Budget News: Board "draft" Budget includes 1.6% Raises for Admin& Admin Support

As you slowly pick yourself back up off the floor, we'll tell you that you read that correctly. Phil Frei stated at the April 26th board work-study session on the 2011-12 budget that 1.6% raises had been budgeted for the nearly 60 members of Administration and Administration Support. Yep...these are the most highly paid folks in the district. We're still not sure whether that tidbit was meant for public ears, what with all the indignation about revealing how much had been budgeted for raises last year.

Did y'all get a 1.6% raise this year? Let's see... those on Social Security did NOT. They've been frozen for 2 years. State workers have gotten the golden goose egg for the past 2 years, and could conceivably get zero for the next four years.

But...but...Didn't Admin Support receive rather hefty "Market Equity Adjustments" in August 2009?
True, true...go tell it to your board members; see if they care (actually some do). But the fact remains that 2 years ago, this group received an AVERAGE increase of 4.3%. Some received nearly 8%! And one individual, who earns $37/hr received a total of $5.00/fr increase between 2008 and 2009.

But now they want more. Check out the details of their situation report for this Monday's Human Resources Committee meeting:
May 02, 2011 - HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE
5:30 p.m. at the District Office (Room 220), 501 S. Bird St., Sun Prairie.

RECOMMENDATION:
The Management Team has conferred with representatives from the administrative support group and recommends the following changes to the salary and benefit plan:

1. Freeze the current salary schedule at the 2010-2011 level for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years, while allowing for individual employees to make step movement. This is equivalent to an average increase of 1.6% salary over the next two years (2.4% year one and 0.8% year two).

2. Increase the employee’s health insurance contribution up to 9% with a health risk assessment and 10% without a health risk assessment (up from 5%/9%).
Big, hairy deal. So are state, municipal, and county employees.

3. Allow employees the option to request a pay out of up to 3 days of reimbursable time per semester.
Can YOU, dear reader, cash out unused leave? Ferris Beuler? Anyone? Program Manaers make about $45/hr. That's about $360 for an 8 hour day. Allow them to cash out 3 days and that's over $1,000 towards their WRS committment. State workers can do that too...but only after a minimum of 15 years service.

4. Increase the cap on the number of years of longevity from 20 to 25 years when calculating retirement benefits.
Oh...yeah...and they want to increase their retirement benefit. Sheesh!
Allow employees the option of participating in a premium only Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) for qualifying plans in lieu of using their retirement funds to stay on the district’s health and/or dental plans.