The February 27 meeting agenda for the Harford County Board of Education includes a recommendation that the Board oppose Governor Martin O’Malley’s proposed shift of teacher pension costs from the state to local governments.
Kathy Carmello, government relations coordinator for HCPS, will provide Board members with an update on several Maryland bills affecting education, including the proposed state budget bill that shifts a portion of teacher pension costs from the state to local governments beginning next year. When combined with new retirement costs for local library and community college employees, the proposed shift is estimated to cost Harford County an extra $9.8 million in fiscal year 2013, increasing to an estimated $14.7 million by 2017. Recommending on behalf of Superintendent Robert Tomback that the Harford County School Board oppose the state budget bill, the published report from Ms. Carmello concludes, “…this shift would have a devastating impact on counties and school districts that are already facing significant fiscal challenges.”
Superintendent Tomback will recommend that school board members support a bill that would allow public and private sector employees to use unpaid leave to attend parent-teacher conferences and special education meetings.
Maryland Delegate Pat McDonough, representing portions of Harford and Baltimore counties, has sponsored a bill that would include placing requirements on public school systems to ensure that “unauthorized aliens” do not perform work related to government contracts or grants. Superintendent Tomback will recommend that the Board take no position on the bill, citing the HCPS requirement that contractors comply with the federal law that prohibits the use of illegal immigrant labor to fulfill government contracts.
Also on the February 27 agenda are several recognitions. Levin Heath will be inducted into the HCPS Educator Hall of Fame; Ring Factory Elementary School will be recognized as a Maryland Blue Ribbon School; Prospect Mill Elementary School will be recognized for receiving a state award for excellence in gifted and talented education, and Board members will recognize a number of teachers who have recently earned National Board Certification.
Agenda action items include a decision on promotions and appointments to be proposed at the meeting by Superintendent Robert Tomback.
Board members will receive a financial report for the quarter ending December 31, 2011 that includes a mid-fiscal year status report on operating revenues and expenditures, expenditures by school, and a report on capital project balances.
A presentation on a revised Board Ethics Policy is planned. Revisions are proposed in keeping with recent changes in state ethics law.
As always, the meeting will conclude with a report by Superintendent Tomback.
Below is the published, February 27 meeting agenda for the Harford County Board of Education. The meeting is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air. The public comment period begins at 6:55 p.m. Please note that published agendas are subject to change.
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF HARFORD COUNTY
A.A. Roberty Building
102 S. Hickory Avenue, Bel Air, Maryland 21014
Telephone: 410-838-7300 FAX: 410-893-2478
Customer Action Line (24 hours): 410-638-0022
Web Site: http://www.hcps.orgAGENDA
February 27, 20126:30 P.M. Call to Order – Dr. Leonard D. Wheeler, President
Quorum Roll Call
Adoption of Agenda
Pledge of Allegiance*6:35 P.M. Recognition
• HCPS Educator Hall of Fame – Levin Heath
• Maryland Blue Ribbon School – Ring Factory Elementary School
• 2011 HCPS National Board Certified Teachers
• Maryland Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education School Award – Prospect Mill Elementary School*6:55 P.M. Public Comment
*7:05 P.M. Introductions
*7:10 P.M. Board Committee Reports and CommentsOld Business
Action Item(s):
*7:25 P.M. A. Consent Agenda:
1) Minutes of Previous Meetings: (Goal 1-4)
• February 13, 2012
2) Monthly Report on Personnel (Goal 3)
3) Proposed Resolutions: (Goal 3)
• National Music in our Schools and Youth Art Month
• Women’s History Month and International Women’s DayNew Business
Action Item(s):
*7:30 P.M. B. Decision on Promotions and Appointments, Dr. Robert M. Tomback (Goal 3)*7:40 P.M. C. Legislative Update and Possible Action, Mrs. Kathryn M. Carmello (Goal 3)
Presentations(s):
*8:00 P.M. D. Presentation on Quarterly Financial Report for December 31, 2011, Mr. James M. Jewell (Goal 3)*8:10 P.M. E. Presentation on Board Policy Revision: Ethics Policy, Patrick P. Spicer, Esq. (Goal 3)
*8:25 P.M. F. Superintendent’s Report
Closing
Future Meetings Review
Adjournment
Who negotiates the pension benefits? The party that does the negotiation should pay the costs.
