Post by Decatur on Feb 24, 2011 11:28:40 GMT -5
PW-S officials say 82 educators who missed work to protest in Madison, forcing school to close, must suffer consequences
The Port Washington-Saukville School District will dock the pay of 82 teachers who skipped school last Thursday to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s budget bill in Madison, Supt. Michael Weber said Tuesday.
The absences, which left the district without about 43% of its teachers, essentially crippled the school system. Administrators were forced to close the high school 1-1/2 hours after students arrived because there weren’t enough teachers to staff classrooms.
Other schools remained opened, but principals scrambled to find enough substitute teachers to supervise the more than 800 students at the middle school. Parent-teacher conferences scheduled for Thursday had to be cancelled.
The teacher absences shocked school officials and parents, who said they thought the Port Washington-Saukville School District would be the last place to experience a mass exodus of teachers because of the remarkably good relationship between the district and union. The district was one of only a handful in this area of the state forced to cancel classes because of teacher absences.
“I was very surprised by what the teachers did,” School Board President Patty Ruth said. “I was hoping the teachers would follow the pattern we always have, which is to work together to find a solution rather than not coming to work.”
Mark Bichler, president of the Port Washington-Saukville Education Association, which represents 185 teachers in the district, called the walk-out an unprecedented and painful move for educators.
“The decision to call in sick was absolutely agonizing for our members,” said Bichler, a high school business teacher who skipped school to attend the Madison protests. “We’ve never done anything like this before.
“Our members realize what a great relationship we have with the community, which includes the administration, the School Board, kids and their parents, and they agonized over what this could do to that relationship. But they felt this was something they absolutely needed to do. They believed they were fighting to maintain that relationship.”
Teachers made the decision not to come to work knowing there would be consequences, Bichler said.
Administrators made the decision on Friday to dock teachers one day’s pay and benefits, Weber said. The total value of wages and benefits that will not be paid to teachers is about $35,000, an average of $427 per teacher, he said.
Weber said the district has not received formal assurances from the union that there will not be other unexcused teacher absences, but said he got “the distinct impression there won’t be.”
Bichler said he does not expect a repeat of last Thursday, adding he does not know of any Port-Saukville teachers who went to Madison to protest on Friday or Saturday.
On Wednesday evening, Feb. 16, teachers began calling in sick or simply saying they would not be at school, and it soon became clear that it would be difficult to staff classrooms the next day, Weber said. The district’s Administrative Council held an
emergency meeting at 10 p.m. By 12:30 a.m. Thursday, administrators who were leery of springing a surprise day off school on parents had a plan in place they thought would keep all schools open, Weber said.
“We were especially concerned because this wasn’t a case of inclement weather,” he said. “Parents didn’t expect classes could be cancelled and didn’t have any time to make other plans for their children, so we worked really hard at coming up with a
plan to have classes, particularly at the elementary schools and middle school.”
But more high school teachers called in Wednesday morning, leaving the school with too many classrooms to cover with a limited number of substitutes.
“Our teachers are a great group of people who got caught up in the emotion of what’s going on in the state,” Weber said this week. “But that doesn’t excuse the fact we had to shut down a school because of their actions.”
Bichler said it was a last-minute decision by teachers to skip school and protest in Madison instead.
He said he received a message issued by Wisconsin Education Association Council President Mary Bell at 4 p.m. Wednesday calling for action.
“The message was that the union wanted as many teachers as possible in Madison the next day,” Bichler said. “This was an extremely fast-moving process. This was definitely not a case where we had been plotting this move and decided to spring it
on the district at the last moment.”
The local union held a meeting at the high school at 8 p.m., said Bichler, who called Weber Wednesday night to say teachers felt they needed to be in Madison the next day to fight for collective bargaining. About 100 teachers attended what he
described as an emotional gathering.
“We care deeply about students, but our members believe this (skipping school) was the right thing to do given the times,” Bichler said. “Our members value the relationship we have with the administration and the School Board, and we believe that
the attempt to decertify unions threatens that.
“What we did had nothing to do with this district, this School Board or our students.”
Bichler said local teachers are prepared to accept the concessions being called for by Walker, which would have teachers pay half their pension contributions and at least 12% of their health insurance premium.
“Our members aren’t exactly going to jump for joy, but the majority are going to say, ‘Fine, go ahead and take these things, but don’t take away collective bargaining.’
