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The Spectacle Blog
Jeffrey Dunkley is upset.
So too is Louise Boyd. Mary Cwiklinski is particularly disturbed.
One suspects Dunkley, Boyd, and Cwiklinski ain’t seen nothing yet.
Mr. Dunkley, you see, is a vice president of the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers. Ms. Boyd is the union president. And Cwiklinski another union vice president. The Neshaminy school district is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — suburban Philadelphia. A teachers strike — the second this year by the union — is now in progress. Why?
The school board says it’s a question of money. As reported in the Bucks County Courier-Times:
The board’s offer included a 15 percent contribution to health care premiums from teachers and a 1 percent across-the-board annual salary increase.
Teachers are striking for the second time this school year and have been working under the terms of their expired contract since 2008. They have received free health care during the impasse but have not received raises.
The outrage among school district residents was enough that the school board pulled this offer at the end of last week.
The union leadership has another view of why teachers are on strike. According to Philly.com:
“We’re not here by choice, but because the school board has left us no choice,” the union’s vice president, Jeff Dunkley, said outside Neshaminy High School. “They have presented nothing but exceedingly more punitive proposals, while we’ve offered six proposals that have been exceedingly more modest.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a non-binding state arbitration report found that what the union was demanding”….would cost the district $20 million for items including retroactive pay and continued bonuses for early retirement.”
Well now.
In the afterglow of the Wisconsin Recall, in which angry Wisconsin voters sided with Governor Scott Walker in his tumultuous battle with public employee unions over salaries and benefit packages, there is a new page turning in this national fight. This time the fight between taxpayers and public employee unions has landed smack in the middle of the Neshaminy School District.
And the fight is about to ratchet up.
A group called the Citizens Alliance for Pennsylvania (CAP) — “a non-profit organization founded to raise the standard of living of all Pennsylvanians by restoring limited government, economic freedom, and personal responsibility” — is publishing this very day an extraordinary ad in the local paper (see below), the aforementioned Bucks County Courier. It seems CAP has obtained the public information that is the salary and benefits package of every single teacher in the Neshaminy School District.
Says CAP’s Chairman John Kennedy, who notes Pennsylvania leads the nation in school strikes: “This is the first time any group has ever stuck hard numbers in the face of those who pay the tab.”
What does this newly published information reveal?
That’s right. If one scans down the alphabetical list of the 633 striking teachers to Mr. Jeffrey Dunkley’s name, one will find that this one teacher alone is being paid a salary of $95,923 a year. His benefits? They would total $38,882 a year. Bringing the striking Mr. Dunkley’s package — paid for by lowly taxpayers — to a princely sum of $134,805.
Say again, $134,805.
Union president Louise Boyd? Her salary is listed at $97,623, with a benefits package of $23,720. A total for Boyd of $121,343 in taxpayer money. And Ms. Cwiklinski? Her salary chunk of taxpayer cash is $95,923 with a benefits package at $23,509 for a total of $119, 432.
The median income in Bucks County? According to the U.S. Census Bureau that would be just under $75,000. Which is to say, about $60,000 less than Mr. Dunkley’s fine compensation package as listed by the school district itself. Ms. Boyd hauls in over $46,000 more than the county median income, while Cwiklinski collects just over $44,000 more than your median Bucks Countian.
The latest package offered and now withdrawn by the school board, according to Mr. Dunkley, is “punitive.” That’s short for teachers in the Neshaminy District want more, please. And if taxpayers don’t fork it over, well, tough cookies to the kids. Remember that the board’s offer — now withdrawn — “included a 15 percent contribution to health care premiums from teachers and a 1 percent across-the-board annual salary increase.”
No go, said the teachers.
Because of this interesting demand, 7,000 students have had their classes canceled.
A look at the union’s Facebook page shows a photograph of union members holding signs that read — no kidding — “It’s not about me, it’s about our community.”
CAP has done the math, and reports that “The average salary and benefit cost per teacher is $107,002.”
So let’s wax Obamaesque here, shall we?
Are the teachers planning on doing their fair share and redistributing their taxpayer financed wealth? A wealth coming from people that includes those not earning anything remotely close to the salary and benefit package given union leaders Ms. Boyd, Mr. Dunkley and Ms. Cwiklinski in particular — not to mention all those hundreds of teachers listed in this ad?
Stay tuned.
There is doubtless more to come as this fight with public employee unions spreads across the country.
UPDATE: A more viewable copy of the CAP ad is
now available at the group’s website. Scroll
down to where it says “A copy of the advertisement can be seen
here” and click.
View all comments (21) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Jeffrey Lord
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/06/11/cap-publishes-names-salaries-b
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Albert Constantine Jr.| 6.11.12 @ 7:55AM
Facts are powerful things. Combined with context, they can provide a clear picture of what needs to be done.
