Meals tax money - 4th grade strings - Immersion - where the money goes...!!

[Anonymous]

So, yesterday we learned that the retired FCPS teachers get a cost of living adjustment each year of 3%, regardless of what inflation actually is. This year they are getting a 2% raise WHILE RETIRED! The County employees (retired) get a cola of 1%. The Federal retirees and social security recipients get a 0.3% cola. This just isn't right.

I sat next to two ladies advocating for the 4th grade strings program and immersion programs - these programs are threatened every year with budget cuts and the supporters are tireless in their advocacy to protect these programs. At the same time they are trying to find a few million dollars to provide language and music instruction for thousands of students we learned that the RETIRED teachers are being granted RAISES!!

Every other retirement program in the County bases their cost of living adjustment on actual inflation (CPI - the Consumer Price Index), to protect the benefit from erosion by inflation. Only the supplemental pension plan for FCPS provides actual raises each year to their retirees. This costs the County hundreds of millions of dollars and diverts resources from the programs that make our schools so special.

Call, text or email the Board of Supervisors and the School Board and ask them to change the cola for retirees to the CPI - same as all the other County and State retirement plans - and free up more money for strings and languages and other important programs!

To send email to the School Board - https://fcpsinfo.fcps.edu/arsys/forms/CASEAPPROD/FCPS%3ASBSOPortal/Direct+Admin+View/?F846870934=null&usertimezone=America%2FDetroit&cacheid=e829b6c

Clerk of the School Board: [e-mail] 571-423-1060

The Clerk to the Board of Supervisors Email: [e-mail] - Telephone: [phone]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, yesterday we learned that the retired FCPS teachers get a cost of living adjustment each year of 3%, regardless of what inflation actually is. This year they are getting a 2% raise WHILE RETIRED! The County employees (retired) get a cola of 1%. The Federal retirees and social security recipients get a 0.3% cola. This just isn't right.

I sat next to two ladies advocating for the 4th grade strings program and immersion programs - these programs are threatened every year with budget cuts and the supporters are tireless in their advocacy to protect these programs. At the same time they are trying to find a few million dollars to provide language and music instruction for thousands of students we learned that the RETIRED teachers are being granted RAISES!!

Every other retirement program in the County bases their cost of living adjustment on actual inflation (CPI - the Consumer Price Index), to protect the benefit from erosion by inflation. Only the supplemental pension plan for FCPS provides actual raises each year to their retirees. This costs the County hundreds of millions of dollars and diverts resources from the programs that make our schools so special.

Call, text or email the Board of Supervisors and the School Board and ask them to change the cola for retirees to the CPI - same as all the other County and State retirement plans - and free up more money for strings and languages and other important programs!

To send email to the School Board - https://fcpsinfo.fcps.edu/arsys/forms/CASEAPPROD/FCPS%3ASBSOPortal/Direct+Admin+View/?F846870934=null&usertimezone=America%2FDetroit&cacheid=e829b6c

Clerk of the School Board: [e-mail] 571-423-1060

The Clerk to the Board of Supervisors Email: [e-mail] - Telephone: [phone]

Thank you. This is important information.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for posting this update, OP. Fourth grade strings does matter. If FCPS cuts it entirely, those teachers, if they have seniority, could bump MS and HS orchestra teachers and take their jobs. I'm all for seniorityrights but frankly putting a teacher, who has taught mostly elementary kids, in charge of MS and HS orchestras, could create real problems with orchestra program quality at those levels, and in time the whole orchestra program could end up jeopardized if it's weakened at the MS/HS levels. Someone's going to come on and flame away about how "We should cut all orchestra, band, art, drama and just do reading, writing and arithmetic!' and so on. Don't care. Parents with kids in orchestra, band, art and drama know what those courses do for their kids and for schools as a whole. Get vocal and let the board know that WE know there's a much larger impact to this budget than merely "cutting fourth grade strings" indicates. I think the school board either is unaware of or doesn't care about the domino effect this would create.

[Anonymous]

I have no dog in this fight and acknowledge the public pensions are definitely a problem.

But, I also don't think you can reneg on promises made to employees when they were working -- that was part of their compensation.

Also, I don't think operational budget and pension contributions are fungible, as this line of outrage seems to imply.

As for fairness, well, tough.

[Anonymous]

What the heck is wrong with you? There is no meals tax; it was defeated.

I do not know much about the teachers pension plan. But I do know they did not get COLA's during the crisis the last several years.

[Anonymous]

So, you want to tell a bunch of retired public school employees that the county wants to call backsies on the pension program that was part of their benefits package? I am not going to argue that pension programs are sustainable as presently implemented, but the only way to change that is to adjust forward-looking benefits, not stiff retirees.

I am a big proponent of arts programs -- both my DH and I were band nerds from junior high all the way through college, and it was a wonderful, well-rounded experience. I strongly value arts education programs and am pissed when schools seem to have plenty of funding for athletics but not the arts. I will buy from any kid who shows up at my house fundraising for an arts program, whether I know them or not.

