That’s the headline in this morning’s Courier Times, and to me it’s good news. Clearly from reading comments in this blog, not everyone agrees.
I could try to address each individual point of what some people have been critical of, but that’s already been done in other posts and it hasn’t changed the minds of those who object – nor should it. You have reason to be concerned. Yes, we could have rammed a tougher agreement down the Administrators’ throats. Yes, an equity clause could cost us if (but that’s a huge IF) our eventual agreement with the teachers is more generous than what the Administrators agreed to. And yes, we could have posted the agreement in a full page Ad in the Courier. YES to all those points.
From the very beginning of our negotiations, this Board has sought to undo some sins of the past while charting a course for future success. The teachers contract is expensive, very possibly the most expensive in the entire state. We wanted to make sincere changes to that agreement while we continue to value the work of our teachers. That’s what we had hoped to accomplish in our offer to the teachers, and we wanted to extend that same ideal to our Administrators as well. While you can disagree with what we offered to the Administrators, you really cannot deny how much was recovered in this agreement: Free health care benefits – GONE; Free retirement benefits to age 65 – GONE; The $27,500 lump sum retirement payout – GONE; Long-term service bonuses – GONE. These are all the things the public wishes were handled years ago, and this Board stepped up to the plate and addressed them now.
I’m not a betting man but if you asked 100 different people about how we handled the Administrators’ contract, I’d wager that you couldn’t find 2 people who will completely agree with each other. That’s why it’s easy to second guess what we have done – there isn’t just one way to have skinned this cat.
So that we’re clear with each other, I don’t begrudge you for taking issue with some or all of the particulars surrounding this contract. Your emails and blog comments haven’t fallen on deaf ears. In certain instances I actually agree with you. But overall, I am fiercely supportive of what this Board accomplished with the Administrators contract. Now I’ll leave it to you to share comments with each other, but a couple of rules for the road . . .
1. Be respectful - I’m cool with it if you want to tell me you disagree or whatever, but if you want to get nasty or insulting, please take it over to the Courier blog.
2. Be nice to each other - Some of you have gotten a little sarcastic in your responses to comments made by other readers. Please have enough respect for one another to allow for differing opinions without the need to get in little digs.
It’s taken me over 8 hours to write this post in between meetings and my own little budget crisis at work, and I must get back to the job that actually pays me to be yelled at. I’m going to bow out from further comments for the time being so I can focus on work stuff. So if I don’t counter your counter arguments, or answer that one question you want me to drop everything to answer, please be a little understanding, ok? And none of that conspiracy theory crap that I’m hiding from you. If I wanted to hide I would not have bothered with this post.
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8 comments:
Here it is.... can i get a drum roll please before they are cut out of the budget...
Do all of the things that are gone stay gone forever and ever, ad infinitum, no matter what the teachers get?
Ivy, I'm just speculating (and also counting to 10,000 every few moments to stay calm) that the Administrators contract will mimic the Teachers.
What ever perks the NFT gets (whether it be pay outs, bonuses, health benefits, etc.) the Administrators will get.
The only official difference is while Teachers will have a step scale that will average a raise of X percentage (base raise pluse step raise), the Administrators will have a flat raise that equals that percentage.
I personally don't have a problem with the Administrators having a contract on par with the Teachers. I really don't. It's just how that "clause" was deliberately not divulged (even though it was being directly asked for by NUMEROUS tax payers) until after the vote... (1...2...3... ...9,998...9,999...10,000) Sigh.
I guess it is too late now, but I think the process should have been to put in a clause that would make it a vote to bring the Administration contract up to what ever the NFT level finally is. That at least would allow the board to talk about the fairness of having both groups equal. I think I could have respected that more than this route.
I think I'll go pop another Valium and lie down.
I have a vision . . . for a meeting of the DSP Society at a watering hole of my choosing. Ivy League, JS and ACS are invited. Nostradamus and Jersey are on the bubble. KClarinet and Gabriel might get invited if they increase their level of sarcasm.
Location and time would be kept secret, only known to the invitees. All participants must take a vow of silence never to reveal the identity of the others.
You guys in?
Hey I'm neutral. Don't include me. That would be like including Switzerland in a meeting with the Axis of Evil :->
I'm definitely in... as long as you can get the puppet master in... then we can get to the hard questions.
Sounds intriguing, but does anyone else in that group feel like it's a set up? ;)
Don't worry, JS, it's not a set up. But if you wouldn't mind speaking into the table lamp a little more clearly . . .
Ivy League, the answer to your question at the top of this thread is answered in the Courier article linked to this post. Rather than send you fishing, let me give you the relevant quote from the article: If teachers get a different deal, though, the administrators' contract will change as well, officials said. Whether or not that turns out to be a positive thing depends on how the board settles the issue with the NFT.
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