Pasco sets immediate hiring freeze

The Pasco County school district has frozen all vacant job positions, one day after a budget workshop where superintendent Heather Fiorentino told the School Board such a move could be coming soon.

The decision affects all jobs, including at the school level, and including those for which interviews already have been conducted. "Even if your ad has closed, do not make an offer of employment," assistant superintendent Renalia DuBose wrote in an e-mail to all district employees with hiring authority.

Only a limited number of jobs deemed necessary by the superintendent will remain open. Fiorentino took this step as the district seeks ways to cut as much as $20-million in spending by July.

To see the full text of the hiring freeze announcement, read on.

Date: Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:54:13 -0500
Conversation: IMPORTANT!! HIRING FREEZE - PLEASE READ IMMEDIATELY
Subject: FW: IMPORTANT!! HIRING FREEZE - PLEASE READ IMMEDIATELY

Sent on behalf of: Renalia DuBose
Assistant Superintendent for Administration

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
DUE TO THE STATEWIDE FUNDING CRISIS

All unfilled positions are currently frozen. No position will be filled unless approved by Superintendent Heather Fiorentino. The Superintendent has reviewed the list of ads. Ads that are currently open will be cancelled, and the posting will reflect the cancellation. A limited number of ads will continue to run due to necessity and/or funding source.

Even if your ad has closed, do not make an offer of employment. If an offer has been made for an unfilled position, immediately contact Renalia DuBose at (813) 794-2856 by close of today, December 2, 2008.

If you have a position you deem critical to the operation of your workplace or if you have questions or concerns, you may contact your assistant superintendent.

*

Comments

[concerned teacher]

The teachers know what works and what doesn't as far as trainings and excess "waste". The powers at be should ask us the people in the field for ideas and suggustions..

As far as sports go, at times it keeps the kids off the streets and on track with their HW!

Why don't we ask for "outside" help like other busniesses or the NFL?? We need outside help to run our schools!! We produce results - give us the support! Mr. Gates where are you?

I'm very familiar with the expression, "it flows downhill." When I was in the Navy we had 2 kinds of officers, "it pumps" and "it filters". One passed on the it and the other tried to shield the troops from getting it on. But here in Pasco we have another kind as well, the "it amplifier". They not only pass on the it that's dumped on them, but they add it of their own making to pass on to their troops.

To both the concerned taxpayer and huh,

I am concerned about teachers as well as administrators. I am a teacher. My sister is an administrator and my grandmother is a food service employee. My sister does work 14 hour days and is very passionate about helping children. Just as I am about helping the children I serve in my classroom. I am a strong advocate for my fellow teachers; but am sick and tired of people on here bashing the administrators.

And, you don't know what it is like to have their level responsibility unless you have been in their shoes; however much you may feel as if "their shoe is on your neck." It all rolls down hill- have you heard that saying? I listen to my sister complain about the state and federal officials constantly mandating to her what she needs to do and I realize that she is experiencing a great deal of what we feel every day. She is just in a different trench.

The sad truth is that the powers that be (and by that I mean our current USDOE Administration and State Legislature- have us playing right into their hands. We are so busy fighting each other that we fail to realize the real culprits, the real source of the problems in education- most of which do not start or end in Land O' Lakes. As long as they keep us divided, we won't get anywhere.

[teacher w/ brain]

12:57
The position I find most interesting is close to the end of the list... "District Website Coordinator" who makes over 57K. That is just hilarious!

[concerned taxpayer]

Dear no name at 441 p.m.
I don't think there has been any suggestion that all administrative jobs should be cut, nor that all employees at the district level are not doing any work. There is little doubt however, that any large company (including this school district) has "fat" that could be trimmed. Of course trimming this fat will not "solve" the budget crisis we are all in, but it would at least be a step in the right direction. If I were in debt could I just stop paying my bills because it wouldn't really make a difference overall? As a "concerned" taxpayer, I don't think I am asking too much for the newspaper to do the research for me (and all of us) about pay, bennies and such, since that is what reporters do. Or at least I thought reporters were supposed to dig into the facts and present them all in a fair and non-biased way. I certainly never suggested a grand conspiracy and take offense to being labeled "lazy" by someone who has no idea who I am, where I work, or how hard I work. It is extremely rude of you to pass judgment on my personality when I am simply asking questions. I don't know you or your sister and did not in any way impugn her integrity. Other wonderful people making a little over minimum wage (with families to care for) will be hurt by these cuts as well. Is it too much to ask in this season of love and all that is good to feel a little compassion for all and not just the ones you personally know?

[4:41, huh?]

