People wondering how Superintendent Dr. Timothy Jenney might hope to build his proposed science and technology enter, while running a budget deficit during a recession, may want to see how he did it the last time.
While the comparison may not be entirely apples-to-apples, Fort Bend Independent School District’s chief may be experiencing a little déjà vu.
Last month FBISD administrators unveiled a Jenney-driven plan to improve student science grades. That plan includes a “standards-based” science program for elementary and middle school students, the components of which would dovetail with interactive labs.
Those labs would be located inside the “Global Center for Science & Technology,” a two-story building attached to the district’s Lexington Boulevard administrative offices in Sugar Land.
The center would include working electricity-generating windmills outside, a giant globe hanging in an inside lobby, a “Sci-Max” theater, interactive science exhibits and much more.
The proposal has played to mixed reviews so far. Some district employees have asked whether science test scores couldn’t more effectively be raised by spending additional millions on new teachers and in-school materials rather than a new building. Some residents have indicated they favor the idea if it leads to more student interest in science. As for the project’s potential price tag, no one can fault that yet, because the cost is unknown.
“It’s too early to know what the price tag will be,” Jenney told FBISD Board trustees last month.
Since then, the district created a committee, chaired by former Sugar Land mayor David Wallace, to study the feasibility of the idea. Last week, Wallace told attendees at the first of several planned community meetings that it still is too early to talk about the cost of the potential project.
But leaving aside the merits or the exact cost of the proposal, no one should doubt that the science & technology center could be built.
In April of 2003, when Jenney was superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner cut the ribbon on a $23.5 million “Advanced Technology Center” built and paid for in a partnership including the Virginia Beach school system and local Tidewater Community College.
In an October 2006 interview with FortBendNow, Jenney said the technology center picked up business sponsors, and was meant to provide students with technological work force skills and industry certifications. He indicated at the time that something with similarities to the technology center might be forthcoming at FBISD.
Meanwhile, if the proposed Center for Global Science & Technology caught members of the public off guard, their surprise likely wasn’t shared by FBISD board members.
His spear-heading of the Virginia Beach Advanced Technology Center was well known when the board hired him at FBISD.
In fact, the Virginia center is mentioned in Jenney’s bio on the FBISD web site.
Sorry, it’s Bob Dunn, not Don Dunn.
To Twilight,
Don Dunn is our journalist and author of this article. I believe he is the founder/co-founder of the original FortBendNow, its main editor, an active community member in our area.
Don, you can tell this person who your are. Please correct me if I am wrong.
teacherindistrict – Who’s Don?
To Viewpoint, Rocketag, Carlos and Factually Speaking,
Well stated by all of you. Before Fortbendnow made changes and Don was successfully supported by our community, these issues had been discussed in detail.
1. Teacher raises and para raises were not significant enough.
2. Many other CEO’s were hired and an entire new echelon of upper admin’s were created.
3. Budget contraints have even been implemented on our campus.
The now,
1. State and local policies are being violated by campus administators.
2. Teachers are expected to work on consecutive Saturday’s.
3. Staff and District Development has been eliminated per Jenny’s request.
4. Winter Break Holiday’s 1/2 days have been eliminated. This was before TEA’s voiding of the waiver. Half day is no longer recognized more than one day in the district for evalating semester exams and closing out the semester.
5. Computer issues and software problems are plaguing the district.
6. HR personnel and payroll issues are entirely insufficient and fail to keep accurate records for employees of our district.
7. Jenny still refuses to speak to any individual in his office — basically a “closed door policy.”
We voters must prohibit repeating errors by re-electing incumbent that fail to get the job done! Voters are as much accountable as the FBISD board, because we elect them to do the work, but fail to do ,so.
teacherindistrict,
What happens with those months when there is opportunity to be paid 3 times? Did your Teachers’ Union ever get that scenario reconciled? A few years ago, I remember hearing that HISD had to reconcile and make adjustments with teachers pay due to Gail Fallon identifying the pay discrepancy which occurs when there is a steadfast 15th and the 30th or 5th and the 20th pay day rule for all months regardless of the fact that some months have more weeks than some other months.
People wondering how Superintendent Dr. Timothy Jenney might hope to build his proposed science and technology enter, while running a budget deficit during a recession, may want to see how he did it the last time.
He use the bonds from the last bonds elections.FBISD,needs give us an accounting of the bond money you’ve spent so far.And I bet it went to Center for Global Science & Technology.
Well give us some anwers?
OH yes, let me tell you what HR told me when I told them I was docked.
The lady in charge told me, “Well, Ms.____, nothing is fair.”
Fair? In our state of the economy? How much money has the district kept since our raises and since not having to directly deposit the payroll checks two days prior like past years?
