The Express-Times reports that head football coach Rob Melosky was hired at a starting salary of $73,755 (read the article here).
The Vote
The vote was 5-4 with Ken Butz, Lorin Bradley, Linda McDonald, Maurice Heller and Chris Audenried voting "yes."
Bradley has several sons as I recall and there is a L. Ben Bradley on the football team. Assuming this is his son, while not legally compelled to do so, it would seem the right thing for Bradley to do would have been to abstain from voting on this item.
The Salary
I understand the salary was based on placing him at Step 16 with a masters. Some school districts have policies placing a cap on the Step at which teachers can transfer into the district. This might not be a bad idea for Nazareth to consider.
Each of the past three football coaches have been hired by the district after teaching elsewhere. Whitey Williams came in at the top of the scale based on his years of experience, Mark Madson and his wife were both hired by the district (I don't know the timing compared to his hiring as head coach), and now Melosky comes in near or at the top as well.
The simple fact is we have not hired these individuals based on their ability to teach, but instead on the basis of their being the football coach. Comparing the salary of Melosky to what a first year teacher would have been paid probably results in an additional annual cost of $30,000. If we assume the same for Williams, that is another $30,000 or in total one additional teacher for the same amount of money.
The Executive Session
The meeting started an hour late on Monday due to a lengthier than expected Executive Session to discuss legal and personnel matters. Would not be surprised at all if it was a discussion on the hiring given Melosky's recent acquital for assault (read about it here).
To that end, it seems legal and personnel will cover as much as the NASD wishes it to cover, and since I wasn't there, I can't say whether it was completely on the up and up or stretching what should be discussed publicly and can be privately.
Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the conversation should have been made public and had it been, the vote could have resulted in a different outcome.
21 comments:
Surprise, surprise. And other people are told that they can't start any higher than Step 4. Gosh, I'm so glad for athletics. In my next life, I am going to be a coach, after my pro career is over.
Do you hear that? I believe it is a collective sigh of relief from Parkland School District parents.
A $74000 gym teacher...nice.
Just what we need, more budget emphasis on sports and less on academics.
The following website contains a database of individual teacher salaries in PA - www.stopteacherstrikes.org. According to the website, in 2006-2007, Melosky made $63,700 with a masters degree and 15 years experience. Now Nazareth will pay him over $73,000. Yet, in 2006-2007a gifted teacher in Nazareth with a masters degree and 17 years experience was paid just over $46,000. This is another example of NASD prioritizing athletics over academics. Not surprising, but pathetic.
I am floored that this hiring went through. I want to point out that this was not listed on the board agenda prior to the meeting. Every controversial hiring or budget item is a "last minute" addition to the agenda. Am I the only one who thinks that this is suspicions? It would appear that if the board has an item that needs to be approved and it is controversial, it is added as a last minute agenda item. I would love to hear why the five members of this board agreed with this hiring and at this step. I am happy to hear that some of the board members took a stand and did not rubber stamp this hiring. Once again, NASD is the joke of the Lehigh Valley.
When you consider the gym teach salary plus the coaching salary, you are talking 80K with the summer off.
That is like a six figure job with benefits for people who work year round. How many of those positions exist in Nazareth (private sector jobs)?
Crazy, I say.
This school board has GOT to go. I'm sure I could find the info, but can anyone tell us off-hand whose terms will be up this year and if there are any sensible people planning on running for school board?
Melosky was hired 4/28 to coach "at an amount to be determined" according to the Board Minutes.
On June 23 the Board approved many EPED positions and most coaching positions were included, but head football was not.
The football assistant receives nearly $7000.
The head wrestling coach earns nearly $10,000. Boys and girls basketball are at $7421.
Salary for coaching is based on 'position', 'sport', and 'experience'.
Needless to say football is highest paid, but the amount we are paying Melosky I couldn't find in the minutes.
Regarding school board there are five people who are up for election in 2009:
Region I (Bushkill, Tatamy, and one street in Palmer)- John Marino
Region II (Lower Nazareth & Upper Nazareth East) - Linda McDonald and David Hensley
Region III (Nazareth Borough, Stockertown, and Upper Nazareth West) - Maurice Heller and Chirs Audenreid
That is insane, but again considering the source not surprised. Way overboard.
