School Board Muffs It Again: Superintendent Gets Unnecessary New Contract
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The President, the Governor and School Board get four-year terms.
Roughly four dozen Florida school superintendents who are elected also serve four-year terms.
Teachers and principals get one-year contracts.
So why did School Superintendent Robert Runcie, who has had a mixed record, get five-year contract extension on top of a contract which had one year to run?
Runcie will now be here until October 2019.
“It’s a humble contract,” Board Member Pat Good told her colleagues this week.
Really? Humble.
Guaranteed employment through 2019 no matter what happens in the school system. Or taxpayers will owe him 20 weeks of salary –roughly $140,000, plus unused sick time and the unused portions of his 29 working days of annual vacation.
The contract is no surprise once you listen to Board members talk about Runcie. They believe he all-but walks on water, ignoring several highly damaging stumbles.
Board member Abby Freedman called Runcie “caring.” She praised him for having the “definition of an open door policy…He is the most transparent individual I ever met.”
Member Ann Murray said: “He has… kept the eye on the ball. When I say ‘eye on the ball,’ I mean the children.”
Runcie is “a good quarterback,” said Member Rosalind Osgood.
School Board Chair Laurie Rich Levinson read a long list of “achievements” Runcie “accomplished.” Here is some of them in typical school system gobbledygook:
“Creation of the cadre director model to provide administrative support and mentoring opportunities for our school based leaders; the development of an academics division to align the work of four critical administrative support areas…the establishment of a portfolio services division to comprehensively manage the District’s portfolio of schools and innovative programs, the innovation of new support services department like the Business Support Center; a department centrally servicing the budget and bookkeeping needs….a program management model for the management of the District’s capital construction program….”
Confused? Here is one Runcie achievement in plain language:
“The District was able to hire approximately 1,890 new teachers in 2012 (The District non-renewed over 1,400 teachers in the year prior to Superintendent Runcie’s appointment)…”
(Don’t you just love that phrase “non-renewed?”)
Of course, no mention of why the school system needed 1,800 more teachers since the enrollment has been dropping. The Sun-Sentinel reported September 11 that the “district-run schools saw a drop of 2,500” students this year, while charter schools gained 4,300.
Even Runcie admitted to the Sun-Sentinel, “That’s not the direction we want to go in.”
Also, no mention of the millions the district owes teachers for forcing them to work more hours than their contract calls for. The amount is anywhere from $20 million to $40 million. The district says it doesn’t have the money.
Or how about this one from the Sun-Sentinel in July: “School grades released Friday for elementary and middle schools in Broward and Palm Beach County showed significant decline, with the number of failing schools increasing in both districts.” (My italics and bold-faced type.)
What about the school bus snafu a year ago, when Runcie’s handpicked head of transportation’s screw-up left students at bus stops or left them waiting for buses for hours? He much did that mistake in hiring cost taxpayers?
I could continue, but why pile on?
Bottom line: When the School Board turned into an Amen Chorus for Runcie, they lost any perspective. They ignored any of his and the system’s flaws.
Do they think we don’t remember?
It gets worse. That able student of contract law, Laurie Rich Levinson, negotiated this contract. Excuse me, I forgot. Levinson does have a bachelors in economics from Brandeis.
The only other member of the contract negotiating team mentioned at the meeting was that sterling legal scholar Paul Carland II. He’s the School Board’s lawyer, a lifetime government apparatchik.
Why not hire somebody from the outside just to negotiate this contract? An independent lawyer who is not part of the education bureaucracy should have looked at the contract during negotiations.
I guess the School Board never heard of getting a second opinion.
No, School Board members were in such a rush, that they extended Runcie’s contract one year before his current contract expired and with almost no public notice. Both the teachers’ union and School Board member Nora Rupert call for a three-month delay was rejected.
The five-year extension was tacked on to the one year remaining on Runcie’s contract. He now has a contract through 2019.
That’s six years.
Six years, despite this little uncomfortable fact: Superintendents of big systems stay an average of three years.
Six years, binding future School Boards. Not just those elected in 2014. School Boards elected in 2016 and 2018 will be shackled with this contract, too.
Once again, Rupert made the most sense of any School Board member. She wanted a shorter contract and was the only vote against the five-year extension.
