A First! Superintendent Goals at the Start of the School Year!

This School Board just amazes me! Not only did they hire a new business director, come clean on the Century of Excellence Capital Campaign fiasco, have a new teachers' contract, Timmy's 2018-2019 goals were established at the beginning of this school year! His 2017-2018 goals were not published until after Mike Riemer became president in January 2018!

For the first time, the Superintendent Goals (saved in Google Docs) actually pertain to learning and not construction. WOW! Who would have thought?

Better late than never

With the end of the first nine weeks long gone, and months after approving the Superintendent's new contract OMG They want to keep him through June 30, 2019, the school board finally got around to releasing the Superintendent Goals 2013-2014.

Mt. Lebanon School District
Superintendent Goals 2013-2014

Goal 1: The Superintendent will operate the District in a fiscally responsible manner.

Goal 2: The Superintendent will maintain or improve student achievement across the District.

Goal 3: The Superintendent will lead the District’s effort to successfully manage the High School construction/renovation project.

Goal 4: The Superintendent will lead efforts to implement the Strategic Plan across the District.

Goal 5: The Superintendent will engage and collaborate with other employees of the District as well as members of the community.

Goal 6: The Superintendent will continue to advance student learning and teacher development through effective utilization of technology.

I do find it odd that the word "ALL" is missing. School board members pledge to :

• Advocate for ALL students at all times.
• Ensure effective and efficient operations to prepare ALL students to be successful in a global society.

Shouldn't the Superintendent advocate for high standards and expectations of excellence for ALL students?

In Newton, MA, the superintendent issued a 38 page memorandum showing how "superintendents are now evaluated on four standards, 41 indicators and 21 elements. In addition to evaluating the superintendent on the basis of the standards selected from the Evaluation Matrix for Superintendents, each superintendent must have at least two additional goals: a professional practice goal, a student achievement goal, and two to four district improvement goals."

The Newton superintendent attached Evaluation Standards, Superintendent Evaluation Rubrics, as well as an informational packet for the school board and teachers on Implementing Evaluation Framework. One footnote worth mentioning is

The Attorney General has recently issued guidance in the form of frequently asked questions concerning the procedure to conduct superintendent evaluations pursuant to the revised Open Meeting Law (c. 28, s. 18 2009).

Since we, the stakeholders, are not involved in the superintendent evaluation process, perhaps the "End-of-Cycle Summative Evaluation Report: Superintendent" process could be implemented here in Mt. Lebanon. How would our superintendent rate?

[6.9%] 7.46% increase for Timmy

Picture this: a school board sitting in executive session making very, very difficult decisions.

Where do we cut? We've already trimmed the fat; now we're cutting muscle. How do we pay for the remainder of the high school renovation? Do we wait for a green light from Pursuant Ketchum? Should we cut librarians? Guidance counselors? Custodians?  Do we eliminate the community service coordinator? Should we charge students to park? What about increasing student parking fees? Oh, this is so hard! Shall we charge an activity fee? We need to make cuts as far away from the student as possible. How about a $30 million fundraising campaign? No...a $15 million campaign! Uh...$6 million fundraising campaign? Yes! That's it! But we still have to figure out how we are going to pay for the rest of the project. We can't have a referendum. Let's float a bond! We'll wrap it. Use capitalized interest. Don't use any money from the General Fund. It will only be $18 a month more. No, that's not right. We'll say that it is like no increase at all. No...We'll say it will be like two large pizzas. Wait a minute. There is a grievance that we need to address. If we ignore that, maybe it will go away. For sure, we won't budget for it. Uh oh, there is something else. PSERS. Darn that Corbett! It is all his fault. What to do, what to do? Let's come up with an early bird contract for our superintendent! Let's give him the same lame goals as he had in 2012-13 and 2013-14! Even better - let's give him a 6.9% 7.46% increase to kick off the 2014 contract. Perfect! But we have to do this quietly, because it will never fly if it gets out. Now what about the rifle range, the weight room, tennis courts, and Mellon Field? It should add up. We have TERC Investigations.

Here it is, Folks. Dr. Timothy J. Steinhauer's 2014-2019 Contract

This just in UPDATED

I had emailed the school board on Friday asking about Timmy's 2014-2019 contract. This just in from Elaine Cappucci.

From:	Elaine Cappucci <ECappucci@mtlsd.net>
To:	egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>; School Board Email list <SchoolBoardEmaillist@mtlsd.net>
Subject:	RE: Contract
Date:	Mon, Sep 23, 2013 9:44 am

---

The contract is signed and will be posted on the District website this week.