They are not negotiated. The state says what they are. The teacher puts the mopney in to the system. The problem is they borrow from it and do not pay it back.
I love the way O’Malley and his cronies try to pay for the outlandish giveaways in this state. Just simply abrogate the state’s responsibility to the local jurisdictions is not an example of good leadership. Some years ago, the pension system was changed, and we know it has been raided. What a bunch of pikers. The counties are doing all they can now to survive, and we are fortunate in this county that we have had conservative leadership.
True supposedly Ehrlich was fixing it when he asked teachers to give more, which they did!
The BOE is opposing it? Of course they are. The people that should really be down in Annapolis marching and screaming their heads off are the teachers, led by the HCEA right in the front of the line.
Where is Cerveny and Burbey? O’Malley is their buddy so I guess they are laying low and holding their breath. Of course if it takes them over 3 months to say ‘yes’ to a bonus that is offered to their members then we really shouldn’t expect much from them on this subject.
What is MSEA’s position on the pension shift?
MSEA has long opposed, and remains deeply uneasy about, shifting teacher pension costs because of the detrimental impact such a shift could have on students, programs, and local school funding. We are
incredibly disappointed in Governor O’Malley’s approach to balance the state’s budget by shifting teacher pension costs to local governments.
What will MSEA’s stance be moving forward?
We intend to engage in the debate over shifting pensions. One thing that is crystal clear is that shifting pensions without fixing maintenance of effort amounts to governing by what looks good on a
spreadsheet rather than by what’s best for our students. The governor and General Assembly must take action to fix the broken MOE law that is putting billions of dollars of local school funding at risk.
What are your concerns about the shift?
A pension shift is poor policy on its own, and without a comprehensive fix to maintenance of effort, it would be a disaster for our schools. Meeting Thornton funding and proposing strong investments in
school construction are important steps, but educators, students, and parents will remain deeply concerned about how we protect the quality schools that we’ve built together until legislators fix the
$2.6 billion now in jeopardy due to a broken MOE law. The conversation of how we protect the investment in our schools is far from over, and we urge the governor and General Assembly to demonstrate by their actions their commitment to students, schools, and educators.
Do you believe that the shift will happen?
It will certainly draw a great deal of debate and discussion. The specter of a pension shift increases the urgency of developing and implementing a maintenance of effort fix to protect the historic investment that we’ve made in our schools.When we assess the session in 80-some days, will we find that the governor and General Assembly made tough decisions to fund school construction and Thornton, then
allowed local officials to supplant that hard work by cutting funding for their local schools because legislators did not fix MOE?
How do you feel about the specifics of Gov. O’Malley’s proposal?
Although Gov. O’Malley’s version of a pension shift made a bad policy better, it still does not make it a good policy. If a pension shift happens, it must be part of a larger conversation of how we ensure that
school funding and pension funding are reliable and sustainable. MSEA looks forward to working with legislators to ensure that the policies put in place by the General Assembly are the best possible outcomes for our schools and protects the flow of resources to students and classrooms.
If pension costs are shifted, should this obligation count as part of a jurisdiction’s MOE level?
That is an important part of any discussion. If legislators fail to set MOE as the funding floor, and then fail to raise that floor while also counting pensions as part of MOE, it is another cut in resources that would get to students, programs, and classrooms. There are certainly ways to address it and we will be working with the General Assembly in a comprehensive MOE fix.
How do you feel about the revenue increases included in the governor’s proposal?
While we contend that a pension shift is bad fiscal and education policy, we do acknowledge the governor’s efforts to advance a proposal that is different from any we have seen in Annapolis before. Solving the FY13 issue for the state and counties is just one piece of the puzzle. The long-term sustainability for county fiscal health, pension funding, and school funding is the paramount concern. Failure to identify long-term, sustainable revenue sources presents the same threats as any other shift proposal, with their detrimental impacts on local school funding and the quality of our schools.
Do you agree with the governor’s point that local salary decisions have helped to drive up pension costs?
No. While the state complains about local decisions on salaries impacting pension costs, state investments—whether through Thornton or programs like the Teacher Salary Challenge Grant—have a much greater impact on salaries. These programs have helped us lower class sizes, increase individual attention for students, and recruit and retain the outstanding educators that our state needs. Moreover, average teacher salaries have dropped for the second straight year. The notion that spiraling salaries are somehow at fault is simply inaccurate.
