You are on page 1of 7

The Other Side of Town Candidate Forum

Rich Ellis - Answers


1. Do you think the Brunswick School Department exercises responsible stewardship of our physical building assets? Since joining the School Board in January 2011, I have had frequent opportunity to interact with the Director of Facilities, Paul Caron. During this time, his abilities have been well demonstrated in our work with contractors on the Harriet Beecher Stowe project, with architectural and engineering firms on the Facilities Master Plan Study, within our budget workshops and in the day to day work related to various items such as the implementation of security systems and energy efficiency throughout our system. The primary gap that we have with our facilities is one that has been created by a historical tendency for Brunswick not to invest, or adequately plan for, large and required periodic maintenance projects related to our facilities. One quick example that comes to mind is the boiler system at Jordan Acres. This system was installed at Jordan Acres the year the facility opened in 1972 and was still in operation some 40 years later up until the school was closed in 2012. The problem is not that the School Department stretched its lifespan well beyond a reasonable expectation; it is that in the 40 years that that boiler was in a Brunswick School, there was no firm commitment to a planned replacement cycle for any of our boilers at our schools. The same can be said for other systems within the School System, such as roofs and sprinkler systems. This experience is common to almost every school district in the State and, as funding sources have tightened, the competition between short-term operations needs and long term structural investments has increased. The current funding gap for Brunswick, on an annual funding basis, is between $500k per year to $3MM per year depending upon how quickly you address the backlog of projects that have been deferred over the years. In the end, the result of delaying these investments over the last four to decades, is a backlog of projects and an environment, as described by Mr. Caron in a 2012 Budget meeting, that has us, so busy chasing repairs that we never to do proactive maintenance projects. Speaking to specific facilities, we are obviously in a good place with the newest of our schools, Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary. The same can largely be said for our now 20-year old Brunswick High School, although it is facing some of those pending periodic maintenance projects, including work with the boiler system, flooring and some needed security upgrades. If you have not been in this facility, I would recommend doing a walkthrough as it is in very solid shape. The situation with the Brunswick Junior High School is a bit more difficult. Beyond the physical age of the facility, now a 54-year old building, there are problems related to engineering (roofing and sinking floors), meeting modern code requirements and deferred maintenance. Also, while there is generally adequate space for our core junior high classrooms, there is a need for improved space for other programs such as music, art and special services. While the Brunswick Junior High Schools needs are extensive, it is not the districts most urgent need. That distinction belongs to our PK-2 facilities, where we find ourselves now overcrowded at both Coffin and Harriet Beecher Stowe due to the unexpected closure of Jordan Acres.

The Other Side of Town Candidate Forum


Rich Ellis - Answers
When I first joined the Board in 2011, the plan was to provide for our PK-2 servicing by renovating both the 58 year old Coffin and the 40 year old Jordan Acres. In early 2011, however, there was a beam that cracked at Jordan Acres as the result of heavy snow on the roof. This incident, and the subsequent closure of the building, led to a thorough evaluation of the roofing system. The findings concluded that the original architectural underpinnings of the roofing system had been flawed since the building was opened. To address this engineering issue, the replacement of many major and original systems and the remediation of external mold issues would have meant many millions of dollars spent before you even got to revitalize the facility. As such, putting more money into this facility was deemed to be a poor choice as a long term investment. From there, the Board moved to plan to renovate just Coffin school and to expand it from 350 to 660 students, so it could handle the full PK-2 capacity. While we spent much time evaluating this option, the requirement to move the bus garage, to replace space being provided by 40 year old temporary mobile units along new space, and to remediate other needed code renovations, resulted in a price tag that made it a less favorable option in the long term compared to a new building, which would have a longer expected life span than the renovation project. So we are now studying a new PK-2 facility, to be sited at the Jordan Acres property, with the expectation of bringing these plans forward for public review in the coming months. Additionally, in recognition that the total cost to remediate the PK-2 situation and to renovate the BJH is too much for the town to manage at once, we have voted to focus on this one project and to continue general maintenance on the BJH until such time as the funding situation improves. So, now that I have provided you with a long answer to your original question, as well as the answer to a few other questions you didnt ask, but were possibly interested in, let me reward you with the short answer. Yes, I think our current facilities and administrative team has demonstrated responsible stewardship of our physical building assets, but they need more financial support, each and every year, for the routine maintenance of our buildings. As an side, you can find more information about the facilities master plan study here: http://www.brunswick.k12.me.us/facilities-study/ 2. Do you think the School Department should institute a merit based pay system for the teaching corps, or retain the current automatic increase, one size fits all pay scale system? I do not believe in the traditional merit-based pay model, as it has historically relied on flawed single point in time test results. I do see value, however, in a differentiated pay system that is based on a comprehensive evaluation of the teacher, including their methodologies employed, demonstrated leadership and skills and their extent of effort. I could support it, so long as the differentiation is not based solely on single point in time test results, is developed in collaboration with teachers and staff, includes resourcing for remediation, peer assistance

