I caught a few minutes of a school board budget meeting in the school district next to mine, which happens to be near the one that is the subject of
this post. Residents were complaining about what they considered to be outrageous compensation packages given to school administrators. Some speakers expressed surprise about the way that school employees are able to carry forward so many personal/sick days and bump up their compensation during their last year of employment. Of course, the incentive to do just that lies in the fact that lifetime pensions are based on the last year or so of pay.
A couple of speakers compared their situation to that of Dorothy in
The Wizard of Oz, as they were only now learning what was "behind the curtain".
The quote from the movie is, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." Well, people are certainly starting to pay attention now.
(Cross-posted at
Education Quick Takes)
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3 comments:
can't wait to read --
Bumping up the last year's salary is a somewhat devious, if common, slight of hand. Carrying forward sick days (where I am they can be used to pay for continuing health insurance after you retire) is a perk that has a lot to do with the way the job works--the fact that you want teachers to take very few of the sick days the are entitled to, and so somehow you have to reward them for not using the sick leave.
I don't think they should be used to bump up pensions.
In general, I think many people are just astounded at the wide differences in the benefits packages between government and private workers.
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