Déjà vu of Wall Street and bonuses

The latest Time magazine’s feature cover article starts with a question: What makes a school great?

The answer is it all starts with teachers. Research confirms that answer with classroom teachers being the most important component to learning and achievement. The Mat-Su Borough School District continues to have more schools make AYP (adequate yearly progress) every year. There were an additional three last year, bringing the total to 30 schools.

Congratulations! The system of 31 points to make AYP is very cumbersome, even mind-boggling to say the least. But teachers and support staff continue to commit and dedicate themselves to learning and achievement no matter what system is being used, as the educational pendulum swings back and forth.

Yet, those professionals (of the Mat-Su Education Association and Classified Employees Association) who are educating and working with your children or grandchildren are working without contracts, and have been since last spring. Since that time, the district has hired a new superintendent at a salary of $180,000. That is an increase of almost $40,000 compared to his predecessor. Along with that salary increase, there was an additional $50,000 for four more central office administrators. Now, that brings the grand total of administrative salary increases to $90,000. That figure could be more when all the benefits (health, retirement, district vehicle and gas) are included.

Maybe the rational for those salary increases in the central office was the district needed to attract, and retain, the best. If you knew that great schools start with great teachers, with support staffs — and, in fact, that is the truth — would you not use the same rational? To attract and retain the best teachers and support, the district needs to offer fair and adequate salaries and benefits. Again, teachers and support have been working without a contract since last spring. I find it very confusing the district did not connect the same dots. I imagine those professionals who are in front of our students teaching every day and supporting teachers must find it all very frustrating.

So, the central administration gets bonuses while the labor forces do not even have contracts since last spring? The district had a chance to work with the unions last spring to find some middle ground, but now the district is saying there isn’t any middle ground (i.e. money) left.

Last spring, an arbitrator said the classified employees, (support staff from secretaries, janitors, instructional aides and more) shouldn’t have any money conceded to them because the district was at the edge of a budgetary cliff; in fact, recommended a cut in salaries. Then the district gives out salary increases to the top five central office employees who most likely were already the top five wage earners. How fair and equitable is that? CEA employees must be enraged.

If those kind of business deals continue the district will have difficulty finding and retaining great teachers and support staff to do what those professionals do best — make great schools with the focus on improving learning and achievement.

Michael P. Carson, retired, is a 35-year Alaska teacher.