SchoolsThe Davis School District is facing a multiyear, multimillion dollar shortfall due to the state’s economic and budget crisis. Complicating the already problematic nature of the state’s economy is the political impasse that has gripped the state’s budget process. That has meant not only are local districts facing budget cuts, they are dealing with large unknowns. The word leaking out of Sacramento is that the big five have reached a tentative agreement that could be announced today. Many are expected the results of that to be devastating to local governments and schools. As a result of the uncertainty, the district is planning for the worst–budget cuts with zero flexibility. That means pink slips and pay cuts are on the table. Right now the proposal is for a 2.5% cut for teacher salaries.
On Wednesday of last week, the Vanguard interviewed DTA President Cathy Haskell and incoming DTA President Ingrid Salim. You can catch the entire interview here.
This is the first of a two part series. Tomorrow, we will have the district’s response from Associate Superintendent Bruce Colby.
From the teacher’s perspective one of the biggest concerns is to avoid a repeat of last year when there were 114 pink slip notices sent out to teachers.
Ingrid Salim:
“You may recall that despite all of the pink slips that did go out, those are the RIF notices or reduction in work force, that say that teachers might get laid off. They sent out 114 of them. They rescinded I think all of them. They ended up hiring teachers this year because some of them had already found other jobs. So we knew that they were taking a very conservative path last year.”
The teachers hope that we learned something from last year however.
“We think they had learned something about the impact that had had on morale in this district this year, and at least these expectations now, even in the worst case scenario… the expectations are that RIF notices will be much much smaller. Superintendent Hammond was mentioning [Wednesday] twenty-something perhaps and that’s anticipated to even go down or be rescinded after the March 15 date when they have to get out.”
One of the questions that arises is if the district has and is using carryover or reserve money this year to plug some of the gaps, why didn’t they use that money last year.
Igrid Salim likened it to a leaky roof situation and whether you use your savings account to fix the leaky roof or you hold onto in case there is a worse problem down the line.
“You have a savings account, do you fix the leaky roof now or do you keep the savings account because something worse might happen later and just live with the leaky roof? That’s not a fair analogy here, but in the end it is the board who makes the decisions about how to use the money.”
In the end she said, the board felt more comfortable in terms of the overall status of the budget, by sending out pink slip notices to quite a lot of teachers rather than eat into the reserves.
However both teachers felt that this had a hugely detrimental effect on the morale of teachers, the students, the parents, the community and even the board and administration.
“We did learn last year that if you lay people off, even if they’re rehired that it has an enormous price on morale, which in the end has a consequence in the classroom and for education overall. I certainly know that our chief financial officer Bruce Colby and our Superintendent Dr. James Hammond have been incredibly earnest about wanting to not lay off people. They have certainly learned that that was a horrible process to go through.”
One of the key questions facing the district is how much flexibility the district will in dealing with the decreased amount of money.
Ingrid Salim:
“Things are going to be dire in terms the budget coming from the state which we don’t have yet. We have a couple of proposals, the Democrats have one proposal, the Governor has a different one slightly. Each of them have a lot of different factors which will impact how much money we are not getting from the state, not how much we get, but how much they will take back.”
However, regardless of the proposal, we could get something in the way of flexibility.
Cathy Haskell:
“We have looked at flexibility offered in the Governor’s proposal and there’s some in the Democrats’ proposal, but where pretty sure we’re going to get some flexibility.”
The two biggest areas would be an ability to use more of the carryovers from the previous year than we normally would. That would be a chunk of money according to Ms. Haskell. The other chunk would come from class size reduction money, something that the teacher’s would like to avoid even in Davis where that would simply mean going from 20 to 22 students per classroom.
Ingrid Salim explained how the categorical process works.
“Unlike our paycheck that we get every month that we can use however we want, budgets for school districts have little categories that you can only use for specific things, for example, buildings are called facilities money. You can’t use those monies to pay teachers.”
One item that might be cut would be money for new textbooks.
Ms. Salim explained that while the could use new Math and English textbooks, teachers are a much higher priority:
“We do have books, we could use new ones but we don’t *need* them, we need teachers.”
One of the big questions, and one of the things that the board and administration are asking teachers to do is to give up salary and possibly instructional days in order to balance the budget.
For both this seems to be the area of last resort, cutting salaries.
Ingrid Salim:
“We’ve talked long and hard about what we’d be willing to do. The short answer is this: there has been a suggestion that we give up a couple of days of salary, and the other union has been asked the same, and the administrators have been told that they will be expected to do that.”
