APS Budget Process

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Student facing positions must be prioritized. That’s it.

Just because you don't see what someone does doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. You sound like Elon Musk.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:A couple of years ago, Duran gave all of the central office staff (that don’t work in schools) paid vacation for Christmas break and Spring break, in addition to the leave they already accrue (about three weeks). No other school district in the area does this. I am curious as to why the cost of that is not included in this report.

Probably because it didn’t change their salaries and isn’t paid out when they leave.

But it absolutely costs us in terms of FTEs required to do the job or potential productivity lost.

It’s also a way to keep or attract people to work in some of the harder to fill HR jobs, the report notes that we have vacancies there. I understand why school-based staff is annoyed by it but cutting it makes us less competitive with other districts that allow more WFH than we do and doesn’t save any money (outside of whatever is paid out at retirement or annual leave when employment ends. It’s nothing but doesn’t close any gaps)

*it’s not nothing

it's not something either. move on.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I am fine with APS security rather than SROs. Though I agree police would have been much more highly trained, I would expect they were costing Arlington tax payers more on the whole while staffing our schools. Regardless of how we got here, it's frustrating that cost of security is now falling on the schools and contributing to APS budget strain since ACPD is so understaffed. SROs wouldn't come back even if the community was 100% unified behind it.

As for the Baker-Tilly report, I've read the whole thing and there may be a handful of savings opportunities. That said, most of those cuts are not actionable due to preexisting pips or a gross misunderstanding of how schools operate. They have charts showing how bloated APS is at the top, but none of the recommendations touch on the top-heaviness of the organization. On top of that, the administrators have a much better union than the teachers, custodians, and bus drivers, so TLDR the most vulnerable staff are most vulnerable to painful cuts. I expect those are cuts that are also likely to affect students' experience.

Yes, student-facing roles like library assistants and exemplary projects teachers being cut also means that lost planning time will need to be made up somehow.

Exemplary project teachers: are they typically additional staff that only deal with the exemplary project and absolutely nothing else? or are they other teachers/staff taking on the extra role?
Either way, they might as well save the costs of buying and administering exemplary projects. If it's an "extra" staff person, they could be reassigned.

At my school they teach science lessons

But are they exemplary project teachers only, or are they a "regular" teacher taking on extra duties?

they plan and teach lessons. They do not have recess duty because they are part-time.

So then, they are an "extra" staff person who would otherwise not be employed by the school if not for the exemplary project.
I would support dropping the entire exemplary project program, or dropping the exemplary projects and making those teachers "regular" teachers or assistants or floaters who can fill-in as needed and give some teachers some planning time.

Penny wise, pound foolish.

Why are we dropping science teachers when we should be pushing for better funding from the county and state?

we're not dropping science teachers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Student facing positions must be prioritized. That’s it.

Just because you don't see what someone does doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. You sound like Elon Musk.

You sound like someone who sits in a cubical at Syphax all day. You recently got three extra weeks of vacation. You’re like a Director, or a Chief, a Coordinator, or maybe a Supervisor. Maybe a “specialist”? Your assistant has an assistant. I’m a teacher who emails you five separate times about the same thing (all on my “lunch” break) and can never get a response from you because I don’t matter too much, but I’m the one working with kids, and the kids are supposed to be why you’re there. So no… I don’t need you.

[Anonymous]

You email someone five separate times on one lunch break?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am fine with APS security rather than SROs. Though I agree police would have been much more highly trained, I would expect they were costing Arlington tax payers more on the whole while staffing our schools. Regardless of how we got here, it's frustrating that cost of security is now falling on the schools and contributing to APS budget strain since ACPD is so understaffed. SROs wouldn't come back even if the community was 100% unified behind it.

As for the Baker-Tilly report, I've read the whole thing and there may be a handful of savings opportunities. That said, most of those cuts are not actionable due to preexisting pips or a gross misunderstanding of how schools operate. They have charts showing how bloated APS is at the top, but none of the recommendations touch on the top-heaviness of the organization. On top of that, the administrators have a much better union than the teachers, custodians, and bus drivers, so TLDR the most vulnerable staff are most vulnerable to painful cuts. I expect those are cuts that are also likely to affect students' experience.

Yes, student-facing roles like library assistants and exemplary projects teachers being cut also means that lost planning time will need to be made up somehow.

