Hello, my name is Matt. I
graduated with honors from Macomb Community College with an
AA Degree.
Then graduated cum laude with a
BA degree
from The University of Detroit, and a
Masters degree from Wayne State University where my overall grade point average was 3.86.
I financed nearly all of my education myself. I worked, borrowed and became a real estate investor fixing up old houses for resale.
I was successful enough at it to be featured in a couple of books on the subject. In
this book
attorney Robert J. Hill wrote stories about me and my partners on pages 30, 77, and 79.
I was also featured in
Deals That Make Sense
by Harvard MBA, John
T. Reed (www.JohnTReed.com). I am on page 32 and the name of the story is "$80,000 Rehab Profit."
I was also featured in John T. Reed's news letter, "Real Estate Investors Monthly" October 1999 issue.
While working for Roseville Schools I received
this outstanding dedication award
from the Roseville School Board. And
an excellence award from John Kment and Joe Steenland.
I also received perfect scores on my employee evaluations while working as a $13,000 per year teaching assistant. See the
front here
and the
rear here not one year but two years in a row.
See the
front here
and the
rear here.
But in spite of my best efforts, a 3.89 GPA, perfect scores on evaluations, literally breaking my back in a Roseville Building Trades accident, and after being passed over for several teaching positions, and seeing school district jobs go to Steenland, Kment, Lafeve, Hedemark and Diebold friends & relatives, and NOT being able to even get an interview for any job openings....I got a little mad! So, spoke out and also wrote a lengthy research paper for a graduate course at Wayne State University. I did a lot of research for the paper and included many of the facts and articles on this website.
The paper I wrote was about the nepotism, favoritism and dirty tricks in Roseville Community Schools and its negative impact on kids and our community. Joe Steenland, who gave me two awards for Excellence and Outstanding Dedication now refers to me as a "disgruntled ex-employee" in the local news papers and claims the things on this website are "Blatantly Untrue." Joe Steenland is either misinformed, lying or completely confused. Joe Steenland's daughter-in-law is Judge Catherine Steenland who, according to
this article
was arrested and then suspended from the bench for a drunk driving incident. I have to wonder why Judge Steenland's did not use the time off the file a slander lawsuit against me. Could it be that the judge knew that telling the
truth is not slander? I think so.
To my knowledge, EVERYTHING on this website is completely true...I don't make up stories and I resent being called a liar by someone who is a liar.
I give my opinion about issues in a few places and state that they are my opinion. And I believe my opinions are pretty accurate given the documented facts.
Some other teachers and residents including retired Roseville teacher Marty Quinn, Cathi Humphreys, Toni Trimbolli, Wendy Tabor, Jonathan Fouch, Adam D. McChesney, and Betsy Castro must also be "disgruntled" because they contact me and agreed most of my views.
Abdalla Awwad for Roseville City Clerk
Nepotism in michigan schools
****************************
Steenland for Roseville City Clerk
I Did My Research And Wrote My Paper Because...
Roseville pays more for their school janitors than many other school districts including but not limited to Grosse Pointe and Birmingham where the residents earn twice as much money. Nepotism is the cause. Too many Roseville School Board members are blood relatives and in-laws to the custodians so they look out for their relatives before they look out for our kids and tax dollars. Roseville Schools is not running a school district, they are running an employment service for their friends and relatives who can't seem to find a job anywhere else. But for some reason, Roseville parents do nothing.
The Macomb Daily reported that half of the failing schools in Macomb County were located in Roseville. But for some reason, Roseville parents do nothing.
In spite of having poor MEAP and ACT test scores our School Board allowed our Superintendent to work a part-time job at Metro Beach. At a salary of about $160,000 per year, I think our kids deserve the undivided attention of our Superintendent. But for some reason, Roseville parents did nothing.
Our current School Board and Administrators laid off our Director of Special Education, Dr. Dennis Frendo and classroom aids because of a “budget crisis” but had plenty of money to hire the son of School Board member Theresa Genest as an Audio Visual Technician. The Roseville School Board voted to cut resources and entire programs for Roseville kids but had plenty of money to give board member Bob Eineicher an $85,000 job working for the district. But for some reason, Roseville parents did nothing. I am sure why Roseville parents do nothing. I suspect many of them do not know, do not care are too busying trying to make a living. My intention here is to connect the dots and put it in their face. If they do nothing, at least I can say I did.
