VOTE "NO" ON BIAS & DISCRIMINATION

It is passed the time for the "elders" to speak up. The younger teachers need to wake 'em and shake 'em.

Unless you have switched your retirement plan from the defined option, your retirement benefits are based on your last 5 years salary. WAKE UP elders! The $1000.00 bonus in the proposed settlement is AGAIN $232 LESS than what 2% represents. Do the math.

It is $232 LESS toward your retirement benefit! Do the math.

IF the district does this it will reduce the total amount of your benefits by $1392 over the 3 years you are stalled at the "longevity step".

That's right: before you retire it will cost you $1392 in your benefit formula.

This has now become a standard. Over the 5 years before you retire it will cost you $1392 in your benefit formula. I haven't examined D.R.O.P. implications.

If we allow this it will cost you ($232 x 3 years = $696) this time. PLUS $464 ($232 x 2) + $232 ($232 x 1) Total = $1392

$1000 is 1.6% NOT 2%. It does include future salary increases but also affects the future salary increases since the percentage increase is based on a lower figure every year!

Come on elders - wake up and call the lawyers. You are being discriminated against based on your age!!!!

You will be "short" EVERY RETIREMENT CHECK FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

This is how you are rewarded for your loyalty and experience.

Are there that many of you old-timers?

There must be. The scale is being compressed in stages through 2011.

Look HERE

Perhaps somebody smarter than me can interpret the "what" and "why".

Perhaps someone can explain why CTA has let this happen. Yvonne? Jean??

VOTE IT DOWN!
IT'S YOUR FUTURE!

Lamb, John R.
Agency Name: Hillsborough Co School Board

* Salary in 06-07: $40,252.32
* Monthly retirement payment: $6,921.15
* "Retired" in: 2/1/1996

Edgecomb, Doretha W.
Agency Name: Hillsborough Co School Board

* Salary in 06-07: $40,252.32
* Monthly retirement payment: $4,279.63
* "Retired" in: 10/1/1996
Ref.

A CENTIPEDE WITH ATHLETE'S FOOT

Photo: www.matthewktabor.com
Stallin For Time?

Board Meeting

Haven't made it through a complete "showing" yet so please check back.

WHY "Jenny" CAN'T READ.
For God's sake Ms. Faliero, gather your wits before you speak. Shouldn't the person running the meeting actually know how? Could it be you are more sympathetic to Lee DeCesare because your deliveries are so alike? If I ran my classroom like you run the meetings my principal would have me removed before the kids ate me alive.

MOST PATHETIC PLAY FOR VOTES
This award goes to Carol Kurdell, for her transparent plea to the superintendent hoping that “something could be done for our people”. Yeah Carol, who woke you up? Steve Gorman?

TRANSPORTATION
Between the budget reading and the busing CYA preamble, I get groggy. From the trenches, it seems like the class size amendment has really taken its toll. Coupled with our politicians insistence on underfunding education and mandating all kinds of unfunded programs this was bound to happen.
Superintendent takes a bonus, district tries to cover labor costs with million dollar software, teachers forced to replace conference period with extra class, bus drivers are paid 9 bucks an hour, etc, etc. Your kids don't know what the yellow hound will do and neither do you.

The problem is systemic. Responsibilities get heaped on those who used to be effective. Everyone has now reached saturation. There is no time to ponder and examine your decisions. You must manage the crisis du jour and let the rest go until they reach crisis. Does anyone really think that Joe Franklin got up every morning thinking "Let's REALLY screw up today."

Did you hear between the lines? Who do they have answering the phones on the phone bank? Supervisors and management! Who's doing their work while they try and quell the public anger? Clericals? They get what? $8 an hour?


Steve Otto's Springboard column and the district's behind the scenes attempt to gin up support for the program has come to light in Matt Tabor's acclaimed education blog.

This is not a defense. You can't be expected to coordinate the roll out of such an all encompassing program across the 8th largest school district in the nation on a shoestring staff. Who do you think we are? WalMart? The "transportation model" failed. Why duplicate it with curriculum?

Meanwhile teachers wait for resources. Of course, Bill Gates can fund the thing but not get his hands dirty in the delivery or management process. College Board? Aren't they the ones who sold us this?

Its only a matter of time. Wait for the rest of the shoes to drop.

PARANOID?

Why is the latest board meeting NOT available to stream? It's last Thursday's meeting. The one immediately after Jack Davis resigned. Reality TV at its best is suspiciously missing?

IT WAS CANCELED WHEN WE GOT FAY-KED OUT. IT IS THIS THURSDAY.

While we wait for its availability perhaps you'd like to amuse yourself with the latest budget amendments.
Click here for budget amendments that are on the table for the September 4th meeting.

The rest of the agenda is here.

Remember, the board is going to "change" our health care contributions. In other words, we will pay more. In other words: our salary will be cut!

NO COLA FOR YOU!

KNOW WHEN TO FOLD 'EM

I do believe that it was Jack's call to walk away.

School board member April Griffin said Elia called her Tuesday afternoon to tell her about Davis. "I was told it was because of his back and his health problems," Griffin said. "I think that's their story and they're sticking to it."

This is why I like April.

Back problems?

As chief information and technology officer, Davis also supervises the district's communications, assessment and accountability, information services, staff development, supplier diversity, and customer service and support.

This kind of "responsibility creep" is daunting. Please read it carefully. His plate was HUGE!

The district continues to pile it on everybody to the point of absurdity. Why hire another employee when we can force a current one at the same rate of pay? Jack saw an escape and took it. I'll bet he also saw the futility of having to work with people he would have preferred to fire but couldn't. Hear the creaking? Its HCPS on the verge of collapse.

...Valdes said. "Blaming it on transportation department head John Franklin would be so unfair. He was given the tools he was given and the staff he had."

April PLEEEEASE tell Susan to think this stuff out.
EVERYONE is EXPECTED to educate the raw material that comes into our class with the tools the district provides! So many of us BUY additional tools and see how bogus her response sounds.!

It was John Franklin's JOB to get the kids to and from school!! If he and his staff were incapable of working with the multimillion dollar bus scheduling software then why is everyone tripping over themselves to overlook it? How many of these folks are remnants of the purchasing department "transfer" when that department hit the skids?

OK I'll say it: "buddy system?", "political correctness?","quota hires?", "gonad challenged?", "estrogen deficit?"

I have had occasion to deal with Jack Davis. He was always a gentleman and professional no matter how pissed we were. I can't help but think "there's something rotten in Denmark".

"Neither Davis nor Elia could be reached for comment Wednesday."

I wonder if they were negotiating with Mike Greco?

SO, HOW WAS YOUR FIRST WEEK?

From a recent post:

Sheesh!!! What a week!! My classes are all huge with more coming--and not enough desks!!! The first day was awful--5-8 kids in my last period class couldn't find an intersection close to their house for the bus. Many parents brought their kids TO school 'cause the bus never came!!!

So, how was YOUR first week? (4 days really)

REMEMBER TO VOTE
(pass it on)

'FAY'KED OUT

Our experience with Hurricane/Tropical Storm Fay is such a metaphor on so many levels.

Its making me reconsider allowing the government to interpret anything for me: from weather to medicine to education to economics. I'm not saying ignore the info. I'm saying don't be so arrogant as to say things like it's a sure thing.

Enjoy the day off and don't hold the Board or the superintendent responsible for what they have no control over.

RE-ELECT NOBODY!

What more can I say?
Teachers need to flex their political muscle. When you walk into the polling place remember everything promised.
Get angry.
Get revenge.
Re-elect NOBODY.