For the Board,
Elaine Cappucci
President, Mt. Lebanon School Board
ecappucci@mtlsd.net

Of course, Timmy's 2012-2013 goals are still posted on the school district website. http://www.mtlsd.org/superintendent/goals.asp (Saved in Google Docs) I am amazed how the board has a year's notice, yet never seems to get the Superintendent Goals worked out.  The good news is that the board has a contract approved for six years from now.

Update September 23, 2013 3:01 PM To have everything in one place, here is the link to The Almanac's Lebo superintendent gets new 5-year contract (Saved in Google Docs)

Timmy's Twitter Travels

School board president Elaine Cappucci said, “this has been an exceptional year for our district and Dr. Steinhauer has proven an effective and capable leader. He has achieved all the goals the board set for him, including sound fiscal management and supervision of the high school project. Multiple measures of student achievement have also shown improvement.” Read more: Mt. Lebanon approves new bond issue

His goals:

Superintendent Performance Goals 2012-2013

1. Fiscal Management- The Superintendent will operate the District in a fiscally responsible manner. 2. High School Project – The Superintendent will continue the District’s efforts to build/renovate the High School. 3. Strategic Plan – The Superintendent will implement strategies to accomplish the goals established by the new Strategic Plan. 4. Student Achievement – The Superintendent will maintain or improve student achievement. 5. Collaboration/Communication – The Superintendent will collaborate and engage members of the school community. 6. Technology – The Superintendent will advance student and adult learning through the use of Technology.

**********

Our proven effective and capable leader received a 4 percent salary increase. Read what he sent to parents yesterday:

Subject: Back to School Message from the Superintendent
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 14:32:21 -0400

Dear Mt. Lebanon Parents and/or Guardians,

This is always an exciting time for us as we anticipate the return of students for another new school year. All of our schools are ready for the first day-we can’t wait to see your children. 

School begins on Tuesday, September 3, 2013. 

• Elementary School starts at 8:30 a.m.
• High School and Middle School start at 8:00 a.m.

Throughout the summer we have been busy refining our curriculum and instruction, cleaning and maintaining our buildings, hiring new teachers and staff, and improving our knowledge and skills as educators. Our guiding philosophy of continuous improvement necessitates that we constantly look for opportunities to get better in what we do. 

Of great significance is the progress we’ve made at the high school. In the coming school year many new and renovated spaces will begin to open. As these spaces open to student, staff, and community use – I know you’ll be impressed. 

Enjoy the final few days of summer vacation and don’t hesitate to contact your building principal or me with any questions. I look forward to welcoming the students back on September 3. 

Best wishes for a great school year. 

Timothy J. Steinhauer

Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools


P.S. - Please follow my travels throughout the District on the first day of school on Twitter @mtlsdsuper. 


**************

Timmy is hard at work blogging again.

 

Progress from the Superintendent's office window

11:44 AM

Above is another picture of the high school progress seen from my office window. Scroll back through my blog to see several other similar pictures. (November 6, October 18 & 4)

Another fine managing job by our "totally unaccountable and incompetent school board."

Timmy's salary

I was going to call this post, "Blank" instead of "Timmy's salary" since that is how this Monday's agenda describes the personnel item, Approval of Annual Salary for Superintendent.

As a reminder, here are the Superintendent Performance Goals for 2012-13:

1. Fiscal Management- The Superintendent will operate the District in a fiscally responsible manner. 2. High School Project – The Superintendent will continue the District’s efforts to build/renovate the High School. 3. Strategic Plan – The Superintendent will implement strategies to accomplish the goals established by the new Strategic Plan. 4. Student Achievement – The Superintendent will maintain or improve student achievement. 5. Collaboration/Communication – The Superintendent will collaborate and engage members of the school community. 6. Technology – The Superintendent will advance student and adult learning through the use of Technology.

I am not sure why 6. Technology is in bold. Perhaps it is the most important. Timmy is wicked awesome with his iPhone taking pictures of pizza lunches, concert programs, bathrooms, and water fountains. 

I think with all these important goals reached, Timmy should max out with a whopper of an increase. That doesn't include his stellar work with the high school renovation bonus that five others received this year. Since he is so transfixed with the construction, I think Timmy deserves at least a $5,000 bonus. 

Yes, he is very deserving. UPDATED

The Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Linda Lane turned down her raise for a second year in a row. So far, she has declined $35,000 in pay.

After the vote, Ms. Lane said that she and the top academic team will forgo pay raises.

The decision comes as the district has made unprecedented teacher furloughs and tackles a budget deficit.

Ms. Lane said the decision is in recognition of the serious fiscal problems the district face and a statement of support "for the district and those who aren't with us. We lost a lot of good folks."

