SPASD Offers Contract Proposal to Teachers (SPEA)

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While the teacher's union negotiation team did not put very much effort or thought into their "counter" offer, the school board/ district clear put a lot of time and effort into working out an arrangement that addresses what has previously been discussed as a primary goal of SPEA.

Dispelling myths & legends
We've heard from a number of sources that the district spent $300,000 to help build the SPYHA's new ice rink, yet is giving the teachers a giant goose egg.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  From the get go,  at least $552,392 (2% of total 2011-12 SPEA member salaries) has been earmarked for 2012-13 SPEA wage increases.  This amount was included within the 2012-13 budget as presented at the annual elector's meeting and approved by the electors.


Raises the floor
SPEA, and across the state other teachers' unions, have long spoken out about the low wage paid to entry level teachers.  In the past, the "grid" has impeded the district's ability to single out one group of SPEA members for above average pay increases.  In addition, SPEA, like many teachers unions, establishes a "negotiations committee" which is heavily (if not totally) comprised of teachers earning wages either at the far end of the salary grid, or even "off" the grid.   It can be argued that these "negotiators" are looking out more for their own interests than those of their lesser paid brethren.

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Act 10, however, changed all that.  And SPASD administration and members of the school board worked diligently to develop an offer that would earmark roughly one-third of the budgeted $552,392 towards raising the base wage for all entry level teachers. The new starting salary would be raised from $32,505 to $35,000 for a Bachelor's Degree and $38,000 for a Master's Degree.  96 SPEA members (roughly 17% of all SPEA members) would see their base wages increased to $35,000.

How could SPEA's negotiation team argue against such a plan?  It's a no-brainer, right? Raising the floor would allow SPASD to be more competitive and attract the best and brightest teachers to work in the district.  And that's consistent with SPEA's desires...right?

Maintains step and lane increases (at least for 2012-13)
The package offered by the board/district also provides for step/lane movements, at least for the 2012-13 year.  Frankly, we believe that step/lane changes need to go away.  Instead, teachers should be held to what the rest of the world is:  an annual offer for wage adjustment to the extent that the fiscal climate can support one.

This is not peanuts here, either.  The district projects shelling out about $155,000 for step/lane increases.  That's not chump change, folks.  Recall that a step increase (annual while "on the grid") represents a 3% salary increase.   Lane movements, for which members are eligible after 6 credits earned beyond their current degree/credits, represents a 2% increase.

For reference, state employees are getting ZERO for this year and likely ZERO for the next two years.  Seniors, living in Social Security, will only see a 1.7% increase in January.

Provides a little something for other teachers
The board/district proposal also offers a little something for the more tenured staff.  Yes, they can thumb their noses at receiving only $461 each, and yes, (as proposed) it is not a base building (added to their permanent salary).   Indeed, it is proposed as a lump sum "stipend".  But it is better than nothing, and it still costs $220,000 to fund.

Suddenly that $300,000 agreement with youth hockey doesn't look so terrible, does it?

We need to keep very firmly in our minds that:

• 128 SPEA members had total compensation of $60,000 or more in 2011-12.
• At 190 contract days, that's for working LESS than 9 months per year.
• Another 129 SPEA members earned total compensation between $50-$60,000.128+129
• That means that nearly 50% of teachers earn at least $50K.
• The average compensation earned by this top half is a little over $63,000!!
• For the average Joe working 260 days per year, that translates to compensation of $86,000. 

That's not too shabby.  For comparison, the SPEA members with less than 6 years (total) experience earned an average total compensation of about $38,500 last year.

Keeps SPASD competitive
Sun Prairie has fallen behind other districts, particularly the larger districts in Dane County.  For the 2011-12 school year, Sun Prairie ranked 8th out of the 11 largest Dance Co. school districts in terms of base wage for an entry level teacher with a Bachelor's degree.

This package will increase the base bay of teachers with a Bachelor's degree to $35,000  and $38,000 for a Master's Degree.  I have attached the comparable data that we used.

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Still not keeping up with the Jones
Unfortunately, we're not really breaking new ground here; other districts are trying to do the same things.
Upon request, the district office also provided the information they have obtained from other Dane Co, districts as they work towards contracts for 2012-13.  Looking at districts for which data has been obtained, Sun Prairie remains slightly below the average for 2012-2013 of $35,040 for starting pay.

