Areas to Trim Budgets

Hey Dude, we're just happy to have someone who we know where they are and know what they do. With our previous Associate (Dean) he became a "librarian" after the first week of school and hibernated there for the remainder of the year. Of course, no one cared, though, since we didn't have to smell the smoke and the bo. Oh yes, he did manage to sell DISD information to other districts as well as various other underhanded deeds and leave campus every half hour to circle the school and smoke. Our current Dean gets to school at 6:30 a.m. and leaves at 8:00 p.m... You'll certainly never see him not working. Not to mention the thousands of dollars of grants and awards he has written to benefit our students and our school. People like you make me sick. If you have a problem with someone why don't you act like a man or woman or both, and just tell someone to their face instead of concealing yourself with these stupid messages. You have all the traits of a coward. Afraid of something?
And one last thought, our current associate's wife is a CFO of a large corporation. I doubt seriously that she needed DISD to pay for her plane ticket since she has an unlimited expense account from her company. She could probably buy you several times and never miss a penny.

supply and demand. If they cut science stipends, science teachers will go somewhere else.

I too am concerned that many teachers are given the bilingual stipend but are teaching general education, ESL, and/or bilingual students in "English" in core subjects such as math, science, and social studies at the upper elementary level. For example, a general education teacher could hold a position to teach 4th gr. science and save the district money. But no, the MLEP department tells the principal his school needs two bilingual teachers at that grade level. The general ed. teachers get shuffled up or down and bilingual teachers get moved up or get recruited from a Spanish-speaking country. What happens? After a couple of years of being shuffled up and down, the general ed teacher(s) leaves the district, the scores go down in math, and the teachers in 5th grade complain the kids don't know enough English.

DISD needs to make sure bilingual students are served by bilingual teachers in Reading/LA. That is the state's expectation. As far as the science and math go, PLACE the MOST QUALIFIED teachers in those positions. If that is a bilingual-certified teacher, fine. If not, allow the quality gen. ed or ESL certified teachers to teach in their areas of expertise in the upper grades instead of leaving the district.

Hinojosa has a chofer that gets paid over $80,000 a year!!!! Just got a new SUV to ride in also. All at distric cost! He also has 3 secretaries. Now Hinojosa lived in Dallas and can drive himself around! Even if he did'nt know his way around Dallas, a GPS is way cheaper than $80k for a chofer.

"the office manager is in charge....but often have no idea of who can work what". That's DISD .. put a person in charge of something they do not have the time or needed information to do the job..

Why does everything seem to cost millions of dollars?? Attorney fees to fight the Catholic Church for land - stupid expenditure, anyone with any common sense would know you can't take the Pope's land; audit fees - are the books in such a mess that it takes the auditors forever to understand and review the finances?? Exactly who are these million dollar consultants and what do they do?? And what is the 'transformation' department - what do those people do?? Anyone know where I can find job descriptions for these individuals??

I would like to respond to the item concerning the salaries of Mike Watkins and Merriam Long, or Patricia Gage as most of us know her. Evidently, the author who questions their salaries is unaware that all extra work is not paid on an hourly basis. For example, stipends are given for many jobs instead of the hourly wage. Often the amount of money one receives in the stipend does not reflect the number of hours actually worked on the job and is actually less than what one would have received if he/she had been paid by the hour. But this is not the issue I want to address. I am stunned that someone would be upset with people who are willing to do extra work. I have known Mike Watkins and Patricia Gage for several years. Although I have not known Mike as long as I have known Patricia, I know that in the time he has been at White he has worked tirelessly to bring positive programs and attention to the school. As both a counselor and an associate dean, Mike has had a positive influence on students and has worked diligently to help them succeed. His efforts have resulted in the school’s receiving grants and positive recognition.

I have known Patricia for over twenty years. To say she works hard is an understatement. Patricia volunteers for jobs and tasks no one else will take on. She does this in addition to her demanding roles as AP teacher /tutor, yearbook sponsor, FTA sponsor, and department chair. She thrives on being productive. Isn’t this a quality we would like to model for our students? Let me also dispel the notion that she may just take a job to look good on her resume. Patricia commits herself fully to any task she takes on, most of the time going far beyond the requirements of the job. In addition, Patricia has organized activities for students and staff in need, most recently for a desperately ill student in one of her classes.

Patricia is passionate about her career. Teaching is not just a job to her. Students who have never taken an AP course before are inspired by her guidance and are often surprised to learn that they can handle the difficult material. She models generosity by hosting holiday parties for her SAGA staff and hosting or co-hosting showers for staff members and by contributing money to organizations and fund raisers. She models loyalty by being an advocate for students, teachers, and the school. She models diligence by working with students to help them succeed. She models good will by being positive in her interactions with the school and community. As a result of her expertise, Patricia is often asked to speak at workshops which reflects well on both the district and the school.

Passionate. Diligent. Hard working. Optimistic. Enthusiastic. Aren’t these qualities we would like to see in our students’ teachers? Aren’t teachers such as these worth the money they are paid? I wonder if the person who questioned these salaries has considered the negative impact the loss of people such as Mike and Patricia would cause. Personally, I would rather work with colleagues who build people up than with those who try to tear people down.

Merriam Long does not work at White.

Are those people math or science? They could also be ESL, or SPED. They could serve in the bookroom, on CILT, write ACP's, CPG's, teach staff development. They can also work summer school, as you said.

Wait a minute. What about the CEI thing? That bonus? What if a RIFFED teacher gets one? Will they still get it?

Where are our CEI's????????????????????????????????????

The Eleven on waivers account for over 1.4 million dollars in salary. This doesn't include the benefits and other perks. How can Ron Price say RIF teachers who don't live in Dallas when there are 11 folks at over 100k each who were REQUIRED to live in Dallas and Hinojosa and the Board--including Price--gave them a bye?

Several teachers get money from AP Strategies, sponsor yearbook, etc. Don't be quick to judge teachers until you know exactly how much they do. Many AP Teachers also get $150 per student who makes a 3 or above on the AP Test. One year a teacher had 100 students make a 3 or above and she got around $15,000 plus her tutoring and longevity pay.