TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY WORKING TOGETHER

[XD40SC]

Hempfield School District teachers on Monday apparently became the first unionized public school teachers in Pennsylvania to agree to a pay freeze next year.

Monday's 420-53 vote by Hempfield Education Association will save the district about $1.5 million in salaries and benefits in 2011-2012 and reduces the threat of layoffs as Hempfield battles a multimillion-dollar deficit.

Unionized teachers in other parts of Pennsylvania have rejected wage-freeze requests in recent weeks. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, said he was not aware of any other teachers who had agreed to a wage freeze for 2010-11.

Hempfield educators overwhelmingly approved the request, with nearly 90 percent of teachers marking "yes" on their paper ballots, which were collected after classes Monday at Hempfield High School.

The vote "just showed how much our teachers care about preserving the (education) programs we have, their students and the community in general," union president Jason Ohrel said.

"In the end, people felt it was the right thing to do for the kids, the teachers and the district overall."

School board president Bill Jimenez said the vote is "an example of the commitment and dedication to our students and community that we see every day."

[DDZ]

Gee, I wonder how Hempfield district is battling a multimillion dollar deficit, since the tax payers in that district pay some of the highest local taxes in the area.  Maybe the teachers should have agreed to take a pay cut, to save the district more money. How is a wage freeze saving tax payers money anyway? I'm sure the tax payers are not getting their taxes reduced.

[XD40SC]

Gee, I wonder how Hempfield district is battling a multimillion dollar deficit, since the tax payers in that district pay some of the highest local taxes in the area.  Maybe the teachers should have agreed to take a pay cut, to save the district more money. How is a wage freeze saving tax payers money anyway? I'm sure the tax payers are not getting their taxes reduced.

[dukkillr]

I assume we are all smart enough to know that this is a publicity stunt put on to try and buffer some of the changes we've seen in Wisconsin and other states? 

[XD40SC]

I assume we are all smart enough to know that this is a publicity stunt put on to try and buffer some of the changes we've seen in Wisconsin and other states?

Why is there always an angle. Why can't it be for a good reason. No other district so far had done it. Rather than giving them credit, some of you always have to criticize. some of you suffer from " stinkin thinkin".As someone stated in another post- some of you would complain  the free money given them was too heavy . too negative for me- I'm done.

[Conan The Librarian]

I'm no teacher, and don't have a connection to the schools except that my kids go to them. But the issue here isn't the teachers. It's the politicians who for over 40 years kept cutting sweetheart deals with the various public unions without thinking that one some day there would be a problem. This is classic political short term thinking. We can't begrudge the teacher and other public unions for getting a good deal.  There's a huge conflict of interest in having the purse strings for public employees indirectly controlled by other public employees.

I just hope the teachers don't get screwed like all those other union workers back in the 80s. They worked for a railroad or a steel company for 30 or 40 years and then their pensions were worth nothing.

One thing that's shaping up is that the unions are losing leverage because these new laws are basically turning their states into right to work states, where the teachers can't be compelled to pay a union as a condition of keeping their jobs.

Interesting how it focuses on teachers though. A lot of the real dead wood on public payrolls is in other functions.

[WylieKy]

Some of my best friends are teachers.  Both are fairly new (less than 10 years.)  They complain about their 38K salary all the time.  It's almost all I heard about the two weeks they were off for Christmas break.  I'm sure I'll hear all bout it the 10 days they are going to be off for Easter break.  And all summer long, as I leave the campfire at the cabin to get ready for work, they'll be sitting there complaining about it... 

Do teachers get paid less than other professionals with the same level of education (engineers, nurses, accountants, etc...)? Yes. 

Do those other professionals get almost 4 months a year off between holidays and summer break and get paid vacation time, personal days, and sweet heart pension and benefit packages on top of that? Hell no.

[DDZ]

I'm no teacher, and don't have a connection to the schools except that my kids go to them. But the issue here isn't the teachers. It's the politicians who for over 40 years kept cutting sweetheart deals with the various public unions without thinking that one some day there would be a problem. This is classic political short term thinking. We can't begrudge the teacher and other public unions for getting a good deal.  There's a huge conflict of interest in having the purse strings for public employees indirectly controlled by other public employees.

I just hope the teachers don't get screwed like all those other union workers back in the 80s. They worked for a railroad or a steel company for 30 or 40 years and then their pensions were worth nothing.

One thing that's shaping up is that the unions are losing leverage because these new laws are basically turning their states into right to work states, where the teachers can't be compelled to pay a union as a condition of keeping their jobs.

Interesting how it focuses on teachers though. A lot of the real dead wood on public payrolls is in other functions.

Oh, so there is no dead wood when it comes to public teachers. You got-a be kidding. The teachers have a very equal share of dead would just like other public union controlled, tax payer funded entities.
You say the teachers and unions should not begrudged for getting what they can get. Its the teachers and unions that have no problem with the way things work. They are happy they can rape the tax payers. So please explain how this is their right to get what they can get, and we the tax payers should just shut up and pay. 

