Teacher strikes

[pittsburgh24]

Our district is in week 5 of a teacher strike. By law, they have one more week and have to report back to school on 12/6. There's another district that's on strike also - they went on after ours so they report back later than us.

Besides locking our children out of school, the union always ok extracurricular stuff continuing (sports, etc.) because there's only a small window of opportunity for scouts, etc. to see the students playing. The teachers in charge of each of these activities still gets paid for their time coaching, instructing the sport/activity.

The Districts always have several weeks of classes for seniors only so that they can graduate on time.

Pennsylvania has the dubious title of being Number One....in teacher strikes

Our teachers say they are striking for class size and curriculum imput - yet, you can't get an answer out of them regarding the specifics. Upon research, the teachers already write the curriculum and get paid additional sums to write it. Plus, if the number of students exceeds the number agreed to in their contract (25-29 with different numbers for different grades/subjects), the teachers receive an additional $175 per head (I mean child) over the limit per semester (max $350 per head)

At the last school board meeting, the teachers handed out a flyer to the parents - most refused it because it was about why they shouldn't be switched to an HMO. I took it and am glad I did. This is a paragraph from that flyer:

"Teachers and staff recognize that we may have to share the burden of increased healthcare costs, but we are concerned that a conversion to an HMO will make it harder for us to stay healthy, care for our families and stay focused in the classroom."

I didn't really read the flyer at the meeting (my mistake) but told the teacher handing it to me that HMO's were a good insurance and that if they didn't want to switch, they could pay an additional $600 to keep their PPO.

I did speak at the meeting and complained that we had been told by the union that they were fighting for class size and curriculum input but, they handed me a flyer about why they shouldn't have to get an HMO. If I had read the flyer in it's entirety (instead of paying attention to the meeting and the 30+ teachers making $92K a year telling me and everyone else how much they missed their students and wanted the board to pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze negotiate with them), I would have ripped them another one for their ridiculous statements about why they shouldn't have the HMO. By the way, our teachers pay .525% and .95% of their salary for their insurance for single and family, respectively.

I could go on and on but, the cake moment was last Friday when the union/teachers unanimously ratified their OLD contract (which expired) and then blamed the school board for not letting them go back to school to teach the students.

Our high school teachers only teach 5 periods per day (we have 9 periods per day including lunch) and talked at the meeting of how they had to take work home with them and worked on curriculum and lesson plans in the evening and over the summer. You would think they'd be using their free time (those 3 periods to do that kind of work) but, 50% of the HS teachers have to work a 6th period - of course, they get paid extra for that. They also get paid extra for covering lunch duty, bus duty, etc., etc., I really need to check the new contract to see if they are going to be paid for thinking about the students in the evening.

PA law requires students to attend 180 days of instruction - since we have the strike, the students are only entitled to Xmas Day, NY Day and Memorial Day as holidays (since Xmas Day and NY Day fall on a Saturday this school year, there's a good chance they won't get either). The teachers still get paid their full salary because the students are required to attend 180 days and their school year will be extended thru 6/30 so that they get their required time and the teachers get their full salary.

All of the accomodations seem to be for the teachers and not the students.

We're also building a new High School - the teachers/parents supporting the strike (at our district and the other one who is also building a new high school) is that they never should have built the high schools since they knew contracts were up this year (shoots the crap out of the theory that they are thinking of the students IMO if they think the new schools shouldn't be built for the students and the money allocated to the teachers).

Ugh - I am so pissed!!!

[CW&M Mom]

Well if they get paid 92K there....they are mighty well paid teachers.

When my sister started teaching a decade ago....on the other side of the country...her starting wage was $12 an hour.

We have had a few strikes.....but they were days...not weeks..or months.....5 weeks is a mighty long time...jeez.

[pittsburgh24]

They don't seem to think they're well paid. Approximately 100 of our teachers are at the highest level ($92K per year) and another 100 will be during the next 5 years. Starting salary is approx. $45K a year with $2,300 yearly step increases until they reach their 17th year - then they get a $16K yearly increase. We have approximate 390 teachers in our district.

