Q & A from PRPE-Paso Robles Public Educators, Aug 18, 2012

By Chris Bausch

The following text is the full version of my responses to questions posed by Mr. James Lynett, Executive Director of the Paso Robles Public Educators (PRPE) on August 18, 2012

Your Voice of Reason

CHRIS BAUSCH FOR PASO SCHOOL BOARD, 2012

1146 Caddie Lane, Paso Robles, CA 93446

805.440-5960/c 805 .237-4700 x27/o 805. 237-4711/f

chrisb4sb@gmail.com

Committee ID Number 1351708

The following text is the full version of my responses to questions posed by Mr. James Lynett, Executive Director of the Paso Robles Public Educators (PRPE) on August 18, 2012

Questions from Paso Robles Public Educators

Dear Mr. Bausch,

My name is Jim Lynett and I am the Executive Director of the Paso Robles Public Educators (PRPE). We represent all of the certificated employees of the Paso Robles Joint Unified School district including classroom teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses.

I want to applaud your commitment to our students demonstrated by your entry into the school board trustee race. All of my colleagues and I understand the time, energy and effort it requires to be an effective school board member. We also realize that your family will make sacrifices to support you and we appreciate that.

Although we didn't know you were running until recently, we would like to give you the opportunity to answer the same questions that we asked of the candidates that we did interview. Your answers will be shared with our members so that they can get to know you and your stance on the issues. Please email me or call me at 805-712-2606 if you have any questions.

1. Why do you want to run for school board?

• I am running for office for several reasons:
• To use my gifts and talents to return the blessings PRJUSD has given to our children and businesses
• To help the Board refocus on its role within the district
• To work hard to avoid state takeover
• To lead those who believe that in the process of our recovery, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District can increase Student Achievement and will become the premier school district in SLO County increasing ADA in the process.

Today, our Trustees must determine the policies, set the direction and approve the budget of PRJUSD in such a way that will prevent the State of California from taking over our local schools while continuing to foster increased student achievement. To do so, the Trustees must support and respect Students, Parents, Teachers, Staff and the Administration. In a perfect world, Trustees do so by providing a stable foundation that elicits the best efforts of each group but must restrain themselves from doing the work that is best left to others. I believe it is best to encourage Students to learn, Parents to participate, Teachers to teach, and to allow Staff and Administrators to provide an environment that makes learning happen. Trustees are community representatives, policy makers, and employers. As a team, Trustees must represent all students. Trustees adopt plans, collective bargaining agreements, and budgets that provide both vision and facilities. Trustees hold the ultimate responsibility for the district. I have the experience necessary to accomplish these tasks and in so doing, work through tough times and still deliver the best product achievable.

If elected, I will work with other PRJUSD Trustees to build consensus with the Administration, our Teachers, Counselors, Librarians and Nurses through PRPE, with our Vendors and with our Legislators to recognize then overcome the District's present financial shortcomings. In the process of overcoming our current painful financial experience, we will learn much about ourselves. We will learn that we can work together for the good of our students and we will learn how best to manage seemingly meager resources. In spite of being broke, we are still far more prosperous as a state and as a school district than nearly anywhere else in the world if for no other reason than our people. Our infrastructure helps too.

We can accomplish this daunting task of rethinking how we educate in Paso Robles when times are lean and we can do so in a collegial and respectful manner. We will take that crucial first step in building the very best district in San Luis Obispo County. Not because we have more money or smaller classes or more extra-curricular activities. No, we will be the very best school district because all of us, our Students, Parents, Teachers, Staff and Administrators want this dream to come true. If we truly believe that being the best is possible, we will demand it of ourselves and hold each other accountable because we respect each other for what we bring to the table to increase Student Achievement.

2. Dr. McNamara received a vote of no confidence in her previous district (Banning) and that PRPE recently surveyed its membership and found that 88% of teachers had no confidence in Dr. McNamara and her current administration. What sort of importance should be given to this sentiment?

It is indeed unfortunate that Banning felt compelled to pass a vote of No Confidence. However, without seeing the survey questions and results, I am at a disadvantage when answering this question so I won't.

In my opinion, a vote of no confidence today would produce unintended consequences that would only exacerbate an already tenuous financial situation. If the Trustees voted to remove Dr. McNamara, I believe we would continue to pay her salary until the end of her contract. Then we would have to find her replacement. Given the present condition of the district, I suspect it would cost the district significantly more to retain the services of anyone willing to come aboard. It would be wise to see if the perception of Dr. McNamara's performance improves when she is provided with a more positive revenue stream.

