Sun Prairie Teachers Make Contract Offer

Actually, this is a counter-offer to the district's proposal, but we felt it's brevity and content deserved top billing.

We obtained the document above from the district office this week.

File this under "Unmitigated gall"
Really?  You really think that under the new climate in Wisconsin that your existing contract should be allowed to stand?  What the teachers union needs to come to grips with is that its getting harder and harder for the public to support their petulant positioning.

Can you name one...just one...occupation that gets an automatic 3% pay raise every year just for being a year older?  And then...on TOP of that, you expect a big raise from the school board as well?  About 4-6 weeks ago, you fine folks made a plea for a 3.1% increase.  Those on "the grid" would then receive a 6.1% increase.  What other occupation still gets an annual "step increase for basically continuing to work and having a birthday.

You want to keep your old contract?  Maybe you didn't hear about Dane County workers approving a 1.9% DECREASE in pay or benefits in exchange for maintaining their contract.   You folks want to keep the contract AND get a big pay boost.   You want your cake and you everybody else's cake and then you want to have a feast.

Huh? Are We Still Beating Our Teachers?
SPEA" reserves the right" to negotiate benefits and wages once "working conditions are established"?  You'd think that we were running one of those third world sweat shops used to manufacture top "American" apparel and running shoes.

Is district administration herding teachers into some back storage room once school lets out and waterboarding them?

Seriously...what the hell kind of comment is that... "once working conditions are established"?  Hello!  McFly!  These downtrodden professional educators, with their 190 contract work days,  get their summers off and still make (most of them anyway) a wage that is considered pretty decent for even a 260 day employee.  We're in the middle of what some call "No School November".  How many of you get paid days off for not only Thanksgiving but the day before AND after?   Teachers have also had the past two Mondays off from teaching: having professional development OPTIONS--not required--- (they could just take the day off with pay), and then parent-teacher conferences from 11:30 to 7:30  this past Monday.

...and THIS is what we are to expect from "professionals"?   Complaining about working conditions that many would kill for?  Boo frickin' hoo.

Get over Act 10...OK?
Act 10 will be tied up in courts for months, and the likelihood of it remaining overturned is pretty slim.   In case our teachers were too busy enjoying their summer off, a recall election was held in June and Gov. Walker was election was re-confirmed.  You need to get used to seeing him and dealing with him for at least two more years.  This past week Republicans also took back all control of state government.

Maybe you folks didn't get the memo, but change has arrived.  And it didn't come by train.

Trying our collective patience
First, and foremost, this "offer" may not actually endear you with the people that have to approve any agreement...you know...the school board?

In addition, you're quickly losing the support of community members that may have previously been in your corner.

We value teachers; but we do not cotton to unrealistic demands.

Real Data: How Act 10 Affected SPASD

Act 10 was designed to provide school district and municipalities with "tools"....tools which could be used to lower property taxes and get a handle on exploding costs.

How did it work?
Well...we look at DPT salary and fringe benefit data available from DPI and compared apples to apples.  We looked at actual employees in both administration and teaching (support staff salary data is not available).  We looked at employees that were on staff both in 2010-11 and this year (2011-12).

We broke teachers down in to 3 classes:  the top shelf (most highly paid), those with salaries right in the middle, and those on the bottom rung.  Further, we initially obtained data on 32 individuals in each class, to make for a representative statistical sampling.

Weeding the Garden of Outliers
In each case, there were some employees with unusual circumstances that skewed the data, so we removed these statistical outliers.  For example, there was an administrator that was promoted last year whose salary was increased by $36,000 (46%).  They also increased their fringe  benefits by $2800.  Clearly things went very well for that individual.  And that was not the norm, so we excluded that one.  We also had staff that appeared to switch from single plan heal insurance to the family plan (and vice versa).  Those individuals were culled from the data as well.  Essentially, we were looking to compare this year to last year for staff that did not have any other changes that would skew the data.  We hoped to see ONLY the effects of Act 10.  Finally, we looked at the median values in each case because the data suggested that the medians were more representative of actual impacts.

Explaining the Data -Administrators
First, let us point out that our group of administrators also includes the Special Ed Program Managers who technically fall under the Administrative Support Classification.   Since DPI includes their data, and their salaries are similar to administrators' we included them.

The typical (median) administrator earned an additional $1,762 in 2011-12, a 1.9% increase.  In fringe benefits, however, our typical administrator lost $5,188 (-16.5%).  Recall that due to Act 10, they were to pay 5.8% (50% of retirement contribution formerly paid entirely by the district) of their salary towards the state retirement system.  In addition, all were required to pay at least 9% of their health insurance benefit (up from about 5% last year).

The net effect is only a 1.9% "hit" on total compensation (defined here as salary + fringes).  They lost a net $2,300 (less than $200/month) on an average salary with gross monthly pay of  $7,720.


