From FBN: More district employees complaining

FBISD Bus Drivers Continue To Press Their Pay Rate Complaints To Trustees
by John Pape

A number of Fort Bend ISD bus drivers renewed their plea to school trustees for a pay raise during this week’s board meeting.

Two drivers, Clinton Ard and Gerald Kallina, spoke on behalf of a group of about a dozen drivers in attendance. Both said that Fort Bend bus drivers’ salaries are below those of other districts and the low salaries are resulting in low morale and high turnover.

“Our neighboring districts have noticed the need for an increase in salaries to offset the cost of living. Houston ISD’s starting salary is $15.50 per hour, compared to Fort Bend ISD’s starting salary of $11.85 per hour,” Ard told trustees. “Our district has a higher turnover rate of drivers than neighboring districts, meaning the more we hire and train drivers, the more they leave and go to other districts paying higher salaries.” . . .

(get the full story at: http://fortbendnow.com/pages/full_story?article-FBISD-Bus-Drivers-Continue-To-Press-Their-Pay-Rate-
Complaints%20=&page_label=home&id=15772-FBISD-Bus-Drivers-Continue-To-Press-Their-Pay-Rate-
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FBN Reports On Missouri City Mayoral Race

Follow this link for more:

http://fortbendnow.com/pages/
full_story?article-Poats-Announces-Another-Run-For-
Mayor%20=&page_label=home&id=15669&widget=
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FBN Reports: Board Member Objects To Administration Making District Policy--

Perhaps in a very note-worthy local article on FortBendNow, one out-spoken board member brought to the publics attention an issue that needs to be addressed. Do we allow board policy creation to be generated by unelected upper administrators or should they re-assert their legal authority?

“The administration should not be in the business of writing board policy. The board should have a policy review committee, with members from the community on that committee as it was in 2005 when I chaired it, and policies should be written, revised and amended, then brought to the full board for discussion and approval,” Magee explained. “When a school board sits by and allows the administration to write its policies, then some are not performing their duties as a board." Stan Magee

We strongly agree with Mr. Magee! See the full piece at: http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/3911

Chron: School District Employees Ask For Raises

Follow this link for the full story: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/5533533.html

Chronicle Covers Poats Run For Missouri City Mayor!

Follow this link for more:

http://blogs.chron.com/fortbend/archives/
2008/02/mo_city_mayor_c.html#comments

Greyling Poats Announces For Missouri City Mayoral Race--

The following is the official campaign announcement for Greyling Poats seeking the position of mayor in Missouri City during the May 2008 elections from FortBendWeb.com:

Friends,

With great anticipation of the positive we can make in Missouri City, I am announcing my candidacy for the office of Mayor. The past has taught us Missouri City cannot depend on one subdivision to sustain the standard of living that was the norm here. Our potential is boundless if we use the assets within our corporate city limits and only bring in additional areas to add to our greatness, not deter from the same. Great cities utilize ideas and criticism of it's citizens to prosper and grow, failing cities are staid, barren of new ideas and keep leaders in office far to long eliminating the vitality and vibrancy that it needs. This campaign is not against the incumbent and his cohort. It is a race to vitalize the character and direction of our City.

To assess where we are as a community, one must ask, has the quality of my life improved under the current leadership? Has this administration had ample time to improve the quality of our lives? Have my property values increased while my taxes have been lowered? Have the amenities of my neighborhood and city; doctors offices, hospitals, clinics, schools, grocery stores, churches, coffee shops, golf courses, small businesses, facilities for youth, bookstores, and landfills etc., improved or declined under the current administration? How does my community compare to cities with similar neighborhoods and facilities? Are we better, the same or has this mayor and council let us deteriorate while offering a myriad of excuses on why they cannot do anything to attract businesses and families to Missouri City proper?

Where is the focus of this mayor and council? How often do you hear your neighborhood in a positive light from the current administration? Does this mayor and council spend my tax dollars on enhancements i.e. mobility, drainage, street signs, side-walk repair, bridge construction and improvements, traffic lights, festivals, etc. for the benefit of those who pay MISSOURI CITY TAXES or is their primary concern with the EXTRA TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION that does not pay city property taxes? These are only a few of the questions one must ask when electing a new administration. My campaign request to the Citizens of Missouri City is to critically think about these concerns and other issues you know of before selecting your Mayor. I will file my candidacy for the office of Mayor of Missouri City, Texas. With your help, I and other candidates seeking councilmatic office, will again make Missouri City the preeminent community in Texas.


Greyling Poats
Missouri City, TX


For more on Poats: http://poatsformayor.blogspot.com/2008/02/poats-formally-announces-his-candidacy.html

Other sources:

http://missouricitychatter.blogspot.com/2008/02/greyling-poats-announces-for-missouri.html

http://www.fortbendweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=875&Itemid=1

FBN: District Employees File Complaints

Bus Drivers Voice Pay Complaints, FBISD To Study Compensation
by John Pape, Feb 06, 2008, 04 21 PM

About 20 Fort Bend ISD school bus drivers, along with several union representatives, appeared at a recent school board meeting to voice their complaints to trustees about pay issues.

The drivers complained that current pay rates were below what other districts were offering, making it difficult to keep good drivers. School spokesperson Mary Ann Simpson said that the district will be sending the drivers a response soon to let them know that a compensation study will be undertaken to look at district pay issues.

“We will be sending a formal response to our bus drivers soon to let them know that their concerns and the points they have raised in recent board meetings have not fallen on deaf ears,” Simpson said. “We have just contracted with the Texas Association of School Boards to conduct a comprehensive compensation study of all pay grades and job groups in the district, including our bus drivers and bus monitors. This study includes research into what is market value for particular jobs in the greater Houston area.” . . . (get the full story at http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/3870)

Related chronicle piece: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/5522799.html