07-10-2010, 07:30 PM
Is the PBA and CTA allowed to meet? I mean a PBA rep should sit down with them, and explain to them where we are, and how we can save money. For example by 2012 if the grants dry up, where are we going to be? If PBSO can do the job for less and save the District money, cant the excess be applied to the teachers salaries? If we have a goal in mind and it can save the District money and increase the level of service while giving additional benefits to the Officers (MERGER) WHY not meet with the CTA since it can help them to help us????????????
Salaries dispute heads to magistrate as Palm Beach County teachers declare impasse
After a year of fighting for a pay raise for its members, the Palm Beach County teachers' union declared an impasse today in its salary negotiations with the school district.
Union officials want a pay raise tied to years of experience, known as a step, while district administrators say they can afford only one-time $500 bonuses.
The two sides met at least 20 times this year, with almost no change in their positions.
Facing an estimated $88.5 million shortfall in the coming year's $2.7 billion budget, district leaders have insisted they can't afford the recurring expense of raises. Union officials have countered that the district didn't budget for teacher raises but spent money on "new programs and technology."
"The district basically hasn't budged an inch all year," said union President Robert Dow.
Van Ludy, the district's director of labor relations, said the reason is simple: "There is no money."
"Do you know of any public employers, do you know of anyone, that's given raises (this year)?" he asked.
A step increase costs between $14 million and $16.7 million each year. The bonuses have a one-time cost of $6.6 million, said Mike Burke, the district's chief financial officer.
School board members haven't adopted a tentative budget for the coming year yet. Most of the $88.5 million shortfall is in the capital budget, which pays for construction.
Salaries are paid out of the operating budget, which faces a shortfall of about $27.1 million. That figure includes a $7 million penalty for failing to meet stiffer class size requirements. District officials have said they likely won't comply with the law, waiting instead to see if voters relax the standard in November.
District officials plan to plug the hole in the capital budget with federal stimulus bonds. To save money in the operating budget, district officials have proposed furloughs for top administrators, including Superintendent Art Johnson, along with the elimination of free SAT testing for high school students and a shortened work day for substitute teachers.
No layoffs are planned in the coming year's budget. Johnson warned in February that he might have to give "serious consideration" to layoffs next year when the district loses about $100 million in federal stimulus funding. About 1,600 jobs are bankrolled with the money.
Dow derided the talk of layoffs and furloughs as "smoke and mirrors."
Teachers received a 2 percent pay increase at the start of the 2008-09 school year. The proposed $500 bonuses would come out of the budget for the 2009-10 school year, which just ended.
"There were some holdbacks here and there that would fund that," Ludy said.
With the impasse declared, the issue will go before a special magistrate named by the state Public Employees Relations Commission. If neither side agrees to the magistrate's recommendations, the school board will make a final decision.
The union asked to skip the magistrate and take the issue directly to the school board. Ludy said district officials haven't made a decision yet about bypassing that step.
He said the union still has to send an official letter declaring the impasse. The union told district negotiators today that it intended to declare an impasse.
Also on the table are about a half-dozen non-monetary issues, such as grievance procedures, that were raised by the district, Ludy said. Some of those could be dropped.
"There are a lot of things that have to happen," he said.
Salaries dispute heads to magistrate as Palm Beach County teachers declare impasse
After a year of fighting for a pay raise for its members, the Palm Beach County teachers' union declared an impasse today in its salary negotiations with the school district.
Union officials want a pay raise tied to years of experience, known as a step, while district administrators say they can afford only one-time $500 bonuses.
The two sides met at least 20 times this year, with almost no change in their positions.
Facing an estimated $88.5 million shortfall in the coming year's $2.7 billion budget, district leaders have insisted they can't afford the recurring expense of raises. Union officials have countered that the district didn't budget for teacher raises but spent money on "new programs and technology."
"The district basically hasn't budged an inch all year," said union President Robert Dow.
Van Ludy, the district's director of labor relations, said the reason is simple: "There is no money."
"Do you know of any public employers, do you know of anyone, that's given raises (this year)?" he asked.
A step increase costs between $14 million and $16.7 million each year. The bonuses have a one-time cost of $6.6 million, said Mike Burke, the district's chief financial officer.
School board members haven't adopted a tentative budget for the coming year yet. Most of the $88.5 million shortfall is in the capital budget, which pays for construction.
Salaries are paid out of the operating budget, which faces a shortfall of about $27.1 million. That figure includes a $7 million penalty for failing to meet stiffer class size requirements. District officials have said they likely won't comply with the law, waiting instead to see if voters relax the standard in November.
District officials plan to plug the hole in the capital budget with federal stimulus bonds. To save money in the operating budget, district officials have proposed furloughs for top administrators, including Superintendent Art Johnson, along with the elimination of free SAT testing for high school students and a shortened work day for substitute teachers.
No layoffs are planned in the coming year's budget. Johnson warned in February that he might have to give "serious consideration" to layoffs next year when the district loses about $100 million in federal stimulus funding. About 1,600 jobs are bankrolled with the money.
Dow derided the talk of layoffs and furloughs as "smoke and mirrors."
Teachers received a 2 percent pay increase at the start of the 2008-09 school year. The proposed $500 bonuses would come out of the budget for the 2009-10 school year, which just ended.
"There were some holdbacks here and there that would fund that," Ludy said.
With the impasse declared, the issue will go before a special magistrate named by the state Public Employees Relations Commission. If neither side agrees to the magistrate's recommendations, the school board will make a final decision.
The union asked to skip the magistrate and take the issue directly to the school board. Ludy said district officials haven't made a decision yet about bypassing that step.
He said the union still has to send an official letter declaring the impasse. The union told district negotiators today that it intended to declare an impasse.
Also on the table are about a half-dozen non-monetary issues, such as grievance procedures, that were raised by the district, Ludy said. Some of those could be dropped.
"There are a lot of things that have to happen," he said.