It is too bad the School Board doesn’t have more members like Rupert.
September 19th, 2013 at 11:40 am
Nora Rupert is the only one that knows what’s right… So sad that it’s the same old same old… Our kids suffer!!!
September 19th, 2013 at 11:43 am
Mrs. Rupert is the best SBBC member … So disheartening that the other members. Refuse to listen. Now we all suffer.. Especiallly the children!!!
September 19th, 2013 at 2:26 pm
Katie Leach is a big disappointment since she was elected as fiscal conservative. What good are Republicans if they are like Leach and become clones of the Democrats?
September 19th, 2013 at 2:31 pm
The justification of hiring extra teachers was to ensure that Broward schools met the classroom size reduction as mandated by the state. The state fined the school board millions of dollars in previous years. The cost of 1800 more teachers is probably around 100 million(Assuming cost of teacher is 60k with salary, pension,healthcare, workman’s comp etc) to avoid a 10 million dollar fine. Maybe you were right. Have to find out how much it upset teachers when they had extra students in their classroom.
September 19th, 2013 at 2:35 pm
School Board members always think superintendents walk on water. Until they don’t. Then they’re stuck with them. Why can’t they learn from the past and give them shorter contracts? That makes it much easier to “non-renew” when the relationship goes bad, or have some leverage if they want to make changes. Sigh. Some things never change, even when the people in the seats are different.
September 19th, 2013 at 4:29 pm
Broward residents will be paying this man his huge salary for a long time. He will never last the full five-year extension. Six more years of this Superintendent will cost this District dearly. Will the bandied about $600 million bond issue be his undoing? Given the District’s disasterous budget issues, the majority of residents will NOT support a potential bond issue. For the remaining hard-working professional staff members that have stayed propping up the flagging administration, worklife is going to be difficult. Nora Rupert is way ahead of the curve in voting ‘no.’
September 19th, 2013 at 6:40 pm
“This is pretty crazy” is all I have to add, as I shake my head back and forth in dismay.
September 19th, 2013 at 8:26 pm
Who was the board member who suggested that this man’s contract be extended to 2019 while he still has a year remaining on his initial contract? A lot can happen in a year. My wish is that when election time comes around, there will be an opponent running against all members now on the board & that all current members will be voted out, with the exception of Nora Rupert. Nora is the only rational member on the board & the only one with any common sense.
September 19th, 2013 at 8:46 pm
Funny how we always root against ourselves. It takes time to turn an aircraft carrier. Yes, most of the school board sucks, but such a big bet has been made on Runcie we need to hope that bet pays off. For our kids and our wallets.
September 19th, 2013 at 10:21 pm
voters continue to vote for imbeciles
we would not vote them ‘class president’
comments above sum it up
next election round vote EVERYONE of them out
except Nora
show them who REALLY has the power
September 20th, 2013 at 12:17 am
First, thanks to Buddy for the timely article and bold opinion this important issue for Broward voters.
Because of poor health and cannot attend the meeting to speak anymore but I am always watching the meeting on the internet. Here is what I think about the issue:
“Creation of the cadre director model to provide administrative support and mentoring opportunities for our school based leaders;”
These are useless individuals who were already in the system under Area Superintendents as Assistant Directors. Now with new title “cadre director” they are making $125,000 average salary while they used to make high five figures as Assistant Directors. By giving huge raises to these useless individuals using public tax money is an improvement!! May be it is good example of Chicago style cronyism.
“the development of an academics division to align the work of four critical administrative support areas…”
What is this? What academic divisions? Runcie is busy rehabilitating his friends and relatives from Chicago other areas. Looking through board agenda reveals tons of examples of Chicago style cronyism – Chief Strategy and Operation Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Academic Officer, Executive Director Continuous Improvement, and many more. All these high paying positions were created by him for his friends, relatives and buddies. Is this improvement? Levinson must be smoking crack!!
“the establishment of a portfolio services division to comprehensively manage the District’s portfolio of schools and innovative programs,”
According to Wikipedia the term “portfolio” means – Portfolio is a financial term denoting a collection of investments held by an investment company, hedge fund, financial institution or individual.