"you couldn't cut enough to cover these costs."
You're right, darlin', it wouldn't cover the total shortfall, but it would make a dent and it's a start.

"remember the saying...until you've walked in others shoes."
Gee, darlin', I never saw you make this comment when people bash teachers, but I guess this time it's your ox being gored. And we teachers don't have to walk in administrator shoes, we feel them on our throats every day.

"My sister is a district administrator and she never leaves before 7 p.m., is in by 5 and works almost every weekend."
Wow, darlin', you're sister is in by 5 and never leaves before 7? Is that 2 hours or 14 hours every day? The palace parking lot doesn't have many cars when I drive by on my way in to work and it doesn't have that many cars still there when I get to drive by on my way home. I guess your overworked sister works elsewhere.

"To categorize them all as being invaluable is ignorant."
Darlin', I don't think anyone thinks that they're ALL invaluable. There are a FEW who are invaluable, but but there are way too many who are valueless. (I understand your confusion. It's that whole "inflammable" means the same as "flammable", "in- doesn't always mean not" thing.)

The comments on here are ill-informed. There are less than 140 total administrators in the whole District (non-school based). Even if you got rid of all of them (which you can't by law), you couldn't cut enough to cover these costs. Also, remember the saying...until you've walked in others shoes. My sister is a district administrator and she never leaves before 7 p.m., is in by 5 and works almost every weekend. To categorize them all as being invaluable is ignorant.

By the way 9:50 concerned tax payer- if you are interested in the salaries made, make a public records request. There is no secret, no grand conspiracy. These were printed a few months back and posted on this website. Perhaps it isn't too much to ask for a "concerned" citizens to actually become informed about issues instead of lazily issuing inuendos.

Concerned taxpayer, here you go! A little out of date though.
http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2008/PDFs/PascoDistrictAdministrators.pdf

[concerned taxpayer]

I would like to also see the salaries etc of the district employees. Like any other business there is plenty of fat at the top that could be eliminated thereby protecting the jobs of the overworked teachers and SRPs. A little show of solidarity from HF could go a long way during this budget crisis. How 'bout if some of the highest paid let go a fraction of their salaries and/or perks to save the people "in the trenches"? As a taxpayer I am very concerned about the waste I read and hear about in the education system. Isn't this all public record? I would like the St. Pete Times to do some actual investigative reporting and tell us the truth. Is that too much to ask from the free press?

[SRP]

STOP THE READING CLUB ON THE LOADING DOCK AT DISTRICT OFFICE WHERE SOME OF OUR LEADERS SPEND THERE TIME ON A NICE DAY

[srp]

PUT A TIME CLOCK IN FOR ADMINSTATION

[maybe I better not give my name]

"zinger",
You don't know of what you speak. Teachers are laid off on the basis of seniority within content areas. So an elementary school teacher with 5 years experience would only be laid off if we laid off every elementary teacher with less experience and still needed to cut more. There's language in the contract that spells out the layoff (we call it "reduction in force") protocol.
Then again, maybe you're not so wrong after all since the current administration (both here and in Pinellas) doesn't seem to be overly concerned with such things as words in a contract.

SPT: Please publish Heather's and her boss Renalia's salaries including all benefits and expense reimbursement reports to date.

Also please publish the school board's salaries/bennies/expense reimbursement reports and their individual net worth.

Then let's see the names, titles, job descriptions, salaries, bennies expense reimbursement reports and of the next 2 or 3 or 4 tiers of adminstation in LOL.

Compare that to people who actually work with students every day all year.

I'm a taxpayer.

[zinger]

Response to the doctor. No one is immune or safe from layoffs.

[sentinel]

How about getting rid of all the assistant principals. Padding the staff does no one any good. Austerity is the word.

[Another teacher]

Well, this is a start. But how about freezing all the trainings that are uselessly still going on at district on a daily basis. On almost any given day the parking lots are overcrowded into the grass parking. This indicates so many teachers are out of the classroom and subs are in their place so they can "train" more. Aren't all teachers trained enough by at the minimum 4 years of higher education?

There really is so little left to learn that is not just repackaged and resold under different names. IF these teachers are being trained in new technology, why worry? There is no money to implement the things they are learning to use!

Charlie Crist, why are you not addressing this crisis?!! Oh I forgot, those were just political election promises.

Yes to the comment from the doctor, we have had district personnel subbing at our school as well as our administration!

[The doctor]

To those of us who are safe from being laid off, be very careful that you do not get sick during this flu season. I am saying this because of the hiring freeze the district will have to rely on the subs to educate our children. Just in case you are sick maybe the admin will realize what will happen if and when we will get the opportunity to strike.

By the way has the admin made good on their promise to sub?