A Little Known Perk at the Wicomico County Board of Education
Are you aware that the Wicomico County Board of Education has a program to give teachers and staff a 10% raise for each of their last three years on the job? The program is called the “Early Notification Program” or ENP.
Here’s how it works. You file for the program stating your intention to retire at the end of three years. You receive an automatic 10% raise. In year two (2), whatever your salary level is for that year it is automatically bumped by 10%. Ditto for year three (3). At the end of year three (3) you are officially retired. The justification for this program is that Wicomico County has a tough time keeping teachers for their full careers. Reportedly, Worcester and Talbot counties provide a much better salary package as well as a much better retiree medical benefit.
Contrary to the beliefs of some, there does not appear to be anything nefarious about it. It was passed by the school board in an open meeting and the program details are right on the BOE’s web site.
That said, I still have a problem with the program. You constantly hear public sector employees whine that their pay and benefits should be comparable to the private sector. I happen to be in complete agreement. EVERY aspect of their jobs should be comparable to the private sector.
What would that entail for the WCBOE teachers and staff:
1. Their wages would be set by the market, not a negotiation between the teacher’s union and another group of civil servants at the board.
2. Their job security would have the same protections as the private sector provides. Merit, not seniority, would dictate pay and promotion. If a teacher or staff person is not doing their job they are terminated, NOT transferred to another school or office.
3. In the case of teachers, they would give away ALL of their union protections. They claim to be professionals. They demand to be paid as professionals. FINE. Professionals don’t have unions. No ridiculous grievance procedure, etc. (see 2).
4. Teachers would have an opportunity to contribute to a 401-K type account (which is usually better than the 403-B’s I have seen) with a market based match. This would save the state $million$ in retirement costs. As for medical benefits, they would get what the market delivers. Today, that is usually nothing. The days of defined benefit plans with hefty medical benefits are gone. Sure we all know a few people who are receiving them now, but how many people do we know who have 10+ years to go until retirement and have these plans? Read the Wall Street Journal once in while. Companies are choosing bankruptcy rather than being saddle with these liabilities. (for the record, I blame the management who signed the contracts and not the unions who won the contracts)
the list can go on… and on… and on.
Teachers, and all public sector employees, have a right to change jobs just like everyone else. If you want to be a teacher and can make more in Worcester County, you are free to go. Do not give me a song and dance about “losing our best teachers”. Truly good teachers don’t go into it for the money to begin with. Additionally, since teachers (and most public sector employees) do not face market forces when it comes to every other area of their employment they have no right to claim the free market when it comes to pay and benefits.
Now I am sure that I will receive a great deal of negative comments about this. So be it! Again, this is America. Public sector employees have a right to move, change jobs, etc. just like the rest of us. It makes me think of a story from a friend of mine.
He was having a discussion with a government employee who whined on about how the local government wasn’t doing this, wasn’t doing that …
“Where’s your draft card?”, he said.
“What do you mean? I don’t have a draft card.”
“Exactly. No one is FORCING you to work for the (enter city, county, state, federal government). You have a perfect right to go work somewhere else. If you are SO unhappy, that’s just what you should do.”
There endeth the conversation (very abruptly).
I want to thank Bill Cain and Tracy Sahler for answering my questions and providing me with all of the information that I requested.
cross posted at Salisbury News
Technorati Tags: Maryland, Wicomico, politics, Wicomico politics, WCBOE, education, free market, pay, benefits, retirement
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Comments
Job security these days is determined more by fear of litigation in both the public and private sectors. Many private companies will stick an employee in some position that minimizes their impact on the business rather than fire them and risk litigation. They just hope that the employee will see the writing on the wall and move on voluntarily. Managers have to document substandard performance for months, if not years, to get the HR department to even consider termination. Some of the hardest employees to get rid of are those who have entered rehab or mental health treatment on the company’s dime. These businesses have to give employees repeated second chances due to their “illness”.
BOE employees might not move on just for the money. If you consider the problems that we are having with facilities in Wicomico County, like those at Bennett Middle that have been in the news recently, there are much more attractive districts to work in just down the road. Parkside High School is now thirty years old, and it is the newest building of the three high schools in Salisbury. Bennett High will be replaced in 2011, and the new Bennett Middle will open in 2013 if the current plan is achieved. These schools will meet the current needs for the population of these schools, but there is no near term solution to the overcrowding of our elementary schools that are currently operating over 100% of their state rated capacity. Our high schools are operating at 114% of their SRC. The best teachers are going to go where they can be most successful. We are lucky that there has not been a mass exodus of teachers from the crumbling halls of Wicomico County. We should be thankful for those excellent teachers who remain dedicated to the students of our county.
Job security these days is determined more by fear of litigation in both the public and private sectors. Many private companies will stick an employee in some position that minimizes their impact on the business rather than fire them and risk litigation. They just hope that the employee will see the writing on the wall and move on voluntarily. Managers have to document substandard performance for months, if not years, to get the HR department to even consider termination. Some of the hardest employees to get rid of are those who have entered rehab or mental health treatment on the company\’s dime. These businesses have to give employees repeated second chances due to their \