Sunday, October 24, 2010

Teacher Contracts; What's In Them?

Did you know that teachers who don't take the health plan from our school get paid over a $1000 a year?

What else does the SECRET CONTRACT negotions have inside them?
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26 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 7:48 AM

    It's called an incentive not to take the insurance if you don't need it. It costs the DISTRICT well more than that if members take insurance. Therefore, if a member is covered by a spouse or domestic partner, the district seeks to get them off the insurance plan. This SAVES money. Were it not for the incentive, many people would simply not opt out of health insurance and make district pay for it.

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  2. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 1:08 PM

    If you want to see what the next "SECRET CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS" will look like , just look at the teachers contract that ended last year by going to
    www.seethroughny,net
    click the icon on top "contracts" then all you have to do is go to the name of the school . What will you see if you go through the lengthy contract?
    you will see how the teachers get automatic raises just for exixsting for a certain amount of years.So there are some teachers who could in some years receive 10%, 11% or more raises in one year. then of course you have guarenteed tenure in there as well. Then you have all the sick days,personal days, holidays , and some of these days off they can bank for years so a teacher is able to take a few months off with pay and we are stuck paying the teacher taking off as well as the substitute replacing them at the same time possibly for months. Sick days and personal days should be just like the corporate world , if you don't use them you lose them . This does not SAVE us any money . IT only costs us more.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 9:16 PM

    The deal with health insurance is not an incentive to opt out of it. In fairness to all employees, the district either pays a portion of their health insurance premiums (Despite what you might think, teachers do pay toward these premiums as well, although the percentages vary from district to district) OR they pay the employees who are insured elsewhere a certain amount based on various pre-agreed upon factors. This is a standard of many employment packages that is not limited to teachers although I do not know of any districts on Long Island that do not employ this practice. Many large businesses in the private do this as well.

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  4. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 9:24 PM

    teachers are allowed to bank their sick days because it costs the district less to allow teachers to carry these sick days over. ln Plainview teachers get one days pay for every three they have left at the end of their careers. in other words each sick day that they bank ends up only costing the district about $40, while a sub for a used sick day costs about $120.

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  5. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 10:43 PM

    The last big contracr that we gave the teachers last year . We are paying for it now with our 10% increases in our School taxes. Let your anger be known in the voting booth next Tuesday . The incumbent state comptroller Dinapoli ,he is in the NY state teachers union's pocket . He needs to be voted out. The same with our Representative on long Island Carl Marcellino. He is a former teacher and he must be voted out as well if there is to be change in our school taxes from going beyond the point of self destruction. Laws need to be changed up in Albany

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  6. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 11:43 PM

    Look, I'm not a fan of the teacher's union after the SH%T they pulled last contract, but where are you getting your secret negotiation info from, Mel Gibson?

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  7. AnonymousOctober 26, 2010 at 11:41 PM

    The next time the Board of Ed members start bragging in their campaign flyers how they only raised the school budget by 3%,just remember that they said that last May and look how much our taxes went up. Great job BOE

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  8. AnonymousOctober 27, 2010 at 7:14 AM

    I also am not a fan of the teachers' union here in Plainview but I am familiar with collective bargaining rights in New York State. Where they are in the negotiating process is within the law at this point.

    My issue is in their illegal job actions. That's where the fault is, not in their current non-public negotiations that whether anyone likes it or not, are not illegal.

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  9. AnonymousOctober 27, 2010 at 2:27 PM

    The BOE members who are running for reelection are Ginger Lieberman and Debbie Bernstein, both are longtime board members and two of the 5 who voted for the last payraise for the teachers. These board members have taken on the personna of the "Teflon Don" they vote against the community's wishes and are never held responsible for their decisions, they are the same as the politicians who tell you what you want to hear.

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  10. AnonymousOctober 27, 2010 at 8:09 PM

    The buyout saves the district money, which helps the taxpayer. If the teacher did not take the buyout, it would cost the district much more than the $1000 to permit the teacher to be 'double' insured.

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  11. AnonymousOctober 27, 2010 at 8:42 PM

    The Buyout costs us money. How about we lay some teachers off then you would not have to worry about extra money, buyouts excetera. But then again we do not have a board with enough guts to even think about such an ideas. as the poster at 8:09 pointed out. Ginger leiberman and Debbie Bernstein are the next Board members that need to be voted out in the spring . They have been there so long that it shows the community that we need term limits for board members

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  12. AnonymousOctober 28, 2010 at 7:19 PM

    "Ginger leiberman and Debbie Bernstein are the next Board members that need to be voted out in the spring . They have been there so long that it shows the community that we need term limits for board members"

    What Board members have been voted out? Ms. Weinstein didn't run. This town is so apathetic it's not funny. I garauntee this next school board election you'll be getting a call from the PCT telling you who they support, and dollars to donuts it will be Ms. Lieberman and Ms. Bernstein. I received a call the last election and was told by a PCT member not to vote for Angel Cepeda, that told me right there to vote for him. Get out and VOTE!!!