Why is fixing MOE so important?
A strong MOE law helps to ensure that funding is available to avoid further layoffs, end wage freezes, and make the new investments in programs and services that help achieve our goals of small class sizes
and great public schools for every student. Moreover, the MOE problem is 10 times the size of the pension shift, and while pension costs eventually drop, MOE is forever.
Why has MSEA always been opposed to a pension shift?
A shift is bad fiscal policy because it shifts numbers on spreadsheets rather than addresses questions of fiscal sustainability.
Shifting pensions undercuts the investment in our schools by hreatening a cut in local education funding due to the additional burden placed on counties.We must make sure that the investment in our students are protected rather than destabilized. The state, rather than local jurisdictions, is in a better position to handle fluctuations in rates. The state has the ability to be more disciplined as well as more efficient. Only two reasons have been given for the shift: balancing the budget and the responsibility of
local funding decisions in driving costs. The second motivation is inaccurate, and we must make sure that the quality of our schools and student’s education are not victims of the first motivation.
Lots and lots of words from the MSEA in that often used Q&A format. One of the questions should have been “Why is the governor screwing over one of his long time political supporter organizations? Another question should have been “Is the MSEA and its members going to continue to support him monetarily and otherwise in the future now that he is hitting them and their members where it hurts?”
Hint: Of course they are. They have no where else to turn and he knows it. But he did promise that he would still respect them in the morning.
Are you in favor of the pension shift? I didn’t think so. It might mean your taxes will increase or your public services will decrease. It sounds like you might want to get on board with the MSEA for once and make sure this doesn’t happen…oh wait…didn’t the republicans promote the pension shift to the counties just 2 years ago? Now they’re complaining about it? Once again it is clear that no one wants to sacrifice to balance budgets while maintaining public services…yes that means more taxes from everybody. You can’t have it both ways unless you are willing to pay for the services you recieve. What is your solution to balancing the state budget while at the same time keeping the public services you enjoy…and others depend on?
Alex is correct. MSEA and NEA will continue to support the governor at the state level and when he runs for national office. The teaching profession and all their supporting education associations have so closely tied themselves to O’Malley and the Democratic Party it is impossible for them to cut the umbilical cord. O’Malley and the Democratic Party have only so many slots at the trough for their constituents to feed from. Education systems and teachers are being pushed out of the way by other interests – including the governor’s self-serving political aspirations. However, this will not last forever. The governor will not let the education establishment to go long enough without his largess so as to allow them to kick their addition to Democratic Party dependency.
From MSEA,
Am I in favor of the peniosn shift? Guess what? I am absolutely in favor of shifting the penion AS LONG AS the revenue comes with it. Let me repeat that. AS LONG AS the revenue comes with it. That is NOT what is being proposed. Stop pretending like it is. You know better.
What is my solution? I’m so very glad you asked. I have several of them. First, no new taxes and if the people in Annapolis can’t deal with it by cutting tons of waste then we have the wrong people there. Second, put some people in leadership at the NEA and the MSEA and the HCEA that aren’t continually sucking up to the Democrats and other flavors of liberals because they are just getting kicked in the teeth by O’Malley and others like him when it is convenient. Wake up and smell the coffee. He is using you and your members. I really don’t care about you but there are a lot of good teachers out there that are going to get royally screwed over by this and your job is to protect them from that. Do your job.
You are absolutely correct. Good teachers are going to get screwed – layoffs (large numbers) will certainly be on the table and given serious consideration; and so will students by the elimination of special programs (sports, arts, clubs, elective classes, tutoring, trips, etc.) will also be hard hit.
From MSEA,
You said “Once again it is clear that no one wants to sacrifice to balance budgets while maintaining public services…yes that means more taxes from everybody.”
How much of the Kool Aid did you drink? Balancing the budget does NOT mean more taxes from everybody. Balancing the budget means taking the revenues the State expects to receive and create a budget that totals that revenue number or less. Yes, less is possible. A great ide, let’s have a surplus.
Will some expenditures get cut? I certainly hope so. There is enough waste out there to more than make up the difference. And don’t tell me that it will be police, and teachers, and firemen and all of that other high scare tactic stuff that will be cut. I stopped believing that baloney a long time ago.