I just happened to comment on the Mr. Seale leaving and the circumstances for his coming to FBISD as well as teacher and administrators still not having received the upgrade raise due to a faulty multimillion dollar software system.
Get this, this last payroll, I was docked for three days due to the hurricane. I had legitimatetly called viper for an evacuation request and those record are still messed up.
I just don’t like the man. I think he is using our district and has his own needs on his mind.
The preceding notations by our fellow FB constituents are just wonderful.
I am a teacher in the district, and no one cares about discipline, computer needs or student supplies or books. Yet, we have a state of the art science conglomerate.
We need more teachers for our kids. Not a fancy science museum.
In past years, the typical pursuit of lucrative paying careers has “not” been to pursue education and/or any job within education as a livelihood; however, as of late, it has been duly noted that there are, even, some attorneys who no longer work for law firms, and, have thus selected late in their respective careers to come to school districts to seek employment. Go Figure. I thought education did not pay like those lofty, lucrative law careers. What happened? So was education the “right college major” after all? Who would have thunk it? Do you think Little ole school teachers got it right after all? Although The Teacher Retirement System has lost money, but it is still one of, it not the only solid retirement system left around. And if you are 55-60 years of age and come into education late and work a good 5-10 years, you still end up with a decent retirement, particularly if your rate of pay is more lucrative than the average classroom teacher; it could very well end up that a late career choice in education could end up paying better than an early career choice who chose the career field of education as an original career choice. It does not matter what your position is within a school district, the eventual retirement pension still comes from the “Teacher Retirement System”.
Mr. Cain is absolutely correct. Dr. Jenney is not the only one raking in the big bucks at FBISD. There are eight people at admin with “chief” in their title. I bet those chiefs don’t come cheap. Some of the “chief” positions didn’t exist before Dr. Jenney arrived.
FBISD, give us an accounting of the money you’ve spent so far. How has the bond money been spent? Each campus has been instructed to cut their budget. What are you doing with that money? When a counselor or administrator leaves in the middle of the year and you don’t replace them, what do you do with that money? Show me the money!
The top educational tool for students is to write an calculate mathmaticals problem on paper and read for solutions to a health life. Show your work on paper to get it right.
Mr. Cain,
I cannot answer all your questions, however, on March 13, 2009, in an email communication, according to
Tim Lee, Executive Director Of Texas Retired Teachers Association, Pension Fund Losses Assessed
Fund Value Drops to $70.6 Billion
As of August 31, 2008, the TRS pension trust fund reported a value of $104.9 billion. Since then, the fund has decreased to $70.6 billion, or nearly 32 percent. This information was released today by TRS in a report they made to the House Appropriation’s Education Subcommittee. This is the first official notice of how hard the world-wide market has hit the TRS pension trust fund. (Tim Lee)
No one expected the news to be good. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) pension trust fund has not been immune to the large market losses experienced during this recession, and the official snapshot of the fund’s value as of February 28, 2009 shows a decrease in overall fund value of more than $34 billion. (Tim Lee)
Though the report on the overall condition of the fund is not good, the fund’s value is still more than adequate to make pension payments to all current TRS retirees. TRS did report that unless contribution levels to the pension fund go unchanged (state contribution of 6.58 percent and a member contribution rate of 6.4 percent) and the fund earns an annual return of eight percent on its investments, the fund has enough assets to cover expected benefit payments through 2040. (Tim Lee)
I am curious about some things, perhaps some readers (students and educators) can enlighten me on some things. As I understand it, (Please correct me if you have specific information contradicting the following statements)
1. FBISD has put an ALL STOP on all spending for anything other than emergency repairs.
2. We have many students that have not received the REQUIRED textbooks for many classes.
3. Schools are facing a severe shortage of supplies on critical items such as copy paper. (didn’t someone get fired over making an issue over copy paper?)
4. Computers are broken or were never there to begin with for students to utilize.
5. Lab classes have out dated, broken or no equipment at all to perform required lab work.
6. Teacher insurance benefits have been dramatically cut back in order to save FBISD money. Cost to the employee has increased so much that many employees have had to cancel family policies because they can no longer afford it. Prescription cost has increased around 60% if my information is correct. (please feel free to send feedback to me on this issue)
7. Students in several schools are still in worn out temporary buildings. Or in overcrowded facilities while other area’s have half of capacity enrolled in brand new bright & shiny schools.
