District Leaders Must Stand up to FTA

As a parent living in Fresno Unified, I appreciate the job educators do and the steep mountains of performance that must be climbed.

Having said that, the Fresno Unified School District Board is entirely justified in holding the line in its contract negotiations with the Fresno Teachers Association.

This isn't about teachers, but taking care of district finances for the long term. The board members are offering the teachers all they can without impairing the district's finances. Why wouldn't they? There is not one board member adversarial to teachers that I know of. If this is all truly "about the kids," the first step in serving the kids is a financially healthy school system.

Just a few years ago, Fresno Unified was on the verge of being taken over by the state Department of Education. Previous boards had made bad short-term decisions and the executive leadership was evidently not up to the task of managing the day-to-day affairs of the district. In short, it was a mess. In response to this crisis, the Fresno Teachers Association essentially accused the district of lying about its finances and made that a central theme in the 2006 board elections.

The tactics of the FTA today are actually far worse, and even more disingenuous. The behavior displayed at recent board meetings is sophomoric and lends itself to zero progress. Memo to Larry Moore: You are a bad messenger, and boorish behavior by your members is hurting your cause.

When Superintendent Michael Hanson arrived on the scene a little more than two years ago, he had to rebuild almost every system in the district. Financial reporting, technology, academics, security, morale, facilities and communication were all flat-out broken.

We out here in the real world would never wish what Mr. Hanson inherited on anyone, and yet, he has embraced the challenges by attacking each problem, hiring talented and passionate executives to lead change in each area and executing the changes needed to fix problems.

Armed with the "Choosing Our Future" report, a prescient and timely road map for change, Mr. Hanson and the district board have made astounding progress in a short period of time, and we all know it. Completion of major restructuring of the district might take another two to three years.

Along with his executive cabinet, Hanson often works 60 to 80 hours a week without complaint. What does he get for his efforts? He gets $30,000 worth of FTA radio ads complaining about "excessive salary." By almost every measurement, Mr. Hanson's $205,000 salary is a steal. Other districts from around the state, with half the students and a fraction of the problems, are already calling.

Just putting up with Larry Moore's nonsense is worth $300,000 a year. As a matter of fact, I wonder why the FTA had to run those radio ads when their teachers obviously need more money for classroom supplies. Couldn't the union kick in a little for the teachers?

So where does the district go from here? The board has already settled with two other bargaining units. The offer on the table to FTA is the same offer the other units accepted.

There are big problems looming. The health care program remains several hundred million dollars underfunded, without a viable fix on the table. While the district has significant reserves, it is imperative that it maintain all the reserves it can. Due to gross mismanagement in Sacramento, and a growing state budget deficit, there is a strong chance that future funding levels will be significantly lower.

Rather than cutting programs, the board has taken the position that the district's reserve position must be the strongest ever, and I agree. The rainy day is coming, and for once, Fresno Unified will be prepared.