JohnD| 6.11.12 @ 8:26AM
Uh, I have to say, I grew up in that area (Willow Grove, Upper Moreland Township). It is a pretty nice suburban area, and somewhat expensive by global U.S. standards. When you say salary and benefits, are the benefits cash? If not, those salaries are modest for people with Masters degrees in a somewhat upscale suburb. Also, comparing average salaries in the area (that include high school dropouts) to those of educated teachers is ridicuolous. These teachers made a committment, and despite their educations decided to forego the private sector and use their skills teaching our kids.
I have to say the teachers salary demands are reasonable, given they are educated professionals doing a job that needs to be done.
c. j. acworth| 6.11.12 @ 9:04AM
Did they really "make a commitment to forgo the private sector" or did they decide that working only 8 months out of the year was a better deal? And do they really have such a great skill set?
"Them as can, does. Them as can't, teach."
JohnD| 6.11.12 @ 9:25AM
Valid points all (how much do they pay the really lousy teachers?). Agreed also on the 8 months out of the year, but I don't have a problem with paying teachers a decent salary and I don't find these salary and comp packages excessive for the region.
Having said that, a discussion on how much education money is spent outside the classroom, and a general discussion of "how big do we want government to be?" is sorely needed. I would even applaud a discussion over whether the State should be involved in education at all. But 100K salary for suburban Philly teachers is not that great.
R Martin| 6.11.12 @ 10:53AM
"But 100K salary for suburban Philly teachers is not that great."
It is when those paying such salaries cannot afford them. And as to commitment, teachers' real commitment is to the contracts they sign and their obligation to honor those commitments. Striking teachers reveal their clear self interest, their sense of personal honor and their duty to their students.
NVA Patriot| 6.11.12 @ 9:31AM
FYI I grew up there as well and you don't need a master’s degree to teach HS.
What's tough is the constant battle against political correctness and the denigration of our heritage. I still remember my 1st grade lessons on Washington and Lincoln. I remember learning math in HS that equivalent to today’s softmore college math. They are now banished by our Master teachers in favor of social justice and feel-good math.
In VA the Tea Party is having an education summit and we are taking dead aim at the teaching 'profession' and the curriculum.
It’s obvious the teachers are math challenged when they cannot see that their compensation package is excessive compared to the prevailing economic condition of the region.
That part of the country is strongly Catholic. Today’s teachers undermine: 1) the faith the parents wish to provide their children, 2) the authority of the parents regards what kids should learn, 3) the larger communities advocating community organizing vice reading, writing, math, science (not global warming religion), and US history – a noble story independence and liberty not a social study of institutional injustice.
Bottom line – the teachers are paid too much, they teach too little, and much of what they do teach is wrong and operates as cross purposes to the wishes of the parents – What’s wrong with this picture? I would say the Master’s degree is a big part of the problem – the credential blinds them to what is real and true.
JohnD| 6.11.12 @ 9:40AM
You are right about the curriculum, and right about the use of public education to undermine faith and the culture, but you can't blame this on teachers. It is the politicians and the leaders they apooint to run education bureacracies that are responsible for these problems, not the teachers, although I know many teachers are part of the problem,
I applaud the efforts of the VA Tea Party on this, but I think we need to take aim elsewhere rather than the classroom teachers.
Fast and Curious| 6.11.12 @ 2:15PM
Failing schools are more the result of poor homes than poor schools or teachers. I do blame teachers however-because they are primarily Democrat union knee-jerk liberals. They are on the front lines and every day they witness the unintended consequences of the welfare entitlement state. Undisciplined, unmotivated, ignorant children of disinterested single parent homes. Yet they continue to support the DemocRATS who put in motion these very things. Some are silently conservative but vote union anyway to get the treats Mr. Lord speaks of. So yes, you CAN blame the teachers.
2Anglico| 6.11.12 @ 10:44AM
Benefits such as health insurance are not cash and are not taxable as income. However, some of the benefits, such as their pension, will become cash after retirement. Most private companies don't offer pensions.
I wonder how many teachers would even have health insurance if they had to use their own cash to pay for it?
Occam's Tool| 6.11.12 @ 5:26PM
In the State of Minnesota, all State employees have ALL salaries published every year. All of my nurses know down to the dime what I make.
Some teachers deserve 100 K, some don't. My kids are homeschooled, however, as my brilliant wife is a better teacher than any at our school. (Summa Cum Laude, B.S. Accounting, University of Alabama---two CONCURRENT full ride academic scholarships)
NVA Patriot| 6.11.12 @ 9:08AM
Hi - I am from that area and visit my family there. Unemployment in that part of the country - Real not Dept of Labor funny numbers is appx. 35% or worse.
I was educated there. When I was educated there 20yrs ago the schools were first rate and now not so much. In real dollars the teacher pay package then was 1/2 the current package.
Then, teaching was viewed as a vocation and often teachers were part of families who had a primary bread-winner. Teaching was viewed as 'extra' money with the benefit of summers off making it an ideal 2nd job for folks with families.
Thanks to the union leadership the communities are being financially raped and broken by the unrealistic public 'servant' demands.
