PCTA SUMMER eACTION 7.15.2010

PCTA Summer eAction

Vol. 2, Issue 2                                  July 15, 2010

Bargaining Begins – PCTA Says NO to Unpaid Leave!

Formal negotiations began today with the district over issues related to the 2010-11 school year. The district presented proposals on provisional contract status for new hires, an early retirement incentive plan (ERIP), health insurance and mandatory unpaid leaves (formerly known as furloughs). Counterproposals will be presented to district negotiators as early as next week.

The district offered a retirement incentive plan that would be available to instructional personnel on at least the 25th step of the salary schedule or in their first two years of DROP. The proposal was to provide a taxable incentive of $24,000 paid over three annual installments in September of 2010-12. As an initial counter, the Association proposed a $30,000 incentive over the same time period in order to encourage those teachers who are covering their spouse on the Humana Health Insurance plan. The ERIP would save the district approximately $2 million if 100 teachers and school-based administrators choose the option. This issue must be decided promptly to enact it for the full 2010-11 school year. Stay tuned.

The Health Insurance proposal has been previously discussed by the Bargaining Leadership Team. Proposed are some design changes to the insurance plan and increased employer and employee premiums for the 2010-2011 calendar year, but considerably less if there are no design changes. This proposal saves $2.3 million from the initial Humana renewal. The Bargaining Leadership Team (BLT) consisting of all four employee unions and the Administrators Association, must reach consensus on insurance at their July 26th meeting.

The school district is working to reduce its operating budget by $26 million to meet revenue expectations. The proposed 2010-11 continuing expenses being used in the budget proposal include, the cost for step increases previously negotiated for the 2010-11 school year. Items currently being considered by the School Board, for reductions leave the district $8 million short of meeting their cut goal. The district solution, as proposed to PCTA, provides for mandatory unpaid leave for all PCS employees. The impact on the PCTA unit would be 3 days for 10-month instructional - and 4 days for 11.5 or 12 month instructional personnel. PCTA President Kim Black said emphatically, “We can not seriously consider unpaid leave. Anything like that would have to be imposed.” Teachers have been hardest hit by this fiscal crisis over the previous two years. As teachers absorb a loss of $168 due to continued decline in property tax values impacting referendum collections, it is unconscionable to ask for more from teachers! The School Board must look at other ways to reduce costs and must look at their reserves as part of a final agreement on our contract.

PCTA and the district will return to the table on July 26th.  Efforts to resolve the Early Retirement Incentive will continue prior to that meeting.

School Board Budget Hearing – July 27th

The first 2010-11 budget hearing will be held on July 27th at 7:00 P.M. At this meeting, the Board must present its initial budget proposal to the public. The local property tax millage must also be presented. The current budget under consideration (with the $26 million deficit) assumes the School Board will once again levy the optional 0.25 mill. Without that levy, the deficit is just over $40 million. The final 2010-11 budget will be approved in September.

We encourage PCTA members to spend a few hours at the July 27th budget hearing. Call the office at 727-585-6518 if you have questions about the meeting.

Attention PCTA Members!

We need your help as PCTA strives to keep members up-to-date on PCTA and Pinellas County Schools activities during the summer. Let PCTA members know about the Summer eAction electronic newsletter. They can sign up by calling PCTA at (727) 585-6518 or by e-mail to robin.haines@floridaea.org. They can also access the Summer eAction from the PCTA-PESPA homepage on our website www.pcta-pespa.org. The link can be found in the column on the left side of the homepage.