Pennsbury contract extension

From the BCCT.

It looks like our new school district overlords are annoying the BCCT editorial board.

Pennsbury contract extension
Information freeze
Before approving a tentative teacher contract extension, officials should have asked taxpayers what they think.

The pay freeze that isn’t really a pay freeze will come up for a vote at Pennsbury’s Feb. 19 school board meeting.

Otherwise known as a teacher contract extension, the pact, if extended, will grow the payroll nearly $2 million. Lucky for taxpayers, who are facing a whopping 10 percent tax hike, the expected retirements of 20 teachers could cut that increase down to about $1.1 million.

Still, the pay freeze will hardly stunt salary increases.

That’s because so-called step increases for years of service and educational attainment will still result in raises for more than half the teachers not at the top of the pay scale, which peaks at $98,222. What’s frozen is the annual acrossthe-board percentage increase.

This has not been the subject of public discussion and won’t be until the teachers ratify the secret agreement. Two points: Why weren’t taxpayers asked what they think before board members decided behind the public’s back to pursue a contract extension? And why is it OK for teachers to discuss the issue but not taxpayers?

District CEO Paul Long, the de facto superintendent, refused to talk to our reporter until teachers ratify the tentative agreement. Nice.

Here’s our suggestion.

Maybe Long won’t talk about the proposed contract extension, but that shouldn’t stop taxpayers from showing up at the next meeting and offering their thoughts. Turns out the next meeting is Feb. 12, this Thursday, at which board members will vote on a revised version of the preliminary budget that includes the pay increase for teachers — which, you know, isn’t really a pay increase.

Can’t make the meeting? Call Long at 215-428-4100, extension 10001, and tell him what you think. Or show up at Fallsington Elementary School, 8 p.m., this Thursday.

Keep this in mind. Not only are real pay freezes happening in the private sector, workers are being hit with pay cuts and layoffs. And every year the cost of health insurance goes up, with most workers now covering 25 to 30 percent of the cost of employer-provided health benefits. At 10 percent, Pennsbury teachers are in a rarified category.

School board members may not be doing taxpayers any favors by extending such a generous deal.