Are you aware that the Wicomico County Board of Education has a program to give teachers and staff a 10% raise for each of their last three years on the job? The program is called the "Early Notification Program" or ENP.
Here's how it works. You file for the program stating your intention to retire at the end of three years. You receive an automatic 10% raise. In year two (2), whatever your salary level is for that year it is automatically bumped by 10%. Ditto for year three (3). At the end of year three (3) you are officially retired. The justification for this program is that Wicomico County has a tough time keeping teachers for their full careers. Reportedly, Worcester and Talbot counties provide a much better salary package as well as a much better retiree medical benefit.
Contrary to the beliefs of some, there does not appear to be anything nefarious about it. It was passed by the school board in an open meeting and the program details are right on the BOE's web site.
That said, I still have a problem with the program. You constantly hear public sector employees whine that their pay and benefits should be comparable to the private sector. I happen to be in complete agreement. EVERY aspect of their jobs should be comparable to the private sector.
What would that entail for the WCBOE teachers and staff:
1. Their wages would be set by the market, not a negotiation between the teacher's union and another group of civil servants at the board.
2. Their job security would have the same protections as the private sector provides. Merit, not seniority, would dictate pay and promotion. If a teacher or staff person is not doing their job they are terminated, NOT transferred to another school or office.
3. In the case of teachers, they would give away ALL of their union protections. They claim to be professionals. They demand to be paid as professionals. FINE. Professionals don't have unions. No ridiculous grievance procedure, etc. (see 2).
4. Teachers would have an opportunity to contribute to a 401-K type account (which is usually better than the 403-B's I have seen) with a market based match. This would save the state $million$ in retirement costs. As for medical benefits, they would get what the market delivers. Today, that is usually nothing. The days of defined benefit plans with hefty medical benefits are gone. Sure we all know a few people who are receiving them now, but how many people do we know who have 10+ years to go until retirement and have these plans? Read the Wall Street Journal once in while. Companies are choosing bankruptcy rather than being saddle with these liabilities. (for the record, I blame the management who signed the contracts and not the unions who won the contracts)
the list can go on... and on... and on.
Teachers, and all public sector employees, have a right to change jobs just like everyone else. If you want to be a teacher and can make more in Worcester County, you are free to go. Do not give me a song and dance about "losing our best teachers". Truly good teachers don't go into it for the money to begin with. Additionally, since teachers (and most public sector employees) do not face market forces when it comes to every other area of their employment they have no right to claim the free market when it comes to pay and benefits.
Now I am sure that I will receive a great deal of negative comments about this. So be it! Again, this is America. Public sector employees have a right to move, change jobs, etc. just like the rest of us. It makes me think of a story from a friend of mine.
He was having a discussion with a government employee who whined on about how the local government wasn't doing this, wasn't doing that ...
There endeth the conversation (very abruptly).
I want to thank Bill Cain and Tracy Sahler for answering my questions and providing me with all of the information that I requested.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
Technorati Tags: Maryland, Wicomico, politics, Wicomico politics, WCBOE, education, free market, pay, benefits, retirement
Here's how it works. You file for the program stating your intention to retire at the end of three years. You receive an automatic 10% raise. In year two (2), whatever your salary level is for that year it is automatically bumped by 10%. Ditto for year three (3). At the end of year three (3) you are officially retired. The justification for this program is that Wicomico County has a tough time keeping teachers for their full careers. Reportedly, Worcester and Talbot counties provide a much better salary package as well as a much better retiree medical benefit.
Contrary to the beliefs of some, there does not appear to be anything nefarious about it. It was passed by the school board in an open meeting and the program details are right on the BOE's web site.
That said, I still have a problem with the program. You constantly hear public sector employees whine that their pay and benefits should be comparable to the private sector. I happen to be in complete agreement. EVERY aspect of their jobs should be comparable to the private sector.
What would that entail for the WCBOE teachers and staff:
1. Their wages would be set by the market, not a negotiation between the teacher's union and another group of civil servants at the board.
2. Their job security would have the same protections as the private sector provides. Merit, not seniority, would dictate pay and promotion. If a teacher or staff person is not doing their job they are terminated, NOT transferred to another school or office.
3. In the case of teachers, they would give away ALL of their union protections. They claim to be professionals. They demand to be paid as professionals. FINE. Professionals don't have unions. No ridiculous grievance procedure, etc. (see 2).