What I will say is that I have conducted my own unscientific "poll" of many of our impacted constituencies. Each one is frustrated with most aspects of our present situation and with the perception that nothing is being done. I also believe that the root cause of the frustration in nearly every case can be traced back to a lack of finances. If we solve the financial dilemma, we can and will move beyond this unfortunate state we find ourselves in. We can fix the problems. It may take time and some heretofore unorthodox methods. To start, I suggest collectively lobbying all of our state (and federal?) politicians to restore the already mandated funding levels. I have some experience successfully doing so in Sacramento for an unrelated field. We must speak up if our voices are to be heard.

3. Have you read the SLO County Grand Jury Report regarding the administrative mismanagement of our district? What is your opinion of the SLO County Grand Jury Report?

Yes, I have read the SLO County Grand Jury Report. Usually, hindsight has the benefit of being 20/20. In this case, the report seems to be myopic. Aside from a brief cameo in the opening summary and again in the conclusion, the Grand Jurors failed to adequately address the two most debilitating drains on a school districts' financial and thus academic performance, Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

A) For over eighteen months now, Sacramento has failed to maintain full funding for California Schools. Our politicians have been unable, unwilling and too afraid to make the hard choices necessary to provide for our children's education at the top of the budget, not as an afterthought.

B) An unfunded Federal Education Mandate that has grown far beyond its original scope and cost estimate. It is all well and good that federal law mandates that states educate all students especially the poor, the marginalized and the disabled in order to better serve society as a whole. I agree that public schools must serve in this regard. Because it can cost substantially more to educate the poor, the marginalized and the disabled, public schools are supposed to receive from the Federal Government 40% of the cost of doing so. The Federal notion of education to serve society begins to fail society when the Federal Budget fails to pay this 40% cost. It's the law; they must pay. School districts cannot disobey the law but they simply can't afford to obey it either. We must demand that Federal Education Mandates be fully funded by every one of our Senators and Congressional Representatives. There is no alternative.

Spending state funds on our students and Federal Education Mandates is good, very good. I speak in favor of both. However, my message is that until both issues are resolved, all discovery made by the Grand Jury cannot and will not resolve the financial mess we are in. For example, if the Grand Jurors wanted to honestly shine a light on why school districts are in chronic deficit spending mode, perhaps they should have delved further into such items as how much of a district' budget is being spent these days paying outrageous fees to attorneys who file lawsuits against districts for modest gains in a single IEP. Perhaps the Grand Jury's findings should have recommended a lifetime cap on litigation fees.

That being said, the Report does an amazing job of capturing, presenting and explaining most components of our crisis. The Grand Jurors simply left out the final chapter that deals with why Sacramento is failing us and why Congress needs a new lesson plan regarding IEP's.

4. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement. "The classroom teacher is the most important factor in a quality education for students and therefore those teachers and support staff working conditions and compensation are the most important component of any district's budget." Yes or No? The state COLA Deficit factor now stands at 22.27%. Please prioritize how you would spend that money if and when it is returned to the district by the state?

I disagree with part of the statement. You have presented a multipart question; I take exception the first phrase: "The classroom teacher is the most important factor in a quality education for students..." I mean no disrespect to teachers but Students and their Parents are the most important factor in a quality education for students. Parents seem to have forgotten this fact, or they have been told they don't matter and therefore many simply believe they don't matter anymore. How sad for schools that not all parents recognize how incredibly important they are in the education of their children. Parents who are active participants in their child's education (providing among other things good meals, interest in completing both class- and homework, ensuring exercise and adequate sleep) instill a respect for education, for teachers and foster a lifelong love of learning. Parents are important.

Business can be described as an exchange of goods and services for monetary or other compensation. If this is so, then Education is one of the largest businesses in Paso Robles. Businesses thrive when they produce goods and services demanded by consumers. Take away the consumer and no matter how beneficial the goods and services are, production becomes pointless and the business must change or fail.

In the case of PRJUSD, students as our primary consumer are the most important factor in a quality education. I can't imagine this but without students it could be argued that schools would be unnecessary. Taking it a few steps further, without parents, we wouldn't have students and we wouldn't have a tax base. Without teachers and staff, parents would face the daunting challenge of teaching their own children-- indeed a frightening thought to some. Without administrators, teachers would spend far too much time trying to be business people which might be a very frightening thought to others. The point is, we all need each other and need to work together for our mutual success or we will all fail in the resulting chaos.

