One day following an announcement by the Harford County Education Association that an impasse had been reached and mediation would be sought in the bargaining union’s labor negotiations with the Harford County Board of Education, the school system issued a press release of its own indicating that the school board had offered the union, and all employees, an extra day of paid leave for next year.
Negotiations between the school board and employees’ attorney, who also works as a workers comp attorney, were triggered when the county budget for next year was approved without funding for salary increases outlined a tentative labor agreement previously negotiated with the Harford County Education Association (HCEA) and shared by other employee units. HCEA represents teachers, and is the largest bargaining union in Harford County Public Schools. The tentative agreement had called for a 3% cost of living increase for all school employees, plus step and longevity increases for eligible workers.
Here is the release from Harford County Public Schools:
PAID BONUS DAY OFFERED TO HCPS EMPLOYEES
Board of Education offers extra paid day of leave to all employees in renegotiations
The Board of Education of Harford County offered an extra day of paid leave to employees in lieu of previously negotiated compensation items that have not been funded by the funding authorities in the 2011-12 budget. On the bonus day identified by the Board of Education, employees will not be required to report for work but will be paid for the day.
On January 21, 2011, the Board of Education and the Harford County Education Association (HCEA), which represents approximately 3,200 Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) employees, including teachers, guidance counselors, psychologists, media specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech and hearing clinicians, agreed to terms on a negotiated agreement for the 2011-12 school year. The agreement was subsequently ratified by both parties.
Following the approval of the county budget and as a result of unavailable funds for salary increases, the Board of Education and HCEA, as well as the Harford County Education Services Council (HCESC), entered into renegotiations with the Board of Education. HCESC has tentatively agreed to a final resolution of a renegotiated contracted to include the bonus day of paid leave.
Although renegotiations with HCEA have not been resolved, no impasse has been declared at this time. Per the Fairness in Negotiations Act (FINA), only the Public Labor Relations Board (PLRB) may formally declare impasse. The Board of Education has not been made aware any impasse request filed by HCEA to the PLRB to date. The current, ratified FY12 contract with HCEA is in place with the exception of the compensation item.
“The Board of Education appreciates and values the hard-work and dedication of all of our employees and we worked diligently to identify an offering within our means to recognize that appreciation,” said Board President Mark M. Wolkow. “The Board sincerely regrets that the funding was not available to provide the compensation increase.”
The other three HCPS employee bargaining units, Association of Harford County Administrative, Technical and Supervisory Professionals (AHCATSP), Association of Public School Administrators and Supervisors of Harford County (APSACHC), and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), are currently under contract and will also receive the paid bonus day of leave next school year.
In December 2009, the Board of Education initiated a partially-open collective bargaining process by establishing a website to distribute pertinent information to the bargaining process. Additional information regarding renegotiations has been posted and can be found on the school system website at www.hcps.org by clicking on the ‘Board’ tab.
The press release from the Board counters one issued the previous day by HCEA President Randy Cerveny, indicating that the parties were at an impasse and that the union had hired a financial consultant who identified funds that could be shifted within the school system’s budget to cover the cost of salary increases for next year:
“HCEA and HCPS held a bargaining session today, June 16, in order for HCEA to hear if the Board of Education would agree to some compensation for the 2011/12 school year. HCPS employees have not had any salary increases for the last two years. HCEA hired a financial consultant who pointed out to the Board of Education where he believed there was money to cover this cost. Additionally over the last 10years Harford County Government has steadily decreased the percentage of the total county budget that is used to fund education.
Unfortunately,the Board of Education is claiming they have no money for any increases for employees. Therefore, the HCEA bargaining team, with the support of the president, Randy Cerveny, has told the Board of Education that we are at impasse and will now notify the newly-founded independent labor board of same and request mediation.”
HCEA President Randy Cerveny told The Dagger that HCEA’s financial consultant identified funds that could be shifted within the schools’ budget to pay for salary increases, but that the requested shift would not involve cuts to existing staff. “We wouldn’t do that,” Cerveny said. While he declined to offer specifics as to the exact source of funds, Cerveny said that he believed the school board could be compelled, under the newly enacted Fairness in Negotiations Act, to make the shift within their budget if the mediator finds that funds are available, and if the bargaining process continues through to binding arbitration.
While Cerveny said that HCEA operates with guidance from attorneys with the Maryland State Education Association, a March 2010 opinion from the office of the Attorney General of Maryland raises questions about whether binding arbitration, called for under the Fairness in Negotiations Act, would necessarily be binding on local school boards. The opinion states that when funding is not made available to implement a previously negotiated agreement, the local school board must enter re-negotiations, but “the final determination rests with the school board.” The full text of the AG opinion appears below.
But sources close to the issue say that the law is murky enough and new enough that such questions may ultimately be resolved in court.