Ms. Lane's contract calls for a raise of $5,000 each year as well as a bonus of $10,000 each year if certain performance goals are met. For 2012, she was eligible for the full $15,000. But for 2013, she was not eligible for the bonus amount because state test scores dropped.

Back to the bubble, our super Super gets raises every year. Dale Ostergaard concluded, "I am also normally conservative when it comes to raises, but I think in this particular case with a single individual Dr. Steinhauer is very deserving."

Yes, he is very deserving. As I commented in my last thread about grinding and a 16 year old girl who was carried off the dance floor and taken to St. Clair and then later to Children's Hosptal because she was drunk, the PG story was the number one emailed story according to the PG.

Just last month, Mt. Lebanon School District was recognized in the PG story, PSSA results come up short in Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park.  Goal number four 4. Student Achievement – The Superintendent will maintain or improve student achievement. We can get another warning label from PA and Timmy will be maintaining student achievement. Yes, he is very deserving, Dale.

The number one superintendent in the state, Dr. Patrick O'Toole voluntarily froze his salary as well as the financial director's salary. Certainly Dale, O'Toole is very deserving.

I guess I shouldn't be so harsh with Dr. Steinhauer. I actually got a response from his office the other day to an email I sent.

Fwd: Your website

From	egillen476 egillen476@aol.com
To	schoolboard schoolboard@mtlsd.net
Cc	TSteinhauer TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net, CBowman CBowman@mtlsd.net

While I never received a response from ANY of the eleven of you, I see that the Board reports were updated and the goals have been posted. Thank you. Why would you remove the existing reports? Would you please include all of the reports for the year?

Still nothing for the Extra Mile Award. If you just cut and paste from
the Board President's Reports, my request is a rather simple one to
fulfill.
Elaine Gillen

-----Original Message-----
From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
To: schoolboard <schoolboard@mtlsd.net>
Cc: TSteinhauer <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>; CBowman <CBowman@mtlsd.net>;
EGillen476 <EGillen476@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, Oct 17, 2012 3:56 pm
Subject: Your website

When do you plan to update your website?

Extra Mile Award is from January 2012.
Superintendent Board Reports are from April 2012.
Board President Reports are from March 2012.
Superintendent Goals are from last year?
The agenda for Monday's meeting was finally posted on Monday morning.

Is this Cissy Bowman's responsibility?

Elaine Gillen

Finally, I got a response from an email I sent to the board.
Response from Tim Steinhauer While all hell was breaking loose over grinding at dances, Tim is enjoying his very deserving additional vacation days. Does an automated response from his office satisfy goal number five, Superintendent Performance Goals 2012-2013? Tim is well on his way for an increase next year.
Update October 25, 2012 1:30 PM Timothy Steinhauer's contract is available here. It is from June 8, 2009. It does not reflect his current salary, contract extension or additional vacation days. Article V permits him to undertake consulting work during his vacation days or with prior written approval from the Board. In other words, any time he wants.

No answers, but a nice pay increase

The Almanac has an article in this week, ML superintendent gets increase in pay. (Saved in Google Docs.)

Mt. Lebanon School Board voted 8-1 to grant superintendent Dr. Tim Steinhauer a 4 percent pay raise on Oct. 15, bringing the superintendent's 2012-2013 salary to $157,477.

Board vice-president Elaine Cappucci said, "Dr. Steinhauer sets the bar high and is always looking for continuous improvement."

She summarized the board's goals for the superintendent over the coming year, which include operating the district in a fiscally responsible manner, continuing to manage the district's high school renovation and advancing learning through technology. Cappucci also highlighted the superintendent's key role in the district's upcoming capital campaign, through which the board hopes to raise $6 million.

Yes, Dr. Steinhauer is always looking for continuous improvement. His thought provoking Post It Note in a previous thread, What is his sentence? inspired a resident to seek the answers to Tim's two questions twice in separate meetings. Dr. Steinhauer has yet to answer those questions.  Here is his latest response.

From: TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net
Subject: Question
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:42:05 +0000

Dear Mr. Huston – Last night you seemed to be referencing a posting on the Superintendent’s blog (August 31, 2012). As I noted below the posting the idea came from author Daniel Pink. Below are links to a couple of videos posted on his blog that may give you more insight into this idea. If you want a more detailed understanding, I would suggest that you read one of his books – Drive and/or A Whole New Mind.

http://www.danpink.com/2011/01/whats-your-sentence-the-video

http://www.danpink.com/2010/03/9th-graders-ask-themselves-whats-my-sentence

Best wishes -

Timothy J. Steinhauer

Superintendent of Schools

Mt. Lebanon School District

7 Horsman Drive

Pittsburgh, PA 15228

412-344-2076

What did you do today to improve the life of a child?