Cathy Haskell said that cutting two days from the instructional calendar would be approximately one percent pay cut. So a 2.5% pay cut would be the equivalent to five days of instructional time.
Ms. Haskell:
“There are some very interesting discussions about what does it mean to have one less day of school. Or does it mean that we still have that day of school, we just don’t get paid for it.”
Ingrid Salim quickly followed up on that thought:
“So what she’s referring to is a voluntary cut in salary without a reduction in days. That’s another option on the table.”
However, the teachers seem opposed to this option.
“We believe that there are measures that we can still take that on paper will of course balance the budget without us having to give up.”
However, the district seems to feel otherwise and are now moving ahead with a plan to cut 2.5% from salaries. A plan that may not come to fruition depending on what the budget looks like as it announced today (if it announced today).
“Our reasoning is that it’s not just us giving up salaries, which absolutely we are affected by, but it certainly takes away from the educational process in this district. So if take away two days from instructional time, that’s two days students are not in class. If we take two work days from our time, that’s two days that we’re not preparing. We don’t feel that this serves education and we’re not willing to take the hit when there are other things that can be done.”
She continued:
“Unfortunately it would impact real people who already make less than half of what our top administrators make. We don’t really want to point that out all the time, they do a tremendous job. But most of us are parents that have children that live and work in this city. We make the normal salary that teachers make, it’s not off the charts, it’s livable, but it would hurt us, we would feel that particular amount [of cuts].”
However, she said that as a last resort, and there is nothing else that can be done, they would be willing to enter into discussions on this. They simply believe that other options exist at this time.
Ms. Salim continued:
“If we felt we had to do that in order to put the district in a state where it had a balanced budget, I think we’d be willing to talk about that. We really do believe there are ways to begin addressing the budget deficit.”
One of the biggest differences that is emerging between the board and the teachers is the issue of self-qualification. The district is required to show a balanced budget for a full three years. Under normal conditions that is a reasonable requirement. But when you do not actually have a budget, it gets tricky to try to budget for the third year.
As Ingrid Salim put it:
“It’s the absurdity of trying to balance the budget three years out without even a current to really work on. We’re talking about assumptions, putting numbers into a spreadsheet, plugging in equations, to figure out numbers for a budget that we don’t even have.”
The district is moving toward more draconian cuts right now primarily because it is trying to have a positive assessment for 2010-11. The alternative is to balance the budget for this year and next year, and then address the problems with 2010-11 in the future when there is more certainty.
That is the approach the teachers favor.
Ingrid Salim:
“one of the ways that we would advocate that we would make the budget balanced now is what is called a self-qualification. On paper we acknowledge that that third year out we don’t make ends meet. We will deal with that over time. If we self-qualify that way and make a couple of other cuts, there are no cuts necessary right now in order to balance the budget right now. We say that we haven’t balanced it, we acknowledge that…”
She continued:
“We don’t want to cut salaries; we don’t to want to cut people. Let’s allow ourselves to be self-qualified. Let’s allow us to take our reserves down to the legal limit—it’s been hinted that we’d be allowed to drop them further than they are. That’s a little bit nerve wracking because it means you have less in your savings account. We advocate let’s do that first—yes, it’s less conservative, but we believe it’s a better policy to keep people and keep their salaries where they are and allow them to live, than it would be to do anything else.”
The teachers feel respected in this process by administration.
“We’re feeling valued from them [the administrators]. We’re not completely sure that the board understands all of that. But then we acknowledge that none of them are fiscal experts. They are all people donating their time mostly to serve in this capacity. We really appreciate the amount of time and energy that they put in trying to wrap their minds around pretty big issues. It’s quite a lot for them to take in in small amounts.”
Last year, the district tried like the plague to avoid self-qualifying. The fear was that the county would take over the school district and that would be a horrific outcome, we would lose out autonomy.
“Last year, don’t self-qualify… the county will come in… They heard this over and over. So they took action that was very conservative to prevent that. This year, they’re hearing the sky won’t fall in, it will be okay.”
It is difficult to understand why that has changed now. However, according to the teachers, what has changed is the fiscal circumstance of the state.
Cathy Haskell was actually willing to take more of a chance last year rather than face the wrath of 114 layoff notices.
“I think it has to do with your level of risk that you have to take… 30% of the school districts last year ended up doing not a positive certifications. This year with the numbers the way they look it is for me not a surprise to hear that self-qualifying keeps you from doing some things that maybe you don’t want to do. I was actually ready last year to take more risk, but as a collection of people we couldn’t get there. I think we’re in a much different place this year, knowing that it’s not about this year, it’s not about next year, it’s about the second year out. Last year we were actually talking about the current year.”
