08-30-2008, 04:55 PM
Palm Beach County teachers win 2% salary increases
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By CHRISTINA DeNARDO
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 29, 2008
Just in time for Labor Day, the school district and the teachers union have agreed to salary increases.
Under the agreement, reached Friday afternoon, teachers will get a 2 percent across-the-board raise but forgo any step pay increases. The raises will cost the district about $15 million, half what it spent last year to give teachers a pay boost.
The agreement also calls for negotiations to begin in April 2009 to negotiate a full contract. Salaries were the only subject of negotiations Friday. Teachers must vote on the contract before it is finalized.
"Negotiations were long and hard and the CTA did what they thought was the very best for their teachers. It is the best we can do in these tough times. Now we hope to put these negotiations behind us and move on with another successful school year," said Robert Dow, president of the Classroom Teachers Association.
The district negotiated 2 percent raises for bus drivers, school police and cafeteria workers earlier this year, but those raises will expire in December. District officials will renegotiate with the unions that represent those workers in the fall, but they have said raises won't be offered.
Though Superintendent Art Johnson has said it could not afford raises this year for the county's 13,000 teachers, school board member Monroe Benaim said this month that the district was looking for money to give teachers a 2 percent raise.
Palm Beach County schools will need to cut $36 million from their budget next year. But when the rising costs of fuel, utilities and property insurance are included, the cut is more like $63 million.
Earlier this month, the state's revenue estimating conference predicted that the state will have $1.8 billion less in revenue than expected this year, which means $30 million less for the school district. The state will have $2.2 billion less than expected for next year, which will be $50 million less for the district.
But final numbers depend on whether the state takes some of the shortfall out of its reserves.
Other school districts, including several in Central Florida, are not offering raises to teachers this year.
Teachers in Miami-Dade won't get the $72 million in raises they were promised this year.
Broward County teachers are at impasse with the district but negotiations resumed Thursday.
Listen to this article or download audio file.Click-2-Listen
By CHRISTINA DeNARDO
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 29, 2008
Just in time for Labor Day, the school district and the teachers union have agreed to salary increases.
Under the agreement, reached Friday afternoon, teachers will get a 2 percent across-the-board raise but forgo any step pay increases. The raises will cost the district about $15 million, half what it spent last year to give teachers a pay boost.
The agreement also calls for negotiations to begin in April 2009 to negotiate a full contract. Salaries were the only subject of negotiations Friday. Teachers must vote on the contract before it is finalized.
"Negotiations were long and hard and the CTA did what they thought was the very best for their teachers. It is the best we can do in these tough times. Now we hope to put these negotiations behind us and move on with another successful school year," said Robert Dow, president of the Classroom Teachers Association.
The district negotiated 2 percent raises for bus drivers, school police and cafeteria workers earlier this year, but those raises will expire in December. District officials will renegotiate with the unions that represent those workers in the fall, but they have said raises won't be offered.
Though Superintendent Art Johnson has said it could not afford raises this year for the county's 13,000 teachers, school board member Monroe Benaim said this month that the district was looking for money to give teachers a 2 percent raise.
Palm Beach County schools will need to cut $36 million from their budget next year. But when the rising costs of fuel, utilities and property insurance are included, the cut is more like $63 million.
Earlier this month, the state's revenue estimating conference predicted that the state will have $1.8 billion less in revenue than expected this year, which means $30 million less for the school district. The state will have $2.2 billion less than expected for next year, which will be $50 million less for the district.
But final numbers depend on whether the state takes some of the shortfall out of its reserves.
Other school districts, including several in Central Florida, are not offering raises to teachers this year.
Teachers in Miami-Dade won't get the $72 million in raises they were promised this year.
Broward County teachers are at impasse with the district but negotiations resumed Thursday.