Posted on 01/22/2005 7:19:22 PM PST by Born Conservative
The union representative is angry about publication of salary, reimbursements and sick days amid contract talks.
WRIGHT TWP. - Every Crestwood teacher's salary, tuition reimbursements and related pay hikes, plus accrued sick days will soon debut on the school district's Web site.
School board member Gene Mancini Jr. said it's a way to inform the public as contract negotiations continue, but union representative John Holland called the move "offensive and irresponsible."
"It's the public's right to know," said Mancini, who serves on the contract negotiation team. He said the board held a public session in November and next week's planned release of salary and benefit information is a continuation of that.
Holland said school board President Bill Jones and the "other clowns" on the board need to stop playing political games.
"They can put whatever spin they want on it," said Holland, an attorney with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. He said the board is doing a great disservice by trying to generate public sentiment against teachers.
"It tends to make people disrespectful of the teachers," Holland said. He said the teachers' salaries are reasonable given the number of years they have worked at Crestwood.
"The numbers are staggering," said Mancini of teachers' salaries and health benefit amounts. The 2004-2005 spreadsheet the school district compiled lists 27 teachers being paid the top annual salary of $71,408. The district pays more than $14,000 annually for some teachers' health benefits.
Lesser paid teachers received $25,854 a year and some health benefits cost the school district $5,200 annually.
The information lists one teacher's salary increase of $20,000 for additional academic credits and another teacher as having accrued $11,970 worth of sick days at $35 per day.
Holland, the PSEA attorney, acknowledged that some information the district plans to release is public, but if it is releasing information on accrued sick days, people can easily determine what teachers have been sick based on the 10 allotted sick days per year.
Holland cited the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability or HIPAA act that safeguards medical information. "They can proceed at their own risk."
He noted that the district and the Crestwood Education Association are entering the fact-finding stage of negotiations. The state Labor Relations Board on Tuesday assigned fact-finder Alex Kaschock, who has 40 days to issue non-binding recommendations.
"Let the process work," Holland said Friday. He said this is not the time for the district to post teacher information on its Web site.
School district Solicitor Jack Dean said members of the public have requested the information and now they will be able to determine the financial impact of the proposed contracts.
The district Web site already contains a side-by-side comparison of the union and district collective bargaining proposals, the millage impact and the district's last offer on Nov. 9, before the strike.
The school district's 160 teachers, librarians and some other employees are working under the terms of their old contract, which expired in August 2002.
No kidding. Sure, some teachers are just riding the system, but having known several, the amount of work they put in during the school year is just ridiculous. 71K is a lot, but 25K certainly isn't, not for how hard they work!
In Georgia, teachers retire when they are 55 years old with almost 90% of their salary. That blisters me. They should have to work until they are 65. Can you imagine the reduction in our teachers' costs?
Damn, that sunlight smarts when crud is exposed.
Name calling is one of the most common lib tactics.
I am not whining. I am simply attempting to put things in persepective.
There are people who seem to think all teachers do very little work and get paid a fortune. That is not true.
You have to buy books, etc., but nobody is asking for your salary to be made public or holding you responsible for idiotic decisions made by the administration or the ignorant teachers union.
It is an unlevel playing field where one side gets to criticize the other, but when the other side defends itself, we are called whiners.
You might be well served to learn to engage in civil discourse, rather than angry rhetoric.
Separate school and State.
No compulsory attendance, no taxation, and sell off all the assets.
I am very happy to have my salary posted publicly.
I have a wonderful job...working for wonderful people!!! I don't whine about my job like you folks do. I accept that there are expenses in my job and I don't complain about them.
...oh, so, sweetie...i should use ital or bold or a few throw pillows here or there...but not something so gauche or outre as CAPS....
Seriously? When I worked in industry, the company supplied all that.
You are SO out-of-touch! If you want to keep yourself current, yeah, the company might spring...but if you want to advance yourself...for the most part...you're on your own. Find out how much YOUR company will pay for your MBA.
I'm sure you know that "No Child Left Behind" is federal code for "All Children Left Behind" since it is geared to the lowest common denominator. We need to prepare our children to work at their highest levels in convenience stores and fast-food restaurants.
It's public record and it has been done before. Let the public know why the teachers are going on strike or "working to rule"
I haven't posted this for awhile, but you have read it before, I apologize.
The quality of public school education is inversely proportionate to the growth of the NEA/AFT.
I have been repeating this statement for seventeen years, every time the subject of the NEA/ AFT or failing public schools arises. Fortunately for Washington State, we have been saved from some of the worst abuses of the NEA by the super majority rule for raising school taxes. Unfortunately for Washington State, we have some of the lowest paid teachers in the country. I have a proposal to do a kind of end around play on the NEA. My plan stems from an article that I once read in the Los Angeles Times that described a professional as one who follows a career which necessitates a university degree and puts public service before financial remuneration. By this definition there can be no such thing as a professional union.
I propose that we have two levels of teachers, a professional level and a union level. The professional level would be paid at a higher rate, would work a year around schedule and would be expected to work a professional work day, from eight to five. The union level teacher would continue to work the union schedule at union wages. The schools would be operated on a year around basis with summer sessions being offered by the professional level teachers. Special class offerings in AP classes, the arts, athletics, FFA, as well as remedial classes could be offered by professional level teachers.
Students could be offered the option of completing their education in less than the usual twelve years, or offered the possibility of attending year around classes on a part time basis while taking classes at a technical school or working part time or staying in school and receiving college credit for high school work. Schools which opted for this program could open their summer courses to students from outside the district for a fee.
The benefits of this type of program would be that the local school district would regain control of curriculum; better teachers would be inspired by the more professional level of pay; the choices and opportunities that would be offered to students would be greatly multiplied and hopefully inspire them to excellence. At the same time the union wage positions would still be open to teachers who prefer the shorter hours and long vacations while raising a family of their own.
You can thank Teddy Kennedy for that. He wrote the bill.
"I strongly believe ALL public employees salary, expenses, retirement and other benefits should be prominently displayed to the Public."
I completely agree. I've been a teacher, and I've been a federal employee. You, the taxpayer, pay my salary and benefits, and you have every right to know how your money is spent.
Even the President's salary/benefit package is public knowledge.
"At our school, we have to sign in. One year the board decided to make us sign out as well.
That lasted maybe 3 days, until someone pointed out to them that by law, if they made us sign in and out, they had to pay us for any overtime worked."
I'm fascinated. I used to teach school, and I was a salaried professional. I didn't have "hours." I worked what time was required to get my work done...regardless if it cut into my evenings or weekends.
Since when does a "salaried professional" have hours and overtime? And, just what were your "hours"?
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