I checked the district web site and found the following departments belong to so called “portfolio”
Athletics & Student Activities
Venture Design Services
Innovative Programs
Demographics & Student Assignments
Class Size Reduction
How these departments are part of district portfolio? Do they hold any investment in the Wall Street? This is total crap and gimmick. Who is heading the portfolio services? Does he/she have any corporate investment experience or investment banking experience? This complete scam to fool Broward tax payer to pay for his bond.
“the innovation of new support services department like the Business Support Center; a department centrally servicing the budget and bookkeeping needs….”
This is another scam. Who is running this? His talented Chief Strategy and Operations – a top internationally recognized leader in business support center operation. Was it ever implemented?
“a program management model for the management of the District’s capital construction program….”
Another scam to hire all of his high paying substandard buddies and friend from Chicago and some board members sub standards custodian friends and relatives by laying off hundreds of low paying hard working employees.
What Runcie and his gang are doing is criminal. FBI and Department of Justice need to setup a shop near the School Board head office.
And come next election all these board members needs to be booted by Broward voters.
September 20th, 2013 at 12:24 am
So if “The President, the Governor and School Board get four-year terms.”
And Runcie got a five-year term then he must be King of England!!! A pious man from Chicago???
September 20th, 2013 at 7:46 am
Buddy,
As you know, I’m a frequent, unabashed and knowledgeable critic of the Broward County School Board largely because they deserve it.
But here we disagree.
Robert Runcie is without a doubt the finest superintendent Broward County has ever had. We’d all be much better off if the School Board simply listened to that man and did what he said.
I’m not saying that his every decision is perfect, not even Runcie would say that.
I’m saying that the percentages of getting every decision right go sky high by supporting what Runcie says because the man has talent AND is motivated by wanting the right things. I have days when I’m not totally satisfied, don’t get me wrong. But on the whole, he is a superstar and that’s just a fact.
Runcie has the unenviable task of trying to do the right thing in an entrenched bureaucracy with 200 scorpions riding on his back. It’s kind of easy to say things when one lives in relative comfort. Easy to judge a man based on chatter.
But try walking even half a day in Runcie’s shoes. Seriously. And you will find yourself in a much more understanding mood. That place is a snake pit.
Now, it’s true. He’s had his knocks and he will have more. But on the whole, the guy is solid, super bright, and his heart is in the right place. So even when I don’t agree with him (fund all the children equally, Rob) I never fail to have tons and tons of respect for the guy.
I’m seeing him improve a system that was an entrenched bureaucracy, I see evidence of improvement against the odds all the time, and I know for damned sure the changes would not be taking place if not for Runcie.
Extending his contract was the smartest thing the school board has done in months. Just trying to be fair.
Angelo
FROM BUDDY:
“We’d all be much better off if the School Board simply listened to that man and did what he said.”
Why do we have elected officials if this is the case, Angelo?
September 20th, 2013 at 7:50 am
Extending a contract before it expires is hardly a novel concept; it is done all the time, and for good reasons.
Waiting until the last minute to renegotiate creates a crisis atmosphere due to the ticking clock.
Often, a contract is extended early to prevent poaching (most visibly seen in the sports world, but quite common in the business world, as well).
September 20th, 2013 at 10:21 am
Angelo, Angelo are you sucking up for a third paying position that you do nothing at?
Snake pit, isn’t that BSO?
September 20th, 2013 at 12:16 pm
Buddy, I couldn’t agree more with your analysis. The sad thing is that as candidates to the School Board, existing board members run defending their record as guardians of “the children” as if historical knowledge alone gives them the moral authority to retain their seat. Opponents, on the other hand, run for the most part, as anti-establishment critics angry at the lack of transparency, accountability and need for business-like decisions. Everyone is an advocate.
If the incumbent wins, they view it as approval of a job well done and nothing changes; if the opponent wins they quickly take the posture that somehow the office holds limitations and nothing changes. Meanwhile morale continues to fall, enrollment continues to drop, mismanagement continues to take place, transparency is non-existent and accountability continues to be a myth.
The bright light….Nora Rupert. Unfortunately, she can’t do it alone.
