A few comments from the KOMO blog...I agree with all of you and this also shows what happens when the wrong individuals are put in a position of power. Regarding the salaries of the district heads, I feel they are extremely out of line considering the teachers who make far less are the ones who TEACH the children. Either way, throwing away food in front of a hungry child is unacceptable and fiscally irresponsible considering the $200K deficit from the previous school year in cafeteria spending.
Just because their parents may be irresponsible (or just broke) is NO excuse for embarrassing a child in front of everyone.
I agree with the others so I do realize how the $200K came to be and my point was that punishing a child that has no control over the situation is very hostile. Everyone here has brought up valid points and now it's time for the school to remedy the problem.
I think it would be more logical to take it out on the parents since they are the ones financially responsible anyway. Nothing like embarrassing a kid at the beginning of the school year and then expecting them to focus on school work. I would be one upset parent.
I agree. I'm upset just thinking about the poor kids. It really angers me the treatment of kids as throw aways, maybe the parents aren't taking care of their kids but don't make it worse.
Oh, I believe it, humiliating children is a whole lot easier than telling parents that they owe the school money, and a lot cheaper than sending out billing statements. Well, except for the whole wasted food bit, that can't be cheaper.
Doesn't the school district get money from the federal Government for each meal they serve? The National School Lunch program. How can they lose money if they get reimbursed for every meal served?
You probably just hit the nail on the head. Since they 'served' the lunch before they pitched it, they're probably counting it as a served lunch, which begs to question the legality of such action!
Nice. I'll remember that the next time I'm wanting to make a deaf 5-year old cry.
You have GOT to be kidding me! Why does he think that humiliating these kids will solve this problem? If the tab for unpaid lunches is really 200K, then turn the kids parents into collections--- don't publicly shame the kids in front of their peers. This is a ridiculously cruel solution-----can't the district come up with a better one?????
When I first read the story, I was flabbergasted! Those poor kids, how can they punish the children for the parent’s misdeeds, or lack of funds? It does not take much to be harassed and bullied at school, can you imagine the taunts if this happens? What is this school district thinking? I’m so glad my grandchildren do not attend in any of the schools in this heartless district!
Kind of hard to believe that the Edmonds school district lost out on $200,000 in lunch money last year. Didn't they have a policy in place prior to this year? I know that the school my kids go to allows for one lunch to be purchased if there is no money in the student's account. After that, they can't get a school lunch until that one has been paid for, and money added to the account for future use. It works very well, because the kids have to pay (or have money deducted from their account) before getting their lunch. What a concept - pay before you get your lunch! Regarding the food being thrown away - what a waste! Wouldn't you rather have a student eat the food rather than throw it away? There are starving kids in Africa.........
Not to mention the children that are starving here in the US!
This is what bugs me about anything run by the government. They can't change the process so they add to it. All that needs to be done is to put the money taker at the beginning of the line instead of the end. The dry cheese sandwich has been around for a long time for students without money but to throw away food is just wasteful.
This is heartbreaking! How humiliating for those kids, I hope the parents realize who they are when they see this story and pay their debts to the school. At the high school level kids are denied report cards at the end of the year and diplomas to graduating seniors until all fines and debts are paid, but these are little kids! No one can concentrate on reading and math when their tummies are grumbling and the fact that they throw the food away makes it even more infuriating! I understand some cafeteria workers are refusing to do this, any word on if action will be taken for the ones that do refuse? Can the PTA and Parent Boosters get involved with fund raisers to get the debts down? I know this isn't their problem to solve but anything would be better than what this jerk came up with! Good call Ken!
This just burns my bottom!!!! I don't know about all the other parents out there, but if my child was denied a hot meal because of some situation to pay for their meal, and to embarrass them in front of other school mates and peers, I would make a scene like no other. Shame on Mr. Brossoit!! I know in our school district lunch would be served to the student, but a letter would be sent home to the PARENTS to notify them of the problem. And also, if their accounts were still owing at the end of the year, then no report card, annuals,or any privileged stuff like that would be issued. I also find it hard to believe that they were 200,000 dollars in the red for it. Seems to me Mr. Brossoit should look for another job. He can't do the one he's doing now.
Blog: I couldn't imagine a more appropriate way to celebrate the anniversary of Bruce Williams' "resignation".
28 comments:
Well I sure learned one lesson today. Give a guy a Shrammie and suddenly (within 15 hours) things change!
