Here is a PDF showing the names of delegates seeking election to the Montgomery County Democratic Party Reorganization Meeting. Every precinct is allowed to elect one delegate at the May 4 Democratic Primary. The deadline to get the name on the ballot was February 18. Of the 360 precincts in Montgomery County, about one-half will have at least one candidate on the ballot. But almost half will not.

Candidates elected at the May 4 Democratic Primary will be delegates to the Reorganization Meeting (held in mid-May) and will be voting members of the Montgomery County Democratic Party’s Central Committee — the legislative body of the local county party — for the next four years.

The Montgomery County Republican Party will have its Reorganization Meeting in two years.

It’s too late to get a name on the ballot, but any Democrat who wants to be elected as a delegate to the Reorganization Meeting may still be elected as a write-in candidate. The deadline is March 3 to turn in the needed paper work to be a write-in candidate.

The successful reorganization of our local political parties is of key importance to our communities. In my judgment, our best way to the future is through the vitalization of our democracy, through the building of authentic community, and political parties have a big role to play. I write here: What If More Democracy Is The Answer?

The Dayton Daily News in the past has criticized both the Montgomery County Republican Party and the Montgomery County Democratic Party for their antidemocratic actions. Yet, in this matter of this Reorganization Meeting, where democracy could actually gain some foothold, the DDN has made not a peep. Even my letter was not printed.

Although only about one-half of the 360 precincts have any candidates, there are 34 precincts where there is more than one candidate. In a couple of precincts there are four candidates. It will be interesting to see if in these contested precincts whether candidates will campaign and if so, what issues might emerge.

In my view, the local party needs a lot of improvement, a new direction, and needs new leadership. I think the current leadership is very much out of step with the thinking and the viewpoint of the grassroots. See here: Mark Owens Says Most Montgomery Dems Approve The Party’s Suppression Of Primary Participation.

I would like to see some changes to the constitution that will make the party more democratic and more forward looking. I plan on making some specific proposals that I will post here in the next few weeks.

The Kettering Board of Education at its Feb. 16 meeting, this evening, will discuss its plans to place a 6.9 mill operating levy on the May 4 ballot.  The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Recital Hall of Fairmont High School, 3301 Shroyer Road.

The need for a 6.9 mill levy is based on a five year budget projection prepared by Kettering’s School Treasurer, Steve Clark.  This school year (2009-2010), Kettering is spending $82.1 million to educate 7329 students, or, on average, $11,200 per student per year.  The budget projection shows that within four years (2013 – 2014) Kettering will need a budget of $95.6 million, or $13,040 per student per year.  This is an increase of 16.4%.

Since 85% of the school district budget always goes to salaries and benefits, almost all of this 6.9 mill tax increase will go to teachers and administrators.  The 6.9 mill levy request amounts to a request to increase salaries and benefits of teachers and administrators, over the next four years, by 19% — from the current $69.7 million to the projected amount of $83 million.

Last year, the board approved a two year contract for teachers of a 1.5% increase per year.  The last year for this contract is 2010 – 2011. The budget shows the 2009 – 2010 expenditure on salaries as $50.5 million and the 2010 – 2011 expenditure on salaries as $52.2 million — an increase of 3.32% above the expenditure of the previous year.

The reason why the total increase is shown to be 3.32%, rather than 1.5%, is because the 1.5% increase was added to the overall master contract. About 2/3 of teachers, according to the contract, each year earn increases in salary because of additional years of experience and / or additional academic credentials. Each “step” on the contract, on average, amounts to a 6% increase.

Usually teachers negotiate new contracts for a three year period, rather than a two year period as in this last contract, and this five year budget forecast shows that the school anticipates a new contract with a total 4.82% increase each year, for three years.  Part of this 4.82% increase will come from the experience and training “steps” already in the master contract.  But, about 2.5% -3% of this increase each year will be new money added to the contract.

It looks like the five year forecast anticipates a new three year teacher contract in which all teachers will receive at least a 2% – 3%  increase in salary each year for three years, and in which about 2/3 of the teachers will also receive a 6% experience or training “step.”  The way I read the budget forecast, the school treasurer is predicting a new three year teachers’ contract where most teachers (about 2/3) will receive an 8% increase each year beginning in 2011-12.