Your point is well taken, however. In a normal financial environment, I would answer a resounding "Yes" to the second part: "...that teachers and support staff working conditions and compensation are the most important component of any district's budget." Teachers and support staff working conditions and compensation ARE the largest and (therefore) the most important component of any district's budget.

In light of the present financial precipice we are very nearly falling over let us hope and that compensation does not become overshadowed by debt service. I would argue therefore that survivability trumps all as being the most important at least in the near term and then hopefully only temporarily. Should the State of California come in and, worst case, PRJUSD is declared insolvent, existing contracts could be dissolved. None of us want to see that happen but ignoring the elephant in the room won't make it go away. We are broke because both California and the Federal Government are failing to meet their obligations. Unless overturned because of insolvency or state take offer, all previously agreed to funding, including COLA's, should be met when funds become available.

5. Would you support a parcel tax or a General Obligation Bond this year or next?

While I don't think we can afford to overlook ANY revenue stream, I personally favor a Tax and Revenue Anticipation Note (TRANS) over any measure likely to be rejected by tax paying voters who are feeling pinched by the economy. I just don't sense the public's appetite to support a parcel tax increase or a GOB for a school district many have become disenfranchised with over the past few years. We need to keep citizens on our side. Since I am not a Trustee at this point, I don't know if a TRANS makes economic sense for PRJUSD or if we could even qualify due to California's dismal bond rating.

What do we do? We, parents, teachers and administrators must convince our legislators in Sacramento and Washington D.C. that our children must be California's primary funding obligation. Competing state ballot initiatives won't be enough to close the gap. The 300,000 members of the California Teachers Association could be using their formidable clout and influence to bring about a change of consciousness at least in Sacramento. How do we harness that power?

As voters, we have already allowed these same legislators to saddle our children and grandchildren with unprecedented debt. We should at least have the decency to now demand that schools be compensated fairly to completely educate the child citizen whatever career path this future adult citizen aspires to follow. We must give equal consideration to the student who wants to read blueprints or read x-rays. To those who wish to weld a tank or wield a pen. To those who want to design communities or design software. To those who want to grow grapes to those who wish to finance wineries. And especially to those who wish to teach or coach others to know they can be anything they want to be--the list is endless.

Whatever their career, our goal should be to give all our students the tools they need to read intelligently, to write powerfully, to understand lines of thought other than their own, to discuss and argue with the conviction that comes only with knowledge and vocabulary, all of these and more if for no other reason so they can attempt to solve this terrible mess we have kicked down their road. We must create the critical thinkers who will become the lifelong independent learners that we are already so short of.

6. PRPE currently has five outstanding grievances that are now at the final stage of binding arbitration. They are:
1. Changes to the terms and conditions of the employment of special education and general education teachers related to the restructuring of the special education program "mandated" by the Program Improvement advisor (Action Learning Systems). This is also a PERB case.
2. Denial of Due Process and skipping of progressive discipline steps related to the definition of a "serious breach of professional conduct" and who decides what that is.
3. Involuntary transfers of teachers based on administrative fiat.
4. Release of student information to school board members.
5. Changes to the evaluation process without negotiations. Do you believe that the time and cost associated with any or all of these grievances could be avoided through negotiations?

There is not enough information presented here regarding these five outstanding grievances for me to respond. I would assume that there is a written policy on how these and all grievances are processed and appealed if necessary. Until modified within the proper protocol, this written policy should be followed. I would consider providing a better response if you would provide additional background to the extent possible.

"Negotiations" has broad implications. If the District's policy allows for same, I have experienced much success and satisfaction via mediation and, if necessary, arbitration. At this time, I would not be opposed to mediation if this were a viable option.

6. What is your understanding of the Collective Bargaining Process? What role should a Trustee have in the process? What role do you see PRPE having in the process?

I understand the Collective Bargaining Process to be a method whereby a class of employees joins together to authorize their leadership to represent the entire class during negotiations with management to improve working conditions, compensation, job security and benefits of said classification of employees.

I haven't been made privy to the articles and policies of PRJUSD to understand the stated role of a Trustee is in this case. Common practice would be that the Trustees' role would be to review then to approve whatever agreement the Business Office/Staff/Administration reached with the Representative of the Collective Bargaining Unit. Trustees should not, in my opinion, be directly involved in negotiations.