I don't think library assistants and exemplary project coordinators are supervising classes.

Who do you think checks out the books and keeps the library open during the librarian’s planning time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You email someone five separate times on one lunch break?

No, but I suppose that was cute. You need cuts up there. Point blank.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Student facing positions must be prioritized. That’s it.

Just because you don't see what someone does doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. You sound like Elon Musk.

You sound like someone who sits in a cubical at Syphax all day. You recently got three extra weeks of vacation. You’re like a Director, or a Chief, a Coordinator, or maybe a Supervisor. Maybe a “specialist”? Your assistant has an assistant. I’m a teacher who emails you five separate times about the same thing (all on my “lunch” break) and can never get a response from you because I don’t matter too much, but I’m the one working with kids, and the kids are supposed to be why you’re there. So no… I don’t need you.

I promise you I do not work at Syphax, and I do not have one of those fancy titles. But I question your assumption that just because it's a lot of money or a big number of positions must mean it's bloat. Name the specific positions that don't do anything and then let's talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Student facing positions must be prioritized. That’s it.

Just because you don't see what someone does doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. You sound like Elon Musk.

You sound like someone who sits in a cubical at Syphax all day. You recently got three extra weeks of vacation. You’re like a Director, or a Chief, a Coordinator, or maybe a Supervisor. Maybe a “specialist”? Your assistant has an assistant. I’m a teacher who emails you five separate times about the same thing (all on my “lunch” break) and can never get a response from you because I don’t matter too much, but I’m the one working with kids, and the kids are supposed to be why you’re there. So no… I don’t need you.

I promise you I do not work at Syphax, and I do not have one of those fancy titles. But I question your assumption that just because it's a lot of money or a big number of positions must mean it's bloat. Name the specific positions that don't do anything and then let's talk.

They get months of paid vacation, unlike teachers. Have them work during that time and reduce the overall number of positions.

How can you argue that student-facing positions aren’t the priority?

If teachers can be told to do more with fewer resources, admin can be given the same line.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it really works that way. Some of those positions have busy times of year and not busy times. It's not just uniform. If you give time off during a quiet time, that doesn't mean fewer people are needed when it's busy.

[Anonymous]

Where’s a list of all Syphax roles?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it really works that way. Some of those positions have busy times of year and not busy times. It's not just uniform. If you give time off during a quiet time, that doesn't mean fewer people are needed when it's busy.

Do you have kids in APS? I do, and I also work there- in a classroom. I don’t want my kids in bigger classes to preserve the role of highly paid specialists that never come in contact with my kids. I’m also telling you they are not making a difference in my work with students. You’re getting more having for your buck on me, I promise you. Wake up. Read the report the independent analysts put out. Bloat is the operative word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it really works that way. Some of those positions have busy times of year and not busy times. It's not just uniform. If you give time off during a quiet time, that doesn't mean fewer people are needed when it's busy.

Do you have kids in APS? I do, and I also work there- in a classroom. I don’t want my kids in bigger classes to preserve the role of highly paid specialists that never come in contact with my kids. I’m also telling you they are not making a difference in my work with students. You’re getting more having for your buck on me, I promise you. Wake up. Read the report the independent analysts put out. Bloat is the operative word.

More bang for your buck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it really works that way. Some of those positions have busy times of year and not busy times. It's not just uniform. If you give time off during a quiet time, that doesn't mean fewer people are needed when it's busy.

Yeah? That “quiet” time is supposed to be used effectively to prepare for the work done in schools. It’s not. It’s vacation now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it really works that way. Some of those positions have busy times of year and not busy times. It's not just uniform. If you give time off during a quiet time, that doesn't mean fewer people are needed when it's busy.

Do you have kids in APS? I do, and I also work there- in a classroom. I don’t want my kids in bigger classes to preserve the role of highly paid specialists that never come in contact with my kids. I’m also telling you they are not making a difference in my work with students. You’re getting more having for your buck on me, I promise you. Wake up. Read the report the independent analysts put out. Bloat is the operative word.

Yes I have kids in APS and yes I read the report. Still waiting for you to name the Syphax positions you would cut. I may agree with you when I hear some of them, but I definitely don't agree with a vague "gotta cut the bloat!" Again it just screams Elon.