The teachers collective bargaining agreement is full of unnecessary, costly provisions
The citizens and board members of the Wichita school district should take a close look at unnecessary labor costs before making any budget cuts that negatively impact students, like a suggested four-day school week.
Many of those unnecessary costs are written into the teachers union collective bargaining agreement, which expires at the end of July. It’s crucial that the new agreement, which is about to be negotiated, be less bloated with expensive provisions that cost the schools millions of dollars per year.
Those provisions include automatic, annual salary increases for teachers regardless of performance, a health insurance policy that only requires teachers to contribute $20 per month, a salary schedule that pays department chairs as much as $8,000 in extra salary per year, an “overload” policy that pays teachers as much as $40 extra per day to take a few extra students or teach an extra class, and “longevity pay” schedule that provides extra salary for teachers who have at least 15 years experience.
The contract also calls for a $2,250 payment for teachers who gain “national board certification,” a severance payment of $30 for every unused sick day for retiring teachers, 12 paid sick days and three paid personal days for a 180-day work year, a policy that allows up to five teachers to be paid a salary while on a year’s sabbatical leave, an extra salary of $2,090 for hallway supervision and $4,370 for lunchroom/cafeteria monitoring.
That’s only a partial list. To inspect the current teachers contract, visit publicschoolspending.com and look under collective bargaining agreements for Kansas (or follow the link).
Remember, roughly 80 percent of any public school budget is spent on labor costs, largely due to collective bargaining provisions that have no direct link to student learning or growth.
The Wichita school district must find a way to eliminate a $30 million budget deficit while dealing with drastic reductions in state aid. That will require heavy cost cutting.
The school board has already taken a step in the right direction by proposing that teacher salaries be cut by one percent. The union has responded with an absurd request for a three percent raise, which would be impossible to grant in the current economic environment.
Board members should continue to make labor costs the primary focus of spending reductions, before even considering cuts that will have a negative impact on students. And they should start by taking a close look at the costs associated with the current collective bargaining agreement.
There would be no excuse for dropping to a four-day school week or eliminating school sports, band or music programs while teachers still collect pay for unused sick days or bonuses for longevity. The schools exist first and foremost for the kids. If temporary sacrifices are necessary, they should be made by the adults.
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