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School to save $224,920 with cuts

Posted by
Rachel McDaniel
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Monday, June 20. 2011
Comments (50)
Board of education members voted June 14 to approve the fiscal year 2012 budget with a custodial contract that cuts 23 local employees, saving the school $224,920. Two board members, Fred Blackmon and Roger Green, opposed the decision but the budget was approved by a 4-2 vote. The school’s general fund budget calls for revenues of $22,011,621 with expenditures of $21,911,621 and $100,000 allocated to the reserve fund.

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#1 other peoples money on 06/20/11 at 06:15 PM
Fred Blackmon needs to make up the difference out his own pocket if he is totally against it. He has proven to not be any help to the tax payers. Companys make cuts and find the lowest bidders all the time. Its government thinking like freds that has the country bankrupt. One of them guys who supports deficit. Against balancing a budget and all for spending tax payers money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#2 Just Me on 06/20/11 at 06:34 PM
Pike needs to cut the superintendent's, coaches, and other staff members who make way to much money. The custodians work very hard to keep the schools clean and now they are the one's being cut. I know some paraprofessional who don't deserve what they make and trust they don't make lots of money but they also don't do as much as the custodians do. Some parapro's do earn their money but I could name a few that should have been fired a long time ago. God bless the custodians who lost their jobs!!!!!!!!!!
#3 Did you read the article ? on 06/20/11 at 08:29 PM
"Superintendent Michael Duncan said the school did not eliminate the 23 local jobs, they just changed who will pay those employees’ salaries and benefits." No one lost their job, if they went to another job it's because they chose to not work for the new company...
#4 picohigrad on 06/20/11 at 08:54 PM
the article says they didn't eliminate the jobs...just changed who will pay....
who is paying? and did those people really not lose their jobs? I agree with Just Me - the custodians work really hard, and don't deserve to lose their jobs because the upper-tier doesn't have enough nerve and concern for the schools to suggest and take a pay cut.
#5 Anonymous on 06/20/11 at 08:56 PM
23 employees for 224,000, where do you find 23 people making just over 10,000 each, I think you need to keep them and get rid of 1 superintendent for the same price.
#6 Goldmember on 06/21/11 at 07:16 AM
They are cutting the lowest salaries in order to avoid cutting the highest salaries in the administrative offices and the coaches.

For once, (note i said "For once") Blackmon got it right.

Now if we can cut $500,000 out of the administrative building and another 250,000 out of the coaches salaries, we might be on the right track to reigning in the outrageous cost of education in Pike County.
#7 It not fair on 06/21/11 at 09:12 AM
They should cut the superintendent's office the hight school ladies that just sit in the front door when you go in that dont answer the phone that ring 20 times before that answer it! Come on pike county get it together why is our superintendent's make more money than any other superintedent's around the other county's and look how many people the have working in that office
#8 bus driver on 06/21/11 at 09:16 AM
they have cut a hole lot in the school system i am a bus driver been there for a very long time. the bus drivers are the lowest payed in the state of georgia(pike)its just very sad. you dont see cuts in the superintendent's office, there wont ever be cuts in that office or the coaches,
#9 dannyb on 06/21/11 at 09:47 AM
whenever a company outsources any service, they're essentially saying 'someone else can manage this more efficiently than me'; so, it's not always a good thing to 'take it to bid'. maybe it would have been better to find a way to perform more efficiently within the school system. i don't know fred's intention, maybe he would have saved the money in some other way. i suspect it is the 23 jobs lost that he was trying to save that led his opposition - and i can't be upset with him about that.
#10 anonymous on 06/21/11 at 11:26 AM
I know the perception is that our superintendent is overpaid; however you can go online to view all the superintendents' salaries in the state of Georgia and you will find he is paid in line with the rest, actually less than Lamar's super and other counties our size. So in response, to "It's Not Fair", just be sure you check your facts.
#11 move that bus! on 06/21/11 at 12:38 PM
you are the perfect example that underpaying people works and saves the tax payers money. there are others out there that are willing to be an underpaid bus driver for a very long time also. among other jobs. as a contractor the one thing i find is someone is always willing to do it for less. the government ignores this because they are using taxpayers money to support their own "clan". spending less tax money would be like cutting their own throat.
#12 Goldmember on 06/21/11 at 01:28 PM
He is paid considerably more than the superintendent from Spalding and Spalding has 3x the students.
#13 dannyb on 06/21/11 at 03:03 PM
The Spalding School System is not one in which we should aspire to become. Sometimes, you get what you pay for - we all know what he makes, and some (including me) think it's a fair salary. For the sake of argument, what is the range you think we should pay a super?
#14 chester on 06/21/11 at 03:49 PM
It depends. Will I get fired like the last guy for sexting students or will sexting students be part of my compensation package. Get back to me on that and I will come up with a fair salary range.
#15 Goldmember on 06/21/11 at 09:24 PM
The new super @ spalding is paid less than Duncan. The super that ran spalding for the years that it went downhill was paid more. So sometimes you don't get what you paid for.