Sorry that my first post is long winded, but I promise you this will not be my last. I see that the foolish games continue with the hiring of Melosky at a premium dollar amount. I guess it was beyond some of the Boards thinking capabilities to use him on a temporary basis (without hiring him full time) to see how he works out with the NASD as a coach and teacher? I'm still puzzled about his background, Parkland? I think I've kept my trap shut too long and it's time to speak out as a taxpayer and a concerned resident of the future of this town. If you have not taken noticed of the financial market and the banks bail out, well it seems like the same corruption is taking place here as well. And we are being asked to bail out those mistakes that have been made of by those of authority. As Suzanne said It is time for us to run against some of the Board in the upcoming elections and remove them from office. I will gladly take on this role if asked to do so.
I have seen this pathetic abuse of power and nepotism throughout my 28 years in the financial industry and all it creates is failure at one point. Here's a question! It's my understanding that Mr. Butz has and operates a small train on the Bushkill School property. Is this not a liability issue for us? Who maintains that property? If I'm correct this is part of the school. I see a conflict of interest here, dont YOU?
We all need to wake up. I'm sorry it took me 13 years to get to this point. I think that Rip Van Winkle sleep longer,lol.
Sorry to everyone who reads this comment, but this is not personal it's strictly business 101!
Skiingz, you could not be more on the mark. Let's take for example, Linda McDonald who has a child on the swim team, and now we have a spanking new pool to the tune of $5+ MM. Do you think that maybe she was acting in the best interest of the taxpayers or her kid in her vote there?
Just one example, but there are many more. I personally will be voting against her, but unfortunately, she has already done a lot of damage to our pocket books.
I hear a lot of complaints about the "outsiders" from New York and New Jersey, but all of the damage done here has been by lifetime ressidents of this area that are more than happy to take care of their old boy network. Maybe some of the "outsiders" on the board would be a good thing, especially if they have an ounce of fiscal common sense, which seems to be lacking on this current board.
Skiings -- I don't think that you'll get a formal invitation asking you to run, but if you want some encouragement, I say, "Go for it!" I'm really disgusted by the Melosky situation, especially when the gifted program is in such a mess, and when just this spring, they were going to share a gifted teacher between the three elementary buildings. Also, I know that many applicants who get hired from other districts do not retain the step they were on in the previous district. Sounds like we need a policy on that.
I was going to run in 2007. Went down to the Wolf Bldg, got all the paper work, but then realized that I wouldn't run against then president Keller, but instead against Maher (I live in Region II). Regardless of what you think of Maher or his style, he seems (to me at least) to be the only one that has the financial health of the district in mind. Everyone else seems to be out to get what they can for their special interest.
I am very disappointed in the way this district is going. Emphasis should be on education but instead it seems that athletics rules the roost. It's a shame that several parents who spoke at PTA and board meetings couldn't get the admin to add a 1/2 time gifted teacher for $30K, yet the board will gladly spend $5M, $2M, $0.1M on a pool, turf field and regrading the MS soccer field (to name just a few of the recent athletic themed projects).
Suzanne,
You, like many parents, only seem to care when the gifted program is affected. Similar arguments from the swim team parents as well as others. Cut something else but don't touch the program my little Johnny or Jane is in.
You dilute your argument because you seem to have only one axe to grind and how only a single program is impacted.
We have a much larger problem here, out of control spending, and it's impacts on ALL programs in our district.
Quite frankly, if our gifted program was so great, our scores would tend to be much better than they are.
I think that all of you bring up great questions and concerns regarding sports, academics, capital expenditures and the list goes on. The problem here is that we need people on the Board that can remove themselves from any special interests or having their own agenda at hand.
I think that at minimum the bylaws need to be reviewed for "specific reasons". I think that (5 year) planning sessions and planning documents should be submitted and reviewed annually. Capital expenditures need to be addressed
and reviewed with supporting info/documentation. I just think it's time for a change and new faces on the board. You need people who will "think out of the box". I guess I'm tired of the smae old, same old and the excuses that are handed to us all the time.