Meanwhile 8 support staff in our building have been laid off because of budget cuts…… archer kids need all the support they can get
John Archer School lost 8 support staff!? What the heck is the Board of Education thinking!? These children need all of the support that they can get! The people at this school are incredible! Their love and care of these children is amazing! I support all teachers and para-professional staff but the employees at this partcular school go above and beyond EVERY day! I understand that they and the parents have begged the BOE to appoint a new principal as the current one has no idea how to lead and is nothing more than a dictator showing no interest in the children she was hired to serve! How dare the “powers that be” eliminate the the people that really matter to these children and keep hired someone who just doesn’t have a clue!! JAS, we are behind you and send you our prayers. Shame on you, BOE.
Please do not paint everyone on the BOE with the same negative brush. Are you paying attention to what is happening on the BOE? The budget and the resulting staff cuts were the plan put forward by Superintendent Tomback. His plan was only approved by a 4 to 3 vote of the BOE. Some members of the BOE are paying attention to what is going on at John Archer and the rest of HCPS.
Just a quick comment…if the BOE were truly listening to their employees at John Archer School … the current principal would be long gone. This poor staff has been suffering for two full years with no end in sight! My professional heart aches for these fine people.
The issues you raise are some of the same things some members of the BOE are also questioning. Remember it takes a majority of the BOE to do things. The current makeup of the BOE will being changing in July and hopefully a new majority with views similar to yours will emerge. Only 2 of the 9 BOE members will have had any part in bringing Superintendent Tomback and the current John Archer principal to Harford County.
What if they all take the bonus day the first day of school? Who will cover classes then? The BOE Sdministrative Staff?
I am weary and leary of the new leadership of the school system and feel sorry for the children, their families anf the devalued staffing at these sites. Teachers have been historically underpaid for services rendered, but most taught for love and accepted this fact. They were still respected.
The new regime (who prefer not to have the sun set on them in Harford County) seem to believe that they are untouchables who can take the money and run. When are they going to be made to be accountable and stop creating new, unecceary positions for their non-county cronies and prevented from decimating the classrooms to pay for this top heavy absentee administration?
i would pay close attention to this Horse and Pony show, The Board is not giving you anything, remember people there is nothing for free in life. remember money talk and bullshit walks. show me the money or else im going somewhere else
Mmmmmm, let’s see… I get one paid day of leave instead of my longevity pay. To take that one day off, I have to plan and write sub plans that will take me 3 plus hours, and then I get to come back to work and deal with all the problems the sub had. Sounds like a great deal to me……
You know, as a protest of unfair practices, we all should take off on the same day! I would love to see the Super scramble for that one!
Jeff, As great as that would be and I would absolutely do it myself, you know darn well that there will be all kinds of restrictions on that day of when and where and how you can use it. If they were going to give us a day then what would have been even better is if they told us we don’t have to come back at all this week. Instead we will sit in waste of our time useless meetings that were made up to kill our time.
I know…I was just dreaming a little.
Huh? Tell me you do not really think that the county will give teachers a day off while kids are in session? What would happen is you would not be expected to work one of the 10 extra days in which kids are not present.
“O Happy Day” finally the BOE has again shown how truly ignorant and concerned they are. They still fail to remember who is in charge. They are not the superintendent. The best of all the BOE just sits there and allows him to get away from systematically destroying the well know effectiveness of the teachers and their ability to educate the student of Harford County. Can’t wait to see Dictator Wolkow take a walk after eventually being beat in an election. The time has come for the citizens to take back the importance of the child (student) in this whole fiasco.
Hey TOTALLYFRUSTRATED,
Maybe you wouldn’t be quite as frustrated if you stayed in touch a little more. Mr Wolkow is leaving this year but not by loosing in an election. A lot less yip-yap and a lot more involvement would help us all. When is the last time you actually spoke to a BOE member with your concerns?
@Parent…that is not what TOTALLY FRUSTRATED MEANT!!! They meant that he was beat out of an election that he was totally and completely against and now he has new members of the school board who are not supportive of his dictatorship and are now holding him accountable instead of allowing him to rubber stamp everything. It did not mean that somebody actually beat him for his seat in the election. I can almost bet you that if we had not of had an elected school board, Walkow would not be walking away and neither would half the other fools on the Board of Ed. Walkow and the rest of the original board are realizing what a bad mistake it was to hire Tomback and now they are running away.
Your assessment on changing of the guard on the BOE is correct. It is apparent that Mr. Wolkow is frustrated with Mr. Frisch who has shown independence and is not afraid to challenge the superintendent, central office staff, or other BOE members. There is a similar independent streak shown by Mr. Grambo. Both are elected BOE members a circumstance Mr. Wolkow fought so hard to prevent. Frisch and Grambo are showing they are interdependent thinkers. We can only hope that the 5 new BOE members being seated in July are equally so. You are also correct that virtually all the BOE members responsible for bringing Tomback to Harford County have left the BOE – only Mr. Wheeler and Mrs. Krchnavy remain.
Judging by his comments at the May 23 BOE meeting, Dr. Wheeler might not be in the Superintendent’s corner any more. Although I believe that most of his comments were directed at Mr. Wolkow, I also believe that there were some not-so-subtle jabs at Dr. Tomback as well.