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  13. AnonymousOctober 29, 2010 at 4:46 PM

    So the point is this :
    If you receive a phone call from the Plainview Congress of Teachers AKA PCT telling you who to vote for , you would be better off voting for people who the PCT opposes

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  14. AnonymousOctober 29, 2010 at 10:50 PM

    "How about we lay teachers off...."

    Look, I think the PCT could do a better job by our community, namely our children, but what are you suggesting here? Are you saying we should release mediocre/ineffective educators and replace them with more competent ones? That's an interesting idea to ponder. Otherwise, what are you advocating - larger class sizes? That's what a smaller workforce will create. Is that the answer?

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  15. AnonymousOctober 30, 2010 at 7:51 PM

    Let's be clear - Health insurance for an individual or family costs the district thousands of dollars per year for each teacher. If a payment of $1000 encourages some not to take the benefit, then it is a win for the district and taxpayers.

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  16. AnonymousNovember 1, 2010 at 9:38 AM

    Advocating larger classes is not the answer. Saying that the "PCT could do a better job by our community" is an understatement. The reality is that the PCT leadership cares about 1 thing and 1 thing only.$$$$$$$. I am sure there are some members of the PCT that may not agree with the union tactics and demands . Last May was a disgrace for the PCT leadership on their ruthless demands on our community and the weak Board of Ed that we have. The last contract we should of received givebacks from the PCT not raises in this economic depression that we are in right now. With a very bleak outlook on the future , the next contract should be at a minimum wage freezez or redictions in labor costs . Yes we should replace ineffective educators with more competent ones. We should also eliminate STEP increases being that they are useless. They are no benefit to us at all. Maybe someone can come up with one good reason why we should not get rid of step increases.

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  17. AnonymousNovember 1, 2010 at 11:31 PM

    this is in reply to the post from 9:38.It sounds to me that you are ill informed. The way the system works is that the PCT represents the teachers and the board represents the community. The two sides negotiate a contract that is a compromise between the demands of the union and the original offer from the board. your assertion that the PCT is all about the money is not true, if it was would they have settled for a contract that leaves pay for plainview teachers in the lower half of average pay for the county?

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  18. AnonymousNovember 2, 2010 at 7:11 AM

    Step increases are a standard nationwide. Eliminating the practice is not going to happen any time soon regardless of how fair or unfair any of us may or may not think they are. Freezing wages or givebacks are more likely.

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  19. AnonymousNovember 2, 2010 at 12:59 PM

    To the reply of 9:38
    I am very well informed. It is all about greed .that is what the PCT is all about. Protesting in front of children? Demanding raises when other schools are freezing wages or laying off teachers . How about the 27 million people that are unemployed in this country out up to 2 years are they all unemployable? no it is all about greed and the PCT is right up there with AIG,GOLDMAN SACHS and all the other greedy corporations that are responsible for this mess that we are in . In this country. The PCT was disgraceful the way they complained about their pay. Who gets paid 6 figures for working 180 days a year , 845-345? and still they want more . Regardless of what the "standard is" the reason why we have not gotten rid of these excessive pay gimmicks is because we do not have a board with the guts to go after it

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  20. AnonymousNovember 2, 2010 at 5:33 PM

    Where Plainview teachers' salaries are in comparison to other districts in Nassau is not an argument that will be successful in gaining community support. If it were, we would need convincing that the education our children receive is comparable, if not better than, half the districts in this county and that's just not the case.

    Also, there were some teachers who freely admitted to their job actions last year. Clearly they did not realize what they were saying and advocating was illegal. No doubt, many spoke and/or acted outside the guidelines of NYSUT's professional standards.

    This "us" and "them" mentality has to stop. Mr. Rosenfeld, since I am assuming you (or a representative of you) created the post on 11/1 at 11:31PM, I ask you this. What steps can the PCT take to gain back the community's support? While there are always going to be individuals who will never be satisfied, for the many of us who want a positive connection with the teachers in our community, what measures can you take to set things right? True, our school district has some tremendous attributes but there also exist areas that, simply put, are substandard. The teachers cannot be fully blamed but there must be something we can do to alleviate the obvious tensions so apparent in this district.

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  21. AnonymousNovember 3, 2010 at 5:35 PM

    This is in reply to the 5:33 post. I never said in my post that I was trying to gain community support for the teachers salaries. What I was saying was that if the union was as greedy as people in this district make it out to be then the leadership of the union might have insisted in their contract demands that plainview teachers should get paid the average of the top 5% of districts island wide. This is what some districts unions have worked into their contracts. Clearly this would not be acceptable.
    To your second point, what the teachers were doing last year was expressing their opinions, something that is clearly protected by the first amendment to the Constitution. You are alluding to New York States Taylor law. This law makes it illegal for public employees to strike. Since there was no strike no one did anything illegal.
    In your last paragraph you said that the "us" and "them" attitude has to stop, then you go on to state that you think the poster was Mr. Rosenfeld or his representative. I assure you that I am only a parent of two children in this and not a representative of either the teachers union or Mr. Rosenfeld. I simply have a different viewpoint then most on this blog.