In May 2009 there was a School Board Election in Roseville. Only 10% of the voters voted and all the incumbents won. About 2 weeks AFTER the election and again, as predicted, Roseville cut educational resources and staff while the janitors, many of which are relatives to school board members kept their jobs and took no concessions. Roseville pays more for their janitors than Grosse Pointe, Birmingham and Saint Clair Shores. Again, about 10% of voters actually voted and they decided for the other 90%. This speaks volumes about our city.
A disgusted Roseville staff member sent me this memo dated May 27 (just two weeks AFTER the election) and presented to me as an actual memo from Roseville Schools. Please note all the educational resources which where were cut. Administrators and janitors did not take cuts. This is an example of the dirty tricks the school board uses. Roseville parents did nothing. Meanwhile, The Macomb Daily ran this story describing how Lakeview Schools is expanding educational resources, has increased enrollment and cites outsourcing janitorial services as one of the major reasons for the money to improve the programs for students.
The Macomb Daily reported on October 4, 2009 page 7A that Roseville Community Schools lost 214 students for the 2009-2010 school year. Lakeview gained 205 students. And Roseville has had to close FIVE elementary schools for lack of students and money. But the union janitors kept their jobs. I think "schools of choice" is having an impact on our school districts. Families are either moving out of Roseville or using schools of choice to take their kids to a better performing district. I would also guess that the kids leaving the Roseville district are some of the best academic performers and this will drag Roseville test scores even farther.
Beginning on December 17, 2009 the Macomb Daily ran a series of 3 articles about the "cronyism" and "unethical" actions of members of Roseville Schools. You see, Bob Eineicher, who was a school board member, resigned his post and was immediately hired by John Kment into a $80,000-$90,000 job working for the school district. Never enough money for the kids books, music programs, or more teachers but always plenty of of money to hire another friend or relative of a Roseville insider. That's Roseville. The Roseville Community Schools parents did nothing about it. In fact, if you click on the link in the pdf file it will take you to the articles on the Macomb Daily website. Very few Roseville residents commented on the articles. Some said the situation was no big deal. Some were critical of Roseville Schools. However, the most disturbing issue was the fact that NO ONE BUT ME used their real name when they commented.
At the risk of sounding self-important or having delusions of grandeur, I can't help but feel like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood in one of those old cowboy movies (LOL). I step out into the street to face the bad guys and all of the towns-people run and hide and leave me to fight alone. I'll know better next time.
I would like for the Roseville PTO to send me a response to this situation which I can post here. I am interested in your thinking concerning the contrasting "strategies" of Roseville and Lakeview school districts. I think that as the resources of Roseville Schools are misappropriated to benefit a few people who are related to "Roseville Royalty" the test scores will continue to decline, the reputation of the school district will decline, enrollment will decline, the quality of people who want to live here will decline and so will our property values. If you disagree, I want to hear from you.
Steenland for Roseville City Clerk
Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
catharine steenland drunk driving
This website is called RosevilleCommuintyFools.com because I think too many, though not all, citizens of Roseville have been foolish, uncaring, and uninterested in their school district and its time to wake up. Most people are too busy making a living to pay attention to what is going on in the school district. They assume that no news it good news. And no news is what taxpayers get since the business portion of the school board meetings is not put on the free local cable access channel. Roseville is the only district I know of that does not put their school board meetings on the local FREE cable access channel.I believe our board members like Bob Eineicher and Joe Steenland hire their relatives into high paying, low skill maintenance jobs, the same jobs other school districts are eliminating and spend the saved money on what school districts were established for...educating kids. The taxpayers of Roseville need to start paying attention.
Steenland for Roseville City Clerk
Mickey Switalski
Irene Kepler drunk driving
Roseville resident and State Representative Mickey Switalski does not send his son to Roseville Schools. Instead, his son attends a private school. I think Roseville Community Schools should be good enough for a State Senator's kids. Not everyone can afford to pay $9,000.00 to send their child to an elite private school because the public schools are failing them. I think too many Roseville politicians talk the talk but don't walk the walk. There is a great deal we can do to improve our school district and our politicians seem to be too busy running for the next office to help us.It is also my understanding that the grandson of School Board President Joe Steenland, and son to City Clerk, Richard Steenland also attends the same private school as Mickey Switalski's son. Roseville Schools is apparently good enough for YOUR kids but not good enough for THEIRS. When will the parents wake up?
