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Guilford educators protest pay cut

Sunday, May 17, 2009

(Updated 3:00 am)

By Lorraine Ahearn
Staff Writer

During the last political campaign, members of the N.C. Association of Educators stood in the rain handing out early voting leaflets. At the top of the slate: Bev Perdue for governor, the pro-education candidate.

But Saturday, stung by Perdue’s recent announcement of a 10-hour furlough for teachers and other state employees, NCAE members gathered in Raleigh with a message for legislators up for re-election:

Bring your umbrellas.

“When you start taking money back that you’ve already budgeted, after all the confidence Bev Perdue said she had in teachers, that’s devastating,” said Dave Owens, a maintenance supervisor for Guilford County Schools.

“It shouldn’t be our responsibility to balance her budget.”

Owens was among about 100 county school employees and teachers who traveled to the rally at NCAE headquarters in Raleigh, joining 2,000 members from elsewhere to protest Purdue’s executive order that school employees, along with employees of the UNC system and all other state workers, must take 10 hours furlough time between June 1 and Dec. 31.

Facing a $3.2 billion budget shortfall, Purdue took the action to save an estimated $65 million, the latest in a series of budget cuts the Democratic governor lamented as “difficult decisions.”

But for teachers, taking 10 hours off is easier said than done: It cannot be when students are in class, therefore limiting the furlough to workdays when grading, planning and classroom cleaning is done.

“We’ll just take the work home with us,” said Guilford NCAE president Mark Jewell. “We’re going to school in trailers, having 25 percent teacher turnover rates — and that’s not even in our hardest-to-staff schools — and the attitude seems to be, 'Get used to it. It is what it is.’ ”

The furlough is one more blow to morale for teachers who have already seen insurance benefits and longevity bonuses cut. At the Guilford Newcomers School, art teacher Victoria Wreden-Sadeq is just finishing up work on her master’s.

With the degree, which took her seven years to complete at night, she should have gotten a 12 percent raise.

“I should have, but I won’t,” said Wreden-Sadeq, currently the only breadwinner for her family of four, after her husband lost his longtime job as an IT technician.

“My car needs work, I’m getting worried about my mortgage, and I spent all last week getting ready for the EOCs (end of course tests).”

Owens, a maintenance supervisor who represents bus drivers, cafeteria workers and secretaries typically making a base salary of $1,000 per month, said support staff would be hit hardest by the furlough, which is a 0.5 percent pay cut.

“You’ve got a lot of single parents working in the school system who just can’t make it, some that qualify for food stamps,” said Owens, who fears those who will ultimately pay the price will be students.

“It’s not good for the schoolchildren. It’s going to affect their education, and it’s going to affect their surroundings.”

Contact Lorraine Ahearn at 373-7334 or lorraine.ahearn@news-record.com

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Doug Johnson

May 17, 2009 - 6:16 am EDT

Most people are taking a hit!
NACE, should have been complaining with all of the pork, the Raleigh Mafia has been spending the last 100 years.
If we had the money wasted in the last 10 years, we could give state employees a raise, and cut everyone else taxes.
Do not recall the NACE complaining about the tall ship ride, that cost the taxpayers a bundle.
Wonder why?

scottb

May 17, 2009 - 10:28 am EDT

This is a useless post. Unless you can identify specific items, the "pork" is meaningless. And calling them the "Raleigh Mafia" does no one any good. How about a constructive comment like supporting our teachers and offering to pay a little more in taxes to support them--I would.

rmacz

May 17, 2009 - 11:14 am EDT

If the teachers whine to get more money, the students will learn what the teachers teach. Private schools do more with less, and produce more. The NEA should be accountable

MiMi

May 17, 2009 - 11:44 am EDT

The people who make the least amount of money should not be asked to have the salary cut.....why did the judges and other officials who make over $100.000 have a choice as to whether or not they would take a salary cut....the system is so badly broken and I do not think anyone knows just how bad it is.....