4. Teachers would have an opportunity to contribute to a 401-K type account (which is usually better than the 403-B's I have seen) with a market based match. This would save the state $million$ in retirement costs. As for medical benefits, they would get what the market delivers. Today, that is usually nothing. The days of defined benefit plans with hefty medical benefits are gone. Sure we all know a few people who are receiving them now, but how many people do we know who have 10+ years to go until retirement and have these plans? Read the Wall Street Journal once in while. Companies are choosing bankruptcy rather than being saddle with these liabilities. (for the record, I blame the management who signed the contracts and not the unions who won the contracts)
the list can go on... and on... and on.
Teachers, and all public sector employees, have a right to change jobs just like everyone else. If you want to be a teacher and can make more in Worcester County, you are free to go. Do not give me a song and dance about "losing our best teachers". Truly good teachers don't go into it for the money to begin with. Additionally, since teachers (and most public sector employees) do not face market forces when it comes to every other area of their employment they have no right to claim the free market when it comes to pay and benefits.
Now I am sure that I will receive a great deal of negative comments about this. So be it! Again, this is America. Public sector employees have a right to move, change jobs, etc. just like the rest of us. It makes me think of a story from a friend of mine.
He was having a discussion with a government employee who whined on about how the local government wasn't doing this, wasn't doing that ...
"Where's your draft card?", he said.
"What do you mean? I don't have a draft card."
"Exactly. No one is FORCING you to work for the (enter city, county, state, federal government). You have a perfect right to go work somewhere else. If you are SO unhappy, that's just what you should do."
There endeth the conversation (very abruptly).
I want to thank Bill Cain and Tracy Sahler for answering my questions and providing me with all of the information that I requested.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
Technorati Tags: Maryland, Wicomico, politics, Wicomico politics, WCBOE, education, free market, pay, benefits, retirement
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25 comments:
Cato: Very interesting discourse about the teacher perks given here in this county school sysytem. I certainly never knew about this program for retirement since I have no reason to go to the BOE web site. Pretty plush and in my thinking way over the top! I got nothing much at retiring from the library, except a retirement dinner, a portrate hung in the library, and some thanks from staff,family and some county officials and Board of Trustee memnbers at the dinner. I always was suspect of the teachers whinning about how bad they had it, even though their 9 months work salaries were well above what I was allowed for our 12 month (and nights and weekends work) library staff!
A. Goetz
ENP was not offered for just three years only. Eligible employees were able to choose one, two or three years to finish their careers in Wicomico. The board has the ability each year to decide if it will continue ENP.
Wicomico County (non Board of Ed) retirees receive 75% of the cost of retiree medical premiums. Wicomico Board of Ed retirees receive 55%. Neighboring Boards of Ed in MD and DE pay as much as 90% of the cost of retiree medical coverage. The ENP, patterned after other BOEs in MD, addresses retention in a short term fixed dollar fashion without adding to the cost of retiree benefits for the long term. It also provides a tool to forecast turnover in a very tight education labor market.
Many of your points are valid. It is a challenge to provide appropriate governance and financial balance when the BOE has four contractural bargaining groups. The board is constantly evaluating the effect of these initiatives and looking at the financial implications and competitive market conditions.
Robin Holloway
President
Wicomico County Board of Ed
It is misleading to talk about teachers getting the 10%. Teachers are NOT the only ones who benefit from ENP. Principals, supervisors, assistant superintendents, and the superintendent can sign up as well and many of them have. As you can figure, 10% of their salary is much more than 10% of a teacher's salary. Contrary to your blog, ENP DOES NOT keep the age group of employees who are leaving for Worcester County or Deleware. Those who leave Wicomico County or who never come here are beginning and mid career people, and the ONLY ones who qualify for ENP are employees at retirement age. Some of those receiving ENP money this year have over 35 years of experience. As you stated, ENP was passed in an open meeting. That is not the nefarious part. Don't you find it odd that this perk was not mentioned once in Miss Sahler's articles about the Bd. budget last year? She wrote about the 4% raise given to all employees, which the ENP employees also receive in addition to their 10%. That is a remarkable oversight which continues. In recent articles about the Bd. budget for next year, ENP is not mentioned either. Your blog sounds like you think the teachers union asked for this in negotiations. That is not what happened. ENP was the idea of the Bd. and it was offered to the teachers. A final point is that an employee can take the ENP money but not retire. You should have asked if the huge perk has to be repaid in that case. It does not. So it does not keep qualified teachers and it just gives a large bonus to people who are retiring and it is never mentioned in articles about the budget.