XD, so years of the teachers unions taking tax payers money and inflating wages and other goodies above what some are worth, you expect us to be all giddy because they agreed to a pay freeze. For years tax payers have had to succumb to tax increase after tax increase for their local school districts. I doubt many will be applauding, because the union agreed to a one year wage freeze. I'm sure after the one year is up it will be back to raises and more goodies, no matter what shape the tax payers or the economy is in.

XD, I know what Hempfield township taxes are, because my son pays them. I have told him that he should move, and that I'm glad I don't live in Hempfield Township. As many people that there are in Hempfield township, and the taxes that people pay, that township should not be in any financial trouble.     

[XD40SC]

Now I understand . The Hempfield the article is about is in Lancaster county.I wondered when you said Hempfield Township.There is no Hempfield township in Lancaster County that I know of.

[Mohawk]

Not in PA or WI but I can't even imagine why all the conflict of avoiding a hiring freeze, collective bargaining, etc. They should just be thankful they have a J. O. B. Their arrogance may come back to bite them in a right to work state. And when the one available job becomes available to 500 applicants do you really want to cause friction? Do you want to be the person that abandoned your duties on a taxpayer dime to complain about your personal greed? Protest what you want, but don't have the audacity to try and fool the public. Teachers in my state protested during Spring Break to avoid thousands of layoffs, not agoinst them being denied their own greed, but just to work and have a job as a teacher. Spring Break, their own free time! Not on YOUR dime. I have been on a hiring, raise, promotion, and travel freeze for almost a year and a half. Yet I still do my part to protect children. Should not teachers do the same? Excepting a hiring freeze for a specific time period is not a GREAT  step. My freeze is indefinate so my empathy for them is null. It is time to stop whining(too much paid time on your hands) and appreciate that the Lord has given you a gift in being able to draw an income from something you were called to do and teach the children. Simple as that.   

[torpedoman]

 A freezing rattler will let you put it in your jacket

[srussell]

i would say that they are just covering the old a**. they been looking at WI.,IN.and Ohio and can see the writing on the wall if  they dont make a good faith showing. just my dimes worth

[DDZ]

When you mentioned Hempfield school district I assumed you were talking about Hempfield in Westm'd county, because there is an article in today's local paper about the Hempfield school district in westm'd county, and you didn't mention Hempfield in Lancaster county.
 The article states that Hempfield is 5.3 million in debt and they are closing the elementary school my Granddaughter attends to save money. The school district is planning for a 5% increase in the budget, because this is contract year for the teachers. I'm sure they expect the teachers to be bargaining for no money out of their pockets for health care. More vacation time, extended sick time, and raises. No word at this Hempfield of teachers saying anything about pay cuts or pay freezes. Imagine that!
They promise not to raise taxes any more than 1.1 mils. Boy, aren't those tax payers lucky. Again the school district will give into the unions demands, because they don't want a strike, and the tax payers will get their taxes raised again. It happens every time. Over and over and over again.

If the company I work for does not make any money, or is in so much debt that it may not stay afloat. I can expect a pay cut, or a reduction in my benefits. Not a raise, or a pay freeze or more benefits. It should be no different with teachers, or any other public employee.

[DakotaElkSlayer]

  Teachers are overpaid?  If their job is so easy, and their pay is so high, why aren't any of you folks teachers?!!!  My senior year of college, I pondered becoming a teacher in mathematics/physics.  I found out from my advisor that I would need more math and physics classes to do that.  Did I mention that I was an AEROSPACE ENGINEERING major?!!!
  If you want to lower teacher wages, we have to lower the education requirements for teachers.  Maybe an associates degree and NO continueing education?

Jim
 

[Pat/Rick]

Alot of private sector jobs started freezing wages a couple of years ago. Glad to see that intelligence recognizes that you can't negotiate what isn't there.

[Cabin4]

I will give you this XD40SC, you are trying. You get an A for effort.

Your former colleagues are counting on you here!

[DDZ]

  Teachers are overpaid?  If their job is so easy, and their pay is so high, why aren't any of you folks teachers?!!!  My senior year of college, I pondered becoming a teacher in mathematics/physics.  I found out from my advisor that I would need more math and physics classes to do that.  Did I mention that I was an AEROSPACE ENGINEERING major?!!!
  If you want to lower teacher wages, we have to lower the education requirements for teachers.  Maybe an associates degree and NO continueing education?

Jim
 

Where has anyone mentioned that a teachers job is easy.  If coarse I wouldn't mind having summers off. Maybe I can ask my supervisor about that.
Since you mentioned it, why is there about a ten year wait in this area for a teacher coming out of college to get a full time teaching job? If teaching jobs were so terrible, I doubt that the waiting list would be so long.

So, we all should be teachers. That would work well?

So, you want to use wages as a base for education standards. If it worked that way, with the amount of money we have poured into education everyone should be a rocket scientist, or brain surgeon.  Please explain to me how increased teacher wages have bettered our education standards. If you get rid of the unions and create competition for wages among teachers, I can see that happening.