Enough is enough - PA can't afford 'servants' such as these
JohnD| 6.11.12 @ 9:28AM
Good points all. I think teaching should be a profession with a salary commensurate with what similiarly educated and skilled professionals would make outside the classroom. I do agree the unions have generally run roughshod over parents, taxpayers and students alike.
MikeBee| 6.11.12 @ 10:33AM
Mr. Lord,
Good work. However, in order to keep your articles important and relevant, you need to compare apples to apples. Comparing what teachers' "fully-loaded" salaries are (industry term) to non-fully-loaded salaries of their children's parents is not a good comparison.
What do I mean? You report, correctly, above that the teachers' average fully-loaded salary is $107,000. The industry term "fully-loaded" means salary PLUS the annual per person cost of all benefits. Then, you compare this salary to a Census Bureau reported median income in the area of $75,000. This median income figure only contains salary, but no benefits costs. In today's world, one must add a solid 30% or more to a salary to arrive at Salary + Benefits. This would mean that the teachers' $107,000 compares to $97,500 for the median resident (using only 30% wage loading), a difference of $9500 annually, NOT the difference of $44,000 and $60,000 that you quote above.
Yes, it seems that the teachers are earning a bit more than local residents are earning, but this difference is not the massive amounts that you are claiming. Clean this up, and I agree with the rest of your article.
NSDParentTaxpayer| 6.11.12 @ 11:40AM
While it is true that the article does not mention local resident benefits, local residents are also paying for their benefits, which the teachers are not. The articles also does not mention that after 10 years of teaching a Neshaminy teacher can retire with a $27,500 bonus + free health benefits for them, their spouse and their children until age 65. BTW, the teachers are also asking for retro pay for the past 4 years that includes their steps and raises. Never mind that they have received free health care all this time while most people have received minimal raises, if anything, and increases in their healthcare contributions. Additionally, the teachers insist that they have figured out the math to cover all of these costs, which includes emptying out the PSERS fund, the building maintenance fund, and the district emergency fund, as well as taking out loans. This is their 2nd strike this year and they have threatened 4-5 more. Clearly they care about the community and the students.
J.C.Eaton| 6.11.12 @ 11:50AM
Yeah, right. I'm pretty sure these "masters degreed" Jacobins aren't reincarnations of Mr. Socrates. If they were truly committed to the little nippers, they'd be instructing either in Bucks County or in some less tony burg that "appreciated" them more. I don't care what you're doing, $100,000 + is a fair chunk and especially so for 8 months a year in suburbia.
NSDParentTaxpayer| 6.11.12 @ 12:19PM
And I might point out that Neshaminy has gone from being a blue ribbon district to a district where only 50% of our graduates go on to a 4-year college and of those, 44% need remedial classes once they get there. Our PSSA scores are in the 50% of PA state. Maybe our teachers need to spend a little more time with our students than worrying about their pockets.
Bob K| 6.11.12 @ 1:41PM
The reason PA leads the nation in Teacher's Strikes is because they suffer no loss of money by striking. State law requires that there be 180 days of teaching in the school year. Once this limit becomes threatened the local court order their return to teaching. What results are strikes timed to inconvenience the parents during traditional vacation periods like Christmas where the kids make up the days they lost during the strikes.
Every 2 years the Teacher's Unions contribute $2000.00 to state legislators during the Primary season to those who supported them. That amount of money is also donated to people who run against legislators who don't support the School Unions.
The reason for PA Teacher's high salaries and benefits is because ALL 500 of the State's School Districts ELECTED SCHOOL BOARDS negotiate
separate contracts with each local union. These salaries and benefits are purely the result of what elected officials gave them!
It would help somewhat if a law were passed getting all contract negotiations out of the hands of local school boards and requiring all Teachers Contracts to begin and end at the same time and that the negotiations take place with the separate unions at the same time in Harrisburg by a State Negotiating Team which is the way the State handles their contracts with State employee unions.
NSDParentTaxpayer| 6.11.12 @ 1:48PM
Actually we are quite happy with our School Board, which is why we voted them in for a 2nd term. They refuse to bend to the union's will. The state arbitrator, however, was more than willing to give the farm away, knowing that the district had no way to pay for it. I would much rather keep control in local hands.
Bob K| 6.11.12 @ 6:51PM
Having all the contracts in the state begin and end at the same time would make the negotiations of the state negotiating team easier. All teachers in the state would end up with the same salaries, benefits and conditions of employment. The school boards could still do the hiring and firing and disciplining where necessary.
Oldefarte| 6.11.12 @ 4:56PM
I would not be surprised if someone asked of one of these instructors of education the question and received the following reply:
Q. And what subject[s] do you teach?
A. I's TEACHES English!!!!!!!!
AllAmericanAmerican| 6.11.12 @ 11:52PM
Haha! I had the Vice Principle of my son's HS call me one day. She said she was calling to tell me that my son got "an infraction" because, and I quote, "He had went to the bafroom and he didn't ax permission."
I was frigging SPEECHLESS!