From not me: Another change in the budget? or retaliation? Facts: Prior to March 11 -- SPS contacted the Stillwater Police Dept. about the cost of SROs, and the SPS administration made the decision to decrease the budget for SROs from $75,000 (for 3 SROs) to $25,000 (1 SRO). March 11-- An SRO submitted the required form to speak at the school board meeting but was not acknowledged to speak. March 11 -- An SRO made the SRO reduction of staff information known to the public. By March 24 -- SPS had notified the Stillwater Police Dept. that SPS did not want ANY SROs for the upcoming school year. Observation: The SRO situation seems like a prime example of what happens when someone speaks against our current administrations decisions. Opinion: Cutting the SRO program from 3 officers to 1 officers was a bad decision. And the bad decision got worse when the SPS district decided to cut the SRO program completely and admitted at the Board of Education meeting Monday, March 24 that the district didnt have an alternate plan for security. Fear of retaliation. This is also why most elementary/secondary teachers and elementary/secondary administrators have not spoken publicly and why they have chosen not to speak during Dr. Caines committee meetings in recent years. If there is disagreement with a pre-conceived plan, many employees feel that there is the possibility of retaliation by the current administration. Fact: Principals and vice-principals are employed on ONE-year contracts. Observation: Many of our outstanding principals and assistant principals fear retaliation (non-renewal of contract) by our current administration. Fact: Tenured teachers are guaranteed a job in the district, but they are NOT guaranteed their current position at their current school. Observation: Many of our outstanding career teachers who have dedicated decades to a school they know and love fear the retaliation of being reassigned to another school site. Summary: When Dr. Caine continues to proudly announce that certain decisions were not made by her, but by district committees, the public needs to understand how these committee decisions might be in name only because many employees are afraid to speak during the meetings. When Dr. Caine proudly announces that she sought input and sent out surveys, the public might question if she values this input just as much as she seemed to listen during the March 24 school board meeting.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 01:30:13 +0000
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