How does someone value an extra paid vacation day when he doesn’t intend to take any days off during the school year? That is my dilemma with this offer. Two days off would be equivalent to 1% of my salary, give or take a few hundreths of a point. Why not give the one day as a 1/2% raise in salary, or as a paid cash bonus? I don’t want extra days off. I want a raise.
And as someone pointed out…the headache of writing sub plans, gathering materials for the sub to use, coming back to a fresh pile of paperwork left from the sub work, putting out fires that arose while the sub was covering your class…a day off is more trouble than it is worth.
I am agraduate of Harford County Public Schools. It was a time when there was a great deal of pride in being a teacher and I even became one. I left a profession I loved for financial reasons, but I’ve always remained connected.
The deplorable state of things today is because the body is detached from the head. In the past, even with some less functional superintendents, you knew who they were. Mr. Tomback may not even exist. Has anyone in the public truly ever seen him in person? Perhaps he is more like the mythical “Wizard of Oz”? A creation of smoke and mirrors and microphones who exists or is revived only at BOE meetings.
He certainly doesn’t attend community events and other than a few graduations, is not present at school events. Are there any photographs of him, not issued by his press team?
Face it, keeping a head alive and sacrificing the body doesn’t even work in sci-fi films. It is not going to work in Harford County.
If he was a manager in the NBA, NFL (or any sports franchise) he and his “assistants” would be long gone. Waiting to see what will happen will just result in more positions being created and filled with his cronies until the infestation is so great that the body is now self-destructing and the disease cannot be halted because it is in control of all of the major organs.
It is time to amputate. Take action now or more children will suffer unnecessarily at the hands of “The Invisible Man”.
Look how do you plan on keeping the Best people when you continue to piss them off? Any body who is competitive can go out there and make more money. I recently turned down 2 jobs because i thought that things would get better, however i regret that decession now. All i am asking for and anybody else in the sytstem is asking for is enough money to Eat thats it, were not trying to buy a lexus, just enough so we can keep a roof over our heads
look when i was hired i was told that i would be getting step raises and cola raises, i havent seen any of that, i bust my ass for Harford County Public schools, I am a 12 month employee who works off of the clock nearly 20 hours a week, to make sure your the needs of the operation are met. IM highly qualified and exceed all aspects of my job, I have saved the system money, increased funding for some education programs, Why should i stay here?
Yes, it’s time for all of us to leave. I too applied outside of the county and was offered three teaching positions that would have paid me $5,000.00 more than what I am currently making. WHAT A FOOL! I turned them down because I heard that we were going to get raises etc. I can promise you…I am checking things out once again!
As a parent I have no problem calling Central office out I’ve done it in the past and will continue to do so. Please understand their are many parents who are upset over the Sup and are calling his ass out and want him out we are not sitting by and letting OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM go down the drain. Please understand as a community we have your back and we appreciate your efforts and dedication to serving OUR children.
Dear Parent, keep the phone calls coming and ask other interested parents to do the same. I know that the poor staff members at John Archer School could use as much help as possible in getting rid of the current principal. I understand that she was the cause of many, talented professional and para-professional staff leaving. She is systematically destroying this school. I must say that the administration at my school isn’t that much better but at least our AP sees what is happening here and tries to give his support. It is not a happy time for teachers or para-professionals in Harford County.
We will and Thank you for your dedication. Hang in we will fight this fight….Even if you have to stay silent to keep your job trust me we UNDERSTAND….
If they could come up with a 2% increase, at least the employees would have the same take home pay next year. As of July 1 they have to give 2% more to their pensions.
…and let us not foget that the health plan cost has gone up as well. What all of this amounts to is a pay cut!
I have worked for HCPS for several decades. Never have I seen employees and families so on edge. Teachers are always looking over their shoulders. Observations are producing fictional results and Improvement Plans. I question if the principals and IFs are provided a quota for the implementation of these Improvement Plans, just like the police and traffice tickets.
Recently I reviewed an observation from an IF only to locate over a dozen of errors in facts, grammar, and spelling errors. Yes, BOE, this individual warrants a 90,000+ salary?????
Please return to the old, caring, and honest school system I was proud to call my employer.
@Carol writes “Please return to the old, caring, and honest school system I was proud to call my employer.”
When was this golden era exactly? How was it defined?
Mr. Frisch is responsible for all of this anxiety.
You have got to be joking. Mr. Frisch is but one voice on the BOE and is not responsible for all positions taken by the BOE when it comes to contract negotiations or any other issue. From those I speak with both inside and outside HCPS his and Mr. Grambo’s views and their willingness to speak out are greatly appreciated.
Bob Frisch is the voice of reason on the board! He holds the board and Mr. Tombach accountable for their actions! Without Bob Frisch our schools would be in serious trouble! I just hope the new appointees realize this, as opposed to the current set of zombies that vote how they are told!
Are you kidding me? The board offers us one day paid leave which is about $120 instead of our raise that we have been promised. Harford County BOE stop Tomback and your members from putting teachers last! You should honor us because we have one of the most important jobs which is educating our children. WAKE UP AND KEEP UP WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTIES AND AND STATES!!!!!