8. Not one repair project from the 2007 Bond program (other than dire emergency repairs) have been completed as taxpayers, teachers and students were promised when we were FORCE-FED a record 300 plus million dollar bond program. (When I voiced fears of impending real estate colapse and revealed 176 million dollar surplus from 2003 bond of which there is still supposed to be over 120 million dollar surplus from that “FUND BALANCE ACCOUNT)(IRREVOCABLE TRUST FUND TO DEFEASE PREVIOUS BOND DEBT) SLUSH FUND SURPLUS ACCOUNT!!! TO PLAY PADDIE CAKE WITH THE DEVELOPERS AND VENDOR BUDDIES
9. A white elephant software program still cannot tell an employee how much sick leave or vacation time they have used or have available.
10. FBISD is facing a record deficit this year.
11. Real estate values are continuing to fall in Fort Bend County as well as across the nation. (see FortBendNow story)
12. Call the FB courthouse & verify if you like – OVER 450 foreclosures are filed each month in Fort Bend County. (I have been told Banks no longer have to pay taxes on Foreclosed property) so 5000 homes — no taxes paid? Say maybe 20 million in lost revenues to FBIDS? ADD THAT TO THE EXISTING DEFICIT! How do you cover that shortfall? GUESS! I’d be willing to be in August they want to JACK OUR TAXES UP AGAIN!
Now I listened to David Wallace’s speel and the FBISD operatives selling the shortage of science students going into engineering and how this new facility is supposed to correct these shortcomings and fix all the low scores in our district. Please feel free to do a google search with – PBK FBI SAN ANTONIO – or you can just go to http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Judson_ISD_becomes_target_of_FBI_probe.html
THIS MAY EXPLAIN WHY OUR TRUSTEES ARE SO HOT AND HEAVY TO HAND 50 MILLION BUCKS (YOUR TAX DOLLARS) TO THIS OUTSTANDING ENGINEERING FIRM BEING PUSHED BY THE ADMINISTRATION AND THEIR CRONIES
NOW ONE MORE THING. – Take a look at salaries of District Administrators. The only one I found even close to our Supt. is in Orange County Florida – a school system so large it has an annual budget of 1.7 BILLION dollars. (over 4 X the size of FBISD) HIS SALARY? $230,000 or $24,616 less than MR. JENNY – See the following link for the full story -http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1648&p=4 This guy in Fla. must be good. I wonder if he’s available? Perhaps he can get us out of debt and overcome our RECORD DEFICIT!!!
I hope the taxpayers and teachers will ALL speak up and let our BOT understand that a “State of the Art Science Center” would be nice to have – IF WE NEEDED IT! IF WE COULD AFFORD IT! IF WE DIDN’T HAVE SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT NEED ATTENTION! IF WE WERE’T ALREADY OVERTAXING OUR PARENTS, TAXPAYERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS! IF WE DIDN’T HAVE A PLETHORA OF MUSEUMS, IMAX’S, PLANETARIUMS, SPACE CENTERS, ETC., ALL LOCAL AND AVAILABLE TO OUR CHILDREN TO USE! IF THE WHOLE DAMN DOG AND PONY SHOW DIDN’T SMELL SO FISHY FROM THE VERY START!
JUST REMEMBER THIS “IF WE BUILD IT THEY WILL COME” WELL WHAT IF THEY DON’T? THEN WE’RE STUCK WITH IT AND NO WAY TO PAY FOR IT OTHER THAN RAISE TAXES – WHAT THE HECK WE GOT AN EXTRA 13 BUCKS A WEEK NOW SURELY WE CAN AFFORD IT.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST – EXACTLY WHERE AND WHO HAS OUR INVESTMENTS? THIS 120 MILLION SURPLUS WASN’T INVESTED WITH BERNIE MADOFF WAS IT? OR THE HOUSTON GUY SANFORD? HOW ABOUT TOXIC REAL ESTATE FUNDS? WAS IT THERE? I’M JUST ASKING? DOES ANYONE KNOW? I THINK IT’S A QUESTION THAT NEEDS TO BE ASKED. WHAT ABOUT TEACHER RETIREMENT FUNDS? WHO & WHERE ARE THEY INVESTED WITH? HAVE THEY CRASHED? ARE THEY SOLID? DO YOU KNOW? MAYBE YOU SHOULD ASK… OR I GUESS YOU COULD JUST TRUST EM… AFTER ALL THEY ARE SO TRUSTWORTHY… AND THEY WOULD NEVER LIE TO US….
Kindest Regards,
CARLOS CAIN
carlos.cain@hotmail.com
832.859.5783
Dr. Jenney built one shrine to himself already. We don’t have to let him build another here. This is a giant waste of money. I doubt a couple of field trips to this museum each year will significantly raise test scores. Will the district’s science curriculum be driven by what’s going on at Jenney’s Science Super Center?
Did you know that each secondary campus now has a science specialist? If that very expensive program is successful, then the Sciencearama is not needed.