The Almanac article continues to summarize Dr. Steinhauer's goals, which have finally been posted on the District website. I don't see how Dr. Steinhauer is very deserving.

Here are Steinhauer's goals since he has been with Mt. Lebanon.
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012

Posti, by phone said that Steinhauer is currently managing the second largest construction project in Allegheny County. What a scary thought. What happened to Terrence Kushner? http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/a-newsmaker-you-should-know-educator-will-manage-logistics-of-high-school-project-292399/

http://www.mtlsd.org/district/HeadlineArticle.asp?HLP_ID=1342&HL_ID=866

http://jposti.blogspot.com/2011/03/owners-liaison-hired.html

Is this the reason why we are not hearing about  him anymore?
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/fans-back-upper-st-clair-principal-in-courtside-conduct-controversy-468455/?print=1
Did Joe put his foot down? Why aren't we seeing Timmy's USC buddy in any RTKs?

No answers, but he is very deserving.

SOS

Monday's school board meeting agenda has been posted. Same old... "Typical for this time of year."

Oct. 8, 2012 School Board Discussion Meeting agenda


The shell game continues.

Ratification of June 30, 2012 List of Budgetary Transfers – The list of budgetary transfers to close the books on June 30, 2012 is required by law. It is a lengthy list totaling $2,435,420 and reflects transfers from and to budgetary accounts which have or need additional funding. Last year the list totaled $1,685,433. The superintendent recommends approval of this list.

Audit Report for Year Ending June 30, 2012 – Annually, the independent audit firm, Maher Duessel, CPAs, completes a financial audit of the District financial records. A draft of the audit report will be presented and reviewed by Amy Lewis, CPA and Dave Duessel, CPA. The final audit report will be complete for Board action at the October 15, 2012 meeting. The superintendent recommends approval and acceptance of the report.

More change orders, of course.

Change Orders for High School Project – This month there are a number of change orders for the Board to consider.

a. #PL-02-11 for $2,189 to Vrabel Plumbing for temporary water to B building for asbestos abatement when water lines were offline during construction.

b. #PL-03-12 for ($19,776) to Vrabel Plumbing to credit the District for reusing rain conductors rather than replacing them since the current ones are in good condition.

c. #AB-01-13 for $12,828 to Precision for Asbestos abatement to an unforeseen area hidden in the wall in a shaft. 

d. #FP-01-14 for $3,593 to Simplex Grinnell for temporary work required for Fire Department regulations to keep building B open while we are occupied during phasing.

e. #IN-01-02 for $5,866 to Farfield Electric for the balance of the cost of the temporary generators as part of the large insurance claim. This will be covered by insurance and will be a deduct change order once the final accounting for the claim is complete.

The total cost of all these change orders is $4,700. These have been reviewed by the architect, construction manager, Rick Marciniak and Jan Klein. The superintendent recommends them for approval.

I hope they did the math correctly this time.

And finally, for discussion:

1. Feasibility Study – The Board will discuss the Feasibility Study that was presented by Pursuant Ketchum.

2. Strategic Plan – The Board will hear a presentation regarding the District’s Strategic Planning efforts.

Obviously, the Board will be sharing all the topics that were discussed at their three coffees. The feasibility study has been a hot topic here. "Direct and supervise the completion of the District’s Strategic plan", Tim Steinhauer's Number Two goal, was delegated to a facilitator and committee.  Our tax dollars at work.

What is his sentence?

If you go on Tim Steinhauer's blog, you will see a Post-It note with two questions.


For an explanation to this thought provoking post, watch this short video by Daniel H. Pink.
http://vimeo.com/8480171
Dr. Tim's post is timely. It is the start of the new school year. I checked to see if Dr. Steinhauer's new goals have been posted.  They have not.  Here are his goals for last year:

