As reported on WZEP AM1460
Tentative WC Negotiation Explained
The tentative bargaining agreement between the Walton County School Board and the instructional personnel union includes a increase in a leveling schedule, money to level the salary schedule and a .49 an hour raise. The educational support personnel will get a .41 an hour raise. For most teachers, this will mean around a thousand and up to $2,900 more a year.
A teacher at step level 12 making $41,130 will move to level 13 and make $42,200. The step includes $400,000 in leveling to remove incentive bumps. Add the .49 and the pay goes to $42,920 or a $1,790 increase. The tentative negotiation, which still has to be approved by the union members and the School Board, has three parts giving increases for the teachers.
At a press conference Thursday morning Walton Superintendent Carlene Anderson explained a leveling of the 2012-13 schedule has taken place. She said the leveling was needed to remove incentives or “bumps” which had been placed throughout the schedule for recruitment and retention. She says removing these bumps was necessary to work towards a more incremental progression on the current salary schedule as they prepare to move to the mandated performance pay. In the leveling process, $400,000 was scattered across the schedule. This created increases from $600 beginning the fourth year of experience and expanding throughout the schedule to as much as $1,500 per level. Anderson said the intent is to reward the teachers with larger increases commensurate with experience.
There are teacher allocation dollars. Anderson explained that 76% of the teacher allocation dollars received were used to create the teacher’s salary proposal. The Educational Support Personnel received 24%. School and district administrators were not included in these allocated dollars. Any increase for the administrators would have to come from the general operating budget.
Dixie Berge with the Educational Support Personnel and Patsy Stephens with the teachers, both part of the Walton County Education Association, noted the negotiation teams have never laid a proposal on the table to reduce salaries. They said the Union and the Board have stood together in good times and bad to help the workforce stay in tact. They said they believe this is the reason they have good schools, educated children and have been designated as a high performing school district for seven consecutive years. The Union and the school board said they have worked together to save jobs. They also noted the use of the fund balance that has helped through tough economic years, but the time has come where they can no longer rely on that.
Anderson also noted that during the past nine years they have provided raises to the employees from 2% to 11.3% annually. This equates to an additional $15 million needed in the budget each year. The voter approved half mill tax swap only generate $5 million, leaving $10 million to find in the general operating budget. Anderson said their budget is like a home budget, she feels the employees deserve more, but when you do not have the money, you can’t spend it.
Stephens and Berge will hold meetings to bring the facts from the negotiations to their membership and answer any questions. They will use lunchrooms and the DeFuniak bus training room: SWHS: Feb. 21st / 3:45 – 5:00, FES: Feb 22nd / 10:00 -11:00, Bus Training room: Feb. 25th / 5:00- 6:00. They should get the information and ballots to all school sites by Thursday. They are planning on voting Feb. 27th and going to the board on March 4th ( if it is ratified). All ballots will be picked up on Friday, Feb. 28th.
For an example and a list of the increases and salary schedules: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByS7t-sx60TLQkJKamJMT3MwU2VnU2lCbkJLemdueEhya01n/edit?usp=sharing.
Tentative WC Negotiation Explained
The tentative bargaining agreement between the Walton County School Board and the instructional personnel union includes a increase in a leveling schedule, money to level the salary schedule and a .49 an hour raise. The educational support personnel will get a .41 an hour raise. For most teachers, this will mean around a thousand and up to $2,900 more a year.
A teacher at step level 12 making $41,130 will move to level 13 and make $42,200. The step includes $400,000 in leveling to remove incentive bumps. Add the .49 and the pay goes to $42,920 or a $1,790 increase. The tentative negotiation, which still has to be approved by the union members and the School Board, has three parts giving increases for the teachers.
At a press conference Thursday morning Walton Superintendent Carlene Anderson explained a leveling of the 2012-13 schedule has taken place. She said the leveling was needed to remove incentives or “bumps” which had been placed throughout the schedule for recruitment and retention. She says removing these bumps was necessary to work towards a more incremental progression on the current salary schedule as they prepare to move to the mandated performance pay. In the leveling process, $400,000 was scattered across the schedule. This created increases from $600 beginning the fourth year of experience and expanding throughout the schedule to as much as $1,500 per level. Anderson said the intent is to reward the teachers with larger increases commensurate with experience.
There are teacher allocation dollars. Anderson explained that 76% of the teacher allocation dollars received were used to create the teacher’s salary proposal. The Educational Support Personnel received 24%. School and district administrators were not included in these allocated dollars. Any increase for the administrators would have to come from the general operating budget.
Dixie Berge with the Educational Support Personnel and Patsy Stephens with the teachers, both part of the Walton County Education Association, noted the negotiation teams have never laid a proposal on the table to reduce salaries. They said the Union and the Board have stood together in good times and bad to help the workforce stay in tact. They said they believe this is the reason they have good schools, educated children and have been designated as a high performing school district for seven consecutive years. The Union and the school board said they have worked together to save jobs. They also noted the use of the fund balance that has helped through tough economic years, but the time has come where they can no longer rely on that.
Anderson also noted that during the past nine years they have provided raises to the employees from 2% to 11.3% annually. This equates to an additional $15 million needed in the budget each year. The voter approved half mill tax swap only generate $5 million, leaving $10 million to find in the general operating budget. Anderson said their budget is like a home budget, she feels the employees deserve more, but when you do not have the money, you can’t spend it.
Stephens and Berge will hold meetings to bring the facts from the negotiations to their membership and answer any questions. They will use lunchrooms and the DeFuniak bus training room: SWHS: Feb. 21st / 3:45 – 5:00, FES: Feb 22nd / 10:00 -11:00, Bus Training room: Feb. 25th / 5:00- 6:00. They should get the information and ballots to all school sites by Thursday. They are planning on voting Feb. 27th and going to the board on March 4th ( if it is ratified). All ballots will be picked up on Friday, Feb. 28th.
For an example and a list of the increases and salary schedules: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByS7t-sx60TLQkJKamJMT3MwU2VnU2lCbkJLemdueEhya01n/edit?usp=sharing.
