Did the JEA miss an opportunity?
A contract is a contract. Let me begin by agreeing with that statement. And if that were the only consideration facing our community and schools, I would have said there was no reason for the JEA to take advantage of the budget amendment created by Representative Joe Knilans to renegotiate their health care and pension packages.
But that is not the only issue facing our community.
There is likely no way to question the decision of the JEA and be "fair" at the same time, but I want to try.
Lets look at some facts.
First, Act 10 (the budget repair bill) is law. Public employees including teachers, will either as their contracts expire be required, or already are required to make defined minimum contributions to their health insurance and retirement accounts.
Second, the JEA has a valid contract effectively protecting its members from those provisions through 2013.
Third, the numbers I've heard suggest that the overall average impact on take home pay by employees impacted by ACT 10 is generally expected to be between 5-10%.
Fourth, the School District of Janesville will have a budget shortfall in 2012-2013 currently estimated around 9 million dollars.
Considering those facts, I must also add that there has been an increasing amount of "mistrust" in the budgetary numbers provided by the district and school board as those numbers appear to have some significant swings to both the positive and negative.
That said, I can't place the solution to the district's budget woes at the doorstep of the JEA. But I do think they may have missed an opportunity.
Once the budget provision to reopen contracts expires on September 29th, there's no going back. Given the current set of numbers for the current school year, it appears possible to close the budget gap within the district's available resources. That will likely not be the case next school year - and then there is no opportunity for the JEA members to step forward.
The other missed opportunity from my outside perspective, is the one that could have lessened the unpleasant impact of the reduction in take home pay by negotiating to the Act 10 minimums over the course of the next two years, instead of taking it all in one lump when the contract expires.
I know this is an extremely emotional issue to those subject to the impact of Act 10. I also know what a significant reduction in take home pay feels like first hand. So I do not place blame on any public employee (teacher or otherwise) who elects to stay with a previously inked deal. It just seems to me that the JEA has missed an opportunity to build a bridge in our community and project a positive image while perhaps easing the financial burden of inevitable changes for it's membership.
Going forward, however, we are all in this community together. So I believe we need to take this development in stride, knowing that it removes a degree in uncertainty as to the available options and will ultimately point us towards the final resolution to the district's financial shortfalls.
Sep 1, 2011 at 5:19 a.m.
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I must laugh because you sound like a politician talking out of both sides of your mouth - you say "build a bridge in our community" and "project a positive image" - In other words it makes you sound like hard working teachers do not have a positive image. The majority is teachers come early, stay late, do more than what you will ever know. That is unless you are married to one. Over the years I can remember speaking with teachers, school board members, principals, etc that reminded me that teachers would always take a lower salary as they negotiated and the board would make it up to them with health care insurance, money towards retirement, etc - now Walker has taken that away - but not for all - exceptions were made for political purposes to the Fire, Police, etc public servants. That is so very wrong so why don' you talk about that! The teachers of WI have given enough and taking away their voice - collective bargaining - is wrong. We are not some nation run by a dictator that comes in putting the blame on the public worker for the economy and takes away their union voice. That is a POLITICAL MOVE THAT TAKES AWAY HIS POLITICAL FOE! Democrat Dennis Kucinich even had Walker admit that taking away the collective bargaining rights (quote from Walker_ "DOESN'T SAVE ANY" Walker did his best to avoid the question, but the truth came out. For Walker it is all about union busting, weakening labor unions, and politics. You cannot have a college dropout making decisons on education when he did not see the need to complete his own. Other blog ideas for you: 1. What did the Marqette University student newspaper say about Walkers election campaign when he was a student. 2. Real reasons he left Marquette 3. Koch phone call - the prank 4. As a County Executive Walker fired the union security and hired private security - Wackenhut - same ones from Afghanistan. 5. Bears- Stearns bidding contract to restructure Milwaukee co, debt. while a county executive.
Aug 31, 2011 at 9:29 a.m.
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A deal is a deal. Time to pony up the $55
Janesville taxpayers. I am a Janesville property tax payer.
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