From Harford County Government:
(Bel Air, MD) – Harford County Executive David R. Craig today issued the following statement regarding action by the Maryland General Assembly to transfer the cost of teacher pensions to county governments:
“As I stated several months ago, the governor and the leadership of the Senate and House of Delegates have failed to address the long-term problem of sustaining a pension system that is broken and by their own admission unsustainable. Rather than fix the problem, the Maryland General Assembly has simply shifted the problem to the counties to deal with.
The governor frequently reminds us that there are three cost drivers affecting teacher pensions: pension benefits, salary increases and investment returns. None of these three issues are controlled by county governments.
As a result of the action taken by the Maryland General Assembly during the recent Special Session, the shift of teacher pensions to Harford County Government will have a $5.5 million impact to the budget and subsequently the taxpayers of Harford County. My Administration has been preparing for this eventuality and will take appropriate measures in cooperation with the Harford County Council, to address not only the first year cost of this unfunded state mandate, but also a long-term solution to address the issue. One option under consideration is withdrawing pending legislation which would provide the second half of a one-time bonus to Harford County employees, teachers, school system support staff, sheriff’s deputies and others.
The State budget problems were caused by the failure of the Maryland General Assembly and the governor to reduce spending and live within the means of a balanced budget. Failure of the State to properly address the fiscal dilemma they created instead of passing the buck to the counties is unconscionable.”
Did anyone really expect anything else from Mr. Craig? Now mark this down and take it to the bank…the county government will post yet another surplus at the end of the fiscal year. It is almost a game now…cry poverty and end up with more money than you claimed to have at the end of each fiscal year. Way to stay classy Harford County.
Yeah, I kind of got the impression that he would look for any way possible to NOT give county employees the second part of the bonus. The pension shift is ridiculous and is an unmandated expense. But you are right…the county has money in other areas. I do remember a “surprise surplus” the last 2 years as well. Oh well, sorry county employees!
Since when is a surplus bad? Would you rather the county end the year with a deficit? What are you saying?
There was a surplus this year, as a result he proposed an employee bonus (plus a bonus to teachers, who aren’t even his employees.) They got the first bonus. Now that the state has sent us the bill for their expenses the county exec has withdrawn his own legislation for a second bonus. Would you rather he raise taxes to pay for it all? Or layoff more employees?
What I am saying is that he will pull this back from county employees, claiming that it can come from nowhere else….and the county will still end the fiscal year with a surplus. A surplus is good. The county executive pretending like we are a cash-strapped county is not.
I am quite certain that 5.5 million dollars can be shaved from the HCPS budget without affecting anything associated with pay/bonuses.
Reggie,
I am quite sure you are right but that would be something for the School Board to do not the County Executive.
Reggie, first of all, the $5.5 million cannot be, as you say, “shaved from the HCPS budget” because the state law that was just passed states explicitly that this is a funding obligation of county government, not local boards of education. Furthermore, the pension obligation is on top of Maintenance of Effort, which means that county government must remit to the Board of Ed AT LEAST what it paid last year PLUS this new obligation of $5.5 million. (And it goes up to $10 million+ after the full phase in.)
Secondly, you don’t just find $5.5 million by looking under the couch cushions. A local government will either have to cut services or raise taxes. Fortunately the county did have a surplus this year, but next year we probably won’t be as lucky.
Talk to me again when the Aegis reports the county has another surplus. The money doesn’t have to be shaved, it is already there. I know you disagree now…but wait.
I think that Mr. Craig should make an executive order to get us that money. He can do anything that way you know.
Monarchy,
Well, actually he can’t. Remember the bonuses. Cerveny put a stop to that in a hurry.
I appreciate not getting a bonus. The cost of living in this county is through the roof, but I have not gotten a raise in??? Huh, Im not sure when I got a raise i has been that long. I did get a tiny bonus that went in my gas tank alone. How about you cut spending on things like a traffic circle on Rt 23(STATE ROAD) at the entrance to the forest hill industrial park??? Then maybe we would have the money. Well at least the county council got there legaslative aides that was money well spent??? WHAT A JOKE!
I think we should all have the right to see what the budget really en-tales. We do not know how much money is coming and going and the Government officials seem to have forgotten that is is our money they are messing with. It is a joke that they can’t even stay within a budget! My 14 year old son knows how to balance a check book. What kind of people are we hiring for these positions that have affected so many!
If I recall correctly (I could be wrong) didn’t the EC’s initial legislation call for giving the entire bonus earlier this year but the CC decided to only award half and wait to see how the rest of the year went before giving the other half? I also think there will still be a surplus at the end of the year even after the pension bill is paid from the rainy day fund. But this does give co employees another reason to blame the school system. The pension shift will cost them the other half of the bonus.
The damn plan doesn’t go into effect for 4 years. Craig will be governor by then and probably force the rest of the teachers’ pensions onto the counties.