Nick deserved the Schrammie. The foodservice dept would not be $225,000 in debt if he would let the dept. run an interprise program and not run by the Supt. He is running the dept. into the ground and Marla isn't helping. It will be an outsourced dept. in the near future because it will not be able to pull itself out of the red for several years. I don't think the district will let it run in the red. Isn't that why the last director was out the door without a goodbye? A management company will not have the overhead and believe me students would not get a free lunch! It would be no money no lunch - sorry! they run a business not a free program.
As a food service employee, I would like to point out that a few years back, ESD DID have a policy of serving a sandwich when IOUs hit the $4.00 mark, then after 3 sandwiches, the student was not served, period. Back then, as it is now, "negative balance" letters are sent home to the parents once or twice a week, to remind them of their students balance. This past spring, ESD food service cooks called the families weekly to remind them that a payment is due. Then the food service managers left weekly automated voicemails for families, again reminding them to pay. Multiple Free & Reduced Lunch Forms, to apply for free lunch have been sent to these families. All of this resulted in very little re-payment. I think the District powers that be created this mess, and they need to clean it up- not by making the kids suffer, or the food service workers play collection agents, but by pursuing the negligent families. These parents need to take responsibility for their actions, as well as set a good example for their kids, not make them pawns. And the District needs to do the same for their stupid decision to let the IOUs get out of control!!
Hey, I saw that someone from the blog made one of the first comments about the Schrammie. Congrats! Let us know if traffic goes up because of more blog publicity!!
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/data/databases/teacher-salaries.asp
The most fun I've had in years.
Amen to that one!! At least we got someone's attention! WTG, Mark!
Is the food service director not there anymore? It was Barbara Lloyd, and I see in the news articles that they have an interim director named Sara Conroy now.
What I really loved about this issue was the pathetic attempt of "spinning" the story. Debbie Jakala actually said on King 5 news "I would say it was an extreme effort to be responsible and thoughtful to the kids who at the heart of this." Just what part was responsible Deb? Letting the total losses reach over $200 grand before the administration did something or humilating the kids?
Where is Barbara Lloyd? On a paid leave of absence? As I mentioned before, the School Lunch Program is for KIDS, not serving employees, Expresso machines, special lunches at ESC for employees. This should be a separate entity. Does the Government subsidize the School Lunch program any longer? I realize that parents should be responsible for providing their children with food, whether it be a sack lunch from home or a lunch purchased at school, and I agree that District lunch employees should not have to make numerous calls and write letters to parents, which fall on deaf ears, however, there must be a solution, and waiting until the situation got out of hand is the fault of the highest paid "bigwigs", who reside at the ESC; surely they can read budget reports, or can they? GET REAL here, and do the job you are over paid to do! Let's put KIDS FIRST!!
I think all the debt should be sent to a collection agency. Let them do the dirty deed because Nick isn't going to step up to the plate and accept respsonsible for this mess. I understand Barb Lloyd is on a health leave. I wish her the best as she watches her dept. go to hell! Good thing the district didn't have a levy hanging in the balance because none of this would have happened or gotten out to the public. Everyone come to the meeting at ESC on Sept. 17 at 7PM and speak your piece on this issue.
OK--Maybe this sounds petty--but the whole raising prices (probably to offset budget shortfalls), and throwing lunches, and handing out sandwiches is having an effect on my teaching time as well. Do you know how many students have asked to use my microwave in the classroom in the last week? With more lunches coming from home, students are asking to heat up hot pockets and bowls of leftovers. Come on, parents.....When I have only 30 minutes for my lunch (which often involves taking a bite and going to the copier to retrieve something, taking another bite and checking on the student in the nurses room who bumped his head at recess, take another bite and.....you get the picture)you better believe I feel I need that time to nourish my body as well for this demanding and rewarding job. I have had to stop teaching early so I can make sure students are having ample time to heat up their lunches! Whatever happened to the regular cold sack lunch from home! It was good enough for me and it should be good enough for kids today. Stop with the items that need heating!!!!!
And let me wrap up our lessons in an appropriate way, rather than under the pressure of feeling guilty for asking a child to eat a COLD HOT POCKET.
Wow! Even our local Tri-Cities news program dedicated 30 seconds tonight to a report on how the Edmonds School District has backed down (under intense pressure) and said that they won't take away the kids' hot lunch because their parents don't pay the bill.
