Teachers unions have used bargaining privileges to suck millions out of cash-starved school coffers
It’s good news that Ohio voters will get a chance to embrace or reject SB 5 in the November general election.
It’s time for citizens to learn more about union abuse of collective bargaining privileges, particularly at the public school level.
For years local teachers unions have used their collective bargaining powers to negotiate expensive contracts with local school boards. A quick look at any labor contract in any Ohio school district will reveal expensive provisions that suck millions of dollars from school coffers and offer no benefit to students.
Typical provisions include automatic, annual “step” raises for teachers, regardless of their classroom performance; free- or low-cost health insurance for all school employees; an absurd number of paid sick, personal and professional development days; generous reimbursement for unused sick and personal days; extra pay for monitoring lunchrooms and playgrounds; seniority bonuses and other unnecessary perks.
As a result of collective bargaining, most school districts now dedicate about 85 percent of their general fund budgets to labor costs. To review a database of high-cost Ohio school teachers contracts, visit PublicSchoolSpending.com.
For many years schools had enough tax revenue to cover these labor costs and keep their teachers happy. But then the recession came, tax revenues slowed and school budgets had to be cut.
Many school boards have asked their local unions for temporary contract concessions on pricey contract to save precious dollars, and many unions have refused. Those schools were left with no choice but to lay off younger teachers and eliminate classes and student programs.
SB 5 was designed to give school boards a way out of this financial dilemma. By eliminating most of the teachers’ collective bargaining privileges, school boards would be free to cut labor costs and spend more money on students, without union consent.
SB 5 is not even a law yet, and it’s already had a positive effect. After Gov. John Kasich signed the bill, many local teachers unions saw the writing on the wall and suddenly became willing to offer concessions in exchange for extended collective bargaining agreements.
According to the Ohio School Boards Association, more than three times as many unions have signed contracts this year as last, and many of those include salary and benefit concessions.
That kind of progress has allowed many school districts to save enough money to offset pending cuts in state aid and cancel plans to lay off teachers and cut student programs. Bottom line – when the unions give something back, schools have enough money to meet their basic responsibilities to students.
If SB 5 is rejected by voters, the teachers unions will be back in the driver’s seat. They will no longer feel any pressure to make concessions and cut labor costs. That will leave school boards no choice but to revisit plans to cut educational opportunities for students.
That should never happen. Public schools exist first and foremost for students, not the adults who staff them. If budget cuts are necessary, they should be aimed at the adults, not the kids.
The general public does not understand how irresponsible teachers unions have been with their collective bargaining privileges. Hopefully the information campaign leading up to the November election will open millions of eyes.
So let the campaign begin.
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