Joe:
I understand your disagreement with this benefit but understand that is was offered for this year and may not be offered again depending on funding. The BOE will honor all that applied for either one, two, or three years but may not give the option at the end of this year.
Also, you failed to mention an important aspect. The were specific guidelines depending on how many years a person has in and how many years they would be able to pull the 10%.
Finally, this is great way for the BOE to plan ahead. They can begin to move staff within to fill vacancies with supervisors, etc. Also, this was a great tool for schools to plan for upcoming positions. Adminstration will know what positions they have to fill now so that they can get the best candidates. Traditionally, the BOE waits to hire and they lose great candidates.
There are good and bad sides to everything. At least this board is looking to the future, especially since many at the central office can go within the next year or so.
The Board has a "tough time keeping teachers for their full careers" is the reason for ENP? Give me a break So why does ENP apply to people at or past RETIREMENT age instead of ones with a lot of time left to work? Why is it for central office staff too who are getting a lot more money from a 10% perk than a teacher would? How did you miss the point that teachers who go to Worcester and Talbot are NOT the ones with over 30 years but they are the ones getting ENP? Did Tracy say why ENP never got mentioned in any article she ever wrote about the BOE budget?
I am a teacher in Wicomico County and I agree with much of what you stated. I got conned into joining the union when I was first hired. It is thrust upon you as a 'must have.' I quickly found out how liberal they are and I did not believe in many of the things they support. And the union makes it hard to get out of. You can't quit when ever you want. You have a short window of time each year in which to cancel membership. I have never for a moment regretted discontinuing my membership to the union.
I also have never been in support of tenure. There are too many teachers out there that don't deserve their jobs (to me 1 is too many). Administrators have to jump through hoops to get rid of them and by then many kids have been negatively affected.
Merit pay is good, but it could be hard to be fair. Some may want to base it on students' test scores. That's not fair because quite honestly, all students are not created equal and the best teachers are needed for the lowest level students.
The other concern I have about merit pay is the people who will make that decision. I've had a bad principal a time or two. One in particular who was unfair to women. This wasn't just my opinion, staff and parents felt the same way. Left up to him, the men in the school may have gotten better raises than females. You can't just apply at another school when that happens. Sure you could go to a different county, maybe, but it's a drive. The point is, the private sector isn't often so large. You could work in the same field a few miles away. Not so with education.
Also, in Wicomico County the more senior you are the fewer cost of living raises you receive. After 16 years (I think) you begin to get cost of living raises every few years instead of every year.
Many seasoned teachers are choosing to leave Wicomico because in neighboring counties after only 5 years they can retire with 80-100 percent of their benefits being paid.
I do teach because I love it but even when you love something you have to consider money, unfortunately. I've considered going to another county for the benefits but I was born and raised in this one, my kids go to school here. I wouldn't feel at home anywhere else.
ENP may be on the Board website but that is the only place it has been mentioned. Check articles written about the Board's budget last year and this year. Only thing said was that Bd. staff got a 4% raise. Did the ENP people get that plus the 10% too?
ENP is for all Wicomico BOE employees. Secretaries, assistants, supervisors too not just the teachers. The ones with the highest salaries are getting the most perk from ENP so don't put it on the teachers union who did not ask for it.
Please make sure people know teachers did whine and complain to get ENP. It was not asked for by the teachers union and applies to central office people like supervisors and directors too. Classified employees get it too. STOP saying this was done by the teachers. It was offered by the Bd. and many of the principals and supervisors and those above them are making more from this program than any teacher is.
I know members of the public think teachers have an easy job. When you look at how well-behaved today's children are, educating 25 of them at one time must be a piece of cake. But stop blaming this program on the teachers. We did not ask for this. It was offered by the Bd. and many central office employees are making a fortune from this.
To Anonymous 4:53
The Bd using ENP to plan for vacancies is a joke. People who signed up for a maximum of 3 years may leave after one or two, and people who signed up for one do not have to retire at the end of that year. The Bd is in its second year with an interim supt. when it was known that the previous supt. was leaving long before her year ended. During Mr. Field's first year as interim, nothing was done to advertise or interview for a new supt. This is how well knowing in advance works.
Unanswered is the question about why ENP was never mentioned in any article about the Bd. budget. Nothing was said when it started and nothing was said about it for next year's budgeting.
