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Despite outcry, dean/A.D. job cut in face of school budget shortfall
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · February 11, 2016
Social media flared up Monday with heated exchanges and a teenager gathered about 50 signatures in less than an hour to save the job of dean of students/activities director.
And school leaders spoke highly of Jeff Wrede, the only person to hold the job created in 2012.
Yet in the end, with West Branch Community Schools facing about $350,000 to $400,000 in lost funding due to dropping enrollment, the Board of Education felt they had no choice, voting unanimously to eliminate the position at the end of the school year.
With salary and benefits, this position will amount to about $72,000 of the needed cuts, Superintendent Kevin Hatfield said. The administration is still trying to find places to cut, but some efforts include three teachers taking early retirement packages, a renegotiated Internet contract, reducing inventory instead of replacing it, and cutting almost all overtime.
Losing more than 30 pupils this year led to the predicted decrease in state funding, which is largely based on enrollment.
Hatfield said the school tries to keep its tax rate around $13.95 to $14.20 while providing a quality education.
“This is a tough decision, but we can’t have it both ways,” Hatfield said. “We need to manage the budget correctly.”
The superintendent reminded the school board that “I fought to have the A.D./dean” job created.
“This is not a performance thing,” Hatfield said.
He noted that he is encouraged by how many people told him “we can’t live without” Wrede as A.D./dean.
“That’s a credit to the person who does that job,” he said.
Board member Mike Owen added that the outcry shows “the quality of the person.”
“Apparently everything Jeff did (is causing this reaction) and that is a result of all those great things,” he said.
The West Branch Times posted on social media Monday morning a note that the dean/A.D. job could be eliminated, and many people posted comments that either expressed concern with losing Wrede or criticized spending in the district. Wrede also handles many of the serious student behavioral problems, and some people went off-topic to criticize him for some of the discipline handed down.
Teachers and school board members joined the online discussion, defending school district spending, correcting misstatements, defending Wrede for doing his job and clarifying that the cuts are only about funding issues, not Wrede’s job performance.
West Branch High School student Alex Fitzgerald stepped up to the podium at the beginning of the school board meeting, holding up a petition listing mostly students and a couple of parents wishing to save Wrede’s job.
Fitzgerald said he gathered about 50 signatures in just 40 minutes after school that day.
“I see Jeff every day and he is more of a counselor than the counselor is,” he said.
Parent Kevin Olson also addressed the school board, pointing out that his daughter is involved in a variety of activities and yet he understands, in his capacity as city attorney, how government funding works.
Olson, whose wife also works for the school, said he read the Facebook comments and called it “ridiculous” that West Branch schools waste money.
“There’s no easy fix for this ... you guys have tough decisions,” he said.
He also noted that Wrede goes beyond his job description, saying that he saw the dean spend all day at the show choir competition in Davenport.
Hatfield and School Board President Mike Colbert thanked Fitzgerald and Olson for coming and showing their concern.
Later in the meeting, Colbert waved Fitzgerald’s petition as a symbol of Wrede’s effectiveness, saying “If you want to see his impact …”
Owen agreed.
“We had the right guy in there,” he said.
After more than 70 comments in a Facebook thread, Wrede stepped in to add his thoughts, starting with “I guess I wish all of this was not even happening.”
He goes on to say that he understands how school funding works and that schools are “underfunded.” He said he treats “everyone fair and with respect.”
Among the criticisms aimed at the school were the number of coaches and activities, and Wrede took time to state — as many did before in the thread — that most coaches are volunteers, and many parent volunteers make the activities possible.
“I don’t want negative chatter to bring about more negative chatter and (would rather) just focus on all the great qualities of West Branch Schools,” he wrote.
Hatfield said he hopes that, say, due to turnover, there may still be a chance the school can hire Wrede back in some capacity.
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