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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Worcester County Cuts 32 Positions To Give More Money To School System Employees

NEWARK – The elimination of 32 positions will enable the Worcester County Board of Education to fund pay increases for teachers.

On Tuesday, the school system ratified negotiated agreements with the Worcester County Teachers Association (WCTA) and the Worcester County Education Support Personal Association (WCESPA) finalizing salaries for the coming school year. Those teachers eligible will receive a step increase while those beyond the step system (who have been teaching in Worcester County for more than 15 years) will receive a 1 percent cost-of-living increase. Teachers who are three years behind in step increases will also receive a mid-year step increase.

“Teachers are getting a little bit,” school board member Sara Thompson said. “Not what we need to give them but they’re getting something.”

Though education officials announced plans to give teachers raises early in this year’s budget process, when county leaders voted not to fund all of the board of education’s $82.7 million request school system officials and representatives of WCTA and WCESPA went back into negotiations. Using the SurveyMonkey website, association members were able to vote on the proposed agreement in time for Tuesday’s school board meeting. According to Beth Shockley-Lynch, president of the WCTA, reported more than 95 percent of association members voted to support the contract. She praised school system officials for reallocating the money to fund salary increases.

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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it!

Anonymous said...

I believe that 44% of the WorCo budget they are claiming ignores the millions in debt service for skool construction - check it out

Anonymous said...

You know what makes me sick..1.5 administrators??? Really .So cut teachers and not BS? No waste? No useless bloated BOE salaries? What about the illegals? Getting funds from the FEDS? STATE? I Sure hate that my taxes pay for people who should really be here!! while my kid suffers!! How much is that impact! How about food programs and food stamps?? They are triple dipping

Anonymous said...

From the article:
"Bob Rothermel, president of the school board, said...“I think we had a moral obligation to do what we did,”...
Jerry Wilson, superintendent of schools, said the $1.9 million pay package was made possible by the elimination of ...13 educational assistant positions. Though the teaching and administrative positions were vacated through retirement or resignation, 13 educational assistants lost their jobs."

I wonder what kind of moral obligation the WorBOE felt towards those 13 EA's.

Anonymous said...

As usual the lowest paid get the full force of the cuts
Teachers have no feelings for anyone other than themselves

Anonymous said...

Pay less get less......nothing is getting cheaper.

Anonymous said...

These cry baby teachers are the ones who should have lost their jobs, not the lowest paid employee. If this were the real world of business and not a government job, those complainers would have been fired and fresh more alert teachers hired for the new year.

Anonymous said...

Well at least I'm glad the Teachers will have to work for their money!! Why so many assistants?!! You want a 9 month job over $60,000.00 pay, weeks off in the Summer, 2 weeks off for Christmas, every weekend, every holiday, then you work for it!!! No more assistance, earn your pay!

Anonymous said...

Maybe instead of people losing their jobs, they could get rid of the free after school babysitting and make students pay to play sports. Many neighboring counties make students may for the extras like sports and after care.

Anonymous said...

Right, while the some administrators sit on 6 figures

Anonymous said...

The OC cash cow is dying like Atlantic City is. Ya'll spoiled brats in Worcester better get ready, and I'm not just talking about teachers.