Timing is everything, and this has dragged on so long that other districts have again leapfrogged us.  So it seems that the board needs to continue working on this plan.  We need to control the ceiling and raise the floor till all teachers earn a respectable wage.  We don not need to be creating one percenters here, but we need to remain competitive and compress the salary ranges.  Certainly a ceiling could be raised over time, but let's not get crazy here.

It's simply not sustainable
We cannot...repeat...cannot sustain a system in which a 5th grade teacher has a Ph.D. and earns total compensation of $91,000 (excluding benefits!).  

What on earth does a 5th grade teacher need a Ph.D. for?   And, while they are entitled to earn whatever degree/credits they choose, it does not make sense for us to have to compensate teachers for degrees and credits earned which really do not improve the quality of their teaching.

Let's get real, people, teachers know it, and they should know that we know it.  Additional education has largely been undertaken merely to boost salaries.

The bottom line
This was...IS...a VERY fair offer that supports raising the base wage for starting teachers.  That is something that SPEA has been vocal about.  So why would they not like this offer?  Is it perhaps that the members doing the negotiating are more tenured and look out for themselves first?

An across the board 2% wage increase would put exactly $650 in the pockets of our teachers on the first run of the salary grid.  They would jump from $32,505 to a whopping $33,155.

Meanwhile, our grossly over-educated 5th grade teacher would see a nice $1,723 added to their fat salary of $86,161, for a new salary of $87,884.
Is that fair?  Equitable?  Gee...you'd almost think that our 5th grade teacher is a member of the SPEA negotiation team. 

Ladies and gents, we would submit to you that this is precisely how the rich get richer.  On paper, everyone gets the same PERCENT increase.  But the folks on top receive 265% of the increase that those on the bottom receive.

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.

A Rush To Contract

Raise your hand if the sudden scheduling of a school board Negotiations Committee meeting for 4:00 PM yesterday registered on your personal radar screen.  We thought not.


At the 11th hour, as the Capitol Endgame appears to be drawing near, contract proposals were exchanged between the school board and the teachers union (SPEA) and also the support staff (Local 60).  The game of negotiations is played in this manner:
1. Parties meet in open session
2. Contract proposals from the unions/group are offered (note this is the public's only opportunity to see proposals)
3. Then the school board passes over its "counter" proposal
4. Then the fun begins.  Now they go into closed session and discuss the proposals, possibly reaching agreement.
5. We, the public, only learn the outcome when they schedule an open session.


The SPEA proposal
In what our fact checkers are attempting to verify to be the most concise contract proposal in labor history, the teachers union offered this proposal (verbatim):

SPEA Settlement Offer for February 25th

Status quo on language of contract and concessions on WRS and health insurance premiums.

(during open discussion SPEA indicated that "ideally" they were seeking a 2-year contract extension.  It was also clarified that by "concessions", the intent was to accept the shares of retirement and health insurance contributions as outlined in Gov. Wokka's Budget Repair Bill)

The Local 60 Proposal
Proposal to....February 25, 2011
1. Effective July 1, 2011, increase wages by 0% (steps would still occur)
2. Effective July 1, 2012, increase wages by 0% (steps would still occur)
3. Effective July 1, 2012, increase the employee contribution toward health insurance to 12% 
4. Effective July 1, 2011, employees would be required to contribute toward their WRS pensions per Statutory requirement
5. Contract duration July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013

The School Board/District counter proposal

• No increase to the salary matrix/grid.
• Step and lane increases will be provided per contract.
• No increase to employees that are "off the grid".
• Employees that participate in a Health Risk Assessment shall pay 9% of health insurance premiums.
• Employees that do NOT participate in a Health Risk Assessment shall pay 10% of health insurance premiums.
• 3-tier co-pays for prescription drugs ($0/$5.00/$20.00) remain the same.
• Employees pay the "statutory required" Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) contributions (5.8% of salary in the Budget Repair Bill)
• Athletic/Activity (coaches/clubs) positions will be offered to the most qualified applicant ( instead of being offered outside the union only if there are no qualified union applicants)
• 1 one-year offer for July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012

The Case AGAINST this Deal
Hardliners would argue that while the school board's counter-proposal comes very close to what would result from Govictator Walker's Budget Repair Bill, the salary grid remains in force, which translates to at least 3% annual increase s for bargaining unit members who are still "on the grid".  The budget repair bills would allow only negotiations for wages capped at the Consumer Price Index.  Read emphasis on "capped".  Most believe that Walker will deny any raises.


