The Town of Lisbon, Waukesha County, is one place teachers might want to pass right through. And this is only about 6 months after destroying collective bargaining. This isn't about education, it’s about taking public education out, and reducing to something akin to a retail sales clerk.
Post-employment benefits for employees of the Richmond School District may be no more if a proposed individual teacher’s contract is approved as expected by the School Board in February. The decision could set a precedent for other school districts to follow.
Under previous contracts negotiated through the collective bargaining process, teachers and other district staff members received post-employment benefits such as health and dental benefits, a 403 (b) employer contribution, and life insurance benefits upon their retirement. Employee pensions through the Wisconsin Retirement System would remain unchanged ... a plan that would eliminate those post-employment benefits packages.
The School District developed a formula that allowed employees age 57 or older with 20 or more years of experience in the Richmond School District to maintain the post-employment benefits … Two district teachers qualify for those benefits, as well as one clerical staff member and superintendent George Zimmer. Once those teachers retire, no more district employees will receive post-employment benefits.
"No one else is eligible in the teaching ranks for post-employment benefits," Zimmer said. Zimmer said school districts are no longer able to offer elaborate post-employment benefits. "It's a tough decision for a board to make, but we have to look out for the tax dollars. We have to do it," he said.
What a way to attract great teachers. Actually, it’s a bit
cruel, knowing there are aspiring teachers out there that want to teach because
they have a passion for it. This takes advantage of their good nature.
Here are a few comments that demonstrates how well the
vilification process been, and how sadly cold citizens have become since Walker took over.
“This is so long overdue. No one can afford this type of thing. This action stops a financial drain on the residents of our districts that we can no longer afford to continue.”
Very timely and appropriate as well. It is unheard of in other job sectors for employees to be granted these types of benefits upon leaving their job … I will be calling many of them (school systems) including my own to find out what their plans are. We have to tighten our belts and Richmond School should be commended for taking this action.
Next fall countless small school districts will be left high and dry because many of the best teachers have taken jobs in other states.
ReplyDeleteWhy work for lower pay and benefits, under the derision of right-wing school boards and vindictive Republican administrators when you can simply take your skills and experience elsewhere? It's the magic of the marketplace.
I see that Wisconsin now ranks among the bottom 12 states in High School science curriculum. Next year we will be keeping up with Mississippi and Alabama.
People forget that many of these legacy benefits were put together to get teachers to retire early. They were not some plum that was given to the teachers, school districts wanted the teachers to go. If teachers will not longer be able to collect benefits after the age of 57, they will teach until Medicare kicks in at 65. That's eight more years of teachers at the top of the pay scale, an aging teaching population, and no room for newer teachers to get in. And, yes, many other professions have this as well, not just teaching. My brother is a garbage man in Seattle and has the same benefit package that I had, and can retire at 57 and will have a legacy package as well. He'll probably even double dip, which is allowed.
ReplyDelete