It may be a tight labor market, but knowing that in thirty years a new employee may get a 10% perk does not recruit them. A fifteen year employee would have to wait over a decade for ENP to apply to them. Why would that keep them from leaving the county?
Let me ask this question to those who are following this post. Don't you think that an elected school board would be more responsive to the fiscal needs of the community it serves? I believe there is a great deal of fat that can be cut. I firmly believe that an elected Board of Education that could be held accountable by the people would be more likely to "listen" to the concerns of the citizens relating to finances and policy.
I agree with the comment made by the person at 4:53. "Many central office people will be leaving in the next year or so", and there we have the reason for ENP and why it is a percentage of salary rather than a flat amount.
Those who signed up for ENP for one or two years after this one understand that such commitments are based on the availability of funding. In the past, if the BOE has not had the funds to meet salary increases negotiated in long-term contracts, the teachers did not get the raise. The BOE may not be able to fund all of these 10% perks for the next two years, even if people did sign up for them. They should be thankful they got a 10% raise (plus a 4% raise) for this one year which is more than most employees get.
OK whiny teachers...you may not have asked for ENP but looking at the BOE highlights on the website, a lot of you folk surely took it.
I am glad to see that there are teachers that don't support WCEA. I got out of that group when I started seeing attacks made toward BOE personnel and administrators by the evil person that is now in charge. Years ago, JC Parker worked along with teacher helped develop a working relationship with central office. The president now, Linda Eberling, does nothing more that make it harder for us teachers to work with our coworkers and administrators. All you have to do is look at one of their newsletters to see the personal attacks.
As a fellow teacher, I am ashamed and will not give that group one more cent of my salary!
Has anyone thought that the reason for this is to bump up their retirement checks. Are they based on their last year of pay? To get a thirty percent increase in pay just because you are retiring is absolutely insane. It is I would also think unethical and theft of taxpayer money. If teachers don’t like the pay go find a job in the private sector and then ask for the summer off and see what you are told to do.
to 1:13:
The Board of Ed did ask the Maryland Retirement System to consider these 10% bonuses as salary. Again, teachers would not have been the ones to benefit most from that. The Retirement folks said the 10% was not salary and would not count toward retirement. The Board of Ed said they would probably appeal that decision. Again, nothing in the paper about any of that.
I believe anything the teachers can get as a benefit, they deserve. Good for them. If you have a problem with this benefit or any benefit, take it up with your elected officials. Good teachers are hard to find, and it's a very stressful job. So I have no problem with teachers getting this benefit. I do have a problem with the WCEA, they have been a road block to effective school and benefit reform. Also they continually block attempts to permit part time or job share for teachers. Many teachers who "burn out" later in their careers would love to job share and teach on a part time basis, thus lowering the cost of eduation. But the WCEA blocks this continutally.
Do teachers get good benefits, yes....and they deserve it.
To 11:31:
The ENP program would be much more acceptable if it applied only to teachers. Why should supervisors, directors, and assistant superintendents get this perk and get more money from it than the teachers? Central office jobs are considered promotions and they pay very well. The 10% for them when they more than anyone else knew details about the coming drastic cuts in Thornton money reminds me of Enron executives. They're getting their money before the ship sinks.
Joe, you know I almost always agree with you, but I read your comment on the Story Chat, and I must correct you on something. Now, granted, I work in Virgina Schools, but I happen to know the policies are similar. What I would like to do is give you an idea of what an average day is for me.
I am an 8th Grade World History teacher with a Master's Degree. I am certified to teach World History, American History, and Social Studies. This also includes Civics and Government. My school is approximately 30 minutes from my home, and I average about $35,000 per year.
I get to work at approximately 7:45am. I check my school email, my mailbox, and collect any copies that have been made for me. I am required to be in my room by 8:00 My students come in around 8:10 to 8:15, and I teach 5 classes of world history, until approximately 1:26pm. I get the same 20-25 minute lunch break as the students. I get no bathroom break until my 1 planning period. I plan for 45 minutes at school, which mostly means I type up some things, and get copies made and orderd. I then teach a 7th period "Exploratory" class, where the topic is a subject of my choosing. School requires I be there until 3:30. Many days I am there much later, sometimes until
5. We have faculty meetings once a week that can go until 5 or so.
There is not a night that I don't come home with grading to do, or planning to finish, or some other school related activity. This keeps me busy until 9 or 10 at night. I take maybe an hour and half to 2 hours for dinner and personal things. My average day is 10 hours long. I even work weekends, getting plans made and doing research.
