From the BCCT.
In a completely standard move, the Morrisville board launched another surprise. Attention Morrisville teachers: Yes, YOU! The one with the grey hair and the college diploma chiseled into a stone tablet. We pay you too much and can replace you with someone at half your salary. Thanks for the memories. Now get out. You have one month to decide.
This is mitigated by union prez King mentioning that he initiated the talks and I do not blame him. Looking out for these people is his job. If I had the time in, I'd escape this district too. The chaos and uncertainty this board leaves in its wake is reason enough.
The administration had a hard time finding replacements for teachers one at a time. Can you imagine filling nine spots or more?
Good point. WILL these teachers be replaced? The (patent pending) Do More With Less Magic-8 Ball says *shake*shake*shake* "Fewer seats needed at 2009 staff Christmas party"
Board to offer retirement packages
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
In an effort to save money, the Morrisville school board agreed Wednesday to allow eligible staff members to take advantage of an early retirement incentive plan.
The move, approved 6-2, was not without its critics.
Board members Gloria Heater and Robin Reithmeyer opposed the offer. Reithmeyer said board President William Hellmann had acted on his own to offer the incentive plan and that other board members were not aware of it until last week, several days after Hellmann sent a March 5 letter with incentive plan details to the teachers union.
In addition, the plan was not brought up in a board committee meeting or in executive session, Reithmeyer said.
At Tuesday's meeting, union President Drew King said he had initiated talks with Hellmann and the district by presenting them with a rationale for such a plan.
Hellmann and the administration had responded to King's request and worked closely to come up with a proposal for the union, said district solicitor Michael Fitzpatrick. School code was not broken because their offer could not have gone into effect until a consensus of the board voted on it, he said.
Reithmeyer said Hellmann does not openly let the board know what he is doing and thinking. He said he had communicated his intentions regarding the retirement incentive plan to the board in February.
The incentive plan is valid for full-time permanent professional employees who have had 15 years of continuous service with the district and want to retire on June 30. It offers two options: either a lump sum of up to $70,000 or medical premium reimbursement to age 65, capped at $1,200 per month. That's if nine or more eligible staff members take the offer. The lump sum payment amount will be less if fewer people opt to take the offer.
How much the district would save depends on how many decide to take advantage of the incentive and how and if the district decides to replace them, said Paul DeAngelo, the district's business administrator. Individual teachers have until April 30 to apply.
March 26, 2009 02:11 AM
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Any idea how many teachers are elligible?
The writing is on the wall, as it were. IMHO all elligible teachers will take this option being that in two or three years there may not be a Morrisville School District to work at.
Hmm, which begs the question, when a district disappears, what happens to their pension and health care liability? I'm guessing that it is absorbed by the district they are merging with (if they actually merger and not just fold).
Which, of course, means that Pennsbury gets an addtionaly gift if forced to accept a merge with Morrisville, years of retirement liability.
Or I may be wrong. Anyone want to correct my impression?
By my estimate (and as my failing memory serves me), it would be somewhere in the 8-10 person range, a little more than 10% of the total MEA population.
I would expect you are correct, Borows, that a merger would absorb not only the students and facilities, but all the contracts that are in effect. Those contracts, of course, could be re-negotiated as part of the merge and any re-negotiating would be with the MEA, not the individual retirees. And the MEA would do what is in the best interest of its membership, and that might mean cutting retirement benefits.
The key phrase in the article is, "how and if the district decides to replace them, said Paul DeAngelo."
If.
Borows, I don't have enough information to agree with or refute your impression. So, in honor of the current school board majority, let's just vote on it anyway, whatever way Hellmann wants us to.
If you weren't at last night's meeting and you only read the BCCT article, you wouldn't know that there was a sideshow. Board member Marlys Mihok presented an "award" to school board candidate Ron Stout.
Mihok claimed Stout saved the district over $700,000 by allegedly advising the board not to spend money replacing black pipe that ended up not needing to be replaced. She presented an "award/plaque" on behalf of the entire 9-member school board, even though there was no vote and at least one board member said they were not even aware that such an award was being presented. There also was a photo-op after the meeting ended, with Mihok, Brenda Worob and possibly others, pictured with Ron Stout holding the "award". Photography courtesy of Sharon Hughes. Look for it on a billboard or in campaign literature.
It's no secret that Ron Stout is fast friends with Marlys Mihok, Sharon Hughes, Steve Worob, et al., and that Mihok and fellow board members Bill Hellmann, Brenda Worob, Jack Buckman, and Al Radosti desperately want Ron Stout to win in the May 19th primary election.
In my opinion, the presentation of this dubious and concocted award 1 1/2 months before the primary election was the most blatant and shameless act of political cronyism I've ever had the misfortune to witness. It was a fraudulent attempt to give Ron Stout some kind of credential to make him look better to the electorate. Hopefully it doesn't fool anyone.
Everyone involved with this political stunt, including the recipient, should be ashamed of themselves.
What's up for next month's board meeting - a perfect attendence award for John DeWilde?
Post a Comment