Publicity in TimeSizing News

[justfacts]

Hey! Back in January of 2004, this Newspaper Editor had a very valid comment about Rich-man. Too bad we didn't follow it then! See end of article.

[Here's an odd one where a school board thinks four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days from its secretaries entitles it to reduce their vacation days. No net effect for timesizing except in the regressive cut in vacation time -]

Plainedge School District in employee dispute with secretaries, by Christina Troiano, Massapequa Post [NY].

PLAINEDGE, N.Y. - Despite two court decisions against them, Plainedge School District officials said last week that they will continue to fight a contract dispute over vacation time with the Plainedge School secretaries. Meanwhile, officials for the unit said the district has "cheated" the employees over time and that their continued refusal to abide by the contract is going to cost taxpayers dearly.

The dispute, which began in the summer of 2000, involves the question of vacation days. At that time, the district settled a contract with the secretaries changing their five-day week to a four-day week. As a result the district reduced their vacation days from 15 to 12 to represent the shorter work week.
But Barbara Fisch, president of the Plainedge educational secretaries, said the employees are still working the same number of hours over the four days and are, therefore, entitled to the same number of vacation days they enjoyed under the five-day week.
Not so, said Superintendent of Schools John Richman. "I think it is illogical for the secretaries to think they would be entitled to extra vacation when they have every Friday off from work," he said.

[This is the kind of cluelessness we're up against. People who can't see the difference between four 8-hour days and four 10-hour days.]

"I think we have a legitimate claim and are entitled to the right to pursue all the legal avenues available to us."

Fisch [however] said the contract did not specify that the vacation days would be reduced, and the district is therefore in violation of the contract.
"The district has been charging them every summer so when this is resolved there will be damages that have extended over many years and the compensation will have to be settled," said Louis Stober, an attorney representing the secretaries from the law offices of Louis D. Stober Jr. in Garden City.

"The courts agreed, but Plainedge wants to appeal again, and all this costs money," Fisch said. "I obtained the records through the district through freedom of information and found out that about $31,000 has been used for legal fees, because Dr. Richmond has cheated the secretaries. It is using taxpayers’ money."

The issue has been brought to court and the decision was in favor of the secretaries. The district then took it to the Nassau County Supreme Court where Honorable Judge Joseph Covello was in favor of the secretaries. The district is now preparing to bring the case to the New York State Appellate Division, 2nd department. However, according to Stober the appeals division takes very few of these type of cases.
In the meantime, the district is spending money on legal fees and putting off the inevitable. Stober said that the secretaries have won every step of the way and that the court has held unequivocally that the district was in violation.

"It is a standard breech of contract and they (the district) will be out of appeals soon," Stober said. "There will have to be a readjustment of vacation time or a monetary reimbursement. It will probably be a mixture of both because some employees may not still be employed by the district."
"We have been fighting this grievance for many years," Eileen Miele, recording secretary for the Civil Service Employees Assoc. (CSEA) Union said. "Unfortunately the district is appealing again and we are going to fight it to the bitter end."

"The issue doesn’t make any sense at all," Richman said. "It’s not reasonable at all."

[Again, the cluelessness of this guy, who can't tell the difference between 40 hours a week (4x10) and 32 hours a week (4x8). Time for a major campaign to get him OUT of this job before he bankrupts taxpayers by his pointless but persistent litigation.]

Deputy Superintendant Jeff Burns agrees and said that the district will do everything it can do legally to protect the taxpayers.

[Go Plainedge!]

What was the final outcome? Or, is this still in court?

[techie]

Very interesting, the comments made by the author of that article should have been followed.
I''m trying to find out the outcome myself. Was it really worth $31,000. +++ to fight this? I happen to think that 40 hours are 40 hours no matter how you put it. Then again, it does make sense to take back the agreed upon vacation days so there would be more money for the Superintendent's salary.

Then also, how many of you saw this article in NEWSDAY.(yes I know I said I wouldn't buy it anymore but online means I still don't support it!)


