A New School Year...

Well another school year has started here in good ol' California. Last August, the state budget office got together with all of the school district superintendents and told them just how much money they had and gave them suggestions on where to spend it depending on what kind of situation their district was in. Last year the teachers in my district bit the bullet so to speak and reduced the cost of health care to our district and saved them some big bucks. The state said there was enough money in the pot to give everyone in all districts a 4.5 per cent Cost of Living Allowance ( COLA ) and that they should make sure that pass it along to their employes. Its not often that the state budget office says something like that, but they did. They did it in front of reporters, California Teachers Association representatives, and superintendents from all over the state. Now one would think that the superintendents would follow the advice of the state budget office. One would think that keeping your employes happy would be a priority in these difficult times. Was I shocked and dismayed to find out that my superintendent, Robert Hodges, told our Association president, Rich Laabs, that the district was 3.5 million in the hole and that there would not be any money for Cost of Living Allowances.
Our district has a very solid backup savings account for emergencies. Last time I checked it was twice the amount that our district says its deficit is. So why the outright lie? Where did the 4.5 per cent for a COLA go? Last time I looked COLA stood for COST OF LIVING ALLOWANCE not, buy more books allowance or pay for cost overruns on construction projects. Of all the things a district can do, this is the one thing that can piss off a majority of teachers. Teachers have the power. Test scores can drop, the district can go down the tubes test wise and and the state will have to step in and run it. The teachers could strike. There has never been a strike in Redlands. Why? Because past superintendents and Boards of Education have treated the teachers very nice. Why not now? This area has grown so fast, classes are so crowded, and there is more pressure to raise test scores, even if those scores are meaningless! Yes Redlands is a nice place to work, but that is changing. I have 173 students this year! that's about 34 students per class. Studies show that the optimal student to teacher ratio is 15 to 18 to 1! Not only that but I have students who are non-english speakers. One of my classes has 9 RSP students in it and 26 regular ed. students. The point of all this is that we deserve the 4.5 percent COLA. We earn every cent that we are paid. Its the least the district can do is keep our pay in line with the cost of living. Teachers work on a 10 month contract, so they only get paid for 10 months. If we have summer jobs, the income is taxed at 40% because it is considered a luxury income. The pay is $32.22 per hour. That is about half of what a teacher with a masters degree earns. If I work overtime ( like teach and extra period) I get an hourly wage $30. By the time taxes are taken out its $22! Teaching is the only job where you work overtime and get half the hourly wage. Everywhere else you would get time and a half! The COLA is an important item for us this year... just because we teach does not mean we don't live in the real world. Our cost of living has risen with everyone elses. Robert Hodges... give us the 4.5 percent COLA. Its time for you to bite the bullet for once.

Comments

[steve]

you are retarded quit talking about stupid stuff