More importantly, detractors will --and should--point to the fact that this "deal" provides only a single business day to review any contracts, assuming the contracts are posted for the public by Monday. (As of Saturday morning, contracts had not been made available to th public through BoardDocs.  We don't even know whether or not the Board struck a deal.  All we know is that at 7:57 PM on Friday 2/25/2011, a new "public notice" was issued to "Key Communicators" announcing that Contract ratifications between the Board and SPA and the Board and Local 60 had been added to the agenda for the Board's Monday 2/28/2011 meeting. 


It will not go unnoticed that the teachers union has enjoined complaints about Wokka's rush to push the Budget Repair Bill through.  Walker's bill was announced on a Friday and discussion wasn't initiated until the following Tuesday.


The Case FOR this deal
Look, we can argue till the cows comes back from California that the school board is offering a deal where none is required.  We can argue about the timing.  Yes this came up with virtually no public notice.  Yes, the school board appears to be continuing a long-standing trend of trying to operate beneath the public's radar coverage.  But maybe...just maybe...we can take the high road on this one and see if our doing so will transform into a quid pro quo of sorts.  District staff are not on the state health insurance system, so the 12% insurance premiums would not have been required.


Yes, we could certainly plant our collective foot firmly on the necks of ALL school district employees.  Governor Walker has given us the freedom to do what the school board would never have done independently.  But do we have to transform ourselves into his own image?  More to the point:  why would we even want to?  We're better than he is.  We're more sensitive to people and their lives.   Walker has kicked all union employees down with his proposals and desire to eliminate castrate bargaining rights and destroy unions once and for all.  Do we need to kick these people while they lie writhing on the ground?  We don't think so.


While we could certainly extract blood from a stone, this is a GOOD deal that provides the following:

• It raises the floor for young/new teachers, allowing us to be competitive in hiring
• It caps the ceiling; a long-term issue has been paying teachers $90,000 or more.
• It provides us the relief from fringe benefit costs we've sought for years.
• It allows us to re-capture projected losses in state aid (gee thanks, Scottie...) through retirements, WRS contributions, and increased health insurance premiums.
• It allows the district to hire the best individuals to lead sports and activities instead of being forced (in most cases) to select from the union.
• It allows us to maintain the quality of education in Sun Prairie without risking class size increases or staff cuts.
• It allows us to be human.

Let's show the Governor that, unlike him, we don't just say that we value people and their rights to collective bargaining.   We sit down at the table like grown-up human beings.  We negotiate, not dictate.  We are concerned about the taxpayers that support education AND we are concerned  about the PEOPLE that make up our labor force.  We will ALL hurt as a result of Walker's actions.  But we don't have to suck the life force out of our people.  We can give them hope for brighter days tomorrow.

An Open Letter to the Community from SPEA

We received this from SPEA this afternoon...
__________________________________________
An open letter to the Sun Prairie Community…

Dear Students, Parents, Educators, and Community Members,

The events of the last week have left many with questions, concerns, and a lot of emotions. In an effort to answer those questions, address those concerns, and help to calm the emotions we are all feeling, I offer a few thoughts:

There are few things in life that are shared experiences. One of those things is going to school. We have all, at one time or another, gone to school. Some had good experiences, some did not – but we have all been in school and been offered a public education. Public education is often a right we take for granted, but our schools and our education system have been built through the struggle of voters, communities, parents, students, and yes – the unions. Collective Bargaining has brought many key components of education to the
forefront from both the union and management side. There are also many benefits that have spilled over into the private sector.

To have great schools, we need three ingredients: great teachers, supportive parents and community members, and students with a desire to learn. Sun Prairie has those things now. We just built an amazing new high school! We are a growing community with eager students who are excited to go to school. Great things are happening in Sun Prairie Schools! And we have great teachers: teachers that have their National Board
Certification, those who are certified in many areas, those who have gotten their Masters Degree. We have so many teachers who put in extra hours before and after school to be sure that their students get to experience the highest level of quality education. Sun Prairie is frequently at the forefront of public education policies, curricula, and educational ideas. We led in the area of multiple settings for Early Childhood services,
and with our 4K program. We are proud of what we have accomplished with the help and support of the community here.

Thursday was a very difficult day for teachers in this district. We believe in and support the excellent schools in Sun Prairie, and we wanted to be with our students. However, we also want Sun Prairie schools to continue to be great. We want to protect the future of the children of this district. Effective teachers’ unions attract great teachers because the great teachers want to work in places where they are respected and appreciated. The union’s right to bargain is a right that allows us to obtain and then maintain the highest quality
education for the students and the future of Sun Prairie.