One of the things that has changed is that the process was horrible that no one wants a repeat of that scenario this year.
As Ingrid Salim explained, the entire point of self-qualifications is to prevent districts from mismanaging their money. During an economic crisis when the state is drastically cutting back its funding for local districts, counties are not going to immediately assume that districts are in the red in year three because of fiscal mismanagement. This is particularly true for districts that have a good track record.
“We’re looking at something like 70 percent of districts in the state of California who might be doing that. That’s just a reflection of not having a budget now, not having assumptions, and seeing that there’s no way to make it balance in three years unless you cut your staff.”
As Cathy Haskell put it, the problem this year is the state’s revenue stream to local districts, not our fiscal management.
“Last year we chose to show that we had a positive certification. And to be positive it means you have to show that all three years you will be in a positive cash flow.
This year the trouble isn’t how we’re organized as a school district, it’s the funding from the state. With the Governor’s projection of what the budget for the state will be, I don’t know a district in the state that won’t be in trouble the second year out. Most of them will be trouble next year. We now have some of that cushion of Q and W, but nobody has a cushion for a 16% cut.”
Igrid Salim continued:
“Both from Bruce Colby’s understanding of what this means and the circumstances and the landscape changing, a self-qualification today isn’t going to mean the same thing that it meant a year ago.”
Moreover, the hope is that seeing actual numbers will produce less drastic results.
“We want to wait and see how the budgets are going to really come in over the next year, and then we’ll accommodate that. We know that counties now are going to look at that and say okay, they’re thinking about that, they’re on top of it, they’re not losing it, they’re not going to be going bankrupt… So the reigns are a little bit more lax.”
Ms. Salim also believes that because so many districts are facing these fiscal problems, that counties will be more reluctant to intervene, having not the resources to do so. In the worst case scenario, the county could hire an accountant to oversee the district’s books. But she played down even this possibility.
“We don’t expect that to happen because there will be so many in this situation and because it’s a reasonable situation now. If we were flush with money, it wouldn’t be reasonable to be self-qualifying.”
One thing both agreed upon is that there is no way to cut our budget without deep cuts. The bad news is that we do not have a lot of pork and extra programs that can simply be cut. So any cut that the district makes will be painful.
Tomorrow we will see that the district does not agree with some of these assessments by the teachers, particularly with regards to self-qualification and also cuts to teacher salaries.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
Top administrators have said they would accept twice as big a cut as teachers so teachers should propose a 50% cut but include all administrators. This would wipe out the salaries of those at the top. In addition the teachers should then propose that all additional money be added back in on an equal per-capita basis. In the end the there would be plenty of money for teaching salaries while balancing the budget on the backs of the administration instead of out of the hide of the teachers.
The economy is going to get worse before it gets better. States are funded by taxes on residents' income and spending, both of which are dropping and will continue to drop before there is improvement. States will have more severe budget problems next year and the year after than they have this year. The economic crisis for school districts is not going to go away before the district has to come up with a real budget for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. Self-qualifying would simply delay the inevitable, while risking county intervention.In principle, I agree with the teachers that class sizes should not increase, no teachers should be laid off, and teacher salaries should not be cut. As a practical matter, DTA should decide which of these alternatives is the least unpalatable. They should be thrilled if the only cost to teachers is a 2.5% salary reduction. The state furlough amounts to a 10% salary reduction for state employees — and there will be state layoffs besides that.
Oh really, what percent of the budget goes to administration? Certainly much more then 2.5%. While I recognize that Hammond is trying to lead by example, 5% of 200,000 is much less painful than 2.5% of 50,000. How about the people at the top cut 20 times as much in total compensation as the people at the bottom. Who still ends up making ends meet with less? If you want to talk about being cute let us see who gets hurt more by Hammond's leadership. If we're going to spread the pain around let's really spread it around. Taking twice the cut when you have more then twice the disposable income is more of a synbolic gesture than a serious equal spreading of the economic pain.
As Robin points out state furloughs amount to 10% of salary. District administrators should be thrilled they are only taking a 5% cut. Of course people on this blog being so willing to accept pay cuts for teachers shouldn't be a surprise anyone. The antipathy towards working people including teachers, firefighters and city workers is well documented throughout the history of this blog. Now you want to preserve the educational quality of the Davis schools on the backs of the teachers. How about we raise class sizes and use old books and cut muscle and bone out of the programs or pony up even more money. Why is paying for educational excellence the responsibility of the teachers. Davis demands a first class education even if it means their teachers should pay for it.