Explaining the Data -Top 1/3 Teachers
The typical (median) highest paid teacher/professional educator earned only an additional $300 in 2011-12, a 0.4% increase.   The salary for this group ranged from $71,000 to $86,000.   In fringe benefits, however, our typical high end teacher lost $3,918 (-12.9%).  They lost 5.8%  of their salary towards the state retirement system.  In addition, all were required to pay at least 9% of their health insurance benefit (up from less than 2% last year).  In terms of total compensation, this group fared the worst, losing a net 3.4%.  Their total compensation (median) declined to $101,758 from $105,320.


Explaining the Data -Mid 1/3 Teachers

A look at 25-30 staff members in each group comparing
2010-11 compensation to 2011-12 compensation.

The typical (median) "average" teacher/professional educator earned an additional $1,976 in 2011-12, a 4.0% increase.   The salary for this group ranged from $49,800 to $52,200.   In fringe benefits, however, our typical mid-level teacher lost $2,975 (-13.8%).  They, too,  lost 5.8%  of their salary towards the state retirement system.  In addition, all were required to pay at least 9% of their health insurance benefit (up from less than 2% last year).  In terms of total compensation, this group fared similar to Administrators losing a net 1.8%.  Their total compensation (median) declined to $73,388 from $74,759.



Explaining the Data -Bottom 1/3 Teachers
The typical (median) "entry level" (1st few years) teacher/professional educator earned an additional $1,621 in 2011-12, a 5.0% increase.   The salary for this group ranged from $33,100 to $35,900.   In fringe benefits, however, our typical bottom rung teacher lost $1,754 (-13.8%).  They, too,  lost 5.8%  of their salary towards the state retirement system.  In addition, all were required to pay at least 9% of their health insurance benefit (up from less than 2% last year).  In terms of total compensation, this group fared better than all groups, actually GAINING a meager net 0.2%.  Their total compensation (median) increased slightly to $46,309 from $46,212.

We have no data to support this, but due to the significantly lower fringe benefits, our theory is that these teachers typically may be single and thus opt for the less expensive single health plan over the family plan chosen by older teachers.  They are also likely affected by a move--one we applaud-- to raise the starting salary for teachers.

Other anomalies
We did note that in several cases for each group, "overload" assignments were added in 2011-12, perhaps to make up for lost take-home pay due to Act 10.  In addition, we noticed what appeared to be a switch from family plan to either a single plan--or perhaps no health plan-- in 2011-12.  This could increase compensation in 2011-12.  Any employee who opts not to take health insurance is eligible for a payment of $3600 ($300/month) in lieu of the health benefit.  So if a staff member were to be covered under a spouse/significant other's plan, they could reduce actually increase their net compensation.

It's Time to Get Rid of the Grid

OK, teachers...calm yourselves and read through all this before passing judgement.

Let's start simple...what is this "grid" of which we speak?
It's the magic chart of teacher salary structure.  What's magic about it is that the way contracts are written (and this is true for ALL school districts), each year of experience allows the teacher to move one complete "step" down the grid...which translates to a 3% salary increase.  And that assumes ZERO change (i.e., general wage increase) to the grid.

The Magic of STEP increases
The real magic is what happens when a school board agrees to pay raises to teachers.  Let's say the board agrees to a 2% pay raise.  That means that each "cell" on the grid is increased by 2%.  BUT...and here's the best part....they STILL get that automatic 3% increase by virtue of earning another year of experience.  And what's really, really cool is that the district and board can say---somewhat truthfully---"We negotiated firmly and offered a 2% increase".  This explains the old joke, "How do you know a politician is lying to you?" Answer: Because their lips are moving.

What they DON'T tell you, and which you'll only find out if you follow the budget or at property tax bill time, is any general wage increase and step increases are additive.  Every teacher that stays in the district (for the next budget year) earns the 3% (step) increase PLUS the 2% (general wage) increase for a total of 5%.  Of course some leave and new ones come in that aren't eligible for the the step increase because they haven't been HERE for a year.  And that's how what is effectively a 5% increase becomes a 4.something% increase.

"For teachers, the grid provides automatic annual salary increases with no performance reviews, no salary negotiations, and no newspaper headlines reporting increased teacher pay..." 

--- How Teachers Are Paid: The Salary Grid

LANE increases

Lane increases are like Double Jeopardy...where the cash really adds up.  From Bachelor's degree to Master's degree, every 6 credits earned  (max. of 36) teachers earn a 1.9% additional "bonus" on their salary because they move one column to the right on the grid.  So...if the board approved a 2.0% pay increase, and a teacher also earned 6 continuing education credits during the previous year, then they get the 2.0% increase plus the 3.0% STEP increase plus the bonus 1.9% LANE increase for a total salary increase of 6.9%.

Pretty skippy, ain't it?

One-of-a-Kind Deal
What other employee classification receives such a sweet deal?  An automatic guaranteed 3% raise each year PLUS whatever the school board approves PLUS another 1.9% if you earn 6 continuing education credits.
Nobody...that's who.
Oh...many occupations have "grid systems"; one example being state employees.  But for these, the grid is only used to determine initial salary upon hire.  State employees ONLY get an increase when approved by the legislature and governor.  Speaking of state employees, our governor has already declared --even though Act 10 allows annual increases up to the Consumer Price Index...that there will be NO increases for at least the next 2 years.