We understand there is frustration and confusion. We feel it too! For those of us that made the difficult choice to be absent yesterday, please accept our apologies for the inconvenience and hurt that may have caused you and your families. We love our jobs, and we love this community. We hope you will understand that each of us is trying to find the best solutions to these complex problems, and to do what is right. Please know that we continue to need your patience and support.

We have made a commitment to be here for our students going forward and will honor that commitment. We hope you realize that our frustration and subsequent actions on Thursday are focused on Governor Walker’s Budget “Repair” Bill and not the students and community of Sun Prairie. We look forward to continuing the positive working relationships we have had with Students, Parents, Community Members, Administrators, and the Board of Education. Sun Prairie is a great place to live and work, and we want to keep it that way!

The Sun Prairie Education Association

Survivor Season MMX: Teachers vs. Community?

Oh the but is scuttling!
We're hearing that, 
"... no one [at District HQ] is overly worried about the upcoming annual meeting, because [SPEA, the Teacher's Union] has enough teachers ready to save the day  "

Will this be a reward challenge?  Or an immunity challenge?

So, in the 6 year period from 2002 to 2008 between 21 and 44 "electors", most district employees, attended the  Annual Elector's Meeting.  Last year, 184 electors voted 2-1 to reduce the tax levy by $2M.  And who didn't notice that quite a few residents got tired of listening and walked out before the penultimate vote.  Not to stereotype or anything, but the folks that left sure looked like they fell into the "2" rather than the "1" camp.
There are like 540 teachers.  If each brings their spouse or significant other, that means a potential of about 1100 voters blindly supporting whatever tax levy the district puts up.  But...there are 30,000+ residents in the district, at least 50% of which are of voting age.

Questions to ponder

• Hmmm...what IS the capacity of the new Performing Arts Center?
• What IS the plan to be sure that all those that attend are eligible to vote?
• Will this really boil down to a war of who can pack the most attendees...teachers or struggling community members?
• Wanna guess who we think wins?

As one loyal reader put it,  If people want to be heard, they might try showing up instead of assuming that they know what will happen at the meeting.


The Annual Elector's Meeting 2010
Monday October 11, 2010
@ the new high school (Grove St) Performing Arts Center


Be there...or accept the consequences.

Here's One you HAVE To See!

Ok...we all get barraged with YouTube videos...right?
THIS one you need to watch.  It is WELL worth the time
Here's a guy from whom our school board could take a few lessons.


This is also a prime example of why past boards have been reluctant to give citizens more than 3 minutes at the microphone.  (We do appreciate that the current board seems to have ditched the infamous buzzer).  It is virtually impossible to make a strong cohesive statement which includes all the facts when under the gun.  But they know that.  They definitely do NOT want a guy like this to speak to them...or to the public.


Here's a straight shooter that's not afraid to tell it like it is.


This comes to us from a frequent reader, who says:

"Rather refreshing to see someone that will stand up to the teachers:
If only our school board president (or any member) could actually [graphic imagery censored]"

Trying to Keep Good Teachers Down In Milwaukee?

Guess things could be worse than here in Sun Prairie:

Milwaukee Teachers Seek Viagra Coverage
Drugs Were Excluded In '05 To Save Money

With the district in a financial crisis and hundreds of its members facing layoffs, the Milwaukee teachers union is taking a peculiar stand: fighting to get its taxpayer-funded Viagra back

....lawyers for the school board say the drugs were excluded in 2005 to save money, and there is no discrimination because they are used primarily for recreational sex and not out of medical necessity.

...At least one lawmaker questioned why the union is fighting for Viagra while teachers are losing their jobs. A consultant for the school board has estimated that reinstating the drug benefit would cost $786,000 per year - the cost to keep perhaps a dozen first-year teachers employed.

...the union has argued the costs are tiny compared to the $1.3 billion annual budget. But the school board says they are "particularly burdensome" when it is under pressure to reduce benefit costs

.... the pills - which can cost $20 apiece without insurance.

$786,000 per year?
At $20 a pop, that's 39,300 "pops" a year
...or nearly 110 "pops" per day.

Don't get all "hoity toity" on us...you KNOW you're doing some sort of math in your head.

So....lifting these male teachers' spirits with prescription drugs like Prozac: covered.

But lifting their...well...you get the picture....pay for it out of pocket.

Hmmmm... an interesting cost cutting mechanism??

Makes one wonder how many "elevating moments" we pay for in Sun Prairie.