[Southsider2k12]

http://www.mcas.k12.in.us/communications/czeek_letter.pdf

This is a PDF, so it cannot be copy and pasted. My main thought is that I am very disappointed after reading the letter. Once again the board is supposed to be a neutral 3rd branch of our school system. Instantly Zeek runs through all of the things that the teachers did wrong in the negotiations. My understanding is that under the terms of the agreement to negotiate, much of the information contained in those sessions was to be not public. Zeek reveals plenty of privledged info, including a supposed raise offer. I am going to try to get ahold of one of the union officials to get their side of the story.

[JHeath]

Took a little maneuvering, but I was able to copy & paste the letter.

June 30, 2008

Dear Michigan City Area Schools Community:

On behalf of the Michigan City Area Schools Board of School Trustees, I would like to take this opportunity to provide an update on the status of negotiations between MCAS and the Michigan City Education Association (MCEA).

As you know, the parties have been negotiating for more than a year. In August 2007 the MCEA declared “impasse” for the first time. Impasse is a statutory procedure designed to assist parties who are having difficulty reaching agreement through negotiations. The first step of impasse involves the appointment of a neutral mediator by the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board (IEERB). If mediation is not successful, the next step is the appointment of a neutral fact finder. The parties each present their positions at a public hearing, and the fact finder then renders a non-binding report. The parties must then return to the negotiating table to reach an agreement.

After declaring impasse in August of 2007, the MCEA decided to return to negotiations rather than pursuing the impasse procedures. Both parties have been negotiating since that time. A number of issues have been resolved, including the issuance of a calendar for the 2008-2009 school year and the formation of an Insurance Committee and an Evaluation Committee.

Each of the parties has provided proposals concerning issues such as class size, implementation of the Strategic Plan, and salary. The Board’s proposal is bold and innovative. It is rooted in the MCAS Strategic Plan, a document that began with a Core Team of community members and has expanded to include all school sites, with input from more than 1,000 people. The MCAS Strategic Plan is the roadmap we must follow to improve our schools, and it requires us to implement new initiatives and to think in new ways.

The Board’s proposal also includes incentives to promote and recognize teacher effectiveness. It provides a significant increase in the starting salary, to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers. In addition, salaries are increased across the board. I am a member of the Board’s negotiating team, along with one other MCAS Board member, two members of our Chamber of Commerce, and several MCAS Administrators. We are all very supportive of the proposal.

The MCEA leadership team, however, rejected the Board’s proposal and submitted a response that was traditional. The union’s response did not address effective implementation of the Strategic Plan and did not meet our pressing need to address student achievement.

On June 10, 2008, the MCEA leadership once again declared impasse. The Board would like to begin the mediation process as soon as possible. We have expressed this desire to the IEERB, and they have agreed to appoint a mediator in the near future. However, the MCEA’s chief spokesperson, the ISTA Uniserv director, will be on vacation the month of July, and the MCEA has said they will be unable to begin mediation until sometime in August.

While an end to these negotiations is important, even more important is ensuring success for each child – a commitment outlined in our district’s Mission Statement. The MCAS Board believes that all employees must be empowered to help students succeed. Our community is demanding changes, and we must move forward. We remain willing to continue negotiations and to work hard to reach an agreement.

Our children and our community deserve no less.

Sincerely,
Clyde Zeek
President, Board of Trustees
Michigan City Area Schools

[Southsider2k12]

Nice work! Thanks.

[Yokas]

Took a little maneuvering, but I was able to copy & paste the letter.

I was a teacher that was at the meeting when the MCEA leadership brought the board's proposal to us. At that meeting, 100% of the teachers voted against the board's proposal. Their proposal has nothing to do with the strategic plan and represented a significant reduction in pay and benefits from what we are currently receiving. And you're right, Mr. Zeek is negotiating in public which is a violation of P.L. 217.

[Roger Kaputnik]

I think the Board can be described as the NEUTERED 3rd branch of our school system, SSider.

[Southsider2k12]

Here was an interesting response on the ND feedback section.

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=36597.78

Barry Young

Text Of Zeek's Letter
Was this letter really written by Clyde Zeek or partially or completely written by the board's attorney and signed by Mr. Zeek? We should take note that Clyde Zeek is a former MCAS superintendent who had his contract extended but then bought out due to similar kind of complaint being registered against Mr. Harding. It should also be noted that Mr. Zeek was the superintendent of schools at the time of the only (to my knowledge) teacher's strike in MCAS history, which was not pretty and has harbored ill feelings for many years up to and including the present.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=50502.38

Zeek In Harding's Pocket
Several months ago many Michigan City Area Schools teachers, myself included, felt that Mr. Zeek was somewhat supportive of teachers and their efforts in educating children. Mr. Zeek, though, has made it very clear recently that he now sits in Mr. Harding's back pocket. Is it the dog wagging the tail or the tail wagging the dog?

