Dodge County C.O.F.F.E.R.

Tomorrow night, 5/5/2010 there is a called Board of Education meeting at 5:30. The agenda for this meeting can be found HERE.

Among the items to be discussed is the proposed budget for next year, which includes a RIF policy that will reduce the workforce in Dodge County School Systems by $439,000 – this includes the following positions at the listed schools – names are left out as a matter of policy:

It is critical that teachers show up at this meeting. You can download a PDF of this proposed budget HERE.

Stay tuned for further developments

Sent April 27, 2010

Dr. May and Distinguished Members of the Dodge County Board of Education,Thank you for taking the time to consider issues from the citizens of Dodge County. We, the members of C.O.F.F.E.R. Look forward to a long and successful relationship with you. Our hope is that working together, we can form a community of understanding and partnership that will benefit every student in Dodge County.

We do have a few concerns that we would like for you to address. Our first concern is that of the RIF plan. The plan that was voted on and approved last night, we feel, needs to be fully and clearly explained to the educators in Dodge County. Some will see this as a step system, and that if they fall into “level one” they will be RIFed, or some will feel that they have to fall into every level or at least three or more in order to be considered as part of a RIF. Based on the confusion at the public meeting, we are certain you can see our concerns in this area and how the desire for a clear explanation will benefit everyone involved. This will also help reduce the “rumor mill” that is more often than not rampant with fear and conjecture.

The second area of concern is that of the positions that will be a part of this RIF. C.O.F.F.E.R. and its members, the citizens of Dodge County, still maintain the position that every effort must be made to preserve the jobs of effective and productive educators in our county. The citizens/taxpayers see this as the most important goal. Having stated this, we will tell you that almost every citizen that has communicated with our organization, feels that Dodge County has room to trim the budget in the upper levels of the system. We would be remiss as a citizens organization if we did not in fact use the voice we have been given to state the views of the men and women of Dodge County. Having been point blank asked this question over and over, we now respectfully put it to you as a governing body. What if any cuts are planned at the administrative levels or at the central office? Please understand that we are not recommending that any cuts be made, but we have been asked repeatedly and feel that it is our duty to ask and attempt to obtain an answer for the taxpayers.

When representatives from C.O.F.F.E.R. met with Dr. May, we found this to be a very productive and informative meeting. We feel that we all share the common goal for the students of Dodge County. However one of our main priorities is to ensure that positions that are not funded based on the counties FTE count be looked at closely and evaluated based on merit and need. Positions that are funded directly from local funds are ones that our organization feels must hold up under public scrutiny. We are not stating that they are not needed nor desired but we want to be sure that they can all be easily justified in a way that the citizens will find satisfactory.

Dr. May has stated that there are indeed areas in administration that are not fully funded by the state of Georgia. We ask that this be addressed and the need be assessed. It is very hard to explain to people who are not involved in the educational process why positions that are not funded by the state are needed. Please help us better communicate with the citizens as this will only be a positive measure in what has in the past been a negative situation and caused turmoil within the community.

Most people, not all, are reasonable and want only what is best for the students in our county. It is our hope that we can work together to show them that this can and is being done as a partnership with communication between the two bodies. I am sure we can all agree that any positive light that can be shed on the Board of Education during this time is needed. We may not always agree with each others positions but we believe in agreeing to disagree in a respectful manner that leaves the door of communication open for everyone.

Thank you for your time and if we can help you in your districts by getting information out into the public realm, please feel free to contact us. We respectfully await your response.
Angie Burch & Matt Oxley
C/O C.O.F.F.E.R. of Dodge County

The Dodge County Board of Education voted last night on many issues. Below are some of the issues and votes that were addressed.*The Board approved a fund raiser for the DCMS Archery Team, this will enable the team to recoup expenses incurred as the team advances from the state level to the national level.

*The Board approved paying Graham and Studstill just under $5,000 to relocate bleachers to the softball field.

*The Board also voted to add an additional pre-k class at Dodge Pre-k pending the approval from the state.

*The Board was given a list of supplements which, if all were suspended, would total about 504,000 dollars. These supplements included every supplemented area for Dodge County. Dr. May asked the members of the board to please go home and look at these figures carefully as they would discuss them at a later time.

*The Board also voted to make a change in the cleaning products used by the System. This decision was based on a trial period of environmentally friendly products at North Dodge Elementary, by Momar, Inc. Chad Slaughter had presented the amount of savings that the Board could expect to save system wide at a previous meeting.

*The biggest and most encompassing decision of the night was the adoption of a reduction in force (RIF) plan by the board. As a reduction in funds continue at the state level, the board is faced with a RIF. Dr. May stated that phase one of this reduction could amount to as many as three positions per school.

We wrote our response to the RIF policy in a letter to Dr. May and the Members of the Board of Education.