District office leads new Manatee Schools' plan

MANATEE COUNTY — Superintendent Rick Mills responded to a roughly 150-page recovery plan, which education leaders from throughout the state reported, by unveiling a reorganized district office staff to lead a Manatee County Schools’ transformation.

The changes, which the school board approved unanimously, are modeled after a report from 13 education consultants who visited the district in April. The changes include 96 cuts to district office staff and the addition of five new positions, including a director of budget and a chief information officer.

Mills said if the changes aren’t made, the district is subject to state takeover, because Manatee Schools will not meet the state-required 3% fund balance for the third consecutive year.

The revamped district staff saves $4.7 million as part of $21.9 million savings plan, which also included the 182 teacher layoffs made last month, property sales, the closing of the old MTI campus and other measures.
In all, district leaders say the plan will allow them to recover the $10.3 million fund balance by the end of 2014.

But the plan also addresses larger themes outlined in the state-led report.

It’s a plan to unite a district that fell into financial distress as it operated at length without a vision and bring checks and balances to a district that lacked focus and accountability.

And, it’s a plan backed by incentives and reward for a staff that often felt unrewarded and distant.

New Deputy Superintendent of Operations Don Hall announced a 2% raise for all employees, except senior staff, and the reimbursement of 33% of funds taken from internal accounts earlier this spring to boost district reserves. The 2% raise does not include raises the state allocated this year.

“We need to be a school district and not a district of schools,” Mills said. “As a district and community, it’s unfortunate we had a travesty of leadership and financial responsibility. I’ve been to more than 50 schools, and it confirms what the report said. We have great staff and faculty, but we haven’t been there to support them.”

Support for the changes will come from the revamped district office staff, which includes five new positions for operations, under Hall’s leadership.

Those positions, highlighted by the new director of budget position, a person whose sole purpose will be to monitor the budget, will cost the district $569,757 in salary and benefits.

“The fact this district had no person whose primary job is to watch the budget is unconscionable,” Hall said.
New Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Diana Greene also revamped her organizational chart.

The current curriculum director will become a director of district support, a lateral move with no cost to the district.

A Title 1 grant pays for an upgraded director of school improvement position, whose job will be to improve struggling, at-risk schools.

One instruction position, a director of research and assessment role, will be upgraded at a cost of $15,891.
A new director of communications and family and community engagement, who replaces the current director of communications and public information, will report to Mills.

“These aren’t new positions just for the sake of having them,” Hall said. “This is about bringing in expertise. You have to invest in your people to get the best people.”

Mills is also setting aside $2 million to ensure the district can hire teachers back in the fall, based on final school enrollments.

The district posted a complete list of eliminated district positions, internal funds contributions and new and revised positions on its website, manateeschools.net.

The transition team returns to Manatee County June 10 to take questions on its report.

Contact Josh Siegel at [email protected].

New district office positions
Division of operations new positions:
• Director of budget
• Director of benefits and compensation
• Director of planning
and performance management
• Chief information and technology officer
• Executive director
of human resource services