Mr. Zeek's actions and comments, since becoming the school board president, are beginning to resemble those of Superintendent Clyde Zeek in the fall of 1984. At the beginning of mediation in 1984, the Michigan City Education Association told the mediator that Zeek was engaging in an illegal precondition to the bargaining process. The mediator acknowledged that point and said that given Zeek's attitude there was no point in him returning because mediation requires a positive mind-set from both sides.

What is Mr. Zeek attempting now with his recent letter to the community? While he says the law prevents him from discussing specifics of the negotiations, the law does not prevent him from presenting disinformation. Open and honest communications are questionable.

The strategic plan, engineered by the board and central administrative staff, is not law. "The road map that must be followed" statement by Mr. Zeek is not true. The plan is an outline of paper-thin rhetoric full of sinkholes with few specifics, and apparently only the board and superintendent get to interpret its meaning.

This spring teachers had to take key elements from the previously shelved Public Law 221 plans and add them to the strategic plan because the plan lacked specifics.

How has this plan been interpreted? A very successful Title I program is dismantled. Thousands of dollars are spent on consultants. New programs continue to be added, including a Chinese program beginning this fall in elementary schools, though time is not available for new programs in elementary schools. The MCAS hires more central administrative staff while a kindergarten class of 44 students continued because money was not available for a teacher. And tens of thousands of dollars are available for the board negotiator.

The board continues to increase the demands they place on teacher time while wanting to decrease teacher planning time. Teachers can plan on their own time, according to the board.

The merit pay that Mr. Zeek alludes to as teacher incentives are stipends based upon beginning teacher pay. The stipends would be determined by administrative evaluations. Teachers, through experience, are not confident that administrative evaluations will be consistent and fair. Further, Harding has stated that central administrative staff , not teachers, would determine what changes would be necessary to improve student progress.

Often the students' lack of success can be directly tied to the board's failure to provide. The leadership of the MCAS fails to instill confidence.

Mr. Zeek's claims that the board's proposal is "bold and innovative" is questionable. Bold, maybe, but the board will not compensate teachers at a commensurate level - certainly not innovative.

Mr. Zeek's claims of a significant salary increase for beginning teachers in the board's proposal are simply not true. So much for honesty. The board wants to extend the teacher's day by 11.25 percent this fall and increase salary by 2.5 percent. Hardly a significant increase.

I fail to understand why this board treats teachers as the least important part of the educational process.

Mr. Zeek, your disingenuous comments will neither attract nor retain the best and the brightest teachers. That tactic did not work 24 years ago, and it will not work now.

Bill Pool

Retired Mullen teacher

Chesterton

[Ang]

Whoa!! Did I hear a great big PING from the hammer hitting the nail on the head?

[Roger Kaputnik]

Gosh, you heard it all the way in WY?

[Ang]

Yup. That was a pretty loud one!

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=52060.46

Coach's Contract
MCAS Overpaid Teacher For Coaching Duties

Editorial

A lot of questions remain surrounding the dismissal of science teacher and coach Eugene Zarazee from Michigan City High School a week ago.

An audit by the State Board of Accounts shows that Zarazee was paid more than $28,000 over the past decade for coaching duties he never performed. While the audit leaves no doubt that Zarazee took the money for work he didn't do, what remains to be answered is why it took 10 years and a state audit to discover that fact. Where were the internal financial controls at MCAS?

In that time, Michigan City Area Schools has had four superintendents, three treasurers and seven different school board presidents. Not one of those people was aware of what was happening. In fact, it wasn't until current Athletic Director Bob "Bear" Falls found the error last summer and asked for the state audit that the payments were discovered.

The audit showed Zarazee had been listed as an assistant coach for the girls softball team. An unsigned, handwritten contract was dated Feb. 10, 1998, but, according to Falls, Zarazee never performed any coaching duties. A signed contract was later found, but no evidence has been found that Zarazee performed any softball coaching duties.

A letter from Superintendent Michael Harding informed Zarazee he was being dismissed for "immorality, insubordination, neglect of duty and other good and just cause." While Zarazee acknowledged the letter, he wrote "I disagree" above his signature.

The Indiana State Teachers Association, which is representing Zarazee, offered a settlement of $17,017 over 78 months (the equivalent of $218 a month), saying MCAS bore some of the responsibility for not having "basic internal controls which would had identified the overpayments."

That is a good point, but it doesn't mitigate the fact that Zarazee should pay the full amount. What needs to be done is for MCAS to find out why that much money - more than $2,800 a year - was paid to an employee who wasn't performing a job for which they had signed a contract. Someone somewhere in the administration was asleep, and just as Zarazee was disciplined, so too, should that person (or persons) be disciplined.

