Wednesday, January 13, 2010

RAS Teacher Contract Settled?

Remember, this moves the steps/lanes. The teachers would actually see more than this. Let's hope quite a few of the more highly compensated teachers retire soon. Otherwise RAS will need to cut elsewhere to pay for this.

RAS Contract Confirmation
SUN Robbinsdale teacher's contract likely settled
WCCO Districts/Teachers Scramble
DJ's Letter to the Board
281 Exposed Contract
G2A Steps and Lanes
G2A When Reality Hits
G2A RAS Campaign Finance

Thoughts?

5 comments:

DJ for School Board said...

Shocked that the teachers got the increase to be honest. Not sure it's in the teachers best interest. Did a little math and blogging. Should be at a minimum a 1 million dollar increase in salaries just for teachers. Other groups will follow this same plan.

Where are the cuts coming?

DJ

John said...

Hi DJ,
I added a link to your letter, and that is the multi million dollar question...

Remember the typical answers are to fire teachers, increase class sizes and cut programs that will be noticed/painful. This way the community will be motivated to raise their own taxes. It seems to be a pretty sound and proven strategy.

I am puzzled by the increase also??? Since I have many unemployed friends, have had 2 years of no raises and one year with no short term incentive comp. (ie bonus) It just doesn't seem that the market is paying more in the private sector.

On the other hand, I assume the state law and the penalty incurred by not settling pushed the RAS Board to settle. It is a very strange law...

R-Five said...

Done deal. Strib reports 0% year 1, 1% year 2. Steps and lanes extra, of course.

Numbers Guy said...

Per the Special Board Meeting on Friday Night (1/15/10):

The vote by the Union was 599 For and 101 Against the contract.

The interim Director of Finance estimated the increase cost over current contract to be $1.9 million for 09-10 and $2.0 million for 10-11 school year (total for the two years of $3.9 million). But he didn't have the additional cost over the budgeted amount for 09-10 yet.

The vote by the RAS Board was 7-0.

It is going to be very interesting how the Board handles the revised budget for 09-10 and the 10-11 budget over the next few months?

My guess is that teacher lay-offs and increases in class room size will be part of the cost cutting measures that will need to be done. This is without any change in the State Funding (which will probably be going down also).

R-Five said...

I see from my friends in 279 that the Minn. School Board Assn (MSBA) has an analysis tool that computes the effective increase in compensation In 279, they went 0 - 0 but with one time payments ($700?) for those who did not gain a step or lane. So for two years, actual increase was 4.21%

We should ask to see MSBA's scoring of this agreement.