Nepotism in Michigan government
Dr. Dennis Frendo special education
Hypocrite: -noun1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2. a person feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.
To his credit, Mickey Switalski has been working to pass legislation to move school board elections to the same date as general elections and this will save all school districts money which can be better spent on teaching kids. However, the rest of Michigan legislators have blocked his efforts. I believe it boils is union politics at work.
Follow The Money
Facts not opinions: Roseville pays more for their school custodains/janitors than several other districts in the area including but not limited to: Grosse Pointe, Saint Clair Shores, Birmingham. Some of Roseville's custodians live in "better" cities than Roseville where the school test scores are higher.
Opinions: Roseville Community Schools does not exist to provide high-paying jobs for custodians and maintenance workers who in many cases, are relatives to School Board members and don't live in Roseville much less send their kids to Roseville schools. These Janitors often live in better areas than Roseville where the MEAP and SAT scores are much higher.
Saint Clair Shores, Southfield, Birmingham, Huron Valley and Westland School districts have eliminated custodial positions in favor of contracting that work out to local companies. These districts are each saving millions of taxpayer's dollars. Saint Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Birmingham and Huron Valley and Westland are all paying less for janitors than Roseville parents and enjoy higher MEAP scores. Let me repeat that. Roseville taxpayers pay more for their school janitors than Grosse Pointe and Birmingham. Please click here to see a related article from the Michigan Education Report. Also, click here to see the article which goes on to say contracting out custodial work is up more than 26 percent and 90 percent of school districts are happy with the results.
Grosse Pointe Public Schools recently allowed their janitors to keep their jobs instead of outsourcing the work to a private company. However, the janitors had to accept $400,000.00 in concessions to keep their jobs. Click here to see the article from the Grosse Pointe News. The union politics going on behind the scenes has a profound impact on the educational process. Grosse Pointers are more highly educated, earn more and are less likely to belong to a union. The parents and school board members in Grosse Pointe put the futures of the kids ahead of the janitors. In Birmingham Schools they eliminated the union janitors in favor of hiring more teaching staff. Therefore, Roseville taxpayers are paying more for school custodians than Grosse Pointe and Birmingham residents. The 2007 average household income in Roseville is $43,593.00 per year while the Grosse Pointe Farms it was $104,314.00.; in Birmingham $86,838.00 I have wondered what Roseville State Representative Harold Haugh thinks of that? I asked Harold Haugh for a comment on this issue several MONTHS ago but have yet to hear back from him. What about the Roseville City Council? They can e-mail me with a comment at Rosevillecommunityfool@yahoo.com if they like. I will post their comment here.
I thought the parents and taxpayers of Roseville must be some of the most generous people around since they make LESS but don't mind paying MORE than the Grosse Pointers. At the beginning of my study I thought Roseville parents wanted to support the union because of a "blue collar belief" that they should support the union workers. After writing a research paper on Roseville Community Schools, speaking to dozens of people, collecting notes and data, I concluded that very few of Roseville residents had this "blue collar belief" I assumed they did. Instead, they simply did not know that they were paying more and getting less.
Morals and Manipulation
I think that when school board members Joe Steenland and Bob Eineicher are given the choice of cutting the pay of their relatives or raising our taxes, the taxes get raised. In fact, at one school board meeting I attended Joe Steenland and Bob Eineicher were both discussing the concept of making custodians eligible for "inspiration awards" from the kids. Teachers and paraprofessionals are already eligible for the awards, so Steenland and Eineicher were lobbying heavily for the janitors to get them as well. I think that was the most pathetic display of self-serving manipulation of kids I have ever seen. Steenland and Eineicher obviously knew that other school districts were getting rid of their union janitors and they didn't want that to happen to their kin folks working for Roseville Community Schools. I could only imagine what was said behind the scenes. Are board members telling their Janitor relatives to be extra nice to the kids and parents? Are the kids and parents being treated nicely or being manipulated?
Eineicher and Steenland went on to say that when they were in school the janitors had a huge influence on them because they were not part of the "smart crowd" and joked about being dumb and on the Roseville School Board of Education. I would certainly hope that raises a few eyebrows.