Panacea

May 17, 2009 - 3:03 pm EDT

The state constitution is why judges don't have to take a pay cut, though many are voluntarily.

Yes, the system is badly broken when underpaid teachers work long hours of unpaid labor to comply with unfunded mandates from the federal government, have to buy their own classroom supplies, and work in buildings riddled with mold (re Oakview Elementary, among others) or in trailers because the county is too cheap to provide proper maintenance (see their budget proposal for the coming fiscal year) and too stupid to insure Eastern High School!

And it's never the ones who broke the system who have to pay.

Paul J

May 17, 2009 - 3:04 pm EDT

Why shouldn't the teachers share the pain just like everyone else? Except the elected people. They make the rules.

igliigli

May 17, 2009 - 3:14 pm EDT

Instead of cutting all teacher's pay, get rid of the fluff positions, coaches, athletic directors, drama, band, etc. These positions can be filled by volunteers or eliminated completely. Use the money saved to pay for academics.

Get A Clue

May 17, 2009 - 8:44 pm EDT

You get what you pay for. Every time.
Unfortunately, stupid people cannot fathom the need for investing in their own future. They're too busy buying cigarettes on sale by the carton and filling up on the local fast food eatery's dollar menu while congratulating themselves on making their minimum wage paycheck stretch so far. Yeehaw, there's money left over for lotto scratch-off tickets!
Here's your sign.

Paul J

May 17, 2009 - 10:51 pm EDT

Spending more money does not = better education.

dallaslover

May 18, 2009 - 2:50 pm EDT

I find this article to be highly biased to one side of the issue. As a teacher who attended the rally, this was only one minor issue on the agenda and the columnist completely misses that point. As teachers we are grateful to have a job because we love what we do, and we are even willing to eat ramen for the next few months to get by. The issue we have with pay is the fact that we only get paid for 10 months and our May paycheck is the last for the year-the same paycheck that the cut is coming from. No, we are not whining and forgetting about all the other state employees who have to do the same. If we could have been at the rally the state employees had we would have, but guess what, we chose to be at school educating our students, because that is what's important. Now, the bigger picture that we have a problem with is the fact that Bev is not using her common sense. While more money does not better education make, less does hurt it. Think of all the ESL teachers being cut from schools with high refugee populations, or of teachers who are going to have to teach students with little english skills without help and support. How about the fact that classroom sizes are going to increase? This is not what is best for the children. How about the fact that Bev's paycuts are going to allow the state to kick out excellent veteran teachers so they can hire two new ones for the price of that old one. At times like this we need experienced teachers and they are being kicked out the door. We were not out there Saturday to complain but to stand up for our students and schools and unfortunately this article chose to focus on one minute issue. How about the rest of you all join us in demanding that Bev use common sense? WHERE IS THE EDUCATION LOTTERY MONEY? That's right, its gone because this state is notorious for wasteful spending. Instead of cutting education from the budget, CUT THE PORK! How about we take away some of the money that keeps that nice, plush lawn at the mansion green. Stop building Urban Loops that are inefficient.

In times like these, the last thing that needs to be cut is education. At this point we need to train our students for the jobs of tomorrow so they will not be hurt by another recession. We're not asking for MORE money, just stop taking away the little we have so we can do our job!

dallaslover

May 18, 2009 - 2:57 pm EDT

To add another point, the idea of giving educators a furlough is a joke. We have a timeline in which to take this which makes it impossible. She expects us to take this by the end of the year while all of you with students know that exams and EOG's are coming up. I for one refuse to take my furlough when I need to be at school making sure my students finish learning all they need to know and pass. After that I can't take my furlough because I have to get final grades together, and clean my classroom for next year. We already take home work every night because we have so much to do. This furlough is a slap in the face to teachers across the state. Come back down to our level Bev! Just like you can't take a break from the budget right now, we can't take a furlough from our classrooms at the expense of our students.