Math Teacher,Get off your high horse. While we certainly have been graced with a few excellent teachers at DJUSD we have also had some that were mediocre at best. It is the overwhelming amount of parental involvement in Davis that leads to educational excellence. 2.5% is a pittance compared to what others are sacrificing. Consider it a tax for only working 9 months of the year. When you get your pink slip why don't you take the hint and leave? I'm sure you will find something better out there if you can truly deliver …educational excellence….
I think you oversimplify it anonymous. In some ways, it is a tough job in Davis because of the parental involvement. I agree that's a key. I'm not sure that means we only have mediocre teachers.Regardless, you're still talking a group of people who on the whole make less than market rate given their level of education and expertise. I'm not comfortable with dismissing the contributions of teachers.Do I agree with them on this issue? Stay tuned…
In terms of the economy, I am generally conservative. But at this juncture the larger picture really requires that we have some faith in a recovery, including acts like self qualification. Otherwise continuing recession, devolving into a depression, becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. Just as introducing money into the local econmy has a multiplier effect, so does extracting it.Given the expense of living in Davis, we do need to strive to maintain and increase the wages of working folks like teachers. But we also need to support the living wage issue in a way that is tolerable to small business owners but doesn't allow larger employers to pay wages to workers in Davis that forces them to commute from outlying locations. We should encourage the ability of other workers in our community to be in unions through support of the Employee Free Choice Act.
…The antipathy towards working people including teachers, firefighters and city workers is well documented throughout the history of this blog….That comment is not accurate – this blog has supported Davis education and teachers. You are correct about firefighters – they get a very good compensation/benefit package and therefore they are easy targets during tough timesMoving on – the economic situation will get worse before it gets better. I work for a Fortune 500 company
Math teacher replies: Anon your argument is Davis, love it or leave it. You think teachers should sacrifice but what are you giving up? At least Hammond is going through the motions of sacrifice. As for the tax for working nine months of the year we pay that every summer since we are paid for only the days we work and it is amoritized over 12 months so obviously you are just another no nothing when it comes to school finance. Finally, if you think I am so replacable I think you should make that argument to the people who run the schools because if they were honest they would laugh in your face. Why? Because credentialed math teachers are the hardest people to find when you need a new one. The only people in education harder to find are special ed teachers. So you want me to get off the high horse I'll be happy to when you get your grubby slimy hand out of my pocket.
The university is going through a similar process in the form of getting rid of majors and departments, collapsing others and getting rid of the extra staff and faculty. They are cutting back on the number of students that they will be accepting = fewer jobs for people. Expect people to be laid off. If given a choice, I bet people would willing reduce hours or even a pay cut, instead of not having a job.
What is the great fear if we self-qualify? So what if the county takes over? Why is that such a horrible thing? I need to know what the fearmongering is all about.I would also comment that this blog was critical of Woodland schools, saying Davis schools are so much better off. Can't see it, based on what you wrote today about the predicament of Davis schools, DPD. Neener, neener, neener hardly seems appropriate.Teachers taking a 2.5% pay cut is grim, since they do not make huge wages. Administrators ought to take a 10% pay cut at the very least. There is a huge difference between making $50K a year, and $150K. Furthermore, Bruce Colby is just giving back the raise he was given in the middle of a fiscal crisis. Big deal. The administrators taking a pay cut is largely symbolic.I would assume teachers would rather take a 2.5% pay cut, than have masses of pink slips go out. Mass rendering of pink slips is demoralizing, and self defeating I might add. Pink-slipped teachers will search for jobs elsewhere, which is exactly what happened last year. Stupid move – it would seem self-qualification would have been a better move.Can you believe the school district is borrowing $4 million to renovate the DHS stadium? Did I read that correctly in the Emptyprise? I cannot believe the school district would be irresponsible enough to borrow now, in this awful economic climate.Also, if the teachers think they have a better answer than the pay cuts, let's hear them out. I'm willing to listen. The question is – is the School District/Board willing to listen with an open mind. Or do they always know best – NOT!!! IMHO they exemplify the height of arrogance. Instituting a course in …Baroque Chamber Music…, borrowing millions to renovate DHS stadium, giving a 5% raise to Bruce Colby in the middle of a fiscal crisis are just the most recent examples.
