I am posting this without comments until I can return to provide analysis. See article at link below.
vj
Lake union chief: 'The best agreement we can get this year'
Many teachers looking at several hundred dollars more in pay
Many
Lake County teachers would receive an increase of several hundred
dollars this year under a tentative agreement reached recently by the
teachers union and the school district.
About three dozen fortunate enough to be in a certain stage of their careers would receive as much as $4,800.
But everyone would get another year of free health-insurance benefits —
a value of about $474 a month for full-time employees, said B. Grassel,
president of the Lake County Education Association.
Many Florida school districts pass on at least some of the cost of
health-insurance premiums to their employees. Lake has covered this
expense for years.
Though teachers would like more money in their pockets, Grassel said
the district couldn't commit to spending more for salaries when its
financial future is so uncertain.
The state Department of Education recently cut per-pupil funding again
because it underestimated enrollment statewide this academic year.
"I believe this is the best agreement we can get this year," Grassel said in an e-mail to the Orlando Sentinel.
Teachers will vote on the proposal Feb. 3. Afterward, it will go before the School Board for a vote.
Last school year, teachers in Lake and across Florida didn't see any
improvement in their pay. A couple of districts even lowered salaries.
The district's most veteran educators — those with more than 23 years
of experience — would receive an additional $500 this school year,
according to a document Grassel said she was sending to teachers on
Friday.
A teacher with 25 years of experience, for example, would earn $55,050 this school year, up from $54,550.
Less-experienced educators would be given what's called a "step"
increase: They would move up one spot on the salary schedule, which was
not allowed last school year because of the district's funding issues
then.
With the step increase, teachers would earn $100 to $4,800 more this year, depending on their place on the salary schedule.
For instance, if you're a teacher with five years of experience, you
would be paid $36,800 this school year — up from $36,500 last school
year.
If you're a teacher who has completed 20 years of teaching, you would earn $45,200 this year — an increase of $1,150.
Teachers who have completed 23 years of teaching would get the biggest
hike in pay: $4,800, moving from a salary of $49,750 to $54,550.
Grassel said only 35 teachers would enjoy the largest increase.
Laurie Marshall, the district's executive director for human resources
and employee relations, said she was glad to be able to offer a raise
this year.
"The [School] Board was happy to be able to do the step increase
because it's the first raise in two years for employees," she said.
Marshall said the district is still in negotiations with the Service
Employees International Union, which represents bus drivers, custodians
and other employees who don't have teaching or administrative jobs.
Aside from the raise, the teachers union and the district tentatively agreed on several other changes to the teachers contract.
One of the biggest changes is an increase in planning time for
elementary-school teachers on days when kids are not dismissed early
from school.
Today, those teachers have at least 40 minutes of planning time. Under
the proposed agreement, elementary teachers would get at least 45
minutes of planning time starting in 2010-11 — something the union had
been pushing for because so much of that time is eaten up when teachers
must walk their students to other classes such as art and music.
"The planning time for elementary-school teachers is very important,"
Grassel wrote in an e-mail interview. "These dedicated folks have
papers to grade and lessons to prepare for all of the subjects each
day. Forty-five minutes is better than the forty minutes they had."
The union and district also agreed to form a committee to discuss the
multitude of changes being required under the state's new
school-improvement program, called Differentiated Accountability.
Under this controversial program, public schools are expected to make
sure every single child — including disabled students and those
struggling to learn English — is working at grade level by 2014.
Schools are pressed to improve kids' test scores every year until they
reach that goal.
If schools fall short when the state evaluates them each year, they
face a slew of sanctions ranging from completing a mountain of new
paperwork to moving teachers, replacing principals and starting to pay
educators based on student achievement.
Said Grassel: "We have much to do. But we can do it!"
Denise-Marie Balona can be reached at [email protected] or 352-742-5928 or 386-228-5008.
Copyright © 2010, Orlando Sentinel
