DURING the Board of Education meeting last March 14, the members voted to approve the budget suggested by BOE member Ester Fleming. This budget contained a 5 percent pay increase for teachers. This isn’t much but after a four-year freeze on pay increases, Lee Taitano thought that this would help with the teachers’ morale problem. This was great news for teachers. But about a week later, BOE voted to cancel the increase to save money. Very interesting.
So, let’s take a good look at PSS’s money matters. recently, BOE transferred Robert Myers from Kagman High School to become the writer and public relations person for PSS. This use of a full-time teacher salary takes a teacher out the classroom because BOE members and the commissioner are too busy or too inept to do their own media work. And then the board canceled the proposed pay increase for teachers due to lack of funds.
But Mr. Myers really wasn’t really doing anything anyway; he’s just sitting in the library. So if he’s not working why not promote him to central office? Sounds familiar? It’s funny how PSS money matters—when BOE gets what it wants—money doesn’t matter.
Another PSS money matter is the $7,000 bonus BOE gave to Rita H. Inos just before she embarked on her political crusade last summer. Remember, there was a salary freeze in effect for PSS–at least for the teachers. This didn’t stop BOE from giving Mrs. Inos a good sized chunk of spending money for the campaign trail. The money must have come in handy during the special three- month leave of absence even though she was drawing her regular salary. But, sorry, no money for the teachers, those unsung heroes who show up at the classroom everyday, who know each student by name, and know all of their problems, when they need special help or their successes that need special praise. Those teachers who seldom see their principal, never see their BOE members, and who wonder if there is anybody still alive up on Capitol Hill at PSS.
Then the teachers get an urgent letter from PSS that if the teachers don’t turn in such and such a document or pay so much money—in 10 working days or they’ll be fired! That’s how PSS rewards these unsung heroes who come to work early or go home late with a bag of papers to correct for tomorrow.
Yes, PSS money matters, but it sure doesn’t matter when it comes to teachers as far as BOE is concerned.
Recently, I learned from a principal that about two years ago, in the middle of the four-year salary freeze, the principals received a “salary adjustment,” so to speak. Principals received a pay increase of $6,000 per year. Now you can’t call it a pay raise during a freeze so our creative BOE called it a salary adjustment! It just goes to illustrate that when our BOE wants something—PSS money doesn’t matter. Just keep all of the money for the administration and don’t give anything to the hardest working people in the Public School System—the teachers. And, absolutely do not give any money to the poor staff workers who often work part time with no benefits and have not received a pay increase since the flood of Noah.
But much more than money, the thing I have been hearing from teachers is that they want the PSS administration to show them proper respect in view of the fact that teachers are professionals. They have used up four or five years of their lives and thousands of dollars to study and train themselves to become teachers. This is why teachers have been screaming about job security. They don’t want some crazy principal coming along and firing them because they forgot to bend both knees when they bowed and said good morning six months ago. PSS money matters—but not as much as proper respect and proper job security for teachers. Is this why the Board of Education didn’t permit the teachers to express themselves in the evaluation of Commissioner Inos?
FRANKLIN KEIPER
Teacher representative
Board of Education