I have personally heard teachers criticize Roseville Schools Superintendent John Kment and School Board President Joe Steenland for hiring so many of their relatives into the district. This has had a negative impact on morale. It is a case of, "it ain't what you know, it's who you know" and it sends the wrong message to the kids. After all, why study or work hard when your relatives can pull strings for you and get you hired over others.
Roseville citizens watched the advertising campaign the city launched on our local cable channel to sway public opinion into voting for the tax hike. Roseville Schools Superintendent, John Kment, who doesn't live in Roseville was in the commercial and supported the tax hike. Shortly after the tax hike passed, John Kment's son was hired as the newest member of the Roseville Police Department. The former Roseville Mayor is Harold Haugh. It is my understanding that Haugh's daughter works for John Kment in Roseville Schools. Many of us wondered if John Kment hired Mayor Haugh's daughter so that Haugh would hire Kment's son. In Texas they call this "trading" (you hire mine and I'll hire yours) and it is ILLEGAL there because it is clearly a conflict of interest, costs taxpayers extra money, creates a "good old boy" network, and is clearly a betrayal of the public trust.
The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania is rated in the top ten business schools in America. They did a study on nepotism in the workplace and concluded that: "Those businesses that discourage nepotism do so because it may cause problems with favoritism, discipline fraud, confidentiality and liability."
Becky Vasil is the Deputy Superintendent of Roseville Community Schools and she lives in Bloomfield Hills where the school test scores are far better than Roseville. The average household income in Bloomfield Hills is over $118,000.00 per year while the average in Roseville is about $43,000.00. Becky Vasil earns over $120,000 per year from Roseville tax payers. Like Becky Vasil, Bloomfield Hills is a community of highly educated people. Bloomfield Hills is now considering eliminating the union maintenance jobs so that they can spend the saved money on educating their kids. Educated people tend not to support unions and uneducated people do.
I believe Roseville Community Schools refuses to consider outsourcing any services because too many relatives will lose high-paying union maintenance jobs. One of my website readers said this: "The school board, Kment, and Vasil all agreed that Roseville employees are family and they would not out source custodial services. I think I mentioned this to you in past e-mails. Vasil said this at a school board meeting in September, 2007. They all agreed. This is probably why students don't have books in some of their classes or the books arrive in the middle of the school year....no money because they are paying their relatives too much money."
I think that if people like Becky Vasil really want to support labor unions, they should live in Roseville rather than Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe, or Birmingham and practice what they preach.
At the beginning of this page Joe Steenland says I am a liar in the news paper but did not give any concrete examples. Well, our current school administrators seem to be liars. Here is the example.
June 2010, C & G Newspaper reported that Roseville Middle School was failing and the government was threatening to close the school unless certain conditions were met.
Assistant Superintendent Mike LaFeve told the reporter that Roseville Middle School had basically been given a raw deal, "no one told us" and Mr. LaFeve threw out some statistics that he figured no one in Roseville would understand and claimed Roseville Middle School made Adequate Yearly Progress for the past five years. Well, that is UNTRUE.
The Macomb Daily reported in 2007 that Roseville Middle School did NOT make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and half (3 of 6) failing schools in Macomb County just happen to be in Roseville. Click here to see the article from the Macomb Daily.
Mike LaFeve must have forgotten that Roseville Middle did not make AYP, he forgot the Macomb Daily front page story about it, and forgot that I put the story on this website. He forgot? No, I think he lied and thought no one would notice.
Roseville MEAP scores are some of the worst in Macomb County. Roseville High School did not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in recent years according to government requirements. In my opinion, that is why our Roseville State Senator Mickey Swiltalski sends his son to a private school.
Roseville High School Test Scores
In a recent issue of C & G News (the free newspaper delivered to your house) reporter Maria Allard quoted Roseville Assistant Superintendent Mike Lafeve as saying Roseville schools performs as well or better than other districts in the area. That is completely false. Here are some facts from Greatschools.net which compiles scores for most school districts in America.
Reading:
Reading 2005 - 74% Meeting or exceeding standards.
Reading 2006 - 60% Meeting or exceeding standards. This represents a 14% DROP. The state average in 2006 was 70%.
Reading 2007 - 45% Meeting or exceeding standards.
Reading 2008 - 53% Meeting or exceeding standards. The state average was 62%.
Science:
Science 2005 - Data not given. However, it does say that the state average was 57% in 2005.
Science 2006 - 41% Meeting or exceeding standards.