Needless to say, we're going to push PA legislature to either remove the ability to strike from the teachers in PA and/or monetarily penalize the teachers/union/school district for every day of the strike.

Next week will be the 6th and final week of this portion of the strike. They (school district and union/teachers) have to enter into non-binding fact-finding (which they actually could do now but, the teachers have to be in class to do it and they won't go back earlier without a new contract). After 45 days, they could still go out on strike again for another 2 weeks of class time.

[pittsburgh24]

Forgot to mention - the $2,300 step increase is separate from their yearly increase - which was 4.1% as of the last year of their old contract. So, if you add the 2 together, they were getting around a 7% increase per year

[uncommon]

Wow, your teachers are well paid.

I think keeping class size down is the most important thing schools can do to improve the quality of education - paying the teacher more for extra students doesn't solve that problem.

However, 5 weeks is insane. Kids need to be in school, and they shouldn't have to suffer because of this.

[Macaela25]

Wow...I need to move to Pennsylvania.

No, wait...snow.

I know there are two sides to every story, but teachers in Florida would kill to have those kinds of problems.

[pittsburgh24]

The teachers keep saying it's the class size they are striking for but, won't give any specifics. I've asked what the district wants to increase it to and what the teachers want it reduced to. Also told them that paying/receiving extra for more students looks bad for both the school and the union.

The sad thing is that almost all of the schools in my area pay this well (some may get their $16K yrly increase earlier than 17 years). Other districts have switched to an HMO - it would save our district $240K a year - which the union says is marginal.

Bottom line is they might be willing to give some concessions - paying a little more for their PPO, teaching a 6th period, adding 30 minutes per day, etc. - but, they want additional monies to cover this - which kinda defeats the purpose IMO.

They don't seem to realize the economy is bad, insurance rates are going up, they pay practically nothing now (the HMO and PPO have absolutely nothing different except for no out of network - there are no deductibles or copays for either HMO or PPO).

[3timesoccermom]

With the horrendous things teachers have to put up with nowadays, their massively increased load of paperwork over the last several years, lack of support from parents and (many times) administration and the community, etc., I think they deserve $92,000.

But I do feel for the kids in that area. For many kids the structure and rhythm of going to school is comforting because they know what to expect. To be on hold that long has got to be hard on everyone.

I hope it gets fixed soon.

[Whispered]

i feel like some of the facts are being left out and wish we could hear from one of the teachers.
So 95 k, isn't really "the average"..

25-29 is still a lot of kids. I admit, to not a lot of knowledge about this,
but, i think teachers do a tremendous job, and are expected to do an enourmous amt and should be paid more. Its incredible how much they're expected to do and yes, grade papers,
The paperwork alone, would take into night. I had a friend, who was a teacher, and she had to buy most of the supplies, for her classroom, plus all the planning.

Lesson plans, at night, put up w/ kids..etc..
I think it'd have to be an extremely hard job, .. imo.
Very stressful.. and after 5 hrs, of dealing w/ saying the top max, of class, of 30 kids.. umm yeah, i think they don't need to work anymore classes..
Thats just me.. I'd really love to hear from any teachers here`

[hburnette3]

With the horrendous things teachers have to put up with nowadays, their massively increased load of paperwork over the last several years, lack of support from parents and (many times) administration and the community, etc., I think they deserve $92,000.

But I do feel for the kids in that area. For many kids the structure and rhythm of going to school is comforting because they know what to expect. To be on hold that long has got to be hard on everyone.

I hope it gets fixed soon.

Yes, all teachers deserve $92,000 a year. Why are these teachers special? No other teachers make that. I found the pay schedule for teachers in NC. I'll attach it.
Bachelor's Teacher Bachelor's w/ NBPTS Certification
of Monthly 12 Monthly Annual Salary Monthly 12 Monthly Annual Salary


a first year teacher with a bachelor only makes $30,430
working 33 + years you get $52,550

a first year with a masters makes $33,470
working 33 + years you get $57,810

a principal working 33 + years you get $52,550
that goes up with the # of teachers you have.

to make $100,000 you need 100+ teachers.

Do the teachers in PA work harder than the teachers in NC?