FALL LEARNING SECTION
Back to school for all
Happily, there's still more to learn in continuing ed


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BY STACEY ALTHERR
STAFF WRITER

August 14, 2005

At night and on weekends this fall, as they do each year, Long Island school halls will fill with students, many long past graduation age.

These legions of learners make up the Island's continuing education classes.

Local districts offer courses to satisfy a number of appetites, from basic skills such as computer and job training, to lessons in golf and music appreciation. For decades, school districts have catered to those tastes, but in years such as this, when 21 school budgets have failed Islandwide, continuing education programs could be in danger, educators say.

In Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs, only two public schools - Forest Hills High School and South Shore High School in Queens - still offer classes, although the local colleges and universities have filed the void with their own nonmatriculating classes.

Important for everyone

Western Suffolk BOCES said its enrollment numbers are steady at about 16,000 a year, but in the Plainedge School District, austerity has forced the elimination of continuing education for the past two years. "The program provided a sense of community, but this year especially, we're on contingency and we can't run any programs that cost the district money," said Superintendent John A. Richman.

Continuing education has been a stalwart in the community for decades, according to Paul E. Manzo, assistant principal and supervisor of the community education program for the Sachem School District. "I find that the continuing education program is the center of the school," Manzo said. "By parents and other adults attending, they are demonstrating the importance of education to their children." Sachem has about 2,500 registrants a year in its program, and is subsidized by the district. Manzo also said that continuing education reaches out to all ages in the community, pointing to a new computer class geared toward senior citizens. "[Seniors] are the backbone of this community, and it's time to give something back to them."

Course listings in districts this year vary from history, art and music to basic educational needs, including accounting and computer skills. Courses also are offered in job training areas such as medical billing and animal care.

Barry Pearl, principal of the Adult Center at Forest Hills High School in Queens, said that continuing education courses are essential for those professions where follow-up training is needed to keep up on licensing and jobs. "In some areas of insurance, medicine and real estate, it's required by law," Pearl said. "Secretaries and administrative assistants need to know Word and Excel now. Not just to move up, but not to be moved out of their jobs."



Learning and enjoying

Carol Miller, director of continuing education at Locust Valley School District, said that as in many Long Island districts, Locust Valley's program is self-sustaining, paid for by course registration fees. She has seen the trends in course offerings change from more basic educational classes to more social ones, such as volleyball, basketball, health and exercise. She cited the district's popular "culinary delights" series, where chefs from area restaurants cook a meal and serve it to the class. "Knitting became popular about two semesters ago," she added. The district recently added dodge ball after seeing a surge of popularity.

Locust Valley resident Joan Rosa, a regular attendee in the "culinary delights" class, said she loves the courses. "They do the cooking," she said. "We sometimes help. It's quite enjoyable."

The Great Neck School District is offering more courses than ever and keeping a high enrollment, about 13,000 to 15,000 registrants a semester, said Ronna Telsey, director of adult education for the district. "I try to keep a pulse on the community when it comes to what we offer," Telsey said. Driver's education is a good example, she said. The district stopped offering it as part of the high school curriculum, so continuing education organizers added it to that program. Now, Telsey said, the district is registering hundreds of people in the fee-based program. The program also sees high attendance in its series of parenting seminars that are free and are run by district personnel.

While overall numbers on continuing education enrollment are not available, Telsey, Pearl and Miller agree that popular classes tend to follow trends. Ballroom dancing and tango are big this year, they say, following the hit TV show, "Dancing With the Stars." Yoga has grown in popularity. The flourishing sales of digital cameras has led to courses in how to use them.

For Locust Valley resident Rosa, the continuing education experience is not just about gourmet food and top chefs, but also the camaraderie with other classmates, women ranging in age from their 30s to their 80s.

"We have a whole social life," said Rosa, who began taking classes as a newcomer to the community. "Tonight, I'm going out with 12 women [from the class]. I figured I would meet people who had similar interests. I really do love it."

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Last year there was no Continuing Education because we were on Austerity?!?
As I have said I wasn't here last year but I thought we were not on Austerity.
Could someone clarify this.

