 percent of district teachers are at the highest step.
If a resolution is not reached by Sept. 23, teachers will have to go back to work while arbitration proceedings begin.
At $77,524, Pennsbury's average teacher salary ranks within the top 10 of 727 school districts in the state.
In Souderton, the average teacher salary was $63,158, ranking at 55th in the state in 2006-07, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The district hired Sultanik in late spring after interviewing three attorneys. He is a labor relations lawyer for municipal and school organizations.
“We were very impressed with him when we interviewed him. He seemed to be very well versed in contract negotiations and had a good reputation,” said Gregory Lucidi, Pennsbury's school board president.
Lower Makefield resident Simon Campbell, who closely follows teachers union activities, is pleased with Pennsbury's choice.
“I know a lot of the lawyers that negotiate these contracts, and he has a reputation for being a tough negotiator, which is a good thing. The local school boards are the last line of defense for taxpayers,” he said.
Campbell is president and founder of Stop Teacher Strikes Inc., a group that advocates making teacher strikes illegal in Pennsylvania, one of the 13 states that allow them.
He argues that teachers get paid too much and that union proposals for higher pay are a drain on taxpayers.
Lucidi anticipates starting some negotiation sessions with the Pennsbury Education Association in January so both sides can present their proposals. “We might even start with just a sit-down session to throw ideas around,” he said.
The Courier Times was unsuccessful in reaching union representatives after several attempts Friday afternoon.
Anyone Have Ed Rendell's Phone Number?
From WSB TV, Atlanta
Judge Recommends Governor Remove 4 Clayton School Board Members
POSTED: 3:09 pm EDT August 27, 2008
UPDATED: 1:48 pm EDT August 28, 2008
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. -- A state judge recommended Wednesday that Gov. Sonny Perdue remove four members of the Clayton County school board.
Judge Michael M. Malihi said, "It is the recommendation of this court that Sandra Scott, Lois Baines-Hunter, A. Michelle Strong, and Yolanda Everett be removed from their positions as members of the Clayton County Board of Education."
# PDF: Recommended Decision To Governor
Malihi said they should be removed for violating the state's open meetings act and the ethics code.
The judge's recommendation comes just a day before the National Accreditation Commission reveals if Clayton County's schools will stay accredited. The commission will vote Wednesday night and the results will be announced Thursday. Losing accreditation could put students in jeopardy of not gaining admission to many colleges and not getting scholarships.
Judge Recommends Governor Remove 4 Clayton School Board Members
POSTED: 3:09 pm EDT August 27, 2008
UPDATED: 1:48 pm EDT August 28, 2008
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. -- A state judge recommended Wednesday that Gov. Sonny Perdue remove four members of the Clayton County school board.
Judge Michael M. Malihi said, "It is the recommendation of this court that Sandra Scott, Lois Baines-Hunter, A. Michelle Strong, and Yolanda Everett be removed from their positions as members of the Clayton County Board of Education."
# PDF: Recommended Decision To Governor
Malihi said they should be removed for violating the state's open meetings act and the ethics code.
The judge's recommendation comes just a day before the National Accreditation Commission reveals if Clayton County's schools will stay accredited. The commission will vote Wednesday night and the results will be announced Thursday. Losing accreditation could put students in jeopardy of not gaining admission to many colleges and not getting scholarships.
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