teach1st
08-07-2005, 06:12 AM
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/opinion/12323732.htm
(Opinion)
Though it's back to the grind after a summer off, Manatee County teachers should return to the classroom tomorrow with big smiles on their faces. That's because they realize they are the highest-paid teachers in the Tampa Bay area, topping Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and even Sarasota counties.
With a $3,000 annual raise boosting the starting salary to $35,000 a year in the new contract, due for ratification Thursday, Manatee teachers easily top those in neighboring districts, with experienced teachers receiving commensurate raises based on seniority and educational achievement. That should put Manatee County in a strong position to compete for top talent in teacher-scarce Florida. It also should contribute to better student performance as high morale goes a long way to motivating teachers to work even harder to ensure that their students work to their fullest potential.
The raises, which amount to 9.38 percent, constitute an amazing financial turnaround for the Manatee district. Recall, it was just five years ago when teachers picketed the School Administration Building on Manatee Avenue to protest the lack of a contract months into the school year. That year they received no raise, except for a state-mandated bonus of $850. In recent years, raises in the 2.5 percent range have been standard.
How did the district manage to find that much money for teacher raises this year? By some fairly creative accounting - nothing funny, let it be emphasized, just some genuine out-of-the-box thinking by Superintendent Roger Dearing and his staff. When he took over two years ago, he asked all employees who work a 12-month cycle - the administrative staff - to forego annual pay raises in exchange for a shorter work year of 250 days instead of 255. That cut payroll by $580,000 a year.
The restructuring itself saved $680,000 by combining duties and eliminating positions, a $1.36 savings over two years.
The state class-size reduction mandate gave each district an allotment to help meet the standard; any money not needed to meet the goal can be directed to teacher raises. Manatee used about three-fourths of its $8.3 million state allocation to satisfy class-size rules, leaving $2.5 million to $3 million to add to teacher raises.
Dearing also negotiated concessions with high school teachers on their planning time. Under the block teaching program, teachers were given one double-block planning period off per day. Under the new plan, they get a double block off for planning every other day. Cutting teacher planning time by 12.5 percent enabled the district to avoid hiring extra staff to cover for that planning time, producing another significant savings.
Read more (http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/opinion/12323732.htm)
(Opinion)
Though it's back to the grind after a summer off, Manatee County teachers should return to the classroom tomorrow with big smiles on their faces. That's because they realize they are the highest-paid teachers in the Tampa Bay area, topping Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and even Sarasota counties.
With a $3,000 annual raise boosting the starting salary to $35,000 a year in the new contract, due for ratification Thursday, Manatee teachers easily top those in neighboring districts, with experienced teachers receiving commensurate raises based on seniority and educational achievement. That should put Manatee County in a strong position to compete for top talent in teacher-scarce Florida. It also should contribute to better student performance as high morale goes a long way to motivating teachers to work even harder to ensure that their students work to their fullest potential.
The raises, which amount to 9.38 percent, constitute an amazing financial turnaround for the Manatee district. Recall, it was just five years ago when teachers picketed the School Administration Building on Manatee Avenue to protest the lack of a contract months into the school year. That year they received no raise, except for a state-mandated bonus of $850. In recent years, raises in the 2.5 percent range have been standard.
How did the district manage to find that much money for teacher raises this year? By some fairly creative accounting - nothing funny, let it be emphasized, just some genuine out-of-the-box thinking by Superintendent Roger Dearing and his staff. When he took over two years ago, he asked all employees who work a 12-month cycle - the administrative staff - to forego annual pay raises in exchange for a shorter work year of 250 days instead of 255. That cut payroll by $580,000 a year.
The restructuring itself saved $680,000 by combining duties and eliminating positions, a $1.36 savings over two years.
The state class-size reduction mandate gave each district an allotment to help meet the standard; any money not needed to meet the goal can be directed to teacher raises. Manatee used about three-fourths of its $8.3 million state allocation to satisfy class-size rules, leaving $2.5 million to $3 million to add to teacher raises.
Dearing also negotiated concessions with high school teachers on their planning time. Under the block teaching program, teachers were given one double-block planning period off per day. Under the new plan, they get a double block off for planning every other day. Cutting teacher planning time by 12.5 percent enabled the district to avoid hiring extra staff to cover for that planning time, producing another significant savings.
Read more (http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/opinion/12323732.htm)