Does Act 10 Kill It Anyway?
Wisconsin Act 10 ties the maximum of any wage increases for "governmental" workers to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).  In that the CPI is highly variable, and could even be a negative number, then fixed grid increases would not be allowable anyway.   Right? Certainly raises due to "lane" movement would have to disappear, as arguably Act 10 does not allow for such increases.

So...what do we need to do?

Raise the Floor...
Teachers...are you still listening?
We need to be able to hire good, qualified, energized, effective teachers.  To do that, we need to offer a fair, competitive wage.  And $32,500 is not it....even considering the fact that teachers work only 9 months per year (except summer school).  That means the entry level wage is effectively $43,333.  And please....cease with the arguments that you all work 12 months and nights and weekends.  You know what...so do most professionals.  Deal with it.  The difference is that the average non-teacher professional works 260 calendar days per year, and you work like 190.

So let's just say, for argument's sake,  a fair starting wage for a teacher is $50,000 equivalent (you know...based on 260 work days; 2080 hours per year). That would mean that we should raise the floor on our 9-month scale to about $37,500.  And that would put about $400/month more in each teacher's pocket.

The problem is...how are we going to pay for that?  For 580 teachers, that translates to about $3M in additional budget cost every year.  In terms of property tax, that $3M would mean an additional $0.80 on the mill rate this year, or an additional $160 on a $200K home.  How DO we pay for that?

Well, for one thing, we could have ALL employees pay 12.8% of health insurance premiums, like the rest of the (Wisconsin) world.  We could do away with the "alternative health benefit" option which pays teachers whose spouses are teachers $300/month to NOT take the insurance.  We also need to look at making dental benefits equivalent to what the rest of the world gets, and have everybody pay at least what Local 60 pays: 14.5% of premiums.  That would put a dent in the $3M.

All those things would at least help to mitigate the additional cost.  We don't profess to having all these answers, so we cannot offer a complete solution to getting there; but we at least offer what the endgame should be.  Another selling point is that we would restore transparency to the budget process.  No more would we be told "2%" when the actual salary budget would be increasing by closer to 5%.  No more would school board members or administrators have to disingenuously wave their hands, hem and haw, and then declare that the difference is due to new teachers coming in.

"Through its nationwide salary initiative, NEA is advocating for:

• a $40,000 starting salary for all pre-K-12 teachers     [SP-EYE: at 8 hours per day and 190 days/year, that translates to $26.32/hr, or $54,700/yr for those in the 2080 hr/yr world ]
• raises that exceed the cost of living in at least 50 percent of NEA higher education locals
• a minimum starting salary of $28,000 for all education support professionals"  [SP-EYE: at 8 hours per day and 190 days/year, that translates to $18.42/hr , or $38,300/yr for those in the 2080 hr/yr world] 

-- National Education Association (NEA)

...But Establish a Reasonable Ceiling Too!

Is it really "all for the kids"?
Or is it all for the administrators?

The public simply will not accept kindergarten teachers or elementary school librarians earning $95,000 per year.  Would it be nice? Sure!  But it's neither realistic nor sustainable.  Adjusted for a typical worker's full 260 days, that amounts to more than $125,000!  This cap needs to be established for administrators as well.  This is how we close the door on the long-time game of one-upsmanship, whereby the DeForest du jour gives its administrators ridiculous raises and then other districts in turn want their share of the pie.  No more should district administrators earn more then the State Superintendent of ALL schools...or the governor.  Yes, even our be-something governor deserves to be paid more than Tim Culver.  Seriously...regardless of how you feel about him...he's in charge of an entire frickin' STATE!  Compare that to responsibility for a school district of less than 1000 employees and 7,000 kids.

"From an economic standpoint, the only general question relevant to teachers' pay is: what mix of salary, benefits, and other job dimensions are necessary to hire competent individual teachers? Since these vary across states, school districts, schools, and teachers' talents and competencies, there is no rational one-size-fits-all answer, such as the grid. "
 --- ParentAdvocates.org, "Teacher Salary Grid Hampers Education Reform

Now we just need a school board with sufficient cojones to make it so.

A final note for teachers...
Teachers...we support what you do...really.  Truly.  And, if we were in your shoes, we'd probably make the same arguments you do that you are overworked and underpaid.   But inside, we'd also be a bit sheepish.  We don't fault you for trying.

You should NOT have to pay for instructional materials out of your own pocket.   But you also really do work only 9 months a year.  Some have even glibly termed the month of November as "no-school" November because of all the days off.   You have your summers free.  You get a week off in the spring.  You get more than a week off at Christmas.  And you STILL earn additional leave time!

So we support what you do, but the game needs to change.  You need to earn a fair wage, but you have no right to an exorbitant wage.  Many of you start teaching right out of school at the age of what...22? 23? 24? Then you work 25-30 years. You're barely into your 50's and you retire with a damn fine salary: the average teacher in Sun Prairie over the past 5 years retires at a salary of $76,000.  And that makes for a damn fine state retirement pension.

So we support you...but you need to work with the rest of us to fix this mess.