8/9/2019 RVE Overview & Budget

1/7

Securing our future is a challenge, but

there are viable alternatives to current proposal.

Projected revenues are down. Expenses exceed revenue. Hence a budget shortfall. Recently passed Act I (taxpayer relief bill) limits our School Boards authority to increase taxes. Each year

an index will be set. This years index for our district is 2.9%. Each district may also apply for setexceptions. Example, Haverford SD passed a 5.9% increase to a millage of 24.47.

For 2010-11, the RTSD Board may raise taxes up to 5%. That is the index plus additional % forapproved exceptions.

In preliminary votes, RTSDs Board voted for 2.9%. Final vote is on June 22 2010. Challenging times require fiscal responsibility.

Fiscal responsibility: identify and eliminate waste in non core competencies. Teacher Salaries actuals & averages reflect years service and education (not relative salary) To compare relative salaries, compare salary scales per contract. Radnor salary scale is not competitive with Upper Merion (nor Lower Merion) (see p 4)The current proposal of furloughing 2 dozen teachers plus 20 aides will have short and long term

impact.

Short term: students needs may be overlooked or take longer to meet. (see page 5) Short term: students experience loss of personnel Medium term: now Radnor has balance of experienced and newer teachers>> ideal for transfer of diverse

ideas. Furlough newer teachers >> upsets the balance >> organization leans toward stagnation.

Long term: best candidates less likely to accept Radnors offer & quality changes.

Radnor Values Education: OverviewJun 2010

8/9/2019 RVE Overview & Budget

2/7

Fiscal Responsibility: ExpensesIn response to the budget is impossible to understand (stakeholder comment,see

graph 2008-9 Overall Budget Breakdown

Calculation Basis 1 pg Summary Budget Analysis (Final) 2008-9 Source: RTSD Website Professional Personnel (Certificated) Salaries for 2008-9 (latest available)

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Segmentation categories determined by Job as submitted to PDE

Salaries Other = (Total Salaries per 1pg summary) (Professional Salaries per PDE)

We must spend considerable focus on eliminating fiscal waste - waste defined as thenon value add especially the areas that are the non core competencies.

Strategies to eliminate waste

1) Pay less for virtually the same product or servicea) Tactic: shop for more competitive healthcare plan (with similar coverage)b) Tactic: Outsource non-core competencies: transport, technology infrastructurec) Tactic: pursue purchasing power/discounts for supplies, equipment, energy, grounds, etc

2) Understand costs vs. benefits to eliminate/reduce expenses where low benefit

p 2

Eliminating Fiscal Waste is a Tedious, but Rewarding Process

8/9/2019 RVE Overview & Budget

3/7

32.7% Teachers,

Guidance, Nurse

Base Salaries

0.7% Psychologists & Social Worker Salaries

1.5% Principals

Base salaries

RTSD 2008-9 Budget Breakdown

2.5% District Admin

(Cer,ficated only)

Base Salaries15.2% Salaries (Aides

Assistants Facili,es &

Transport)

19.4 %

Benefits

All Staff

12.5%Purchased

Services

3.6% Supplies

0.8% Equipment

11.1% Debt Service

8/9/2019 RVE Overview & Budget

4/7

p 4

Years of Service

RTSD Salaries NOT competitive with neighboring districts(for this educational level and year)

SalaryCompare 2009-10 salary scale for Masters Degree

8/9/2019 RVE Overview & Budget

5/7

Instructional Support Critical to Meet Needs of All Learners

The current proposal guts the core of our instructional support with a potential affect on every learner.

This process has been in Radnor for 10+ years and is a Core Competency. The instructional support process

enables the staff to collectively identify and meet the needs of all learners as quickly and accurately as

possible. An IST teacher is a generalist who observes and assesses students, works with teachers to id strategies,

provides learning support to students and monitors effectiveness. As a common thread on all cases, the

IST teacher can apply standards consistently, is efficient in documentation and has a broad database of

strategies to share among different cases.

Transferring IST responsibility to the classroom teacher reduces attention to the solid middle, therebyleaving them vulnerable.

Transferring IST responsibility to Guidance means less time for necessary interventions and leavesstudents more vulnerable to social-emotional distractions.

Transferring IST responsibility to Learning Support is inefficient: a specialist sees through a coloredlens and doesnt have the breadth of a generalist.

To date, there has been no detailed design or test of a new process with the IST Teacher role eliminated. Itseems it will take longer to identify a students learning challenge whether it stems from a learning

preference or delay, medical condition, learning disability, gifted capacity, or socio-emotional reasons as

well as put more solid learners at risk.

The reduction of gifted teachers will put Radnor out of compliance in case load. Having a gifted capacity is a learning challenge just as is a learning disability. Counting classroom

teachers as teachers of the gifted for caseload purposes shows disregard for the complexity of students

needs. It interprets Pa. Code 16.41(3) in a manner that deviates from usual and customary practice across

the state.

Furlough Example 1: Instructional Support

8/9/2019 RVE Overview & Budget

6/7

Perspective:

Gutting our core competency (instructional support) or

furlough of a brilliant elementary music teacher

because of rising benefits costsseems to lack long term perspective.

Healthcare and pension costs are not just a Radnor issue Pennsylvania cannot allow all of its 500 school districts to go bankrupt. There is

legislation in the works HB 2135 and SB 1185 to find a workable solution re:PSERs, the pension plan which suffered investment losses (like everyone else).

Other districts are exploring alternatives (healthcare plans) not cutting staff.

Yes, Act 1 legislation will continue. Real estate revenue may not rise.

In challenging fiscal times, it is essential that we stay engaged.

- Dialogue candidly and meaningfully- Collaborate to create robust, creative solutions- Share the burden

p 6

8/9/2019 RVE Overview & Budget

7/7

Viable Alternates to Current Proposal

WhoBoard

Teachers

Administration

Taxpayers

Families

Board

p 7

WhatFind more competitive healthcare

Accept healthcare plan/premium

2 year contract

Reduce district admin by additional 1

Hire educated community for $1/project.

3.9%=$248 increase

5% = $318 increase

Activities Fee ~$100/student

(hardship waiver available)

Temporary loan from $8 million general

fund until activities fees collected

Share the Burden Today to Secure our Future.

# Teachers-

TBA

-

2

8

17-18

4-5

$ impact-

TBA

-

$ 150,000

$ 600,000

$1,300,000

$ 360,000

Apr 28 proposal: real estate tax increase of 2.9% ($185 for average property) and furlough of 24 teachers

Teachers being furloughed have least seniority. Estimate $72,000/teacher ($54k salary + $18k benefits).