“Collective bargaining has worked very well in this district. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
Whatever changes occur promise to have an almost immediate impact on the district. The teachers’ current two-year contract expires June 30.
The School Board Negotiation Committee met in closed session Monday to begin work on a new contract offer.
“One of the things the committee wanted to do was get a better grasp of fringe benefits, then work on a planning strategy,” Weber said.
Teacher salaries in the Port Washington-Saukville School District currently range from $36,083 to $82,468 based on seniority and degrees earned, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The average salary is $64,065, the second
highest in Ozaukee County after the Mequon-Thiensville School District, where teachers have taught in the district for an average of 15.4 years. The average local teacher experience in the Port Washington-Saukville School District is 14.2 years.
The average value of fringe benefits for teachers in the Port Washington-Saukville School District is $28,191, according to the DPI. Teachers do not contribute to their pensions, which will cost the district about $1.6 million this year, Director of Business Services Jim Froemming said.
Teachers currently pay 3% of the health insurance premium for a $100-deductible, single-coverage plan and 6.5% for a $200-deductible, family coverage policy. The district will pay $3.8 million this year to insure its employees, who also receive dental, long-term disability and term-life insurance, Froemming said.
Both school and union officials said the Port Washington-Saukville Education Association has been a leader in the state in finding ways to curb benefit costs. One example, they said, is the $0/$15/$50 drug card teachers currently have.
“Our district has led the way in working toward reducing the fiscal impact of benefits on taxpayers with the three-tiered drug card and having every single employee pay toward their insurance premium,” Ruth said.
Weber said collective bargaining has served the district well, and the basic benefit structure can be maintained if concessions are agreed to.
“In my opinion, collective bargaining needs to remain,” he said. “I agree with the 50% (pension) contribution and the 12% contribution to health insurance, with the savings being used to expand school programs locally and help balance the state budget.
“Benefits are sustainable if we continue to negotiate and have concessions.”
Ruth said it is clear there have to be concessions from the union.
“Collective bargaining has worked well in this district. We have a great relationship with our teachers,” she said. “But we can’t sustain this level of benefits with the federal, state and local budget challenges facing us.
“I believe we have to make some changes financially if this district is going to move forward.”
The Port Washington-Saukville School District will dock the pay of 82 teachers who skipped school last Thursday to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s budget bill in Madison, Supt. Michael Weber said Tuesday.
The absences, which left the district without about 43% of its teachers, essentially crippled the school system. Administrators were forced to close the high school 1-1/2 hours after students arrived because there weren’t enough teachers to staff classrooms.
Other schools remained opened, but principals scrambled to find enough substitute teachers to supervise the more than 800 students at the middle school. Parent-teacher conferences scheduled for Thursday had to be cancelled.
The teacher absences shocked school officials and parents, who said they thought the Port Washington-Saukville School District would be the last place to experience a mass exodus of teachers because of the remarkably good relationship between the district and union. The district was one of only a handful in this area of the state forced to cancel classes because of teacher absences.
“I was very surprised by what the teachers did,” School Board President Patty Ruth said. “I was hoping the teachers would follow the pattern we always have, which is to work together to find a solution rather than not coming to work.”
Mark Bichler, president of the Port Washington-Saukville Education Association, which represents 185 teachers in the district, called the walk-out an unprecedented and painful move for educators.
“The decision to call in sick was absolutely agonizing for our members,” said Bichler, a high school business teacher who skipped school to attend the Madison protests. “We’ve never done anything like this before.
“Our members realize what a great relationship we have with the community, which includes the administration, the School Board, kids and their parents, and they agonized over what this could do to that relationship. But they felt this was something they absolutely needed to do. They believed they were fighting to maintain that relationship.”
Teachers made the decision not to come to work knowing there would be consequences, Bichler said.
Administrators made the decision on Friday to dock teachers one day’s pay and benefits, Weber said. The total value of wages and benefits that will not be paid to teachers is about $35,000, an average of $427 per teacher, he said.
Weber said the district has not received formal assurances from the union that there will not be other unexcused teacher absences, but said he got “the distinct impression there won’t be.”
Bichler said he does not expect a repeat of last Thursday, adding he does not know of any Port-Saukville teachers who went to Madison to protest on Friday or Saturday.
