Waukesha Teachers Want 1.6% Pay Hike
But district is offering just half-percent raises as School Board attorney says negotiations are limited to base wages under the state's new collective bargaining law.
While School District of Waukesha officials are offering the teachers union a 0.5 percent base wage increase, the union is asking for a 1.64 percent salary increase for the 2011-12 school year.
An agreement has not yet been reached as the initial proposal from the union was delivered to the School Board on Tuesday.
The salary increase is based on the cost of living increase from the 2010-11 school year, said Cathy Atkinson, president of the Education Association of Waukesha.
But the district won’t be able to negotiate under the union’s proposal, said Gary Ruesch, the attorney for the School Board, because the district can only negotiate for base wages under Act 10’s collective bargaining rules. Because salaries can include supplemental pay, negotiations for salaries do not follow the state law, according to Ruesch.
The wage increases – if an agreement is reached – would be paid to the teachers retroactively. After the 2011-12 contract is settled, school officials can begin work on the 2012-13 contract.
The settling of the past school year’s contracts were delayed because of changes in the state’s Act 10 collective bargaining law that limits public unions from negotiations except for wages. The last contract expired in June 2011. Teachers had wages frozen for the 2009-10 school year and received a 1 percent wage increase in 2010-11.
Carl Spackler
8:58 am on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Those who can, do.....those who can't, teach. No raise for you.
Randy1949
12:44 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
That's unfair. Waukesha Public Schools has some excellent teachers.
That said, sorry guys, the property taxpayers are tapped out and have been for some time. My own income isn't going up by any percentage at all.
Sarah Millard
1:15 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Their net income won't increase by this raise because their net income is decreasing from the budget repair bill.
Mainstreet TheShaw
2:09 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Randy, I agree with you. We do have some excellent, caring teachers.
However, we can't afford to keep paying them as much as they receive right now.
I would like to see a system wide decrease of 10% of the schools budget. This would include everyone who is being paid through the Waukesha School System.
Look at the Parochial School wages. They are at about 75% of the Public schools salary and wages and I am will to bet those teachers are as good and probable better than our public school teachers in my opinion.
That would enable us to increase the custodial workers needed without raising taxes.
Randy1949
2:13 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
It's across the board -- teacher salaries, administrative salaries, buildings and improvements . . .
Sarah Millard
2:16 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The school district just cut $8 million from its budget: http://waukesha.patch.com/articles/residents-to-weigh-in-on-school-budget-cuts-of-8-4m