$183,000 Payday for Willhite

From the March 27th, 2013 Elgin Echo

 

            If you’ve read my editorial pieces in the paper, you will see where I surmised that this whole ordeal with WGS was preplanned and well thought out. I had heard that Mrs. Molumby had been considering retiring regardless of whether we entered into a WGS agreement or not. I saw the handwriting on the wall. I knew they were going to try to get Mr. Willhite to be our superintendent too. I also wrote in the paper that I had a feeling that he would get a big pay raise out of it.

            Well, as predicted, Valley hammered through an agreement to "share" Mr. Willhite with North Fayette. Then, as I had also suspected, the Elgin Echo reports that between Valley and North Fayette, he’ll be getting a salary & benefit package worth $183,000. Just for the record, that’s a tad over $3,500 per week! His WEEKLY salary will be more than many people in this area make in an entire month!

            I cannot find information on what his exact salary was at North Fayette before this grand scheme. The best I can tell, he made about $113,650 per year or so. I get that information from the district’s financial report card from the Iowa Department of Education website. You can access the database here: http://www.aea10.k12.ia.us/cfapps/asr/financereport.cfm When you get to the page that I linked to, choose North Fayette. Look down the page and you’ll see a section called “Licensed Administrators”. They show three administrators (I assume two principals and Mr. Willhite). It says maximum salary (which I assume Mr. Willhite receives) and it lists the $113,650 figure. The last data they show is for 2011, so I assume he has gotten a raise since then.

            Does anyone actually believe that Mr. Willhite will work twice as many hours? Will he be putting in 16 hour days instead of 8? No. He will technically be part time for both schools. Once we consolidate, he will be the superintendent for both schools anyhow. The consolidated North Fayette Valley will have one superintendent, located in West Union. The only difference between that scenario and this one is that he will have one extra school board to answer to – ours – and only until he or his successor completes the consolidation plan.

            So, for having to prepare an extra report for the Valley board, and for having to go to the Valley board meetings, he receives a raise of at least $50,000. What a swell fellow!

            Just think of the teachers that both schools let go to make this “merger” happen. I can just picture Mr. Willhite laughing all the way to the bank. Our school board is complicit in this mess. The North Fayette school board actually gets to pay the guy a little less, but not much. We get to save money on a superintendent too, but now we have a part time superintendent whose mission will be to lead Valley into a consolidation with North Fayette. Then we’ll have to pay the piper, but it’ll be too late!

            Here’s the $183,000 question. Does anyone actually believe this guy will take a pay cut when both schools consolidate? It becomes a lot clearer why this Whole Grade Sharing plan was pushed for as hard as it was, and in the manner that it was. I’ll say it again - it all seems just a little too convenient how everything fell in place.  Neither school was in trouble. It’s all about greed at the top. 

                                                                                                                        -Eric

The Face of Consolidation

          

           I saw this video circulating on Facebook. First, before anyone accuses me of “bad mouthing” anything or anyone – I support what they are doing in Arlington. They have the same problem that we have here in Wadena. We both have dilapidated schools that are sitting there and rotting away. Both are eyesores. In both instances, the schools were left to the towns after consolidation.

            If you listen to the people in this video, they describe the school very fondly and point out that the school was the focal point of the town. They mentioned that the school was used through 1987. I have family in Arlington. I guess I was not aware that it lasted that long, but I do remember it being used when I was a young kid in the late 1970’s.

            I don’t know when Starmont was formed, but I’m almost positive it was pre 1970. That would mean that for at least 17 years, the Starmont school district used the Arlington building. I’m not really sure what they used it for. Maybe this was before they expanded out at their current site? Regardless, it should be a lesson for all of us.

            Starmont is a school with a central campus. Starmont was formed by combining Strawberry Point, Arlington, and Lamont. Each of those towns had their own school buildings at one time. Now, everything sits out there at the Maryville Corners. Did Starmont see fit to keep investing in those town schools and keep those buildings up? No. They did what every school in Iowa does. They moved towards a central campus.

            When those old town schools got old and needed either repair or replacement, they dumped the buildings on the towns and built new at the central campus. Even our very own Valley did this over the past 50 years. Why would anyone in their right mind expect anything less from this new arrangement that we just entered into?

            First off, there will be a push to consolidate. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Once consolidation comes, everything will be based in West Union, not Elgin. Any new buildings will be built in West Union, not Elgin. Just like every other school district, they will use the Elgin campus until it’s in serious need of repair, then abandon it. It will be dumped on the taxpayers and a bond will be raised to build a new school in West Union.

            Watch the video and think about our future at Valley. That’ll be our school in maybe 25 years or so. Maybe you won’t live long enough to see it, but your kids and grandchildren will.

            I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it. It’s North Fayette’s future that’s bright, not Valley’s. Our school will slowly fade away and dissolve. West Union will still have the school, the control, the tax money, the jobs, and we will have a dilapidated building to deal with.

                                                                                                                                    -Eric