Teacher pay raises aren’t given equally
The fate of $194,000 the Warren County School System allotted for raises has been decided. And teachers with health insurance will get bigger raises than those without it.
All teachers will receive a $112 base salary index increase at a cost of $99,156. Teachers with school health insurance will receive an additional $330 local supplement at a cost of $95,040. Both of these increases are retroactive to the August payroll.
Distributing the $194,000 has been a lengthy source of controversy. The Warren County Education Association was adamant some of the money go toward health insurance, while school officials were reluctant to appropriate money to insurance since it wouldn’t be fair to teachers who don’t take school insurance.
“Since September, the WCEA has come to the negotiations table with the sole purpose of representing the concerns and needs expressed by teachers,” said WCEA president Sheila Gann.
“We have heard the phrase ‘win-win situation’ used several times and it is our understanding that one side gets something they want and the other side gets something they want,” added Gann.
School officials have maintained all along that equal distribution of the $194,000 was better in long run, in terms of more money at retirement when given directly to the teachers and placed in a cafeteria plan of benefits.
“I’m getting some calls from some teachers too,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale. “Some of them don’t know what the cafeteria plan is, and they don’t realize that money can be distributed equally to every teacher and the ones who want to use it for insurance can and the ones who want to put it on salary can do the same thing.”
Gann disagreed.
“If you spread it out evenly, there’s still that $548 and some odd cents that has to be taken out of that take-home pay and put over into the cafeteria plan,” said Gann. “Whereas if you start contributing money to defray the cost of insurance, it equalizes take-home pay.”
Dr. Hale reiterated an example given at previous negotiations of how money placed now in the cafeteria plan means more money at retirement.
“If you take it in salary, you get $6,000. If you take it in insurance, you get $4,000 and you get the same benefits either way,” said Hale.
“That cafeteria plan is good for the future and hopefully you actually get to live long enough and actually get to retire,” Gann replied.
Kevin Dunlap of the WCEA negotiations committee interjected, “We have done two surveys and asked the teachers and the majority of both surveys, the teachers are saying they want some help for take-home pay now.”
At that point the standing-room-only crowd started to express themselves. Though they declined to comment on record, many indicated their desire to have the help now.
“Give me my money now,” one teacher said, and several others indicated they did not intend to retire here. Several examples and stories were exchanged regarding retirement and the rising cost of insurance. Some indicated the cafeteria plan had hurt them financially.
Bob Young of the school board said, “If I was still teaching and I got $200 dollars and I didn’t take insurance and somebody else that was teaching and took insurance got $300 something, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that.”
“The teachers have made it clear that they want and desperately need insurance addressed by having a supplement provided for it,” said Gann.
Dunlap added, “The majority of teachers have made their statement. The point is we’ve got start thinking long term. I don’t take the insurance, so it will not help me as much as your proposal, but I’m sacrificing and I’m fine with that.”
Hale then addressed the WCEA with this caveat, “I want to make it clear you’re not going to file a grievance from some teacher who claims so and so got more money than I got.”
The board indicated that they agreed to the proposal in principle and would meet before the next school board meeting with WCEA representatives to draw up a memorandum of agreement. Attendees and WCEA representatives responded with a standing ovation.