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Union members stress need for teachers' raises
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by DARWIN WEIGEL
Joseph Sella of the Calvert Education Association leads a press conference Friday concerning upcoming negotiations with school administrators.
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Be creative and don't rely on old practices are two messages that the Calvert Education Association and the Calvert Association of Educational Support Staff are sending regarding the 2010 fiscal year budget for the Calvert County public school system.
Both organizations, CEA and CAESS, discussed this at a press conference on Friday, where members reflected on Calvert County Superintendent of Schools Jack Smith's proposed budget, in which 80 teaching positions and 10 support staff jobs may need to be cut if union negotiations are unsuccessful.
Joseph Sella, who is chief negotiator for both unions, said that he considers Smith's decision to make new hires to be a large cause for the school system's funding shortage. According to Sella, Smith made 91 hires from 2007 to 2008, despite enrollment declining by 446 students.
"Eighty of those 91 people, we're responsible for. You hired those folks," Sella said.
Smith, however, said at a Board of Education meeting on March 12 that the majority of positions hired have been related to maintaining classroom ratios or promoting safety within the schools.
Deputy Superintendent Robin Welsh also said in a later interview that these hires were both replacing other employees and a response to reductions in Medicaid and federal funding in special education programs. She explained this saying that what looked like "new hires," were actually existing positions that were moved from federal to local funding.
"It's not like we have to say [to Medicaid employees] ‘just because the funding stops, you don't have a job,'" Welsh said.
She also added that the 2007-2008 school year was a particularly lucrative year for state money given to Calvert County for the purpose of student achievement, and that "our achievement records reflect that; basically we were doing with the money what it was intended for."
According to Sella, however, "as recently as this week, the board hired a new outside employee as opposed to promoting one within the school system," he added, continuing that the formula used by the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners is also unfavorable in determining how much money will go to the school system.
"The formula is predisposed to underfund education, as it has in previous years," said Sella, who added that the formula does not completely take into account the growth in developmental disabilities, including autism, in students.
CEA President Debbie Russ echoed Sella's point, saying "maybe [the formula's] outdated and needs to be revised."
"Calvert County public schools are the No. 1 employer in Calvert County," said Russ, who added that she was disappointed that in union negotiations, the board was only willing to open up the salary article of teacher and support staff contracts.
"We're trying to suggest … a dozen different ways that we can fix this," said Sella who, despite declining to go into specifics, said "Calvert County doesn't shut anything down during holiday breaks … we're not green schools yet and you're going to burn other energy if you keep schools open."
Sella also brought up the subject of supplying certain employees with vehicles, saying that though this is essential for some staff members, it is unnecessary for others.
"Why does the painter need a [company] vehicle … it's just an example of things they could save money on," Sella said, adding that another one of these scenarios is the first day of school, which includes various guest speakers and presentations throughout the county.
"That's one teacher's job right there," he said.
He also brought up the desire many school employees have for the commissioners to go into their organization's rainy day fund, saying that according to his research, this was done in 1998.
"They have the money there. They're sitting on $55 million," Sella said, adding "if you want a quality education in the county — that's why people move here — you need to fully fund it."
The teachers and support staff present at the press conference all stated that if budget negotiations came down to them refusing a raise, it was simply something they could not do without.
"People are planning their life around a raise and when you're telling them they're not going to get it, that's not a good thing," said CAESS President Steven Brooks.
John Stang, who is vice president of CAESS, agreed with Brooks, adding "when you have people who have to work three to four jobs and you say ‘we're going to take that 4.5 percent away from you,' it's hard."
Both organizations said they met with Welsh and her negotiation team last week and are hoping that this situation will be wrapped up as soon as spring break, which begins on April 6.
"Should they go apply for a new job? They need to know," Brooks said, adding "the more time we take to negotiate, the more time we take from our own schools to do our jobs."
Despite their frustration, the CAE and CAESS members present at the conference did admit that they think the Calvert County Board of Education, particularly the newly elected members Bill Chambers, Rose Crunkleton and Tracy McGuire, are "between a rock and a hard place," according to Russ.
"[The entire board has] the best interests of kids in their heart … I think they're working together, just like we're working together, to solve this problem," she said.