Yes, it DOES sound petty to not take the time to allow kids to use the microwave to heat their lunches. I'm sure that if there were a microwave available to the kids in the lunch area, some parent would step up to help the kids heat their lunches. I'm not saying that you have to do it for them but at least let them use the facilities that are already there!
I hope not everyone thinks that Barb Burley is a hero because in the big picture continuing to feed students free will cause the dept. to close its doors and go to a management company. Yes the district may carry the dept. for a year (big maybe) but after that they will need to look at how to keep the service there for the district families. Barb Burley may have a job now as she stated in the newspaper article but in the big picture I don't think so. Food Service employees need to figure out what they are going to be doing a year from now. Will your Union help keep your jobs? SEIU 925 I don't think so but they would miss the dues.
My microwave in the classroom is the result of working hard and doing my job as a teacher. Having to monitor students as they heat up a lunch in the classroom (whether it's during instructional time or during the beginning of my lunch time)is not part of my job description. If it was, then it would have been part of any technology training I was required to take during education coursework. What's next? A row of microwaves along the wall in the gym/lunchroom? That'll please the PE teachers! Don't get me wrong--I'm on the side of the students as we try to solve this lunch situation--but a lunch from home should be a cold lunch.
Your union contract says that you have a half hour DUTY FREE LUNCH. That would include free from the duty of standing around and supervising kids using your microwave. You can, of course, let your negotiated rights go, but don't be surprised if the next contract says that you HAVE to stay to heat up their lunches. It's hard, but tell them "No, I'm on my duty free lunch hour."
Maybe Barb Lloyd would like to give her two cents on a duty free lunch? C'mon in Barb.
Barb Burley should be applauded for standing up for children. She may not be popular with the Supt. Staff, School Board and some of the folks in Food Service, but she gets many votes for putting children first. This whole situation should not have taken place. I think Nick's idea was great, but should have been discussed and a plan should have been constructed first, that would have allowed for the recovery of the funds lost. If you make a threat, follow through. I think he should have involved some of the workers in the district to help him brain storm. Your staff and the School Board doesn't know how to handle anything of substance, they are all afraid to make decisions that really count. Folks, when are you going to wake up and realize that Marla is running the Edmonds School District #15? Her need for power and control again has made the district look and smell like Jackasses. To let a child be humilated in this way is wrong and unforgivable. The Edmonds School District #15 is the talk of the nation, and it is not good.
Sara Conroy is another person out for power. Watch out Barb, if you stay out to long she will move right in. She is not intelligent enough to make any decisions. Sara, your comments in the paper were not funny and you shouldn't be laughing when you hurt children.
There is alot of money wasted on folks traveling to conferences. Nick, why not start in Teaching and Learning and Stop all of this foolish travel. Tony Byrd and Lara Drew are also power seekers. The money spent on foolish travel could have taken care of that debt. What benefit has the distict received from this travel?
Why do we have to send twelve or more folks to the same conference? Nick,I would suggest that you look into what your staff is allowing.
The district is wasting a lot of money on foolish things. Taking the food out of hungry childrens mouths and adding salt to the wound by throwing it in the garbage in front of them, well for some reason this does not look, sound or smell right to me.
Those baby grand pianos that we can't seem to find, would have paid that debt with funds to spare. Jim Roberts' $30,000.00 in overtime would pay for lunches for a lot of kids.
One other thing. Please get someone more professional looking and speaking to represent the district on televison and with the public.
I agree with a writer to the BLOG who wrote that Marla Miller is running the District and she is more than hungry for POWER! I read in the Herald newspaper today, 9/15/08,that Nick is hosting a Superintendent's Roundtable meeting series, beginning on October 8, 2008. The meetings are from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the ESC. the article states that the meetings usually draw between 18 to 30 people, but the District hopes attendance improves this year, according to Debbie Jakala. Ms. Jakala also states: "I'd love to see more people, who are certainly paying taxes for our children to get the education they're receiving, bring their voices to these meetings". "They're really a great forum". This is your chance to be heard, however, the meetings are one hour long, are held during the day when most folks are at work, so let's ask for a better time for some of these "forums". I believe these "forums" are just a gesture on Nick's behalf to make it look like he cares. Let's band together and let him know WE DO CARE!
