In Libraryland May Day 2011 arrives exactly one week after the Statesman Journal of Salem, Oregon, announced that the Salem-Keizer School District plans to use 89% of its librarians to help cut the budget. (1)
That’s right. The proposal would eliminate 49 of SKSD’s 55 librarians – that is every elementary and middle school librarian in the district. High school librarians will be retained in order to keep district high schools from losing their accreditation, the loss of which would endanger graduates chances of college acceptance.
While the Statesman is silent on the unions’ positions regarding the proposed cuts, if Oregon unions are anything like those here in Washington, they are sending out e-mails and buses to the capitol (Salem is, in fact, the capital of Oregon), but they are basically going along with the idea that the wholesale elimination of members jobs is the only choice.
Back in the day, the union attitude was “an injury to one is an injury to all.” And, in some places and with some unions this is still the prevailing outlook with budget cuts being done across-the-board – a little bit from everybody to prevent job loss.
Here are the numbers presented by SKSD officials:
Close small schools – $600,000
Cut 135 classified staff – $7.7 million
Cut classified pay – $3.8 million
Cut 8 vice principals – $1.8 million
Cut administrative pay – $871,000
Cut 50 high school teachers – $5 million
Cut K-8 librarians – $3.8 million
Close a swimming pool – $100,000
TOTAL savings – $23.6 million
I visited the SKSD website and took a look at its financial report (2) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, just to get an idea of what we’re looking at here. If I understand the report accurately, it looks to me like the administration is taking a 2% pay cut in comparison to a classified pay cut of 4%. How fair is that? Especially when each vice principal is costing $225,000 per year compared to a classified’s $57,037 per year. And the vice principals are certainly receiving considerably less than principals and upper-level district administrators. If we take a look at what each of the cut people is saving the district, we find what has become the “normal” income disparity in this country. Cutting one
vice principal saves $225,000/year,
high school teacher saves $100,000/year,
librarian saves $77,551/year, and
classified staff saves $57,037.
Have the unions suggested across-the-board pay cuts? For instance, a 25% cut to administrators would still give them considerably more pay than high school teachers, but would lessen the income gap considerably. Licensed staff (teachers, librarians, counselors, etc.) could take a 10% cut, and leave classified (the lowest paid school district staff) get the 4% cut proposed for them.
If my estimates are anywhere near correct, this would bring a savings of $29 million without one single lost job.
Certainly, such cuts would be a hardship, but ask yourself this:
Would you rather lose your job or take pay cut?
Three years ago, if the district administration had had the decency to ask me this question, I’d have happily taken a pay cut or even been willing to go to half-time rather than lose my job altogether.
But, the bean-counting, budget-cutting, ax-wielders never ask, and many unions never demand that their members be asked.
And, lastly, about that swimming pool.
Almost any kid can swim, but not every kid can play football, basketball, do gymnastics, wrestling, golf, etc. So why in the world, of all the sports school districts pay for, why cut the pool?
Many thanks to my wonderful sister for forwarding the Statesman link!
(1) http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20110424/NEWS/104240354/With-cuts-librarians-Salem-Keizer-schools-begin-difficult-chapter?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews
(2) http://www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/content/business/financial-reports
No comments:
Post a Comment