Duncan came into a good school system and has maintained what he had. He hasn't built anything nor made anything better.

He should not be making more than a man responsible for 3 times the number of students.
#16 Go Figure on 06/22/11 at 08:58 AM
3 schools, approximately 3,000 students. $22 MILLIOn budget. 1 county, approximately 17,000 citizens. Less than $10 MILLION budget. Makes sense to cut the janitors' jobs, doesn't it. Next Duncan will be asking for parent volounteers to sweep the floors and empty wastebaskets. Maybe I don't see the big picture. Maybe our kids are learning how to be greedy, how to screw over the menial, low paid workers. Maybe, just maybe it's time for an investigation of the school board, starting and finishing at the top!
#17 dannyb on 06/22/11 at 10:09 AM
what is the range, in your opinion, that a super in Pike should be paid?
#18 you outta here! on 06/22/11 at 12:03 PM
thats the problem with govenment workers no accountability. if they are not doing there job fire them. to many people out there need work.
#19 anonomous on 06/22/11 at 08:45 PM
the people who took this job.took a job paying less money than they were making,also will be getting less hours as well.so micheal duncan dont act like you did these people a favor by any means.you really destroyed these people lives. alot of these people have have been working for this school for ten to thirty years. these people have families,homes.how do you make it with the amount of money,they were offered.cant even afford the insurance.
#20 a coach on 06/22/11 at 10:13 PM
I am the problem I guess. I get paid a 1,500 dollar /year supplement to coach my sport. Since I felt so bad about being the problem I went back and calculated how many hours I spent after school with my team this past season at practices and competitions. It came out to about 215 hours. So for about 7 bucks an hour I give up time with my wife and two children to go work with kids that aren't mine to teach them things like winning with humility, losing with grace, representing themselves, their school and their families with class. I don't know what I've been thinking robbing the good people of Pike County all these years. Tell you what...first day of school in August I'll put the 1500 bucks up in the front office and whoever of you fine people who want to come claim it can do so. Use it as you see fit in some worthwhile cause that is far more important than what the greedy coaches do for the kids of Pike County. You know like teach them to be good teammates, citizens and community members. Help them reach their potential so that some of them may get part or all of their college education paid for with athletic scholarships. Make them feel apart of something important so they don't turn to drugs or sit around on the couch playing video games. Also athletes (or students in other extra-cirricular activities)graduate at a higher percentage, drop out less often and have higher GPA's than those students who do not do anything after school. Yep us coaches are the problem alright. I'm very sorry for my part in this.
#21 Goldmember on 06/23/11 at 08:16 AM
The average salary for teachers in Georgia is $48,000. These are the people who actually do something for the school system other than take the school board members to lunch. The average principle salary is $88,000. A bit of a jump from the average teachers and probably should come in around $70,000. But let's use $88,000 since that is the figure. Interestingly, the average superintendent salary is $75,000, it seems many school systems have figured out that this position doesn't do much.

Now let's look at the size of our school. Pike County has approximately 3700 students. Our superintendent makes around $150,000 per annum. Spalding has over 10,000 students and there super makes $130,000. The spalding super is a recent hiring so I have to assume that his salary is in line with current salaries for a school system of 10,000 students. If you take the difference from a principle salary (130,000 - 88,000 = 42,000) we'll call 42,000 the "Super" bonus. Divide 42,000 by the number of students in Spalding and you get 4.2 multiply that by the number of students in Pike and you have 15,400 so I think a fair salary would be around $103,400.

The next step would be to get rid of all of the "assistants" in the superintendents office and let him do a little work. But that's another conversation.
#22 really?? on 06/23/11 at 10:18 AM
Hasn't built anything...oh you mean like the new middle school? You mean Duncan oversaw the construction of this so my and maybe your kids can go to a modern building with new equipment and resources instead of a school built by the WPA? (if you don't know what the WPA was look it up)
#23 Pike Patriot Homeowner on 06/23/11 at 10:40 AM
What is a Goldmember? I don't understand. Do you keep your gold in a vault?

IN GOD WE TRUST
#24 Goldmember on 06/23/11 at 12:54 PM
Duncan did not build the middle school nor did he oversea it. A contractor was hired by the board of education and paid with my tax money.

Nice try though.
#25 Goldmember on 06/23/11 at 12:57 PM
Pop-culture reference.
#26 Albert on 06/23/11 at 03:19 PM
Instead of screwing over the lowest paid custodial workers, why not cap all salaries at $60K.

