Peter Maier
Running for School Board District 1
What have you done or what would you do to ensure that adequate financial controls are in place at the district? How do you plan to ensure that the information you receive about financial issues and other SPS issues from SPS staff is accurate?
Strong financial controls and oversight are important. For starters, I keep a careful watch on the District budget. Each month the School Board receives a detailed report showing year-to-date revenues and expenses, which I examine to make sure they track projections. I ask questions when I see possible issues, as I did at the August meeting of the Board's Audit/Finance Committee. I also have been an advocate for conservative budgeting that maintains a healthy reserve account for emergencies. As a result, despite reduced State funding, the District is solvent with the highest bond rating (higher than the U.S. Government!) and has adequate unencumbered financial reserves (currently about $14.5 million).
I and my fellow Board members have acted vigorously to strengthen fiscal controls, including the following improvements.
Each quarter the Board is holding oversight reviews of operational areas, for example last month on the District's purchasing and warehouse operations, including a listing of all contracts. A new Ethics hot line is operating, staff have been trained in ethics issues, and the District has contracted with the City to perform investigations and to recommend improved ethics rules. The Board has hired a new Internal Auditor, who is hiring staff that will triple the size of the internal auditor office that reports directly to the Board. Two volunteer public members have been added to the Board's Audit/Finance Committee, which meets twice monthly. The Board adopted a new debarment policy for contractors who violate District rules or public laws, has adopted a number of new comprehensive policies and is in the process of adopting others.
The most recent annual State Audit showed progress, with the number of audit findings cut in half from the previous year. Also, the troubled Small Business Development program was ended a year ago.
How will you shield children in the classroom from the impact of district budget cuts?
In absorbing the painful cuts in State funding, my own top priority (as well as the full Board's instruction to the staff in developing the 2011/12 budget) has been keeping funds in the classroom. This has entailed some difficult budget decisions and painful elimination or reduction of programs and services.
Over the last two years central administration has been reduced by about one-third, with about 90 positions eliminated from the Central office operating funds. Four million dollars in transportation costs were saved by moving to a three-tier Yellow bus system that uses about 80 fewer buses. I voted for a contract with a single bus contractor (rather than splitting the contract between two contractors) that next year will save about $800,000.
On a personal level, last year and in the coming year I will not accept the $4800 yearly per diem compensation for School Board directors.
Despite this budget tightening, the fact remains that our schools are chronically underfunded and that the State has drastically reduced its funding in the past few years. This is unacceptable and fails to meet the State's Constitutional "paramount duty" to fully fund K-12 education. I have worked hard to lobby in Olympia for adequate funding and will continue to do so.
Do you support keeping Susan Enfield on as Superintendent? Should Seattle conduct a national search for a superintendent? Why or why not on both questions.
Susan Enfield has a promising start as Interim Superintendent. I hope that the School Board will give her serious consideration as a permanent Superintendent.
Her contract runs through June 2012 (nationwide, Superintendent contracts run June to June), so that the Board must make a decision no later than early next year. But the first step is for the Board to reach out to the wider community of parents, staff and other citizens to hear what skills and other attributes the next Superintendent should have and what directions should the District take in the coming years, as well as to receive public comment about Susan Enfield's performance to date. This outreach effort will take place in the next few months. After receiving this helpful input, the Board will decide whether to offer to hire Susan Enfield permanently or whether to mount a national search.
How do you plan to reach out to parents who feel frustrated or unheard with the school board or SPS administration? What new ideas do you have about public engagement, particular with SPS parents?
I have worked very hard to reach out to SPS parents. In addition to the community meetings that I and all other Board members hold monthly, I am one of two Board members to send constituents a periodic email newsletter (using no SPS resources). I visit yearly each of the schools in my Director district and have made a point of visiting other schools all across the city – easily dozens of schools. I frequently visit PTSA meetings and have met on a number of occasions with parents and community organizations. My daytime phone number is 623-2800, my personal email is PLMaier@aol.com.
There is always room to improve community engagement. For example, I would like to see if the process for public testimony at Board meetings can be made more satisfying both for those testifying and for the Board. Another mechanism that has been started in the past year and can be expanded is using the District's new website management system for on-line surveys and for feedback from parents. I am open to other ideas and suggestions.
What is your opinion on the Teach for America teachers coming into SPS? Are there enough qualified teachers applying for SPS positions?
I voted to allow TFA teachers to apply for open positions in Seattle Public Schools because I believe that TFA expands the pool of applicants that could strengthen our teaching corps. For example, SPS would benefit from a deeper applicant pool of teachers of color and/or with a strong background in math or science. It was important to me that TFA does not cost the District anything (the $4,000 per TFA hiree will be paid by a private donor) and that all decisions about whether to hire a TFA applicant are made by the school level hiring committee (principal, staff and parents). No promise was made to hire any specific number of TFA teachers. To date, SPS schools have decided to hire about half a dozen TFA teachers for the coming year.
This is a new venture for Seattle, though many school districts nationwide have used TFA for years. The District's contract with TFA is for three years. When the TFA contract came before the Board, I offered a successful amendment requiring a report and evaluation before the contract may be renewed or extended. I am willing to try new approaches to improve educational outcomes for our students, with a careful review of how a new venture works out.
Many of our schools have needed re-building, retrofitting and repair. What can be done to ensure that capital funds are used appropriately in the future to this end?
Capital projects are a particular interest for me. Before I joined the School Board I was volunteer President of the Schools First levy campaigns in 2004 and 2007. Many of our school buildings have been renovated or replaced in the last few years. For example this fall major projects have been completed on time and within budget at Nathan Hale, Sealth, Denny, Viewlands, Queen Anne and Rainier View.
As Chair of the Board's Operations Committee I have worked diligently on Board oversight of these projects. An important component of the capital project program is major maintenance and energy conservation improvements, both of which were included in the BTA III capital levy approved by voters in February 2010.
Looking ahead, I will help lead the Board in developing the BEX IV capital levy that will be put before voters in February 2013. A significant emphasis of BEX IV will be providing the additional school buildings that will be needed to meet projected enrollment growth of about 6,000 additional students in the next five years.
What changes (if any) do you think are needed in the district's new student assignment plan?
The new student assignment plan has been successful by providing more predictability and by reducing transportation costs and by helping to strengthen neighborhoods. Some adjustments have been required to resolve unexpected over enrollment at a few specific schools (e.g. the boundary adjustments and opening of a new APP pathway at Ingraham to handle overcrowding at Garfield).
In the coming years the Board may need to make additional adjustments to make sure that individual schools are not overcrowded. Additional elementary schools will likely need to be re-opened, for example in West Seattle, and we may need an additional middle school in north Seattle. I would like to maintain the stability of student assignment boundaries as much as possible, so that other options (such as program changes and more school buildings) should be considered first.
What do you think is the district's number one problem and how would you try to solve it?
The #1 issue facing the District is how to meet the needs of all of our students in an era of reduced funding. We need to close the achievement gap that has existed for far too long, and we need to provide a challenging educational experience for all students. There are no magic answers, no one-size-fits-all solutions. What we need is a relentless focus on what best serves students and a steady commitment to improvements system-wide.
