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York Teachers Ask Board to Remember SacrificesBy Amber Lester Kennedy Tuesday, March 01, 2011 York County teachers asked the School Board to keep their time in mind during a Monday public hearing on the budget. Superintendent Eric Williams released his proposed budget late last week. The $116 million budget eliminates 15 positions, including nine full-time teaching positions at the elementary and secondary level and three full-time Para-educator positions. The budget says the losses are tied to enrollment losses of 190 students. The fiscal year 2012 budget reflects mandated new expenditures — $2.2 million for increases in the Virginia Retirement System’s rate and $300,000 to pay for six additional full-time Special Education teachers. Williams also recommends reducing the textbook account by $100,000 (reducing the account to half of its amount in 2010), reducing the bus fuel account by $97,660, reducing school bus replacements by $85,000 and losing the position of Warehouse Manager. No salary increases are included in Williams' proposed budget. At Monday’s meeting, six speakers emphasized the time they devote to teaching, despite not receiving raises in the past two years. Teacher Pam Gaspard said she wasn’t there to ask for a raise, but would ask for an end to the freeze on the division’s pay scale. Teachers by nature are self-sacrificing, she said, but they’re “getting a little tired of sacrificing.” “Those pesky bills keep arriving every month,” she said, adding that some relief would make teachers happy. “Happy teachers make happy students, and happy students learn better.” Bruton High School teacher Helen Riley suggested slight changes to the calendar could give teachers some help where they need it. Moving two August work days to January could help teachers prepare for a new semester of classes at the schools implementing the hybrid 4x4 schedule, she said. Moving Para-educators' days closer to the beginning of the year could be a big help, too, she added. Follow the budget process and read the proposal here.
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Comments
I forgot to say that I have no more time to converse here. I wish you well despite our differences of opinion on the value of teachers!
Taxpayer and Teacher
I also work in York County, but do not live in York County. And I would have to say that in my view, endeavoring to educate students to be contributing and successful members of the community (despite the fact that it may be a different county), is in fact "contributing to the collective economy". Furthermore, I am no less hard-working simply because I live in a different district. And, as far as I can determine, most of the teachers with whom I work are hardworking also. Some of them do seek degrees for advancement in salary or status - this is no different from any other job.
I do not believe that Ms. Gaspard said that she was incapable of doing her job in any way. Furthermore, as I know her professionally, I can tell you that she does an excellent job. She makes the point that people who feel that they are being adequately compensated are more likely to work harder. This is a generally held business tenet, actually. When one studies business models, one discovers that there is both a standards demand ethic as well as an attempt to respect the needs of the workers. I do not see evidence that she is claiming that she cannot do her job.
Now, I will also say this. I agree that anyone - teacher or not - who has a job at present should be very happy about it. This does not stop the football players from asking for more money or anyone else. I restate my earlier comment - we can all, as a society, politely (i.e. without disrespecting the work of others) work together to try to get our budget under control. Or not. This will be our society's choice. I have worked in a county in which teachers voted to reduce their pay rather than to further cut needed staff. Why? In addition to their loyalty to their co-workers needs for a living, the research on teacher to student ratio is clear in this country. Teachers recognize this the minute their classrooms go over 15 students (in the research, not sure who actually HAS a classroom like that!) - quite simply, the time they have to spend "per student" is less with every student added.
I do not know what job you do, nor the commitment with which you do it, nor the pay which you receive. I hope that you have a rewarding job (which teaching, BTW, is - every day, those smiles are worth a million bucks); I hope that you are paid well enough to live gracefully.
Peace to you - probably can't change your mind. But, I do hope that the students that I am currently educating will have the power to change the world and make it better for everyone!
I will take you at your word on the number of hours that you claim to work. Having known many teachers in my many years of life, I can say with certainty, that most are not as driven as you appear to be. Of my teacher friends who have furthered their education, they did so in an effort to move to higher paying jobs within the education system.
The WY article mentions Pam Gaspard, who stood before the school board and told them that because she is an unhappy teacher, she will be unable to properly teach her students. Ms. Gaspard works for the York County taxpayers. A check of public records show that she makes just under $50,000 per year and she is not a resident of York County.
Here we have a teacher who has admitted in public, that she is incapable of properly performing her job. A job that pays excellent money of which she contributes nothing to the York County local economy, because at the end of the day she returns to her home in another city or county.
It makes me wonder just how many of our teachers actually live in the county. It is easy to demand that my taxes be raised, even though I have no children in the system, when you live in another area. You have no skin in the game.
Does Pam Gaspard speak for the entire teaching staff of York County? If so, then perhaps we are in fact, paying too much money to `unhappy' teachers. We can eliminate layoffs by cutting all salaries by 5%. There are 1792 employees in the school system. This would add up to considerable savings and lessen the burden on already cash strapped taxpayers. Our salaries haven't risen either, and in many cases have been cut.
Teachers need to quit complaining and realize how fortunate they are to be employed. The unhappy ones need to find employment elsewhere. We cannot afford them in York County!
Comments like this should just be ignored.
Mr. Taxpayer, I cannot imagine what kind of a teacher you must have been to believe that sitting around is what good teachers do. That was too bad for your students.
Many people who work in public service have not received raises lately. This will likely be extending into the federal government soon. Never-the-less, requesting a raise is not unusual in any sector of employment, particularly as the cost of living increases. People who go into education do not generally go into the field to get rich, but like all people who are educated and work hard, hope for growth in their income.
Personally, I believe that our country is likely to experience a significant humbling with regard to our standard of living. I further feel that we can do this gracefully and work together to get through it; or fight it out rudely. We can choose. Every person is trying to survive a changing financial situation, including teachers who perhaps purchased homes like so many when the bubble was high.
I hope we can choose to work together to solve our very complex financial concerns.
Pam Gaspard's statement about happy teachers make happy students, is nothing more then a veiled threat to the School Board as well as county parents. Ms. Gaspard needs to be one of the teachers that is being eliminated. This is the very attitude that has schools closed in Wisconsin, while their teachers work the picket lines.
Public Safety and Education has always relied on scare tactics to force taxpayers into demanding more money from their representatives . There will be crime in the streets and all of our children will be stupid, if we don't get all of the money that we want. That is CRAP!
York schools are top notch because of the class of citizens that live here. Our streets are safe for the same reason. What would happen to both if we started busing in students from Newport News or Hampton? Lousy schools and gang activity rampant. Teachers in York County have it easy.
We cannot sustain our level of spending in York. When the economy was strong and house assessments were climbing through the roof, instead of refunding money to the taxpayer, York and School Board staff's treated our tax money as a windfall. They bought new toys and committed us to expenses that we will have to pay for years to come. House values are falling now and businesses are closing their doors, but the commitments that were made are still in place. Many of our Senior Citizens are paying more in taxes each month then their house payment is or was. Taxes will have to rise, unless we cut back. Just like every private homeowner and business has had to do. The cuts that Eric Williams has proposed is just the tip of the iceberg. Every county department will have to sacrifice. There has to be many more layoffs and cutbacks.
Compared to most employees in private business, our teachers are doing quite well. If, as Ms. Gaspard has suggested, they cannot keep our kids happy, then they need to leave teaching and enter the real world with the rest of us.
They think they are unhappy now.....
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!
Oh stop you're killing me!!!!
BAAAAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!