The 14.5 weeks I get off a year is my comp time, to make up for all the extra hours I do during the school year.
I know what some may say, and I signed up for it, and I love every minute. But it burns me to no end when people think that teachers have it easy. My advice is this, walk a week in a teacher's shoes. Deal with the parents, the poor attitudes of kids, 100+ papers to grade, lessons to plan, standards to adhere to, and then tell me my job is easy.
I'm not complaining, just stating facts. I wouldn't change what I do for anything, because I feel I truly make a difference. I'm in the profession for the long haul. Granted, you get jaded at times, but at the end of the day, you realize how important you are in a young person's life.
Now, to give carte blanche bonuses to teachers just to state their intentions is not right. Some of the money should go to raising the beginning salaries for teachers. If you average out the number of hours a teacher works per day on what a first year teacher makes, you would find that they make below minimum wage. Again, not complaining, just the facts.
Keep on doing what you are doing, Joe, it is a good thing. I just happen to disagree with your comments on story chat.
Teacherlady
Teacherlady,
Allow me to explain how I can relate. My Wife worked at the Zoo for 18 years in the bitter cold and the harsh heat. After 18 years she was only making less than $30,000.00 a year, while in serious pain daily based on 3 herniated disks in her back.
Why did she do it, especially being married to someone knowing she didn't have to work? Because she LOVED those animals.
Today we are blessed with raising our Grandson and that too is priceless. I'm confident you, (and almost every Teacher out there) do it because they too love what they're doing every day.
I simply get sick and tired of people bitching AFTER the fact and saying it's just not enough!
NOW, all that being said, look at pages A6 & A7 of today's Daily Times. The FACT that the people I was talking about are those who are qualified for this package are those being in a retirement position. The offer is based on their last 3 years of service, to those highest paid. Now, retirement is based on the last 3 years of service, now add 10% each year. So don't blow smoke up my rear end complaining because these people will get huge retirements based on this program, again, for the rest of their lives. The Taxpayers are getting screwed, PERIOD!
In closing, thank you for what you do, all of you. That goes for ALL of the Zookeepers at the Salisbury Zoo as well. A select few of us know what you do every day and you deserve more! Just not those who are already there 20+ years.
Oh, I absolutely think that the people at the top of the pay scale should not be getting these bonuses. It sucks, because Wicomico can't be competitive with other counties. I think what teachers try to make people understand, in a not so cogent way, is that it is felt that teachers contribute much to society, but yet don't see the benefits some in the private sector do. Private sector teachers don't get anything close to what county teachers get, and I know that first hand. Many teachers are lured in by signing bonuses and classroom spending accounts. When they realize it is not a permanent thing, they start their bitching about teacher salaries. It also comes in when they realize the kids they teach are not the little darlings they thought they would have when they were student teaching. My philosophy is this--pay them more to start, make it worth their while. If they bitch then, they can go elsewhere. Taxes shouldn't be raised because some teachers or groups of teachers have serious entitlement issues.
As the article in the DT explains, teachers union negotiators did not want or support ENP. The Bd. negotiators insisted. Well, many of the Bd. personnel at very high salaries will be eligible for this and want it whether it's fair or not.
Why should people with 30, 35 even 40 years service be given tens of thousands of dollars to say when they might retire? To help with recruiting, give a $5000 bonus to those teachers who let the Bd. know a year in advance of their plans to retire. That's a help to the system, a help to the teacher and more reasonable than this plan.
How did the Talbot plan of $4000 for a teacher who retires become the Wicomico plan of 10% per year for up to 3 years for anyone who retires? Do you think it's an accident that our plan is a percent of salary? We need to stop saying, "Well, Talbot did this for years." Talbot did NOT do THIS at all.
A comment for those who have left the teachers' union. For a time when I taught (I'm now retired), I, too, left the union. As a professional, I did not like the union mentality. I also had problems with the political views of the union leadership.
However, when I was verbally threatened by a principal, I rejoinedthe union. I knew that was the only way that I could have the protection I needed. There may come a time, heaven forbid, when you will need the union. It is a powerful force. I am still troubled by the very liberal views and political stance of the NEA and MSTA, but I think that the benefits outweigh these concerns.
When I retired, I joined both the NEA and MSTA for life so that I could keep up with the issues in education. Their monthly publications are of particular interest to me.
lets set the record straight there are no teacher unions in maryland. We have an association that has little power other than complain loudly for a small percentage that agree with what is being said.
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