I am all for advocacy for these programs, but I think you're taking aim at a source that is unlikely to be touchable based on the pension agreement and should be taking a harder eye at the bloated administration of FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Was a raise during retirement really part of their agreement when they were hired or is this an added bonus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for posting this update, OP. Fourth grade strings does matter. If FCPS cuts it entirely, those teachers, if they have seniority, could bump MS and HS orchestra teachers and take their jobs. I'm all for seniorityrights but frankly putting a teacher, who has taught mostly elementary kids, in charge of MS and HS orchestras, could create real problems with orchestra program quality at those levels, and in time the whole orchestra program could end up jeopardized if it's weakened at the MS/HS levels. Someone's going to come on and flame away about how "We should cut all orchestra, band, art, drama and just do reading, writing and arithmetic!' and so on. Don't care. Parents with kids in orchestra, band, art and drama know what those courses do for their kids and for schools as a whole. Get vocal and let the board know that WE know there's a much larger impact to this budget than merely "cutting fourth grade strings" indicates. I think the school board either is unaware of or doesn't care about the domino effect this would create.

The bumping of teachers is an internal problem that isn't related to budget.

[Anonymous]

I think there is some confusion - the OP noted that the cola was for after retiring, this has nothing to do with salary increases for teachers while working. Also, the benefits that were earned are not impacted. A cola is designed to maintain purchasing power - it is not an additional 'benefit' that is designed to increase the overall compensation as some PP seemed to argue.

I'm all for paying teachers well, and FCPS does pay well, especially after last year's contribution of an additional $44M. In terms of total compensation - salary plus benefits - FCPS ranks at the top of the surrounding school districts. But that doesn't mean that additional raises should be made after retirement. The County and State pension plans increase benefits by CPI and FCPS should do the same.

Adjusting this will free up money that can support some very important programs that otherwise have been identified by the Superintendent's Budget Task Force as high on the list to cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for posting this update, OP. Fourth grade strings does matter. If FCPS cuts it entirely, those teachers, if they have seniority, could bump MS and HS orchestra teachers and take their jobs. I'm all for seniorityrights but frankly putting a teacher, who has taught mostly elementary kids, in charge of MS and HS orchestras, could create real problems with orchestra program quality at those levels, and in time the whole orchestra program could end up jeopardized if it's weakened at the MS/HS levels. Someone's going to come on and flame away about how "We should cut all orchestra, band, art, drama and just do reading, writing and arithmetic!' and so on. Don't care. Parents with kids in orchestra, band, art and drama know what those courses do for their kids and for schools as a whole. Get vocal and let the board know that WE know there's a much larger impact to this budget than merely "cutting fourth grade strings" indicates. I think the school board either is unaware of or doesn't care about the domino effect this would create.

Or maybe they are finally willing to make some cuts and will avoid hearing the "They cried wolf again" comments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there is some confusion - the OP noted that the cola was for after retiring, this has nothing to do with salary increases for teachers while working. Also, the benefits that were earned are not impacted. A cola is designed to maintain purchasing power - it is not an additional 'benefit' that is designed to increase the overall compensation as some PP seemed to argue.

I'm all for paying teachers well, and FCPS does pay well, especially after last year's contribution of an additional $44M. In terms of total compensation - salary plus benefits - FCPS ranks at the top of the surrounding school districts. But that doesn't mean that additional raises should be made after retirement. The County and State pension plans increase benefits by CPI and FCPS should do the same.

Adjusting this will free up money that can support some very important programs that otherwise have been identified by the Superintendent's Budget Task Force as high on the list to cut.

But is this against their original agreement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no dog in this fight and acknowledge the public pensions are definitely a problem.

But, I also don't think you can reneg on promises made to employees when they were working -- that was part of their compensation.

Bingo.

Change the rules for new employees/hires and non-vested employees? Absolutely. But not for retirees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no dog in this fight and acknowledge the public pensions are definitely a problem.

But, I also don't think you can reneg on promises made to employees when they were working -- that was part of their compensation.

Bingo.

Change the rules for new employees/hires and non-vested employees? Absolutely. But not for retirees.

But maybe it isn't a change for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no dog in this fight and acknowledge the public pensions are definitely a problem.

But, I also don't think you can reneg on promises made to employees when they were working -- that was part of their compensation.

Bingo.

Change the rules for new employees/hires and non-vested employees? Absolutely. But not for retirees.

But maybe it isn't a change for them.

One of the proposals appears to be so, per the work session agenda item attachments. I have not viewed the recordings of the entirety of the work session yet as it spans several hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no dog in this fight and acknowledge the public pensions are definitely a problem.

But, I also don't think you can reneg on promises made to employees when they were working -- that was part of their compensation.

Bingo.

Change the rules for new employees/hires and non-vested employees? Absolutely. But not for retirees.

But maybe it isn't a change for them.

Maybe not, but it seems that that detail should be figured out and known before advocating a representative contact campaign about righting some egregious wrong (that can't be touched or isn't actually a wrong), then, right?