Our Opinion
The Issue: An audit determined that Eugene Zarazee was paid more than $28,000 for coaching duties he didn't perform.

Our Opinion: Zarazee has been dismissed, but what about the MCAS employees who should have known about these improper overpayments?

[Roger Kaputnik]

show of hands: Should Zrazee have gotten canned?

[Yokas]

show of hands: Should Zrazee have gotten canned?

In my opinion, absolutely not!!! There are many teachers in this corporation that have been compensated for duties they have not completed. I believe that central administration is singling out this one teacher.

[Southsider2k12]

I don't know enough to make a fair judgment in this case. There are a lot of questions I have about it, that probably can't be answered.

[Ang]

I agree with Michele.

While Zarazee can be pompous and self-serving, I think that he is being singled out as well. There are other teacher/coaches doing the same thing and a blind eye has been turned toward them. I'm not going to mention any names but I know there are people reading this right now nodding their heads and thinking of someone they know of who is guilty of this.
Here's my take on it--Remember! This is strictly my OPINION from personal observations I have made. It is in no way to be interpreted as a fact
(insert one of Dave's disclaimers here)

Bear Falls hasn't cared much for Zarazee for as long as I've known the two of them. Zarazee runs at the mouth a lot and can sometimes be annoying and a pain. So, the good ol' boys were sitting in the AD's office one day talking and someone said something, then something else was said with the end result being, "Oh Really?" Next thing you know, those strings attached to Bear get tugged back a little for some special attention and Zarazee is out the door.

The reason I feel this way is because of the OTHER girls SB assistant who never shows up at practice. Because of the football assistant who does nothing but "scout", the basketball assistant who has never put in an appearance for practice OR a game, the baseball guy who sat up in the press box all the time.
There are other teachers outside of sports who do this as well. Personally, I think that if a teacher is in an extra-curricular position they should have to complete a time sheet and have it signed by the person in charge of the activity. This would satisfy the state board of accounts and protect the teacher from this type of situation.

[Yokas]

I agree with Ang again. But let me ask these questions: Who is running the business department? How can you hold an employee responsible for spending managements money? Does anyone check this out?
I know of 1 teacher that resigned fromj an ECA position. The resignation was approved by the board. The teacher found out at the end of the year that h/she had been paid all year for that resigned postion. Where's the fault on that?

I agree with Michele.

While Zarazee can be pompous and self-serving, I think that he is being singled out as well. There are other teacher/coaches doing the same thing and a blind eye has been turned toward them. I'm not going to mention any names but I know there are people reading this right now nodding their heads and thinking of someone they know of who is guilty of this.
Here's my take on it--Remember! This is strictly my OPINION from personal observations I have made. It is in no way to be interpreted as a fact
(insert one of Dave's disclaimers here)

Bear Falls hasn't cared much for Zarazee for as long as I've known the two of them. Zarazee runs at the mouth a lot and can sometimes be annoying and a pain. So, the good ol' boys were sitting in the AD's office one day talking and someone said something, then something else was said with the end result being, "Oh Really?" Next thing you know, those strings attached to Bear get tugged back a little for some special attention and Zarazee is out the door.

The reason I feel this way is because of the OTHER girls SB assistant who never shows up at practice. Because of the football assistant who does nothing but "scout", the basketball assistant who has never put in an appearance for practice OR a game, the baseball guy who sat up in the press box all the time.
There are other teachers outside of sports who do this as well. Personally, I think that if a teacher is in an extra-curricular position they should have to complete a time sheet and have it signed by the person in charge of the activity. This would satisfy the state board of accounts and protect the teacher from this type of situation.

[Roger Kaputnik]

If you knowingly take money you are not entitled to, you are not just on the gravy train, you are STEALING money.

[Southsider2k12]

If you knowingly take money you are not entitled to, you are not just on the gravy train, you are STEALING money.

That's why I stayed vague when I asked about it. It all depends on who knew what, when. If he was knowingly taking the extra money, I hate to say this, but I agree with the MCAS. If he had tried to fix the problem, then it falls with the MCAS. If he didn't know and they didn't know, fault is a little murkier.

[Roger Kaputnik]

mcas knows + he knows = both stealing from the public

mcas knows + he does not know = mcas fault

mcas does not know + he knows = he is stealing

mcas does not know + he does not know = both in error + liable

[Ang]

In Zarazee's defense, he is an assistant coach for many sports. Not that that excuses him from any liability, but it may have been a simple matter of him not realizing he was paid for SB. He's stretched pretty thin as it is and it may have just been an oversight on his part. Also, someone mentioned this earlier, he may have been told to scout and do other things for the team besides coming to practice. Then, because of his un-popularity, he was set up. That's entirely possible. Honestly, having experienced first hand how the MCAS works, I would not be surprised if that were the case.