…Instituting a course in …Baroque Chamber Music…,…I don't get this comment. Do you suggest cutting the music program? Get rid of more specialized smaller groups like Madrigals or Jazz band?The music program definitely has the enrollment to sustain everything and more. With the passage of Measure W, the music program will actually continue to grow.
My View said,…IMHO they exemplify the height of arrogance. Instituting a course in …Baroque Chamber Music…, borrowing millions to renovate DHS stadium, giving a 5% raise to Bruce Colby in the middle of a fiscal crisis are just the most recent examples….Your opinion doesn't seem to be very Humble. The Baroque music class has been labeled by some as an elite class, yet it will be well-attended and will take some of the pressure off of the too-large orchestra classes. Mr. Moreno is doing this because of high interest and it takes nothing, including money, away from other classes. As far as the stadium goes, that is too much money for so few events per year. Reburbish the benches, get in portable bathrooms (many bathrooms at the school are locked during the school day, so this one wouldn't be open for regular student use), and make it work until we can afford to fix it. And won't the stadium improvements be built over part of the daVinci site anyway?
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…I would also comment that this blog was critical of Woodland schools, saying Davis schools are so much better off. Can't see it, based on what you wrote today about the predicament of Davis schools, DPD….Then you're not looking at the numbers very closely. Davis is not going to be laying people off. Woodland is.I'd wager a bet, call both district finance directors and ask who they'd rather be fiscally, Woodland or Davis. If either one says Woodland, I'll confess the error of my ways on the front page.
…I bet people would willing reduce hours or even a pay cut, instead of not having a job….9:50:They said as much in this article.
Woodland is going to have some layoffs. Probably so using the info we have today but I would be surprised if they give out the numbers of pink slips Davis did last year. Woodland is doing everything it can to soften the blow. If it wasn't for the largesse of the Davis Schools Foundation Davis would be in much worse shape than Woodland. Also the demographics of Woodland are so different from Davis they become hard to compare just look at the number of children living in poverty as a percentage of student population. Providing services to these students is expensive. Hopefully the title I money in Obama's plan will cushion Woodland teachers from too many layoffs.
Do you mean broke music? The 4 million is in anticipation of selling Grande. It is restricted to facilities. It can't be used for salaries. I wouldn't borrow it in this real estate market I'd wait until it sells but they seem comfortable with the risk.
Math teacher said: Where do you think I live? I didn't say it was bad I just don't want to give back to educate your kids. How would you like to have your pay cut $2000. I don't like people putting their hand in my pocket. I don't do it to others but for some reason people on this blog have no problem sticking their hand into other peoples pockets.
I had my salary cut 15% in 2002 to keep all of the company employed, and it hasn't increased since…
anon 12:57ADon't embarrass yourself by admitting how little you make. If you think $78,000 is good pay consider this it wouldn't even qualify you for a mortgage in Davis.
DPD and this blog has been very supportive of Davis Schools…..in light of the Bruce Colby fiasco and the stadium issue, I doubt that many of us would consider 'poor Davis schools'….understand about the teachers but everyone is suffering in this economy….and understand it wasn't the teachers who decided on Colby's raise or the stadium, but we are faced with the whole package. And I am not very supportive of the Da Vinci move and charter. Think the grant money is perhaps true for beginning but not long term as with any grant. The reasons for the charter given by the many students at the Board mtgs were …too crowded… …have to walk, etc….. Not very convincing to me.
…DPD and this blog has been very supportive of Davis Schools….SODA–who has not been supportive of Davis Schools?
Anon 13:22,I guess a lot of households in Davis should be embarrassed.Estimated median household income in 2007: $61,838 (it was $42,454 in 2000).Source: http://www.city-data.com/city/Davis-California.ht… would it be embarrassing to make under 78K? Are you some type of elitist? I bet you are one of those who wouldn't send your children to Valley Oak because of all the minorities but now send them to Korematsu. Good for you.
to Mike 3:33,My point was that I disagreed with earlier poster who indicated DPD not supportive of Davis schools. e went out of his way to support W, etc. Some of the rest of us were more skeptical….and now with the reasons I stated, even more skeptical…that's all!
…The antipathy towards working people including teachers, firefighters and city workers is well documented throughout the history of this blog….I want to be clear, this is a diverse blog. I don't have antipathy for anyone. I have been critical of City of Davis policies with regards to total compensation for firefighters and other upper management of the city. I have long been a very strong proponent of both unions and working people. I strongly believe that teachers are underpaid. I am also fearful that fiscal mismanagement primarily by the city, in the past by the school district, and by the state, will lead to a loss of vital services and harm both working people and people who rely on services from their government.