If you can't live on that amount, find another Zip Code. . .
#27 really on 06/23/11 at 06:39 PM
Oh so he didn't hire and work with the architect and propose the budget to pay for it? You think the board would have bothered to build a new school without the superintendent proposing it? If you think that new middle school would be here today without Duncan pushing the issue then you don't know your board very well. And my tax money paid for it to...and very well spent I might add.
#28 oh my word... on 06/23/11 at 06:48 PM
a salary cap? How communist of you. A salary cap? That will motivate good educators to continue working in Pike...that will motivate good educators to move to Pike to teach our children.
Hey plumbers...salary cap is 30,000 in Pike County...guess my pipes will leak. Hey police...salary cap is 30,000 in Pike...suppose I'll be car-jacked.
#29 anonomous on 06/23/11 at 08:05 PM
fred blackmon,i believe was looking out for the best interest of the schools.duncan just sent $400.000 dollars to a company in north carolina who cant get wax off the floor.the hours the custodians will be working will is from 10pm to 6am who will be there to clean up when the children get sick,urinateon the toilets,spit tobacco in the water fountain.gelp the teachers during the day.so you tell me is this really helping pike county or hurting us.come on pike county.
#30 Pike Patriot Homeowner on 06/23/11 at 08:27 PM
So what you are saying is I could have a Goldmember too?
#31 Goldmember on 06/24/11 at 07:05 AM
Only if you have an unfortunate smelting accident. :-)
#32 Goldmember on 06/24/11 at 07:07 AM
What is your base salary? Is it considerably higher than the average teacher salary? And like many, are you teaching weightlifting to the football team?
#33 Goldmember on 06/24/11 at 07:11 AM
Of course he proposed the budget for it. Why do you suppose he wanted a school built? The more the county spends, the more he can justify his pay to be higher. "I manage a 23 million dollar budget, I should be paid 150k.

Sorry, we had a perfectly good school that with some work would have been just fine. All they had to do was refurbish it for 1/2 the cost of the new middle school and we would have had a nice place for the kids to attend class.
#34 Goldmember on 06/24/11 at 07:15 AM
EVERYONE should read this statement. The highest paid janitor doesn't even make a 5th of what Duncme makes. It's time to put someone sensible in the office of Superintendent.

Where is Barbara Messer when you need her?
#35 Pike Patriot Homeowner on 06/24/11 at 09:44 AM
Think maybe we should contact Shelia for her opinion? The picture is clear now, Shelia could tell us if a Pearl Necklace would go with Goldmembers.
#36 a coach on 06/24/11 at 12:48 PM
my base salary is the same as EVERY OTHER teacher who has the same time of service that I have. You do realize that teachers/coaches are not independent contractors right? Every teacher is paid according to the salary schedule set up by the state of Georgia.
The county gives extra supplements to coaches who work with the kids after school. As they give extra supplements for the cheerleading sponsors and the band directors and yearbook sponsor. Should all these people get no extra benefit for working extra hours? And if you consider the extra hours coaches/sponsors work they are actually the least paid workers per hour in the school system. Should a coach not get anything extra for taking the time to coach? What would be the reaction of parents and students of they had no extra-curricular activities to be a part of?
#37 Goldmember on 06/24/11 at 03:21 PM
Of course you can't group every single coach into a single category; however, I know for a fact that there are coaches making over $100,000 per year. If this doesn't apply to you then that's fine. If your total compensation package is reasonable, I don't have a problem with you. But, when the cost of education is as top heavy as Pike County's is (70+ percent in overhead costs), it's time to cut, cut and cut some more. If that means a coach making 100k + per year leaves then good riddance. The school is supposed to educate. Football, baseball and everything else you mentioned is extra-curricular (by definition in addition to the education).
#38 The Quite One on 06/24/11 at 09:56 PM
Yous peoples needs to get off the school board and let them do their job. If you don't then peoples will move out of Pike County and back to Clayton and Henry County. Pay the tax now and quit complaining or the tax will go up for fewer childrens!
#39 a coach on 06/25/11 at 04:19 PM
Goldmember,
I can agree with you about shool systems being top heavy. But that is the case everywhere. WHat coach in Pike County is making over 100,000 a year? Its public information...you can look it up. When you find a coach in this county making 100,000 grand you let me know, I'll send you my email and we will make plans and I'll take you and your family out to dinner wherever you want to go. The new football coach is probably the highest paid in the county. The reason why is he also has a Doctorate degree.
For all teachers/coaches the state pays about 92-95% of their salaries. Local property taxes only pay 3-5% of each teachers pay. Your property taxes pay for school building construction and maintenance. Books, desks, computers and other such "physical" items.
#40 Platinum Member on 06/25/11 at 08:16 PM
I heard someone paid the coach 100,000 to throw the last football game of the season. Seems like there is big money in high school football. People will bet on anything. Anyone know a good bookie in Pike County?
#41 lol on 06/26/11 at 07:05 AM
Nobody had to pay that coach anything to throw a game. He did that himself, and for free! Seriously, though, Platinum Member, it is obvious that you know very little about high school sports and all that that entails.
#42 Platinum Member on 06/26/11 at 02:58 PM
From looking at those cheerleader uniforms I do not think high school sports "entail" much more than any other paid event open to the public. For the purpose of entertainment and profit isn't it? Hey if you need hot dogs or other refreshments I know a guy who knows a guy.
#43 Goldmember on 06/27/11 at 08:36 AM
I have always thought that gold and pearls look very fashionable.
#44 dannyb on 06/27/11 at 09:56 AM
First of all, I agree the teachers are what matter most; however, I disagree that the teacher's salary should be considered when setting a rate for a superintendant (the logic just doesn't make sense to me). In order to get a super, you have to use other super's. Also, you can't take one sample (Griffin) and make an assumption about all other things. There are always outliers. Some supers make less than 90,000 in similar sized districts, but they're outliers (more than 2 standard deviations from the mean). Some make a lot more (greater than 195,000), again, those are outliers. I'm not sure where you got the $75,000 for your average. The data I use suggests the range is between 115,000 and 170,000 for 90% of the superintendants 'out there' - and 143,000 is right in the middle; so, given the years he's been here, his pay is about right. I used salary.com and the AASA data.

