Friday's Madison Daily Leader reports that Madison Central School District business manager Cindy Callies has submitted her resignation effective February 28. The district will be playing no retire-rehire charade as happened with the superintendents at Madison and Chester last year; instead, Callies will take early retirement and go to work for First Madison Insurance.
Callies is currently the lowest-paid administrator in the school district, earning $59,948 per year. Five other teachers—Carolyn Goldhammer, James Miller, Sonya Thayer, Delora Sims and Colleen Graff—have applied for early retirement. Their salaries plus the business manager's add up to $292,106... 53% of the amount Governor Dennis Daugaard and Senator Russell Olson want to cut from our school budget. If we can get six or seven more teachers to retire and not refill their positions, we could absorb the state's proposed cuts. Or, if the state cuts don't materialize, those savings would bring us one quarter of the way to covering the more than one-million-dollar additional debt burden the district wants to impose for the new gym and high school renovation.
Of course, we probably can't do without a school official authorized to sign the checks and keep the books. We probably also can't do entirely without a senior grammar and composition teacher.
But if we can hire fresh college graduates with no experience or advanced degrees for these positions, we could give them each the newbie salary of $30,000. The retiring teachers each make over $45,000. Hiring youth and inexperience could thus save us $112,000.
And saving money is our first priority in education, right?
From what I can understand about the way the budgets work, the real effect of decrease funding will hit not this year but next year.
Another interesting point to consider before the bond election: bond interest rates may rise dramatically very soon. There are plans to bring legislation before Congress to let states declare bankruptcy so that they can rid themselves of the sometimes overwhelming burden of debt and retirement pensions. Many states have made promises that they cannot keep and default may be the only way out of their problem. If the legislation is even entered as a bill, the costs associated with any bond issue will go up.
An even more interesting point to consider: is it responsible budgeting to make a huge financial commitment like thus and sop up over a million dollars a year in available tax burden before we know how much we'll have to raise taxes to maintain services in the face of budget cuts? This bond issue is dead in the water. We need to wait until the Legislature decides how much it wants to punish education before we commit any local taxes to a luxury gym and necessary renovations. We can't spend until we know how much we can afford.
Maybe districts should hire high school graduates. After all - they're not teaching college here. Or maybe just fire all the teachers and hire brand-new college graduates. All that experience can't be worth much.
(This could be tongue-in-cheek)
I now understand why they need to remodel! With the Governor's cuts they need to increase the square footage of the classrooms so that each teacher can have room to fit and teach 40+ students at a time. Good Job Madison way to be ahead of the curb.......
Notice that Mrs. Callies, the lowest paid administrator in the school district, is paid $13,000 more than any of the teachers planning for early retirement. And, at $59,948, she's making (and, thus, all the school administrators are making) far more than almost anybody else in Lake County. Certainly more than anybody at the various factories, etc., that the Chamber etc. are always priding themselves on luring into town. So, since teachers already go really cheap here, maybe the thing to do is get all the administrators to retire early, and hire new college or high school grads for their positions. Tongue only partly in cheek.
The business manager opening is a great opportunity for some one out there knowledgeable about the accrual accounting system and how to use the accounting software, school finance, taxes, budgeting, accounts payable, accounts receivables, insurance, payroll, benefits, state aid, election rules and auditing to step into the arena and show what you can do! It doesn't hurt to have at least a 4 year degree in accounting or related field plus previous experience in school business affairs. And with all the unemployment out there you would expect a high number of candidates for the position. Realize too, that once hired, many will know how to do your job better than you.