Does anyone realize, that in professional classes, that people may be classified as 'management' (to avoid the entity's obligation to pay overtime to non-management) are 'workers' themselves, not just 'deskworkers'? Or, are people thinking of …workers… as only those whose bodies are 'tasked', or do they include those whose minds, training, and professional abilities are called into play?
…While we certainly have been graced with a few excellent teachers at DJUSD we have also had some that were mediocre at best. It is the overwhelming amount of parental involvement in Davis that leads to educational excellence….Define, please: what's the difference between a mediocre teacher and an excellent one? What criteria are used to arrive at this definition. Teaching is in many ways an entirely subjective profession.
…Define, please: what's the difference between a mediocre teacher and an excellent one? What criteria are used to arrive at this definition. Teaching is in many ways an entirely subjective profession….If you don't mind, I'll take a crack at your question, even if it was a rhetorical reply to that other poster.My belief is that, from a student's standpoint, who is a good or a mediocre or even a bad teacher is subjective, just as you say. By that I mean a teacher who has a class of 30 may be rated average or worse by 25 of the students, but to 5 of them that teacher may be truly an inspiration, the one person in their lives who was a role model or a muse who helped them see where they want to go in life and what they need to do to get there. Other than in surveying for the subjective views of all 30 kids and asking them if a certain teacher inspired them, you cannot really measure that quality in a teacher, and it often is a very important quality — particularly when a kid lacks direction or motivation. It might even be the case that a student who rates the teacher the highest — who personally got the most out of being in that class — failed the course. The value of that inspiration isn't measured necessarily by tangible short-term achievements.However, from a broader, societal perspective, the performance of most teachers can be objectively measured. They can be rated by the principal vis-a-vis their peers, based on the criteria of progress that the principal sets forth. Or, if there are reasonably good standardized tests, from an outside perspective you can rate teachers based on how much progress their students make in a given subject area, from the time they enter a teacher's classroom until the time they leave. If a teacher inherits a group which on average is scoring, say, in the 50th percentile in math, and that group graduates his classroom scoring in the 90th percentile, he was a success. (I realize not all subject areas are so easily quantified.)I claim no pedagogical expertise. So if you think I'm off-base, please let me know what you believe I've got wrong.
…… I claim no pedagogical expertise. ………Rich , are you claiming to be a virgin ?
No, but I flew Virgin Atlantic once.
At the risk of being labeled another …Salad Shouter,… could the district save an appreciable amount of money by stopping the Crunch Lunch salad bar -every day- at Korematsu? For some reason, that school is the only elementary school in the district who gets it every day. The other elementary schools get it twice a week.For the record, I support the Crunch Lunch program, though do not understand why Korematsu gets it every day.
My understanding and I'm sure I'll get corrected if this is wrong, the district (a) already funds crunch lunch through Q and (b) the costs are largely a wash due to sales increase over the previous program.
The administration does not make enough money to balance it on their backs. That and the district wouldn’t function without staff. I know you think you’re being cute, but this is isn’t the time for it.
Of course people on this blog being so willing to accept pay cuts for teachers shouldn’t be a surprise anyone. The antipathy towards working people including teachers, firefighters and city workers is well documented throughout the history of this blog.I agree with your assessment as it applies to firefighters and city workers. I note that bloggers seem more inclined to make an exception for school teachers. This community does appreciate its teachers.The biggest …industry… and employer in town is connected with education. Note the DSF fundraising last spring, and the history of passing parcel taxes for education. I may be wrong, but I don’t think Davis has passed a parcel tax to support firefighters.
Folks, no threats of violence. No name calling. You can have a spirited debate on what is obviously a hot topic and still be civil.
…I bet people would willing reduce hours or even a pay cut, instead of not having a job…….9:50: DGThey said as much in this article….They said DISCUSS it. The morale for the teachers may have been better last year if they had been willing to DISCUSS it then and support their peers, but they really weren’t willing to go even that far concerning a future increase.
Math teacher,It doesn’t matter if your paycheck is amortized or not. 50-70K/year for 9 months of work isn’t bad.In regards to my slimy hand in your pocket now you know how the taxpayer feels. I’ve given and given up plenty but you can bet it won’t be to the DSF anymore. Try living in the real world where, unless you are a Wall street fat cat, there isn’t a taxpayer to bail you out.
I think I could live on $78,000 a year. Let’s see, if you worked an actual 12 months that would be $104,000. Not bad.