This year, the beginning salary for Kettering teachers is $35,000 per year, the ending salary is $80,000 or more, and the average salary for Kettering teachers is about $69,000.

Last year, the Kettering Board split 3-2 in approving the two year contract that gave 1.5% increase each year for two years.  Jim Trent, President of the Board, voted against the pay increase and, according to the DDN, said, “I can support all the components of the negotiated agreement with our teachers except the pay increase. After receiving feedback from many of our citizens, observing the latest economic news, and giving this topic an unbelievable amount of thought, I have reached the conclusion that because of the current economic turmoil, the time is not right to approve an increase in pay for anyone.”

Here is a short video where Mr. Trent gives his opinion of the two year contract.

Board member, Frank Maus, also voted against the increase and is quoted by the DDN as saying, “Do the teachers deserve a raise? Yes, the teachers deserve a raise, but with the economic conditions, which our community is faced with today, a raise is not a prudent thing to do.”

Mr. Maus’ vote against the teachers’ pay increase may have cost him his board position.  Of the three incumbents seeking reelection, Maus was the only incumbent board member who was defeated this past November, and he was the only board member who opposed the new teachers’ contract.  The DDN reported, “Some Kettering teachers were angry when school board member Frank Maus voted last spring against a contract that called for a 1.5 percent raise for teachers. The two incumbents who voted for the contract — Julie Gilmore and George Bayless — were re-elected, while Mr. Maus narrowly lost to challenger James Brown.”

During the board campaign, I was a candidate for school board, and I discovered that school officials wanted to place a new 7 mill levy on the May ballot. I brought up the topic of this 7 mill increase in property tax whenever possible.  Such an anticipated tax increase should have been discussed as part of the Kettering School Board election. But other board candidates and school officials denied they had made such plans and, during the election, I never succeeded in bringing about much public discussion about the matter.

Kettering Schools paid $19,000 to a professional polling business, Strategic Visioning, Inc., to gather information about Kettering voters’ opinion about Kettering Schools. The introduction to the report says, “This study was commissioned to determine voters’ attitudes toward Kettering City School District’s academic performance, fiscal stewardship, facilities, and leadership, as well as support for upcoming levies.”

The Strategic Visioning poll (download a PDF here) shows a lot of public confidence in Kettering Schools. Evidently, the results of this poll helped encourage the Kettering School Board to put a new school property tax levy of 6.9 mills on the May 4 Primary ballot.

It is impressive that 71% of parents with children in Kettering Schools say evaluate Kettering teachers as “Top quality teachers who really care about students and their futures,” and 57% of voters without children in Kettering Schools agree.

In Kettering Schools, 85% of the budget goes to salaries and wages. Asking Kettering taxpayers to approve new increases in their school property tax generally translates into asking taxpayers to approve giving teachers pay increases.

In this economic climate, what might be a stumbling block to approving the 6.9 mill tax increase for Kettering Schools is how voters evaluate the pay already earned by Kettering teachers — 64% of men feel that Kettering teachers are either paid too much or, about right, and 44% of women agree.

I have made a request to the Treasurer of Kettering Schools, Steve Clark, to be provided copies of any documents provided to the board that explains his forecast that 6.9 mills of additional property tax are needed to keep Kettering Schools solvent. (See my letter to Mr. Clark.) The best guess is that in order to make this 6.9 mills forecast, Mr. Clark included in his forecast pay increases for teachers and administrators — beyond those increases already built into the current contract that come with additional years of experience or additional academic degrees.

The 6.9 mill proposal needs to be studied. Promoting a school levy, however, for the purpose of raising the current levies of teachers’ pay would seem to contradict the finding of this poll that most Kettering males, and a big part of Kettering females feel Kettering teachers are currently paid enough.

It is interesting that this survey, in order to help respondents make an informed judgment, never gives any information about the average pay and compensation of Kettering teachers. It would be interesting to know whether respondents have any idea of how much Kettering teachers are paid.

I’m going to produce some statistical analysis of current Kettering teacher compensation for future posts. First year teachers in Kettering, with a BA degree, earn $34,959. Teachers at retirement, on average, earn over $80,000. The median salary for all teachers looks to be, I’m guessing, about $70,000, or so, and average health and retirement benefits add 25% or more.