The Other Side of Town Candidate Forum


Rich Ellis - Answers
and review. I fundamentally believe that we should be rewarding our best teachers and providing financial incentives to drive improvements when they are failing to meet the performance expectations of their administrators. The devil however is in the details. 3. How should the School Department evaluate its performance? If you dont mind, I am going to combine my answer with #4 4. How should the School Department plan for and implement continuously improving student achievement? Early in my career, I was involved with efforts to develop continuous improvement in the business environment. So being both quite familiar with the process I would also argue that we should evaluate our performance on whether or not we are achieving continuous improvement in student outcomes. I would rely on a system similar to that implemented by Montgomery County Public Schools, a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winning school district. They have defined their vision, established milestones, all in a strategic framework, and then report annual on their progress against these goals. You can review their approach at the links below: Strategic Framework: http://bit.ly/1598LHc Annual Report: http://bit.ly/19Jf3PE I think that at its core, what needs to happen first, and what is currently missing in the Brunswick school system, is that strategic planning step that identifies what your primary goals should be before then determining how to measure success against these goals. One additional measure for success would be in evaluating the environment we are creating to enable success. Creating a highly-effective workplace is one of many responsibilities belonging to our school administrators. In order for our administrators to properly self-assess how they are doing, and where they may have where gaps, they need tools to gather and evaluate employee feedback. While the direct management of staff is the clear responsibility of our administrators, the School Board benefits in its role of oversight, policy and planning by having insight into macro factors that may be constraining performance. As such, I have advocated for the implementation of annual surveys at a staff, student and parent level. You can find many such examples of school districts effective employing workplace climate surveys. One of the better such surveys that I have seen has again been implemented by the Montgomery County Public Schools. Their annual survey methodology collects data from all schools and includes three versions; one for staff, one for students and one for parents:

The Other Side of Town Candidate Forum


Rich Ellis - Answers
Staff: http://bit.ly/1bRnMH8 Students: http://bit.ly/19MjLlD Parents: http://bit.ly/17p3OMs 5. Should the tax rate for School finances be capped to an upper limit, or allowed to increase continually? And how much per year is a reasonable increase? I oppose an actual hard cap because, despite a statute that requires the State to pay "at least 55% of the total costs of public education for kindergarten through grade 12, and 100% of the costs of special education services that are mandated by federal or state law," it is impossible to project at what level the State will participate in funding local education. In 2014, Augusta sent Brunswick $532 less per pupil for operating expenses than it did just three years earlier, in the year before I joined the Board. If you go back five years to 2008, the State was providing $739 more per pupil. This change has resulted in more than $1.77MM in real costs being shifted from Augusta onto Brunswick property owners. If you also include the impact of real costs increases, acknowledged with the States EPS funding formula, the total shift is roughly $3.3MM. At the end of the day, as a board we have built our budgets by: Encouraging staff to build an initial budget based on the comprehensive needs of the students and demonstrated best practices. Evaluating all existing programs to assess the current investment and outcomes. Prioritizing existing investment & new proposals based on expected impacts. Encouraging staff to identify creative areas for savings or cost deferment. Fostering opportunities for open community engagement at budget meetings. Making reasonable decisions that balance the need with the tax impact. Bringing the budget to the voters to allow them to have their final say on the proposal.

6. Do you think recruiting students from Asia and other distant lands is a legitimate function of the Brunswick public school system? If so, why? If not, why not? I think recruiting was a poor choice of words (not yours but those who have described it elsewhere). What is going on is that the Brunswick School Department is in the beginning stages of establishing a sister school relationship with a Jinhua No. 1 High School as an enrichment opportunity for Brunswick students. It will give Brunswick students the opportunity to engage with Chinese students either here in Brunswick or abroad, only at a deeper and longer lasting level than a typical exchange program. As an ancillary benefit, the Chinese schools typically pay tuition rates that more than offset the cost of educating their student. I am viewing it as a breakeven not a money maker.