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  22. AnonymousNovember 3, 2010 at 7:41 PM

    In an economy like this, the PCT should not be negotiating for any pay raises. Perhaps a deal could be made on a one year contract with no pay increases, with language that specifies that the agreement is strictly as a result of the poor state of the economy. Then, a year from now both sides could sit down and in good faith negotiate a fair contract based on economic conditions. Both sides would have to agree on certain criteria for how economic circumstances need to be in order to agree to a wage freeze.

    The board would need to offer teachers fair pay increases when the economy turns around. If the language were carefully spelled out for the satisfaction of both sides, this might be a way for the PCT to gain back community support.

    Also, there are expenditures in the community that have nothing to do with teachers' contracts. Technology, administrators' salaries, should not these be considered in all these complaints as well?

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  23. AnonymousNovember 3, 2010 at 8:59 PM

    My children's teachers were not "expressing their opinions." One of them outright told me she would not be assigning any long term projects as in her words, "Until our contract is settled, I refuse to take time to grade them." Since my other child had previously been her student, I knew her past practice had been to assign numerous projects throughout the year. She adjusted her instruction based on where her union was in contract negotiations. That is inconsistent with NYSUT standards.

    My other child's teacher advised me "from one educator to another" that they were not going to display student work in or out of the classrooms, invite parents in to any class events and (Yes, this is true) agree to any appointments to meet with parents, other than the scheduled parent/teacher conferences, to discuss any child's progress, parent concerns, etc, again despite the fact that all of these were her past practices. Again, inconsistent with NYSUT standards.

    My kids also came home one day and told me that a special area teacher was using instructional time to explain the contract negotiations to the students. This was neither a social studies teacher nor did this discussion have any possible connection to the subject being taught. Using instructional time to express one's opinion, is an inappropriate use of our children's instructional time. I have many opinions on many subjects. The school district I work for employs me to provide instruction based on a certain curriculum. I am not permitted to delay or dispense with instructional time to lecture to my own agenda particularly when it has nothing to do with the subject I teach.

    These were job actions that are both against the Taylor law and NYSUT's guidelines for professional practice. As a member of NYSUT myself, I am fully aware of what is and is not appropriate practice.

    Picketing with signs demanding a fair contract, wearing buttons, wearing black, arriving and departing at the contracted times respectively, these are exercises of civil rights, no argument there. The problem is that many teachers went far beyond that.

    Where we might agree on this discussion is the fact that many on this blog seem to complain and complain casting aspersions left and right with little knowledge of the facts. While I believe much of it to be motivated by utter frustration with the differential between our taxes and the quality of our schools, sometimes I too wonder about what some use this blog for.

    Again I'll say, this "us" and "them" mentality has to stop. The PCT needs to take steps to restore the community's faith in our school system.

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  24. AnonymousNovember 3, 2010 at 9:01 PM

    The employee labor contracts are the largest part of our budget, that is a fact. As far as the PCT's good faith effort goes , there was NONE on their part. Do you think is was respectful for teachers to be wearing "contract now" buttons in front of elementary kids last year? Why get the children involved. That was very disgraceful. Then there was a Post here the day of the board meeting stating that alot of parents were going to be going down to the BOE meeting to voice their concern about the contract mess. Mr Rosenfeld must of been reading the blog that day because he sent over a hundred teachers to the meeting to complain about their excessive pay was too low and that they wanted to be paid more. Is that good faith bargaining? I do not think so. The PCT could care less about the economic depression that we are in now ,the millions of foreclosures , the 9.6% unemployment rate . As long as they keep getting their money they could care less. I am not opposed to unions but this particular one is irresponsibe in their non stop tactics for more money regardless of anything else. As far as comparing POB teacher salaries with other districts, I could care less because the other districts are not paying my tax bill so comparisons are worthless.

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  25. AnonymousNovember 4, 2010 at 7:59 PM

    During contract negotiations last year, the board was offering the teachers wage increases. The PCT wanted the increases to be higher, their argument being that their salaries should be comparable to other comparable districts in Nassau County. They are within their rights to negotiate for whatever they want. The only point of impasse in their negotiations was the money. That being the case, in such a terrible economy, they turned many residents off to their cause.

    I also saw "job actions" take place. It wasn't right. Whoever is suggesting the PCT take steps to demonstrate their commitment to this community, great idea. I hope they come around.

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  26. AnonymousNovember 6, 2010 at 5:45 PM

    Look at the teachers' contract, they actually get over $4000 not to take insurance.

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