The Food Service Department has no one to fight for them. Barb Lloyd always fought for her employees and didn't just roll over and with out a fight. The dept. is now being run by the Business Service Ass. Supt, Marla Miller. Sara Conroy just agrees with everything and is really throwing Barb Lloyd under the bus. She is just what the district would like to have as the director of FS because she will do just as she is told. Barb was not afraid to say NO and question what she was being asked to do. She was always looking at the big picture and how it would affect everyone, students, staff and community members. Sara doesn't have a clue about how to run the dept. She is selling the dept. out. The meetings about IOU policy was a front for a decision that has already been made by Marla Miller. She is running the district. Where was Nick last night not at the community meeting. He put the dept. where it is today but didn't want to take the heat from parents and staff at last nights meeting.
Nick must have been a former Seattle Supersonic. A Big No heart, Gutless Puke. Show your face Nick. You have not made one decision since you have been in the district. Make the decision to leave though. Hey can't Marla just tell you to leave. That should work, huh?
I have noticed several people offering the opinion that Food Services is being poorly run by (fill in the blank for who you think is running the show).
One interesting tactic of bullies that I found while researching the subject is that they will set you up to fail then blame you for the failure. Considering what I have read about the actions of bullies in many industries, it would not surprise me to find that the IOU situation was ALLOWED to happen in order to blame a specific employee later in order to either 1) fire them or 2) push them around until they quit (remember: If you don't like it here, you can go someplace else. Delightful management phrase!). Since I am seeing a lot of praise for Barb Lloyd (someone I have never met) in her work for Food Services, I would not be shocked to hear that she had been set up to fail and was now being thrown under the bus, so to speak.
Further, considering past business deals in the District, it would not surprise me to find, in a year or so, that Food Services will have been replaced by a non-union contractor who will be a friend of (whoever you think is running the place). The hue and cry will be that Food Services is losing money hand over fist and that, in order to save the District's finite resources (and give the creme de la creme another raise), a change must be made.
Note the date of posting. We can look it up in the blog archives in a year or so.
I hope everyone knows by now, that Marla Miller runs the District. I read with interest, the quote she made in the Herald newspaper; she talked about parents having
POWER, which is exactly what she thinks she has - POWER has always been her goal. I am not surprised that Nick didn't show up for the meeting, why should he when Marla can take over? The lunch issue has certanly got the attention of the media, TV, newspapers. I would imagine that Marla's next victim will be Barbara Lloyd. How can we as tax payer's and concerned citizens, put a stop to Marla
Miller's POWER TRIPS?
Petition? I'm sure local 925 would be willing to help set something up. We don't need the Bully at the top. Cut the head off the Beast!
HOW ABOUT SCHRAMMIES FOR SLACK OFFS!
I just feel like typing this right now. It makes me angry when a certificated teacher leaves the building at noon today and does not return. Come on--we're all adults AREN'T WE? When a contract calls for Building Time followed by Individual Time, let's make sure we ALL follow the rules. How disheartening it is to work so hard for improvement and see someone slack off leaving the rest of us to have to pull even harder.
No where in our work description or contract does it allow for an individual in any department or school of the district to leave their work site with the intention of not returning without notifying their immediate supervisor. This is unacceptable and I would expect the ultimate person in the supervisory role of our district to hold all those "below" accountable--Talk about a ship off course! I want results now. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior by a working adult.
This has been going on forever. Are you all feeling the pinch in HR? Good thing you have a lying leader like Debby Carter, so you all can continue to push the envelope on the hours you actually work. Punch in ladies, including Jim, and work a full day. Try it for a year, you might like yourself better when all is said and done!
So at the board meeting last night Marla gave an overview of the new procedure that Food Service will be using after extensive training. Well let me tell you wha the training will be a 2 hour meeting is scheduled for 9/29 one hour for the middle and high school food service employees and 1 hour for all k-6 and k-8 kitchen employees including the cashiers. The new procedure takes affect on 10/1 and that is the extensive training the food service employees will get. Marla sold the board a bag of goods. They think the employees will have lots of hours of training not one hour. Marla knows exactly what and to say to the board and how to say it and this extensive training is a big fat lie! The kitchens are having too many changes all at once and how can they do the right thing and remember what they are to do if they must take a tray away from a student and believe me it will happen no doubt in my mind.
Is there any way you, Mark, can keep this entry near the top of the blog, or at least in the top 6 entries? I will be so sorry when I can no longer see the headline about the Shrammie. (I'm not kidding!)
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