Pinellas union files grievance against district over pay

From a PCTA press release: Today, the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association (PCTA) has filed a grievance with the Pinellas County School Board (PCSB) for unilaterally reducing teacher pay by an amount of $290 annually. PCTA will follow this grievance by filing an unfair labor practice charge against the PCSB in the coming week. The immediate impact of the PCSB decision was felt by 11.5 and 12 month contract instructional personnel. This action, however, will impact all 8,400 Pinellas County School Board instructional personnel when school open in August.

"This issue has simmered since mid-June when the district announced during a bargaining session that they were planning to reduce teacher pay in 2009-10 due to a shortfall in property tax collections related to the local tax referendum," said PCTA President Kim Black. "I sent two letters to Dr. Ron Stone explaining the contract violation and PCTA's intent to take corrective action if the district followed through with the pay cut." Ron Stone, Associate Superintendent for Human Resources, has yet to respond.

Comments

[educkds]

So how do you, Ron Matus, feel about this? No interpretation, reflective comments, or questions aimed at PCSB administration, huh? No interviews with classroom teachers? Oh... that's right... had to report just a few days earlier on the "high marks" employees gave the PCS superintendant to set everyone up for a contradiction when you report on another of many PCSB violations of union contract with this short piece. Geez...you are a talented publicity agent for PCSB upper management and the superintendant! However, thanks for the blurb about the union matter. As you already know, this story just pays lip service to an issue invalidated by your pattern of organizing and slanting stories and blogs to misrepresent PCSB teachers and their issues with upper administration. As a PCSB teacher, I have no respect for you.

[publicschoolteacher]

Pam Ferguson,
Heather Fiorentino doesn't really care about her teachers either. If you heard or read that somewhere, it was lip service. Her actions always speak louder than her words.

[Silaas Dent]

Once again, where is our step pay? Why isn't any one seeking to reinstate our step pay? The pay scale is useless and null and void. We have not had a step increase in now three years! How does that help to recruit any promising new teachers or retain great ones in the system? "Come join our school system...oh but you will stay at starting salary for the next 10 years." They tell us in an email during the summer?!? Spineless once again. They continued to send major breaking announcements to the district at 3:30-4pm where most of the district was done for the day. Spineless tactics keep being deployed even with a change of leadership. At least Clayton could make a decision. It might of been from the hip, but he made them. The leadership now just waits to the last minute or makes no decision at all! They throw millions of deadlines at us, but then they can not stick to any of their own. I am glad to have a job in this economy. However, there is a total lack of respect from the leadership and the majority of the public for what we do in the classroom on a daily basis. An FCAT score is one tenth of the view or scope of what goes on in a school on a daily basis. I invite any of you to come and watch what professional teachers face in the "real world." No matter how much you try to compare the business world with education or run it like one it can not be done at the same comparison at IBM or Chase Bank. Your customers are children not vendors, clients, accounts. They are children who are come from a wide diversity and backgrounds. Pinellas used to be the pride of the state. We are sinking fast and it is sad. I grew up k-12 as a student and do everything I can to make it a better place in the classroom. Nonetheless, the lack of quality leadership and the disgusting state legislature has made it a mess. The morale is awful and I don't see it getting any better any time soon.

The education foundation's plan to give the principal empowerment of finances and total authority is extremely unwise. Some of the leadership in the district will fail miserably as they do now with the responsibilities they have on hand at the moment. Most have no financial background and have very slanted views instead of fairness for all. Some don't even support the programs that make the school shine. Some go after employees for personal reasons. I don't think Nova teaches that much on financial decision making. The board makes mistakes, but at least there is oversight.

Most of the great leaders and bright minds left the admin. buidling already during Clayton's rampage. There is hardly any one left in the building that knows exactly what is going on or how to run things. Harry Brown was one of the brilliant ones and now he has left for greener grass. A lot of uniformed, displaced, reassigned and narrow minded people are what is left. How many adminstrators are in the building that were moved due to when they were principals they got D's or low marks at their respective schools they were in charge of? Where is our step pay?

[Teacher]

Go, PCTA! A pay cut is a pay cut, and unilateral action is not good-faith bargaining! PCTA and other education supporters made the Referendum happen, and it was never intended as a "bait-and-switch" con, but rather as a way to attract and retain teachers.