Superintendent Performance Goals 2011-2012

1. Reorganization – The Superintendent will implement the revised administrative organizational structure. 2. Strategic Plan – The Superintendent will direct and supervise the completion of the District’s Strategic plan. 3. Student Success and Achievement – The Superintendent will implement measures to improve student achievement. 4. High School Project – The Superintendent will move forward the District’s efforts to build/renovate the High School. 5. Fiscal Responsibility – The Superintendent will operate the District in a fiscally responsible manner and identify and implement cost saving strategies. 6. Future of Education – The Superintendent will explore, identify, and implement innovative and effective educational programs. 7. Connection to the Community – The Superintendent will be a visible participant in school, community, and regional activities and events. So what is Tim's sentence? Would it be: Dr. Steinhauer was able to eliminate the supervisors and promote them to Dean of Students or principals, and give them raises even though his goal was "implementing the revised administrative organizational structure." Dr. Steinhauer was known for getting raises while other superintendents accepted pay freezes. Dr. Steinhauer never met all of his goals. Dr. Steinhauer lied while under oath during the zoning hearing. Dr. Steinhauer was to "operate the District in a fiscally responsible manner and identify and implement cost saving strategies." That translates to Dr. Steinhauer cut programs, reduced staff, and gave twenty administrators raises. Dr. Steinhauer convinced the Policy Committee to give him more purchasing power. This is the time of year when the Board reviews the Superintendent's goals, evaluates his performance, discusses if he is worthy of a raise, and determines his goals for the new school year. Was Tim better today than yesterday? Does it really matter?

Does he deserve it? You decide.

2009-10 Goals
Media coverage: Mt. Lebanon hires Steinhauer as superintendent
Hired with no experience as a superintendent.

2010-11 Goals
Media coverage: Superintendent gets a 4.5% increase

2011-12 Goals
Media coverage: Mt. Lebanon superintendent to get a 3.5% raise

Don't let this get out

On Tuesday, September 6, 2011, the PSBA (Pennsylvania School Boards Association) published a list of school districts known to have adopted a wage freeze for administrators, teachers, and/or staff. http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=1767 Here in Mt. Lebanon, the school board (I stopped capitalizing those words) just approved a nice increase for our superintendent which included a salary increase and added vacation benefits. As of 10:00 this morning, last year's goals are still online. http://www.mtlsd.org/superintendent/goals.asp The 2010/2011 goals were not published until November 2010. Dr. Steinhauer's contract runs from July 1 to June 30. When his raise was approved, the school board indicated that they were still working on his goals.  Wasn't that a month ago?
While some school boards are adopting wage freezes, our directors are quick to hand out increases faster than establishing goals. Gee, this isn't a violation of Policy BDD, is it? 
Here is proof that we make up our own rules here in Mt. Lebanon. School entities statewide adopting PSBA Standards for Effective School Governance

Another little tidbit on the PSBA website is this New bills address superintendent contracts. Remember the Sable buyout?

On Monday's Agenda...

The agenda for Monday's School Board Discussion meeting lists, "Approval of Annual Salary for Superintendent" as an action item for the August 15, 2011 Business meeting.  Nothing else is mentioned. I seem to remember a figure attached to that annual action item. While we are all wondering what that number might be, here were Dr. Steinhauer's 2010-2011 Goals.

Superintendent Goals for 2010-2011

1. Fiscal Management - The Superintendent will operate the District in a fiscally responsible manner, identifying cost savings and revenue generating opportunities.

2. High School Project – The Superintendent will continue the District’s efforts to build/renovate the High School.

3. Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) – The Superintendent will implement the terms of the new teacher CBA.

4. Strategic Plan – The Superintendent will guide the District in making progress toward meeting or exceeding all goals established by the current Strategic Plan. In addition, the Superintendent will position the District to begin development of a new strategic plan during the 2011-2012 school year. 

5. Student Achievement – The Superintendent will implement measures to improve student achievement.

6. Technology – The Superintendent will direct an assessment of the District’s technological capabilities.

Also scheduled at 7:00 p.m. is an Architect's Update. An update will be given on possible cost reductions along with next steps in the re-bidding process. Architects Update Scheduled for Monday

Ta Da!

Five months after the start of Year Two's contract and six weeks after the School Board voted on a salary increase, Dr. Steinhauer's 2010-2011 Goals have finally been posted on the MTLSD website. 

1. Fiscal Management - The Superintendent will operate the District in a fiscally responsible manner, identifying cost savings and revenue generating opportunities.
2. High School Project – The Superintendent will continue the District’s efforts to build/renovate the High School.
3. Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) – The Superintendent will implement the terms of the new teacher CBA.
4. Strategic Plan – The Superintendent will guide the District in making progress toward meeting or exceeding all goals established by the current Strategic Plan. In addition, the Superintendent will position the District to begin development of a new strategic plan during the 2011-2012 school year. 
5. Student Achievement – The Superintendent will implement measures to improve student achievement.
6. Technology – The Superintendent will direct an assessment of the District’s technological capabilities.
Superintendent Goals 2010-2011
The High School Renovation Project comes in at Number Two.  Oh yeah, Student Achievement is Number Five.  Does Number Six mean there is spell check in our future?  Not that a school district should need spell check...