Science 2007 - 40% Meeting or exceeding standards.
Science 2008 - 44% Meeting or exceeding standards. The state average 57%.
Writing:
Writing 2005 - 45% Meeting or exceeding standards.
Writing 2006 - 40% Meeting or exceeding standards. The state average for 2006 was 55%.
Writing 2007 - 18% Meeting or exceeding standards.
Writing 2008 - 25% Meeting or exceeding standards. The state average was 41%.
Math:
Math 2005 - 48% Meeting or exceeding standards.
Math 2006 - 36% Meeting or exceeding standards. The state average was 55% for 2006.
Math 2007 - 27% Meeting or exceeding standards.
Math 2008 - 29% Meeting or exceeding standards. The state average was 46%.
Source: www.Greatschools.net
Click here to see the MME composite scores. Click the image again to make it larger. I am not sure why C & G News simply prints whatever they are told by Roseville Schools administrators but a few people have suggested that it is because the school district and the City of Roseville are two of the newspaper's biggest advertisers. A simple check of the facts shows that Roseville is one of the worst performing districts in Macomb County. In reading the spreadsheet, please note that Grosse Pointe and Birmingham math scores are more than DOUBLE (100% better) than Roseville scores and Roseville pays more for their school janitors than both of these districts. Nearly all educators agree that math and science are the most important subjects in school. The highest paying jobs all require a high degree of skill in math and science. I think this is an area we need to focus on far more. After teaching summer school math for two years in Roseville I noticed some areas that need improvement.
One of the first arguments used to explain the differences in the test scores is the amount of money spent per student in a given district. I calculated that Grosse Pointe spends about 23% more per student than Roseville. However, the math scores are 100% better. If the money were the only issue, the math scores should only be 23% better in Grosse Pointe. Roseville also spends 3% more on administrative costs than Grosse Pointe. See the pie chart for the graphic. Roseville spends more than Grosse Pointe because of nepotism. Board members like Joe Steenland, Theresa Genest and Bob Eineicher refuse to lay off their relatives and make necessary cuts. They are running an employment service for their relatives, not a school district and taxpayers are picking up the tab.
Also, Detroit Public Schools outspends Roseville schools by about 18% per student as shown here yet their scores are drastically lower than Roseville's. Money is certainly not the only factor impacting the scores. In Grosse Pointe 64% of the budget goes to instruction. In Roseville 59% goes toward instruction while Detroit spends just 54% directly on instruction. Grosse Pointe Schools seem to be better at managing their budget by cutting maintenance and administrative costs so more money is spent in the classroom. This gives the Grosse Pointe children an even bigger advantage over other districts like Roseville and Detroit.
I have asked educators, parents and students to explain why the expenditures in Grosse Pointe are only 26% higher yet their scores are 100% (double) the scores in Roseville. Most people point to expectations. The general consensus was that people who expect more get more and Roseville parents need to expect more for their taxes and put a higher value on education.
I questioned several Roseville residents when conducting my research for my thesis project and none of the people I interviewed knew that the scores were so low in Roseville. I also interviewed Grosse Pointe parents and they seemed more aware of the scores. When I told the Grosse Pointe parents that Roseville parents paid more for their school janitors and the test scores were much lower, many shook their heads and some even laughed. An accountant and parent said that life is a 70 year marathon and some kids begin with a head-start, good coaches, a map and good running shoes. Other kids don't have a head-start, no coaches, no map and are barefoot. I thought that was an excellent analogy.
Most of the parents in Grosse Pointe had been to college and expected their kids to go to college. Most Roseville parents had not graduated from college but also expected their kids to go to college. Nationally, 26% of Americans have a four year degree. Just 10% have a graduate degree. Half of the kids who graduate high school will attempt college, about half of those will drop out. Therefore about 26% have four year degrees.
Things That Should Change
I am a teacher and a business owner. After working in Roseville Schools and analyzing it from an educator's perspective and from a business perspective, I don't think I have ever seen a more backward and sinister operation which enriches a few select people while the rest of us pay the tab. This situation needs to be fixed and I am the person for the job. Roseville needs a school board and administrators who are looking for the interests of the kids and not their kin folks who can't seem to find a job anywhere else. I am the only certified teacher running for school board and if elected to school board I will do the following:
1. Get rid of the nepotism which rules over our current board and administrator's decision making. Currently, it ain't what you know, it's who you know in Roseville! Our school board and administrators laid off our Director of Special Education, Dr. Frendo and our Vocational Education teaching assistants because of a "budget crisis" but had plenty of money to hire the son of board member Theresa Genest as an audio visual technician. I want to hire the best people, not the relatives of people in high places.