September 20th, 2013 at 3:41 pm
If the same individuals involved in the issues identified by the Grand Jury are still employed and others transferred to other departments replacing those individuals who were actually qualified and trained for that position, how does Mr. Runcie expect to change the School District’s image after doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result? How do you change a mindset that has been in place for more than 25 years when the majority of the employees on the professional support and technical are still working here? Most of the departments fall far behind current business practices regarding costs and efficiency practices.
What effective business measures are being put in place to reduce District costs? Do not include teachers salaries?
Outsourcing a department is not always the answer because it has been shown in the end it costs the District more. It is easier to outsource than to clean up the problems in a department. But where do you start when there are so many departments to evaluate and so many people telling you what you want to hear to keep their jobs? Who do you trust? Those who sat by and did nothing or those who were involved in the corruption but have survived the financial cuts? Approximately 30,000 employees, about half teachers. Where do you start?
Instead of Runcie making broad statements, I would have preferred actual goals for each of them. Broward County residents have already experienced the “smoke and mirrors” of Broward’s School District.
September 20th, 2013 at 5:50 pm
At least we can all agree that Nora Rupert is the best school board member. Mr. Runcie needs to spend the day with me in the classroom. Then he would see a true view of what we deal with on a daily basis in an EASTERN school. All of these “new”titles are a joke. The “Cadre” formation is nothing more than a term from the past. Like I said before… More of the same old same old!!
September 20th, 2013 at 5:56 pm
Buddy,
You raise a fair point, which I addressed some weeks ago I believe in one of your excellent posts.
The time has come for an elected superintendent because the Broward County school district has outgrown their management by committee structure. It needs an empowered, elected CEO accountable to the people and assisted by an advisory board of parents and educators.
We do not have such a system yet. Until then, for the greater good of the schools and the students, our current board would be wise to follow what Runcie says because he is about 2,000 times more qualified than any of them to make those choices.
That’s my opinion based on professional observation and I’m sticking to it.
Angelo
September 20th, 2013 at 9:03 pm
Becky Blackwood is correct. The entrenched ‘culture’ thru mid-levels where these long time employees stay on, and the dept heads, mgrs and ‘executives’ will never change.
The passive aggressive behavior willcontinue thru 2019.
GFL
September 20th, 2013 at 10:56 pm
The beat goes on, the beat goes on
Drums keep pounding
A rhythm to the brain
La de da de de, la de da de da.
Broward County is a Third World Nation.
September 22nd, 2013 at 5:58 pm
To Mr. Castillo:
What makes you think having an elected Superintendent will make a difference? Especially since we have School Board members who are elected. We have committee upon committee of well meaning advisers of parents and teachers, too, but that doesn’t seem to be working either. Until changes are made in the way the business aspects (including current business practices within each department) of the School Board is run and employees are held accountable for their actions or inactions(which requires heads of departments to truthfully evaluate their staff and the union supporting the dismissal of incompetent employees, nothing will change.
September 22nd, 2013 at 11:23 pm
Castillo has wrapped himself around the Pembroke Pines charter school system. He knows PP voters are likely to sack him when his current term is up. If there is a new “elected superintendent” position, then Castillo could avoid the humiliation of losing a re-election bid by running for Elected Superintendent instead. Then he would quickly put into practice his many requests to drain money from the public schools and then just hand that money over to his favorite charter schools, no strings attached.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:08 am
Becky,
Great question. I will tell you why I think it will make a great difference.
First, best practice in any large organization whether private or government is the CEO format. A committee management structure can work well in a small organization but by the time it grows into something very large, management by committee no longer works.
This is why NYC and increasingly the other large school districts have gone from board management to the CEO model. It gives the organization the empowered leadership it needs and provides accountability, in the elected CEO model, directly to the voters. It need not lack the input of the users, which is what boards are best at providing. That can and should be fully incorporated. But we don’t need a group of politically charged civilians telling a highly trained and specialized executive how to run a large system of public education when that CEO already knows what needs to be done.
Too much risk in that formula, and the price of failure is the education of our kids. All because you don’t have single point of accountability.
You don’t get single point of accountability with the committee structure. In Broward, they run in districts so at best any Broward voter only gets to vote for three of the nine school board members. 3 of 9.
