The Harford County Board of Education and the Harford County Education Association have tentatively agreed that a bonus for county employees proposed by County Executive David Craig will be distributed to teachers as a “one-time, non-precedent setting, $1,250 stipend”.
The tentative agreement made public by the school system this week was signed on Feb. 1 and covers the 3,200 teachers and other school employees represented by HCEA, the largest union in Harford County Public Schools. Subject to ratification by HCEA members in the next few days, the agreement is also conditioned upon funding by Harford County government.
The tentative agreement was reached following negotiations called for by the union. In those negotiations, HCEA took the position that the bonus money should be applied to increase the salary schedule, according to an email sent to HCEA members by Randy Cerveny, president of the union. HCEA also offered a proposal for a temporary salary increase, which would have enhanced the retirement benefit for those planning to retire within the next three years. Neither position was accepted by the school board, resulting in the agreement to distribute the funds as a one-time stipend in two, $625 installments. The first installment is to be paid within two weeks after the funding is appropriated by the county.
Included in the signed agreement is a statement that payment of the stipend “has no relationship to any matters before the Public School Labor Relations Board.” HCEA currently has a case before the newly established labor board and had planned to argue that the bonus payment should be used to fund salary increases that were tentatively agreed to in the teachers’ current contract but were not funded by the county.
The plan by HCEA to ask the labor board to include the bonus funding as a potential source of salary increases prompted a December veto by County Executive Craig. The line-item veto prevented the first half of the bonus from being paid to HCEA members, although it was paid to all other county employees, including those school employees not represented by HCEA.
Craig said at the time of his veto that the bonus, which came from an unanticipated accumulation in the General Fund balance, was intended be a one-time, non-recurring expense. Salary increases can be a recurring cost because they become part of teachers’ base pay in future years.
Following news of the agreement last week, Craig said in a statement that he looked forward to seeing the details of the agreement once it was approved and that he would work with the County Council to ensure that the funds were distributed to teachers as intended.
Below is a copy of the tentative agreement released by Harford County Public Schools. The agreement was signed on Febr. 1 by representatives of HCEA and the Harford County Board of Education.
Below is the text of the email sent by HCEA President Randy to HCEA members last week.
Last night, your HCEA negotiations team met with the Board negotiations team to discuss the disbursement of the $1250 supplemental funds from the County Executive.
Harford County Education Association put forth the position that the money should be applied to increase the salary schedule. The Board’s position was they did not want to have reoccurring costs because this is a one-time money being given by the County Council.
HCEA countered with a proposal to provide a temporary salary increase that would enhance the retirement benefit for the individuals planning to retire within the next three years. The Board refused this proposal because of the increased retirement costs that the school system would incur.
The Association and the Board reached a tentative agreement to provide the $1250 in two payments, while protecting our right with the Labor Board. HCEA will continue to pursue the funding of the FY 12 negotiated agreement through the Public Labor Relations Board.
You will receive a copy of the tentative agreement and a ballot by Monday, February 6, 2012. All ballots must be returned to the HCEA office by Friday, February 10, 2012 at 4pm.
Randy Cerveny
President – HCEA
It’s about darn time. And I plan on giving myself a pay raise by dropping the union.
Makes me wonder if any of the teachers were involved in these negotiations, and if so, were any of them involved with the curriculum for Living in a Contemporary World….. Just what our kids need to learn, pay dues to an organization that pretends to fight FOR you but really is more concerned with filling their own pockets. That is something about unions that every child could benefit from learning. So glad that class will no longer be required!
What a joke to split the bonus…teachers should have been given the entire amount! Cerveny makes much more than many teachers. Is he really worth it? I agree, teachers should give themselves all a raise and drop the union. Imagine what you could use that money for!
I’ll believe it when I see the money, but at least I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to afford that new stive!
I meant “stove.” Oops!
HCEA celebrates having protected the negotiation rights of Harford County’s teachers. The Harford County Education Association reached a tentative agreement with the Harford County Board of Education negotiations team to discuss the disbursement of the $1,250 in supplemental funds from the County Executive.
The Harford County Education Association has the responsibility of upholding the rights of its members. By ensuring that the additional funding from the County Council was negotiated, HCEA protected the rights of our teachers and the school system. Our schools depend on our ability to collaborate—successfully, efficiently, and appropriately—to create the best possible school system for our children.
More than 40 years ago, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation guaranteeing the right of educators to bargain with school boards over salary, benefits, and working conditions. These rights have been crucial to building the great public schools that make our state and county great places to live and to our efforts to recruit and retain outstanding educators. Regardless of the innocent façade painted by County Executive Craig, accepting such a “bonus” without negotiating it would erode educators’ collective bargaining rights and our county’s long history of effective collaboration.
Protecting the rights of teachers safeguards the integrity and rights of the school system, leading to better and stronger schools for our students. Negotiating this funding is an important part of doing what’s right for our county by investing in our schools, educators, and children’s future. We must ensure that the spirit of collaboration and negotiation remain strong in Harford County so that together we can ensure that our county provides the great public schools that children, businesses, and families depend on.
Randy Cerveny
President of Harford County Education Association (HCEA)
Congratulations to the HCEA at the expense of students, parents and taxpayers for preserving the status quo of ineffective union-run schools that deliver diminishing educational results at an increased expense year-after-year.
HCEA is the greatest threat to the educational needs of our children and Ryan Brubrey is the poster-hack for what’s wrong with the union.
Dagger Readers,
Please check out Ryan Burbey’s left wing facebook postings. He is a left wing socialist. He doesn’t care about your kids. He cares about income redistribution. How much teaching can this clown do based on all of his Dagger postings….
Randy Cerveny reports that the tentative agreement on the stipend has been ratified by HCEA members with 99% of votes in support, 1% opposed.