2. Roseville taxpayers currently pay more for their school custodians than Grosse Pointe and Birmingham where the household incomes are twice as high. I am in favor of phasing out our union janitors over several years and replacing them with a local private company which uses recently graduated Roseville students as the workers. This would be part of an academic schlarship program where top students who were able to get accepted to college, but did not have enough money to pay, could work their way through by being a part-time custodian at Roseville Schools. The school district would turn the financial burden of maintaining the buildings into a scholarship program for the kids. If it works for McDonalds, Wal-Mart and dozens of other companies, it will work for us. This will save the district millions of dollars which can be spent on educating our kids. Saint Clair Shores and Southfield schools recently just fired all of their union janitors saved several million dollars. In fact, Southfield will reportedly save 21.5 million over three years. http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=9461
Under my plan, the older custodians would be allowed to retire and get the pensions they have earned so they can have a dignified retirement. For the younger custodians, am in favor of the district paying for retraining at Macomb Community College or a university. If the school district paid ALL the tuition and books for the custodians, the district would still save millions of dollars. For instance, Macomb offers a two year nursing (RN) program and the students are getting job offers before they even graduate. Starting salary for a two year RN is between $20 and $25 per hour. Custodians would earn more and have better job security in a job like nursing. Under my plan NO custodians will be simply laid-off as they were in other districts. This plan will take several years to complete and I can't think of a more fair way to solve this obvious problem. If anyone has a better idea on how to resolve this clear and glaring problem, I am willing to listen.
In spite of me saying this, I generally get hateful emails from union supporters who use every convoluted and tortured "logical argument" out of the union handbook as to why this is bad for America. And as they type their hateful email, they are wearing a shirt made in Mexico, shoes from Taiwan, socks and underwear from Egypt and watch a TV made in China all by non-union labor.
Furthermore, when they need electrical work, a furnace, or a roof on their house, they certainly don’t call the union hall for a list of union contractors who charge far more. Instead, they check around, get several prices and get the best deal they can which ALWAYS means hiring an independent non-union contractor. But school districts apparently aren’t supposed to do that because it is "un-American". Somehow, unions have been fairly successful at selling their "do as I say, not as I do” hypocritical argument to the public.
Unions sometimes try to portray all non-union contractors as sleaze-balls who do a horrible job and steal union jobs. My own father was a non-union contractor and he did a great job for less money for over 35 years, supported a wife and four kids. Most of the non-union tradesmen I know say they do not belong to a union because of “union politics and corruption.”
I am completely aware that this is a hot button issue and when I decided to run for school board I COULD HAVE simply said, "I am for smaller class sizes, more money for education" and people would have voted for me. However, I think tackling this issue is critical to the future success of our district and must be discussed. Paying our school custodians more than Grosse Pointe and Birmingham is ridiculous, unsustainable, unfair to taxpayers and will have to end one way or another. I think my plan to resolve the problem is more than generous.
I actually think I will lose the election because of my position on this issue. When I lose, the union supports will be cheering, waiving their American flags (made in China) and brag about the win. But what have they won? Roseville Schools will become known as a city where the union janitors get the meat and kids get the bones. If you vote for me you are getting someone who says what they think and not what the need to in order to get elected.
I would like to see the custodial work in the school district be turned into a scholarship program. Not everyone can afford to go away to school and not everyone has grades high enough to get a full scholarship for college. Most students must work during college.
Our school district could eliminate most of the permanent custodial jobs and that work could be done by well deserving, high achieving former Roseville high school students who are getting a college degree.
Most of the full-time custodial jobs would slowly be eliminated. I would keep full-time more mature custodians at the high school and supervisory positions.
Let's face it, sweeping floors and taking out the trash is not a viable career choice for a grown man or woman who expects to support a family and own a house. This type of work can be done cheaper by our recent graduates who need a temporary part-time job.
If you think this idea will not work then answer this. How does McDonald's, Disney World, Burger King, Wal-Mart and dozens of other corporations make it work for them? All of these companies hire temporary young workers to do most of the manual labor jobs. This idea saves money and helps kids get an education.