On Wednesday evening, Feb. 16, teachers began calling in sick or simply saying they would not be at school, and it soon became clear that it would be difficult to staff classrooms the next day, Weber said. The district’s Administrative Council held an
emergency meeting at 10 p.m. By 12:30 a.m. Thursday, administrators who were leery of springing a surprise day off school on parents had a plan in place they thought would keep all schools open, Weber said.
“We were especially concerned because this wasn’t a case of inclement weather,” he said. “Parents didn’t expect classes could be cancelled and didn’t have any time to make other plans for their children, so we worked really hard at coming up with a
plan to have classes, particularly at the elementary schools and middle school.”
But more high school teachers called in Wednesday morning, leaving the school with too many classrooms to cover with a limited number of substitutes.
“Our teachers are a great group of people who got caught up in the emotion of what’s going on in the state,” Weber said this week. “But that doesn’t excuse the fact we had to shut down a school because of their actions.”
Bichler said it was a last-minute decision by teachers to skip school and protest in Madison instead.
He said he received a message issued by Wisconsin Education Association Council President Mary Bell at 4 p.m. Wednesday calling for action.
“The message was that the union wanted as many teachers as possible in Madison the next day,” Bichler said. “This was an extremely fast-moving process. This was definitely not a case where we had been plotting this move and decided to spring it
on the district at the last moment.”
The local union held a meeting at the high school at 8 p.m., said Bichler, who called Weber Wednesday night to say teachers felt they needed to be in Madison the next day to fight for collective bargaining. About 100 teachers attended what he
described as an emotional gathering.
“We care deeply about students, but our members believe this (skipping school) was the right thing to do given the times,” Bichler said. “Our members value the relationship we have with the administration and the School Board, and we believe that
the attempt to decertify unions threatens that.
“What we did had nothing to do with this district, this School Board or our students.”
Bichler said local teachers are prepared to accept the concessions being called for by Walker, which would have teachers pay half their pension contributions and at least 12% of their health insurance premium.
“Our members aren’t exactly going to jump for joy, but the majority are going to say, ‘Fine, go ahead and take these things, but don’t take away collective bargaining.’
“Collective bargaining has worked very well in this district. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
Whatever changes occur promise to have an almost immediate impact on the district. The teachers’ current two-year contract expires June 30.
The School Board Negotiation Committee met in closed session Monday to begin work on a new contract offer.
“One of the things the committee wanted to do was get a better grasp of fringe benefits, then work on a planning strategy,” Weber said.
Teacher salaries in the Port Washington-Saukville School District currently range from $36,083 to $82,468 based on seniority and degrees earned, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The average salary is $64,065, the second
highest in Ozaukee County after the Mequon-Thiensville School District, where teachers have taught in the district for an average of 15.4 years. The average local teacher experience in the Port Washington-Saukville School District is 14.2 years.
The average value of fringe benefits for teachers in the Port Washington-Saukville School District is $28,191, according to the DPI. Teachers do not contribute to their pensions, which will cost the district about $1.6 million this year, Director of Business Services Jim Froemming said.
Teachers currently pay 3% of the health insurance premium for a $100-deductible, single-coverage plan and 6.5% for a $200-deductible, family coverage policy. The district will pay $3.8 million this year to insure its employees, who also receive dental, long-term disability and term-life insurance, Froemming said.
Both school and union officials said the Port Washington-Saukville Education Association has been a leader in the state in finding ways to curb benefit costs. One example, they said, is the $0/$15/$50 drug card teachers currently have.
“Our district has led the way in working toward reducing the fiscal impact of benefits on taxpayers with the three-tiered drug card and having every single employee pay toward their insurance premium,” Ruth said.
Weber said collective bargaining has served the district well, and the basic benefit structure can be maintained if concessions are agreed to.
“In my opinion, collective bargaining needs to remain,” he said. “I agree with the 50% (pension) contribution and the 12% contribution to health insurance, with the savings being used to expand school programs locally and help balance the state budget.
“Benefits are sustainable if we continue to negotiate and have concessions.”
Ruth said it is clear there have to be concessions from the union.
“Collective bargaining has worked well in this district. We have a great relationship with our teachers,” she said. “But we can’t sustain this level of benefits with the federal, state and local budget challenges facing us.
“I believe we have to make some changes financially if this district is going to move forward.”