Go, PCTA. Despite a few naysayers, teachers and education supporters stand behind you.

[Public Ed]

Did I miss something? Heather Fiorentino or her representative said that teachers in Pasco were going to get a raise??

[Pam Fergusson]

Just to our north, Pasco County was quoted as saying they were sure they would be able to give teachers the raise they deserve with the stimulus money -- and they felt terrible about having to keep that raise from teachers in the first place. Teachers in Pinellas will NEVER hear that coming from our Superintendant or School Board. They really don't value teachers.

[taxpayer]

I am tired of supporting double-dippers everywhere in the PCSB, while teachers in the classrooms with anywhere from 100 to 180 students per day take a pay cut, and no steps! This is immoral! Our politicians must be sitting on their thumbs.

[terminator]

what's up with this stuff Marshall?
the unfair labor practice complaint is useless and won't accomplish anything.
the district can merely ignore it and there's nothing anyone can do.
work to the contract is the best way to deal with these guys. when they find out teachers have had enough and won't lift a finger to do anything above and beyond the minimum they'll start getting the picture!

[Fred]

Why would anyone ever want to teach in Pinellas? When the tax revenues went done did we tell the police or fire depts they would get a cut in pay with no negotiation ? Ron Stone has been double dipping for over two years. He even stated in the St. Pete times that he was being forced to retire due to DROP and that was when we still had Wilcox. My kids are going private. Thanks for nothing schoolboard. I can only imagine the moral you have in your schools.

[proudly leftbehind]

I don't know about Wykle but Hayden doesn't seem to care. She only using the SB position as a stepping stone. Well, fortunately i live in her district and that's 2 votes she won't get when she runs for wherever her ambition leads her. I will also spread the word among my friends. As far as resigning from PCTA, if too many people resign the association will be decertified and there will be no bargaining agent. Now, all the wingnuts would love this but individual teachers could be thrown to the wolves and left at the mercy of administrators, and we all know how that would go. In union there is strength and that's what the suits don't like, from- Walmart to PCSB

[cindi]

IN the long run, pcsb has shown it is willing to violate the courts if it gets that far before pcta bends over... Teachers I wouldn't get my hopes up. The ony way you'll get any reaction is to work the contract to the letter. No extra duties, no class coverage, no lunch time make up tests, no committees, no work at home. Kudos to "done being kicked..." Spread the word and stick to it.

[??]

You go PCTA! A teachers only protection from the county administration. They can cut in many other ways instead of employee pockets. What about the federal and .25 mils shift. Do not settle PCTA! A contract is a contract!

[Done being kicked in the butt for doing a great job.]

I resent the fact that Ron Stone and his cronies at the TAJ make six figure salaries while I am the one working with students everyday and make less than 41,000 after 10 years.There is zero respect for the teaching profession. Morale has just been kicked to an all time low. This will show in the classroom.I will not be spending any money on my class, nor will I work one minute past my contract time. Get rid of our top heavy system as that will lessen the budget problems. They don't do a thing to help a child in class.

[anybody]

Why do we continue to learn of these issues through the St. Pete Times and not from our leader? We received a connect ed about the insurance changes two to three days after it was reported here and have yet to be formally informed about the this pay cut. Ron Stone needs to give up a portion of his salary and Jansen needs to stop creating new positions. PCTA needs to not back down on this one since it settled for pennies on the last issue.

[depressed]

Ms. Hayden and Mrs. Wykle,
Are you both ok with this?
Are these the sorts of changes you planned when you ran for office?
Please speak up, speak out...find a better way.

[teacher]

Dr. Stone has over-stepped his authority at least twice in the past year. In doing so, he has placed Dr. Janssen in a position where she must either support his actions or come out strongly against his propensity for violating the bargained agreements.

[bah]

If PCTA fails, everyone should give themselves a $600 dollar raise and quit.

[dissapointed]

I hope PCTA pulls through with this. The loss of the 290$ plus the increase in price for our new health care is really affecting my family's budget.

[flateacher]

This ruling will have serious ramifications for all state, county, and school board employees. Certainly one to keep an eye on!