But with an elected CEO every single vote counts and that is the accountability that Broward lacks. Some then say, well then let’s go to all countywide seats on the school board. But then you lose diversity and still end up with a committee structure that doesn’t represent districts.
The problem isn’t in having a school board. The problem is collectively giving them the role of executive.
Management by committee just does not work when it comes to managing large or complex organizations and it is childish to imagine that the same structure that governs your homeowner association will somehow work with the 6th largest school district in America.
Last, for the sake of our children’s education, the thing to do is try something else when what you have is not working. It spits on the future of our children that we are this tolerant of mediocrity. Some of us say that we love our kids but don’t put our money, our efforts, and our votes where our mouths are.
Others refuse to fail when it comes to the future of our children, and are prepared to embrace smart alternatives that offer the promise of better until we find the right fit for our community and our children. Remaining subservient to a status quo that does not produce the desired results is no way to show our kids that we love them or value their future.
I know those are harsh sounding words for some. Actually not. They are filled with love. That’s what love means, doing whatever it takes to ensure a better future for our kids. Love is a verb not a noun.
Angelo
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:08 am
Becky,
Great question. I will tell you why I think it will make a great difference.
First, best practice in any large organization whether private or government is the CEO format. A committee management structure can work well in a small organization but by the time it grows into something very large, management by committee no longer works.
This is why NYC and increasingly the other large school districts have gone from board management to the CEO model. It gives the organization the empowered leadership it needs and provides accountability, in the elected CEO model, directly to the voters. It need not lack the input of the users, which is what boards are best at providing. That can and should be fully incorporated. But we don’t need a group of politically charged civilians telling a highly trained and specialized executive how to run a large system of public education when that CEO already knows what needs to be done.
Too much risk in that formula, and the price of failure is the education of our kids. All because you don’t have single point of accountability.
You don’t get single point of accountability with the committee structure. In Broward, they run in districts so at best any Broward voter only gets to vote for three of the nine school board members. 3 of 9.
But with an elected CEO every single vote counts and that is the accountability that Broward lacks. Some then say, well then let’s go to all countywide seats on the school board. But then you lose diversity and still end up with a committee structure that doesn’t represent districts.
The problem isn’t in having a school board. The problem is collectively giving them the role of executive.
Management by committee just does not work when it comes to managing large or complex organizations and it is childish to imagine that the same structure that governs your homeowner association will somehow work with the 6th largest school district in America.
Last, for the sake of our children’s education, the thing to do is try something else when what you have is not working. It spits on the future of our children that we are this tolerant of mediocrity. Some of us say that we love our kids but don’t put our money, our efforts, and our votes where our mouths are.
Others refuse to fail when it comes to the future of our children, and are prepared to embrace smart alternatives that offer the promise of better until we find the right fit for our community and our children. Remaining subservient to a status quo that does not produce the desired results is no way to show our kids that we love them or value their future.
I know those are harsh sounding words for some. Actually not. They are filled with love. That’s what love means, doing whatever it takes to ensure a better future for our kids. Love is a verb not a noun.
Angelo
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:16 am
…well, actually love is defined as a noun that can be used as an adjective, but you get my drift.
Love means never having to say I didn’t try.
Peace.
Angelo
September 23rd, 2013 at 11:40 pm
Mr. Castillo,
When $100,000 of campaign funds are being spent for a $39,000 a year job, do you honestly think an elected Superintendent is the answer? The proper mix would more likely be a Superintendent to run the education side of the District and a CEO to run the financial side.
Campaign contributions buy access; one of the issues we had with overruling failed inspections for contractors and architects who contributed to board member campaigns – lest we forget Ms. Gallagher and Mrs. Kraft.
Electing a Superintedent would assure 4 years of an elected official.
I never said committees work but without full transparency nothing works.
As far as smart alternatives, you are preaching to the choir. I am presently a college professor, my son is a teacher and my cousin is a teacher. I have experienced the products of our schools. My son is not teaching a core class so he has 30 or more students in a class and my cousin is in her last year of teaching and spends more time doing administrative tasks than teaching.
By the way, I agree many parents should put their time and their money where their mouth is and be a part of the change not the reason for it.
September 24th, 2013 at 7:42 am
Becky,
For all of the reasons you mention, some of which had not occurred to me but are good reasons, I say yes. Your concerns about campaign funds is valid but the answer is publicly financed campaigns. Residents don’t want to do that.
