Hiding RTM Schools in Plain Sight

By Jim Coyne

The public matters in public education and should have access to their elected school board members.

Long before running for the Rose Tree Media (RTM) School Board in 2011, I started focusing on understanding public education issues, contributing thoughtful input and listening, really listening, to diverse perspectives.

I learned a lot from serving on the Superintendent's Advisory Board and interacting with school board members over the years about how the board operated. I also met people who fell silent out of fear of consequences for speaking up or being thoroughly frustrated by the feeling that what they had to say wouldn't be heard, much less acted upon.

No surprise then that I remain underwhelmed by the board's approach to governance that I'll generously characterize as closed.

It's why I'm once again working to earn your vote. The issue with this board as a whole relates, in my view, to low credibility and accountability rather than concerns about personal honesty and integrity.

Not knowing has its costs

The RTM school board approved an $82.4 million budget for 2013-14 that directly impacts the educational futures of many children in this community.

It was largely crafted behind closed doors with just the bare minimum of public disclosure and dialogue required by law. If budgets are statements of values and priorities then Rose Tree Media School District (RTMSD) budgets say very little. They contain pages of numbers and arcane codes without any narrative to help explain what it all means.

The current board merely tolerates community input, preferring instead to talk amongst themselves rather than seriously entertaining valuable public feedback and fresh ideas. Only when I questioned a board member's passing comment about a potential increase in next year's proposed budget was it disclosed that implementation of an early retirement incentive program will result in approximately 15 highly experienced teachers leaving in June.

Their departure will mean fewer teachers in the classroom in September and definitely fewer mentors for the new group of incoming teachers.

Public trust is undermined when, for example, communication of important matters slated for board review is buried in the little-read legal notices section of a local newspaper, as required by law, when they could just as easily be given greater visibility by also being posted on the school district web site free of charge. Any notion of accountability gradually erodes when competitive bids are routinely solicited for things like building repairs and improvements, but not necessarily for retaining professional services since there is no requirement to do so. At first blush, it may seem trifling to raise the point until you realize that more than $4 million of next year's proposed $82.4 million budget is for a variety of purchased professional and technical services.

Credibility suffers when RTM residents hear from board members at public meetings that questions and comments must be restricted to the agenda at hand and will only be considered if submitted in writing through a right-to-know request. That's not inviting public dialogue about board decisions, it's censorship plain and simple. Credibility doesn't ring true when questions and comments intended for elected board members must pass through the superintendent's office. Public school board meetings should be about the free and public exchange of information rather than used by elected representatives for their private convenience and agenda.

Real openness and accountability do matter

The school district's pension contribution rate balloons from the current 12.36% to 16.93% in 2014 and steadily rises to about 30% in 2019 before starting to drop in 2036.

RTMSD Bus

Absent responsible action taken in Harrisburg, hard, painful decisions lie ahead that will unquestionably impact programs, services and staff.

So, ask yourself this question:

Do you prefer exercising your voice as part of a robust community dialogue or being kept in the dark until waking up one day wondering what happened to our schools? Let's be courageous and imaginative adults, have civil discussion, understand the tradeoffs, be willing to compromise, and advocate, as necessary, for the sake of our youth and the quality of life in our community. Some things shouldn't be discovered only after they're gone.

The school board's job is to balance what's in the best interest of students with the needs, values and interests of the community at large in a transparent way.

The board doesn't do that especially well. I will. While many decisions affecting the quality of educational opportunities in the RTMSD are technically made in public, only lip service is given to real public engagement.

Vote to make a difference

RTM school board members could hold community forums on the budget and their oversight of schools, but they never do. The result is residents are repeatedly denied the opportunity to help inform decisions and school board members escape responsibility for explaining their actions. Every month when the school board president recites a scripted listing of meetings that can't be publicly discussed it represents a lost opportunity for informing and meaningfully engaging neighbors about the board's hopes and priorities. In fairness, RTM residents bear some responsibility as complacency with the status quo has emboldened current school board members to believe they hold all the cards.

I'm a candidate once again for RTM School Director and would be grateful for your support.

Please vote on Tuesday, November 5th as though it were a presidential election year.

While the country's fate isn't at stake, the long-term sustainability of good RTM schools is.

Brief Biographical Details

Experience

30-year career in corporate communications and community relations

RTM Superintendent's Advisory Board for 4 years, since 2009

Education

Syracuse University, M.S.

Point Park University, B.A.

Personal

Middletown Township resident for ten years

Married; two children in RTM schools