3. Our current school administrators do not hire the most qualified people to teach our kids as federal law requires under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Instead, they play games with job postings, do not properly advertise job openings as required by law and instead hire their friends and relatives regardless of qualifications. Even the Macomb Daily mentioned in this article that Roseville Community Schools had unethical hiring practices and sets a bad example. I will put a stop to that if elected to school board.
4. In spite of our school district having some of the worst MEAP and ACT scores in the county and in spite of the Macomb Daily reporting that Roseville has more failing schools than any other district in the county, our school board has allowed our Superintendent John Kment to maintain a part-time job at Metro Beach. Since Roseville citizens pay Kment about $140,000 per year, he has no business working any other jobs. I think that school administrators are very well paid at over $100,000 per year and our kids deserve their complete and undivided attention. I will not allow administrators to work other jobs.
I am also for reducing class sizes so teachers can actually teach and not just "survive" the year. We also need more supplies for hands on activities that reinforce the book learning in the areas of math and science. These activities require supplies and that costs money. Math and science are the two most important subjects because that is where the jobs of the future are. State test scores show that Roseville kids are far behind in math and science and when leave the confines of our district and head out into the real world they will not be able to compete and their futures will be dim. Harsh but true.
5. Currently, the Roseville School board does not broadcast the actual board meetings on our free local cable channel. There is no reporting of budgets, hiring, firing, progress reports, MEAP or ACT testing. The board currently only broadcasts singing children and award ceremonies where board members spend most of the meeting telling each other how wonderful they are. I think taxpayers deserve a little more facts and a lot less fluff. I will use the channel to inform parents about how well (or not) our district is performing in the area of academics. Academic performance should be our primary focus since the future of our kids depends on it.
6. The last time I checked, NONE of Roseville Schools administrators actually live in Roseville. Some school districts REQUIRE that administrators live in the district and send their kids to school there. I think this is something Roseville should consider. Our administrators currently live in places like Grosse Pointe and Bloomfield Hills where the ACT and MEAP scores are far higher. Our own State Senator won't trust our school district to educate his son.
7. Our current Roseville City Council doesn't seem to understand the importance of the school district. As our MEAP and ACT scores lag behind surrounding communities, so do our property values and this erodes our tax base. I have spoken to young families who cite Roseville Schools as the reason for both not moving to Roseville and as the reason the left Roseville. Instead of getting properly involved with our schools they waste time and money chasing after Roseville artist, Edward Stross. They have spent thousands of our tax dollars and countless hours taking legal action against Stross for a harmless painting on the side of his commercial building. I hope to make the council realize that the school district is the heart of the community and to focus their energy on more important issues.
8. I am in favor of term limits for school board members. Individuals who are on the board for too long begin to think they own the district. These long-time board members load the payroll with friends and relatives which has resulted in Roseville currently paying more for custodians than both Grosse Pointe and Birmingham. These board members are not helping our kids, they are hurting them and this situation and needs to be corrected.
9. I would like to more energize parents about education and high achievement in our community. After a loving home, a great education is the most important thing we can give our kids. Education has made a huge difference in my life and have a passion for learning. I want to share this passion by having the district use our free local cable channel to broadcast educational events such as math and science fairs, updates on achievement, vocational education projects and college exploration. A high school education is no longer enough to compete in the world today. I think our school district needs to do more to guide students into college or vocational schools.
10. I would like to supply the vocational education teachers with paraprofessionals again. I am a state certified vocational teacher and I know there are dangerous tools and situations in vocational classes. I am afraid a student or teacher will be seriously hurt or even killed due to a lack of supervision. I think the decision to lay off the vocational paraprofessionals was a drastic mistake.
11. Last but certainly not least! I have had several Roseville teachers tell me that they are afraid to speak out against the problems in the district for fear of retribution. These frightened people have gone as far as calling me or creating a "fake" e-mail address so they could send me messages without fear of being identified. I certainly hope that Superintendent John Kment, Deputy Superintendent Becky Vasil, Assistant Superintendent Mike LaFeve are proud of that fact. If I am elected to the board the fear of retribution will stop immediately. No teacher, parent or student should have to be afraid of punishment for speaking up about something they see wrong with our school district. On my watch, the bullies will have to be afraid, not the teachers.