There’s something about Broward that needs confronting.
It’s not that we don’t have solutions to our problems. We do.
It’s that we refuse to get out of our own way and implement them. We are the problem. But that can be fixed because we are good people who do want a better community.
As a public official I have a duty to put that fact in front of as many people as I can and make them confront it. Because the longer they wait the more our kids suffer and when it comes to education, no kid has time to wait. When it comes to a child’s education, it’s now or never.
Now, not every public official feels like they have “the luxury” of being that outspoken. Thing about me is I don’t care about that. It doesn’t even cross my mind. I do it because it’s the right thing to do. And let the chips fall where they may.
The system we have now at Broward Schools is not producing excellence, it is producing mediocrity.
I believe we can outperform mediocrity. So I’m an advocate for change that will bring us excellence. Increasingly, cities and counties nationally are turning their backs on the management by committee models and showing progress with the empowered CEO model at school districts. It’s worth a try in Broward.
Understand what we’re talking about here. It’s not just the education of our children which should be reason enough. But there’s also money in this discussion. When you ask businesses why Broward isn’t their world headquarters, a number of them say they like the area but are not pleased with our school system. So having a world class public school system is necessary to our economic development. It takes dollars out of our pocket not to solve this problem.
So whether you do this for the children, for the altruistic goals of a better community, or for your own enlightened self interest, improving the quality of public education in Broward is a goal worth vigorous pursuit. It doesn’t just make common sense, it makes dollars and cents.
Becky, you seem unwilling to change. But I sense an internal struggle because you don’t want mediocrity either and I respect that. This just tells me you need to confront it more.
I have and for my part, I see us heading in the wrong direction so I offer you a clear pathway to somewhere else. You also see us going in the wrong direction but argue that we remain on our current path.
And there’s the disconnect, good friend. Only a change in direction can change our heading. I want so for Broward to be outstanding in every way. Because that’s how I feel about our people. Simply, I wish we were a little more forceful when it came to demanding results.
Peace.
Angelo
September 25th, 2013 at 6:21 am
Angelo,
You must have me confused with someone else. Change is what I have been standing up for, for the past 14 years.
I am a Dade county public school alum. I am also a public college graduate in a male dominant profession. I, too, believe in excellence, not mediocrity. But, as you say, if the public doesn’t take time to change the system and stand up against mediocrity, it is going to take a long time, if at all.
I ran for the School Board on change, wanting to start an architecture and construction high school. It’s purpose was to prepare students interested in those professions to take pre college courses but to also teach the trades in one place instead of at all of the vocational schools and some of the high schools. We are lacking in skilled labor in this community. I have seen that in the field with my own eyes. Plus we are losing approximately 20% of our students who don’t graduate. At over $6,000 a student from the state, that would increase the revenue from the state. It would give students a trade that would financially serve them for the rest of their lives. It would also provide a stepping stone for apprentices for unions with the unions helping to teach the students.
I also believe there needs to be more prospective education college graduates doing internships in our schools to provide teachers with aides in the classrooms. It would also teach these college students how to manage a classroom when they become teachers. That idea was shot down by BTU during my campaign because they want to wait for increased funding to provide teacher’s aides again.
Those were just two of the many thoughts I had on improving education in our county.
I have had many things said about me which were not true because I stood up and fought against building code violations which has caused many of our mold and mildew problems in our schools and financially corruption in the Facilities Department. Sometimes, it meant I had to meet secretively to get the information out to the public with threat of losing my job.
The inspection staff I supervised did the inspections on your Pembroke Pines Charter Schools when requested but were later told by the State of Florida we could no longer inspect charter schools for building and educational facilities code violations.
Politics in this community has to change too and the students should not be used as puppets for others whose only intention is to get elected and not be true public servants.
September 26th, 2013 at 7:38 am
…and you think all those things can happen or be fixed via a management by committee structure? Either in Miami Dade or Broward school systems?
I don’t. I think the solution for both is the same. Elected CEO superintendents with accountability for results to every voter.
I respect that you want change simply one has to evaluate what conditions are necessary in order for any change to occur.
Angelo