City council pay raises

July 10, 2018

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

Amendment XXVII to the United States constitution.

Even members of congress seemed to have known that giving themselves a pay raise was wrong.

City council is going to put the question of their potential pay raise to the voters.

This will be a chance for you to tell them what you think.

We deserve better

Brutus

14 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Wait for the bill

July 9, 2018

Well, they’re doing it again.

It is time to start the budgeting process for the city’s next year.

Instead of holding their budget meetings in the regular city council meeting place they have chosen to have a series of meetings in a much smaller room.  They could have the meetings in their regular place but evidently holding them in the smaller room will help to keep the public out.

They will hold such meetings July 9, 10, 11 and 12.

There is no backup material posted with the agenda item so you will just have to wait until they send you a tax bill.

We deserve better

Brutus

15 Comments | Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

EPISD teacher cuts?

July 8, 2018

Many of the EPISD employees are afraid to speak up in public.

This note came in from one of them:

Rumor is that tenure/seniority are out the window and principals are getting to “pick” which means if you challenged your principal in any way, you are in danger of getting cut.  Each secondary campus estimated to lose 6-10 teachers.  The reason they might be getting away with it is because we are a District of Innovation BS.

I know…was displaced at my Elementary campus and I know I was not the last one in.
Can’t seem to get a position in another district because I have many years of service and my salary is too high….hmmmm.  If I could retire, I would.
Question:  What happens to the teachers on the “displaced” list if they don’t find a position for them?
They used to be sent to the Science Resource Center and now that’s a goner too.
I smell a RIF in disguise or a bigger one in the future.  We had one about 5 years ago with central office staff getting slips to either accept a demotion or leave.
We deserve better.
Garcia is looking really good again.
Dissappointed in the system

61 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

County hospital getting well?

July 7, 2018

Word on the street is that the new administrator at our county hospital is cutting unnecessary jobs and managing working schedules to match patient loads.

We’ve even heard that the children’s hospital may go into the black soon.

That seems strange but if the new bosses are fixing the unfair contracts it is conceivable.

This is better

Brutus

3 Comments | Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

More on the student/teacher ratio

July 6, 2018

This part of a note we received indicates that even the 25 to 1 student to teacher ratio is not accurate.

 …this might be used to get rid of trouble teachers, since they are not “firing” anyone so do not have to go by seniority. Also this is a way to balance the budget in a year when surplussed teachers cannot find a permanent position.
The text/twitter universe is abuzz as many teachers stomachs dropped out when the robo call was made.
Also one teacher has 5 out of 6 classes that are way over the 25 limit as of today and is probably true for many, since counselors and others who have no students are figured in the 1/25 ratio. It’s all smoke and mirrors for getting money and balancing the budget.
What will it take to get our government officials to tell the truth?
We deserve better
Brutus

16 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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