Post by title1parent on Apr 12, 2010 5:13:00 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=372313&src=
Concessions, pay freezes good moves
Daily Herald Editorial 4/12/2010
Each week it seems another local school board details plans to make significant budget cuts and in many cases lay off teachers.
With the state way behind in what it should be paying for education, these cuts, while tough and hard to take for many, are certainly understandable. We have called for school administrators, board member, teachers and parents to be realistic and to make the tough choices before trying to raise taxes on already overburdened residents.
Schools from Naperville to Elgin, Arlington Heights to St. Charles all have been faced with these hard choices. Students and parents will feel them come next school year.
In fact, the Illinois Association of School Administrators reported late last month that more than 20,000 teachers could be laid off from state schools in the next school year. The final numbers may be known this week as school districts have an April 15 deadline to tell employees whether their jobs will be cut next year.
And yet, in the midst of all this bad news, there are stories we can highlight of districts and teachers doing the right thing. And unfortunately, stories of districts, teachers and administrators not seeing the big picture.
Grayslake Elementary District 46 teachers last week approved salary concessions that saved programs like band, music, chorus and art. To help with a $2.3 million projected gap in funding for the 2010-11 school year, the union agreed to an average raise of 2.75 percent instead of the original 4 percent hike. We wonder whether teachers could concede even more.
Unions representing custodians, secretaries and other noncertified personnel also agreed to concessions and administrator pay will freeze.
Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 school board members are expected to approve a new teacher's contract this week that freezes pay for a year to help the district eliminate a projected $8.6 million budget deficit. In addition, all administrators pay will be frozen and a new superintendent who begins work in July will have his pay frozen for three years.
On the flip side, two superintendents received contracts last week that we believe are questionable and should be reviewed.
Constance Collins, the new superintendent in Round Lake Unit District 116, which has been under state control for eight years because of the financial mess it was in, is eligible for raises up to 6 percent and nothing less than 1 percent over the next five years.
And Barrington Unit District 220 Superintendent Tom Leonard received a new contract last week calling for a 3.6 percent raise this school year and annual 6 percent raises through his retirement in June 2014. At the same time, the district is cutting $2.4 million from its budget, including layoffs of some nontenured teachers.
Those contracts are too rich for these tight times.
Concessions, pay freezes good moves
Daily Herald Editorial 4/12/2010
Each week it seems another local school board details plans to make significant budget cuts and in many cases lay off teachers.
With the state way behind in what it should be paying for education, these cuts, while tough and hard to take for many, are certainly understandable. We have called for school administrators, board member, teachers and parents to be realistic and to make the tough choices before trying to raise taxes on already overburdened residents.
Schools from Naperville to Elgin, Arlington Heights to St. Charles all have been faced with these hard choices. Students and parents will feel them come next school year.
In fact, the Illinois Association of School Administrators reported late last month that more than 20,000 teachers could be laid off from state schools in the next school year. The final numbers may be known this week as school districts have an April 15 deadline to tell employees whether their jobs will be cut next year.
And yet, in the midst of all this bad news, there are stories we can highlight of districts and teachers doing the right thing. And unfortunately, stories of districts, teachers and administrators not seeing the big picture.
Grayslake Elementary District 46 teachers last week approved salary concessions that saved programs like band, music, chorus and art. To help with a $2.3 million projected gap in funding for the 2010-11 school year, the union agreed to an average raise of 2.75 percent instead of the original 4 percent hike. We wonder whether teachers could concede even more.
Unions representing custodians, secretaries and other noncertified personnel also agreed to concessions and administrator pay will freeze.
Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 school board members are expected to approve a new teacher's contract this week that freezes pay for a year to help the district eliminate a projected $8.6 million budget deficit. In addition, all administrators pay will be frozen and a new superintendent who begins work in July will have his pay frozen for three years.
On the flip side, two superintendents received contracts last week that we believe are questionable and should be reviewed.
Constance Collins, the new superintendent in Round Lake Unit District 116, which has been under state control for eight years because of the financial mess it was in, is eligible for raises up to 6 percent and nothing less than 1 percent over the next five years.
And Barrington Unit District 220 Superintendent Tom Leonard received a new contract last week calling for a 3.6 percent raise this school year and annual 6 percent raises through his retirement in June 2014. At the same time, the district is cutting $2.4 million from its budget, including layoffs of some nontenured teachers.
Those contracts are too rich for these tight times.
