The policy is truly a good thing for school chiefs and managers to get up to $5,000 in bonuses. However, there is a small group of teachers who are owed bonuses that were omitted and I am one of them. There was no mentioning of the “frozen teachers” in the article which was disappointing.
Our salaries are frozen and have been unfairly treated in compensation for passing PRAXIS. In addition, the frozen teachers have also been denied their “bonus compensation” for being frozen for the past four years.
With frozen teachers being the “elite” and most valuable to the system why are we being forgotten about and even treated unfairly? Just because there is a policy that dictates a frozen level for pay compensation it doesn’t mean the policy is right, especially when the policy has never been tested in a court of law.
I can assure the Board that the refusal to give the frozen teachers equal and fair compensation for passing PRAXIS will eventually end up in court as the frozen teachers leave the system will surely be filing suits for back pay.
Teachers are presently afraid to fight as employees due to the “two year limited contracts that can be terminated without cause” but they will have nothing to lose once they leave the system. It is truly in the BOE’s and PSS’s best interest to address the equal pay issue for frozen teachers now and not in court.
All frozen teachers should be receiving an “annual bonus” that is equal to the salary increases of the non-frozen teachers for passing PRAXIS. The one-time $2,000 payment to frozen teachers will never equal the compensation of the non-frozen teachers who will continue to receive a pay increase in every pay check for passing PRAXIS.
There is also a policy that gives frozen teachers a $2,000 bonus every two years for being frozen but it is based on the “availability of funds” which is a sad and ugly joke.
It is going on five years since I received a bonus check. Now that PSS will be receiving stimulus money something creative should be done to address the pay of the frozen teachers. There was also no mentioning of a policy for transitioning the frozen teachers in the news article.
Frozen teachers are clearly the most qualified teachers in the system and the most capable of being PSS’s future administrators. Frozen teachers should automatically be at the front of the line for promotions to administration but there is no policy for promoting employees within PSS.
Frozen teachers are right back where we started 10 years ago. We passed PRAXIS and most of us will have ten more years of experience and a Masters Degree but no pay increase.
I am sure the Board and anyone with common sense can see that something is very wrong with the present policy when it comes to compensation for frozen teachers and it is my humble and respectful request that you PLEASE revisit the policy to include fair compensation for frozen teachers. This is a formal comment on the presently proposed bonus policy respectfully submitted on behalf of all frozen teachers.
AMBROSE M. BENNETT
Former BOE Teacher Rep.
Kagman, Saipan