I won't make any arguments about his performance; however, if you fire him, you will have to pay another one that much or more. Plus, you will have to pay for the transition (moving expenses, etc.). Maybe Griffin got a deal on theirs; perhaps it was a local person who just wanted to stay local. We may not find that person and have to relocate someone. Besides, most any eduacated person coming to Pike is going to demand a premium because of all the unrest in the general citizenry. If I were in a position to manage any part of Pike, I would demand a premium - wouldn't you, given our track record as a community?

As far as his leadership in building schools and those comments, I disagree completely that the super is responsible for any of that; he is just following the direction coming from the BOE. And, the BOE has had 'those plans and that land' for a very, very long time - even before Duncan got here. In fact, those plans were made before most of the current BOE members were elected. Fred and John were probably the only two that were involved through the duration.

And, please, for the love of all mankind, use a name that is not prone to such discussion on this message board. Why can't you just be Mr. Smith or something -
#45 Pike runs on Dunkin on 06/27/11 at 12:55 PM
The state has never paid that percentage of a teachers cost. System allotment sheets will show you what is earned per grade level, if you staff more cost than is earned it becomes a taxpayer problem called millage. A doctorate degree base is expensive regardless of assignment. Additional day pay is based upon the earner's daily rate. The daily rate is the base salary from the state salary schedule divided by the state instructor base work year (190) days. In other words every extra day of work is an extra day of pay based upon a state scale numerator and the smaller standard work year (190) denominator. An extra day of pay for a 70,000 state base amount equals 368 dollars per day. a 240 day deal means 50 days over 190, or 18,400 extra pay, and this is before any supplement pay. No one has to have a doctorate to make 100 g as a coach. The way to do it is Extended Year and Extended day assignments, that is where the real pay is, and all you need is a Certificate and a Contract to score, even certified Admin folks get this treatment. It's a state compensation law driven by Professional Groups looking out for one anothers interest. The Super is Super let him do his job.
#46 a coach on 06/27/11 at 03:55 PM
just one point platinum member...Who profits from the concessions and the ticket sales from football or any other sport? I would certainly like to know? As a matter of fact I believe there is a state law that says high school sports programs are not allowed to profit at all. In other words every dollar from admission to each event is put back into the sports program in none way or another.
#47 fat bass tard on 06/27/11 at 07:08 PM
the band get's money from the concessions. not sure where the ticket sales money goes.
#48 Goldmember on 06/27/11 at 07:09 PM
I didn't bring it up...
#49 different bus driver on 06/28/11 at 03:10 PM
over 7 years ago time goes by so fast wow i have been driving for years now at one time the county did pay us a local supplement they took it a way.every year they are taking something away this pass year they made us have 5 furlow days there is also something in the school system where they match what what you put in , if you put in 50.00 the school puts in 50.00 they took it away and the insurance takes up all your check so you do good if you bring home any thing i love my work and cant wait until school stars back i love all my 72 kids on my bus but we are the lowest payed in georgia we are way off the scale
#50 Goldmember on 06/29/11 at 10:13 AM
I disagree that we will have to pay a new one the same or more.

I believe that the salaries have adjusted down since he was hired as evidenced by the low initial salary for the Spalding County super (100,000 his first year).

Just as many other people, the salaries for superintendent have gone down. If we hired a new one right now, and offered 100,000 for this size school system, we would get a very good superintendent.
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