PRPE would be, in this case, the Representative of the Collective Bargaining Unit

8. What is your position regarding discipline/suspensions/expulsions in PRJUSD?

With regards to all forms of discipline, I firmly believe that PRJUSD must unequivocally follow its current written policy and procedure without favoritism. If the policy is flawed, it should be amended.

9. How would propose to mend the current rift between the district administration and PRJUSD employees?

I believe the way to mend a rift in any relationship is through dialogue. The more members or stake-holders there are to the relationship, the more a professional facilitator can be of assistance. There are as many processes as there are facilitators but the basics in no particular order seem to be identifying the source(s) of the rift, what caused the source(s) to become a rift, do all stakeholders want to resolve the rift, identifying as many solutions as possible, then reaching consensus as to which solutions to implement first, identifying who is responsible for implementing the solutions, identifying interim goals and what the timetable should be. I am also very partial to the notion that key elements of the solution(s) should be if at all possible incorporated into the organization's strategic plan to prevent the source of the rift from reoccurring.

I do not have enough information yet but what information I have from both sides leads me to believe that both employees and administration are closer to agreement than they may want to believe. In short, follow the money. We need to talk as well as listen and to do so sooner than later.

10. Why should PRPE members support your candidacy?

Paso Robles Public Educators should support my candidacy because of the value I place on a quality education that was instilled by my mother who taught school while raising eight children. Two of my six sisters teach school, two of our daughters are earning their doctorate and plan to teach at the university level and because another daughter is a high school counselor. As a CPA, our son was the Assistant Business Services Manager for Duarte Unified School District. These same children graduated from Paso Robles High School. We have an 8th Grader at Flamson Middle School. Thank you for teaching all of them. Please know that I treasure education and respect all those who sacrifice to make it happen.

Paso Robles Public Educators should support my candidacy because in a difficult financial situation, I am a voice of reason. I have been here before. Being a Trustee is difficult enough in the best of times but we have not been in a normal financial environment for several years now. It seems we will be here for years to come. For whatever reason, too little has been done in the past few years to adequately prepare us for today's budget crisis. Mistakes made now will result in unwanted consequences that could reverberate for years if not decades. I have made a career of owning or working for or with various businesses and not for profit enterprises to overcome similar challenges now facing PRJUSD. The process is not for the faint of heart. I become energized by the enormity of the task at hand and will do so now. I will ask tough questions and demand the best answers. I will thoroughly enjoy the complex task of restoration especially if in the process we succeed in making Paso Robles Schools the best in the county.

I am already painfully aware of how unprepared I am to serve. I am taking steps to learn as much as I can as soon as is possible. There are excellent resources here in the County, at the State level and within CSBA. I will dedicate the time and resources to continue learning how best to serve for as long as I serve. In addition to my service over the years on several school site councils, the skills I have learned in assessing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats during my thirty plus years in business will prove to be highly beneficial in working with others to develop a strategic plan that must be tailor made to our times and situation then implemented now, not later, to avoid state takeover or worse.

As stated previously, our Trustees should advocate for Students, Parents, Teachers, Staff and the Administration, make policy, set the vision and represent the Community's best interest. I think it is best for all concerned to let Students learn, Teachers teach, and to Staff and Administrators provide an environment that makes learning happen. If elected, I will work with other PRJUSD Trustees to build consensus with the Administration, our Teachers, Counselors, Librarians and Nurses through PRPE, with our Vendors and with our Legislators to recognize then overcome the District's present financial shortcomings. In the process of overcoming our current painful financial experience, we will learn much about ourselves. We will learn that we can work together for the good of our students and we will learn how best to manage seemingly meager resources. In spite of being broke, we are still far more prosperous as a state and as a school district than nearly anywhere else in the world if for no other reason than our people. Our infrastructure helps too.

We can accomplish this daunting task of rethinking how we educate in Paso Robles when times are lean and we can do so in a collegial and respectful manner. We will take that crucial first step in building the very best district in San Luis Obispo County. Not because we have more money or smaller classes or more extra-curricular activities. No, we will be the very best school district because all of us, our Students, Parents, Teachers, Staff and Administrators want this to be true. If we truly believe that being the best is possible, we will demand it of ourselves and hold each other accountable because we respect each other for what we bring to the table to increase Student Achievement.

I thank the Paso Robles Public Educators for this opportunity to respond to your questions. I look forward to meeting with you in person. I ask for your endorsement.

Best Regards,

Chris Bausch