Also I'm looking into the first failed budget offering to see if the Continuing Education was going to be offered at all this year, or is it just something else that has been lost?
The local library has been offering Adult and Childrens programs to the point of having no more room because the schools are not available in the evening.

BTW: All programs do cost money, but who is using the Programs?

[techie]

To answer my own question..........

The people using some of the programs are the staff themselves.

There is a Web Site www.mylearningplan.com that is used to help and to track continuing education for the teachers.

The cost of the software is $2500. one time and then $25. per member per year.
How many teachers do we have?

Not all School Districts have signed up for this program.
BOCES works with this outside software vendor to promote this software.

In a lot of our jobs, we require Continuing Education Credits to keep up our credentials. A lot of us have to pay our own way.
At a time in our communities history where we must cut the Children's Programs or raise the money ourselves, why are we supporting such other programs.

[justfacts]

What was the outcome? (Of the secretary's lawsuit about Vacation time)

TimeSizing news has not reported this, but ~ it went to court again ~ and the judge told Rich-man "Stop wasting the Court's time! Pay up. If I see you in here again on this, I'll lock you up for contempt of court!"

Guess what? Rich-man is still too "righteous" pay up!

How much in Lawyer's fees will go towards saving how little in vacation time pay? Is anyone out there capable of getting that info to the public?

Secretaries, what in hell are you waiting for to get your money? OR, has a "back-door" agreement been made with silence on this subject as a condition of the settlement?

In any case, the taxpaying public has a right to know details of how its money is being used. There should be a full history and present status report made to the community on this topic.

Hey Board, you represent us ~ how about it? Want to give us the full story (make that FACTS)?

[justfacts]

Hey Techie ~ Great follow up! Adult Education use to be popular here in Plainedge. With heightened needs for job skills and new requirements for CEUs in many more jobs, I wondered why it has fallen off so much in Plainedge.

I guess when you compare Rich-man's response about "austerity", that the only real "austerity" has been in these programs under his reign. Last year all of $350 was budgeted fro what they call "Senior Citizen Services" The account code used however is for "Youth Services" (They can't even get their accounting codes straight in this area)

The proper name for these efforts is "Community Services" and this year they planned to increase that $350 pittance to all of $400! That is, before "Austerity"!

Just compare the statements by Rich-man about these programs with the statement by Carol Miller of Locust Valley to learn how much (or little) Rich-man truly knows about this topic!

Here's the two statements together:
Western Suffolk BOCES said its enrollment numbers are steady at about 16,000 a year, but in the Plainedge School District, austerity has forced the elimination of continuing education for the past two years. "The program provided a sense of community, but this year especially, we're on contingency and we can't run any programs that cost the district money," said Superintendent John A. Richman.

Carol Miller, director of continuing education at Locust Valley School District, said that as in many Long Island districts, Locust Valley's program is self-sustaining, paid for by course registration fees.

So what is it Rich-man? $350 in the Budget last year was a "lot of money" or can the programs be self-sustaining as "in many Long Island districts."

When we have a leader of the School District like this, we're not even getting the opportunity for services that could benefit us! Many a year ago these programs were very popular ~ today they don't exist because of the flimsy excuse :"we're saving money (insurance, guard dogs, anti-terror costs, etc.)"

But , as in your article Techie, other districts, and other entities in Plainedge can provide these services and make them a self-sustaining reality. Rich-man's empire apparently doesn't want to be bothered with serving all of the community.

[techie]

Since now there has been a renewed interest in the information on this site, perhaps everyone should take the time to read or reread the posts.

This site started because the information was censored off of the school's web site. Some of us were giving back the same information that had been given to the State, County, and to all of us, (the Taxpayers) by the Superintendent and the Board of Education. The numbers just did not stay the same or add up correctly.

Please take the time to view the information for yourselves.
DO NOT take what we post for the facts.
Follow any links to events or figures, or find them for yourselves.
It's YOUR money.
It's YOUR vote.
We should vote yes, on a sound Budget.