I once was set an e-mail from someone and I will never forget it as long as a live. It goes like this" Excuses are tools of incompetents that build monuments to nothing and bridges to nowhere, and those that specialize in them are seldom good at anything else".
anonymous 2:07 -- FYI, my child is NOT in the gifted program, and I honestly don't know if she will be, and it doesn't bother me if she is or isn't. I was only trying to give an example that not only is the spending out of control, the priorities are completely messed up. Also, I am very much a swimmer and believe that it is important for children to be safe around the water. I also think swimming is a great lifetime sport. However, I did NOT support the pool project. So, I apologize that you did not have enough info from my blurb to know all of this, but I'm also sorry that you jumped to conclusions.
Couple points:
Gifted - the program was in such a shambles they had to have a task force to be able to show the state they were doing something to improve it. It is a special interest group, but I'd also suggest that being minimally compliant with your Gifted program is not exactly a hallmark of an excellent education provider.
It was also rumored last year that because the teacher's caseload at Shafer was at the max they essentially stopped/stalled all screening so no new kids entered and they wouldn't have to hire a part time person.
Next year there will be one teacher for K-3, one teacher for 4-6, and one for 7 and 8. HS is part time and we were told on Wednesday nearly every kid drops out at that level (another hallmark of an excellent program).
Board - you are not going to get people from the community to serve on the board and be free of all bias. If it isn't a kid, spouse, former employee, anti-tax, pro-spending, there is always some bias.
Planning sessions and documents are done ad nauseum - it is how we keep so many administrators happily employed. NASD will be the first to tell you it was a community task force that selected the new building configurations. They've got pages of strategic planning documents posted on the site.
They need to cut through this and address the actual budget crisis they've put themselves in and begin to determine how they are going to get out without raising taxes over 10% per year.
Final point - thanks all for reading and keeping involved in what is happening. Regardless of your opinion, when officials know people are watching, listening and talking about their actions it will help keep them honest (or at least moreso;-)
Have a great weekend!
Death and taxes are inevitable. I believe that with proper planning developing and proper spending we would not experience the huge tax hikes of 10% per year. They will go up, but at what level? You need to map it out "planning" and keep with it so you don't get slammed year after year...would you rather drive on a road that has no lights, signs or curb (accidents, wow, are we not experiencing that now))or have the guidance of lines, curbs, lights etc...(can you say planning) If they truly had good planning documents we would not be faced with these problems.I totally disagree.....
I'll take a cup of joe thank you!
ONCE Again Cycle to be continued: soon parents, students, teachers, and staff are threaten with cutting out all electives, their already extremely small budget, extracurricular activities, and so on. Of course, not the popular sports. Then we speak out pleading our cases not cut programs such as band, foreign languages, strings, clubs etc. Which gives the board their so called underhanded reasons to justify why taxes will increase because we want this and that for our students. However, we do not need the all the top notch bells and whistles in all buildings, and many huge admin salaries with major expensive decisions last minute, sorry again too late for the agenda. It is all about looking good on the outside. While inside, yes, academics and valuable student learning and their respected programs are threatened. The cycle repeats itself after each massive luxurious spending project(s), over the top hiring salaries,increased admin positions(our friends and family list must be decreasing by now) Next, school board needs to axe into student services, parents and students speak out, okay success the school board can now justify raising taxes. to be con't
I like your response "Interesting Said" and you bring up some real good points. Why are we over spending on luxury items that are not so important as our children’s education? Let's build a beautiful new maintenance building at a cost of $$$. Then let's decide to hire an outside company at a cost of about $400,000 to see how we can save money and review operating procedures. (I wonder who was awarded these jobs? (lol) Then outsource some of the daily work....Then let's replace our grass field with an artificial turf field, which statistically causes more foot injuries...Wow, we really needed that one. Let's go back to the basic fundamentals of what school is all about...To receive an education by highly qualified/respectable individuals...Is there any difference here between NASD and Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac and the realtionship to the Democrats?
Another cup of Joe, please!
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