The Other Side of Town Candidate Forum


Rich Ellis - Answers
7. Do you think the virtual doubling in per student budgetary costs in recent years is justified? Do you think $15,000 per year per student is not enough, just right, or too much? If not enough, how much should that increase? The doubling factor that you refer to is largely the result of increased debt service related to Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary, a project that is almost entirely covered by the Major Capital School Construction Program. The additional $1.58MM we are paying towards debt service, compared to before HBS, accounts for 100% of the total budget increase since 2010. Going back to 2008, operating expenses per pupil have moved from $9,050 to $11,480. This is a 26.8% increase or an average of 4.9% per year and in my opinion is too high. In looking at the two budget years that have concluded since I joined the board, the School Department has reduced total operating expenses by $818k and has held per pupil increases to an average of 3.1% per year. If you compare that to the period during which my opponent served, expenses grew at nearly twice the rate per pupil, so I would say we have made significant progress towards better controlling per pupil expense growth.

8. Do you think children are the first priority of the Brunswick School Department? Yes. 9. Describe the primary responsibilities of a school board member. Emphasize the relationship between the board and the department. Hiring and evaluating the performance of the Superintendent Setting the vision and goals for the district and monitoring efforts to achieve them Working with staff to prepare and approve annual budgets Management of School Facilities Developing policy & procedure Ensure policy is followed including that related to hiring and termination Adopting Curriculum Manage the contract process for employees of the district Promoting the community vision of education

The Other Side of Town Candidate Forum


Rich Ellis - Answers
10. Did we miss any questions you wish we had asked, or that we should have asked? Do you support the state statute that requires the State to pay at least 55% of the total costs of public education for kindergarten through grade 12, and 100% of the costs of special education services that are mandated by federal or state law"? I fully support the intent of the referendum, but remain utterly disappointed in our State Government's inability, some ten years later, to meet the standard requiring the State to pay "at least 55% of the total costs of public education for kindergarten through grade 12, and 100% of the costs of special education services that are mandated by federal or state law." My support for this statute is based on three primary grounds. 1. Firstly, funding education through income-based taxation, at this level of 55%, creates a better balance in funding sources for public education and results in less regressive taxation policy. Our current funding relies far too heavily on property-based taxation, thus resulting in a greater burden being placed on those least able to pay for it. 2. Secondly, by establishing a prescribed level of funding that indexes directly into the expected cost of education local planners will be able to more effectively conduct short and long term financial planning on behalf of their communities. As the system stands today, with the state subsidy numbers on coming in a month or two months before a final budget needs to be approved, and being labeled as "preliminary" throughout the fiscal year, affords no opportunity for any level of considerate financial planning. 3. Finally, drawing a larger percentage of education funding from the state will help to provide better equity between affluent and less affluent communities throughout the state. I would consider additional legislation on this front to better ensure equal access to quality education throughout the entire state. 11. This item is a place for you to make any statement you wish to town voters. Thank you for providing the forum to discuss these issues and for your continued interest in the governance of our town. You can read more about why I am running, who I am and my priorities at

richellis.org
Extra Credit Questions For School Board Candidates/Incumbents: 1) Do you think the school board should set a budget NTE figure for school department staff before budget preparation begins? If not, why not? No. The primary responsibility of the School Board is to first ensure that the school department is able to provide each student with an education of the highest quality. From there prioritization and scrutiny of spending and effectiveness of existing and/or new programs rightly develop.

The Other Side of Town Candidate Forum


Rich Ellis - Answers
2) Would you support requiring school department staff to annually prepare and submit a five year budgetary plan that projects revenues and operational and capital expenditures, and consequent property tax demand? If not, why not? Yes. Yes. Yes. We need to do a more rigorous three and five year planning process, despite the fickleness of Augusta, to allow us to properly plan investments in improving or maintaining our school system. 3) Would you support requiring cognizant school department staff to annually prepare and submit a five year building maintenance and repair plan complete with estimated costs? If not, why not? Yes, for the same reason listed above. Paul Caron has developed much of the outline of need, but the board and staff need to be better job of integrating this into a 3/5/10 year planning cycle.

You might also like