The plan will be phased in at ever increasing rates to the co., 5.5 million is just the beginning. By the 4th year the co. will be looking at something approaching 20 million. How are we going to pay for it? Plus there will be no corresponding drop in state spending. The shift will allow MOM to be able to spread all that extra money (which would have gone to the pension system) around to his favorite counties and balt. city as a way to buy votes.
Come on, we all know he’ll be sitting in Bab’s senate seat within 3 years. She’s up for reelection in 2016, his term ends in January 2015, so the options are she resigns in June/July 2014 and he runs for special election or she resigns in December/January, he resigns and then-Gov Brown appoints him to the vacant seat so he has two years as a Senator before running for reelection as an incumbent or goes for President.
Exactly my point. MOM is making the down payment on those votes from balt city and pg co and while some might think he has hurt himself in mont co they will still vote for the dem no matter what.
BBC, I can only hope that Craig will be governor by then and MOM can only get a job playing with his band on a street corner somewhere.
Craig has no hope of being elected governor!
Latest word in the dem camp is that Dutch is going to run for gov.
That’s what happens when you go giving away money and O’Malley find’s out
Already got a new job for next Fall. Like so many of our great supporters say…”if you don’t like it leave”. Ok…C ya.
FormerTeach,
Bye. Sorry you are going but the economic situation that has made you want to leave is the same economic situation that has a long line of people waiting to take your place.
A long line of people with a BA and MS and additional credits after that? Good for them. They are welcome to it. We all have to make decisions. Enjoy the kids, parents, complaints…oh nevermind.
Good for you, former teach! I wish you luck in your new job. It is a sad fact that you are not the only one who is hanging up their teaching career for more money and respect.
Me too. Hanging it up after several years. I have had enough, tired of being taken for granted, taken advantage of, disrespected by some students, the administration, some parents, and local government. I signed up to be an educator not to be used as a punching bag or political pawn. And believe me there are many other teachers out there that are feeling the same way. They are looking for a way out and are going to take advantage of the first reasonable opportunity that comes along. I enjoy teaching but you can only tolerate the other stuff for so long before you decide it is no longer worth it.
I do have a question……if the cost of the pension is being shifted to the county…..will the county get the “teacher tax” and the other 5% that is contributed to pay for the pension?
Good question, CDEV. My guess is not on your life.
As a county employee I have come to expect nothing but my biweekly paycheck as long as I remain employed with the county. I have no more than 5 to 6 years until I can retire and don’t really expect another raise, bonus or any additional increase in pay for a while. At least, I do have over 2000 of sick leave hours which I can cash in thanks to the council increasing the payout to 100% of the accrued leave. How do you like them apples taxpayer of Harford County? I get mine while you get the temporary relief of not having higher taxes, but that will change in due time as my job is BASIC and NEEDED and when I leave others won’t just do it for the promise of a sick leave payout. Increasing long term benefits won’t really help those starting a job in Harford County as the promise of great benefits will also start diminishing and guaranteed raises are not in the offing for new employees. The county is not having a hard time recruiting now thanks to the bad economy, but when times are better I don’t see how the county can attract the best qualified when private employment pays more and offers greater mobility and greater career choices than working for a local govt.
And no one in the private sector gets a payout of sick time when they leave.
Phil, you are working for the wrong people… I switched from the private sector and my employer paid me for unused sick time, and vacation. You might be right for your narrow experience, but you don’t speak for everyone. Also, don’t make the mistake of beleiving everyone employed in the public sector has never worked in the private sector. Having worked both sides – I can assure you that there are – in my narrow experience – more hard working people among the deadwood in a school than in my previous occupation.
How much do you make a year Phil?
Its normal for engineering jobs to cash out unused leave (sick and/or vacation if they’re separate), especially in the beltway bandits. But, most firms will not allow you to accumulate 2000 hours, they’ll cap you at 160 or 240 and require you to use the rest every year.
Name That Tune,
As a private sector employee with a job that people’s lives depend on I have come to expect the same as you. A bi-weekly pay check. Welcome to the real world. Like you, if I choose to leave or retire they will say thanks for your contributions, somewhat sorry to see you go then hire a replacement at less money.
Here is what you need to know. You teachers do important stuff. No question. Most of you are competent but the ones who aren’t are protected and that really hurts the cause of those who are competent. Your union leadership is more of a harm to you than a benefit. But that is your business since you guys elected them. You are not the only profession that is important and you are not the only profession that hasn’t gotten a raise for awhile.
I say to you what others say to me “Put your big girl panties on and deal with it! The incessant boohooing is really getting tiresome.”
@Alex- “the big girl panties have been on” for 5 years now. The county is being funded at a surplus and taxes haven’t been raised either. Don’t confuse federal and state spending with your HCG. Clearly, this county is fiscally prudent as far as a balanced budget, just not really balancing the capital budget (high funded) and the human resource budget (not so much), and the employees have been bearing the brunt of the cuts, layoffs, furloughs and pension increases. I wasn’t nor am I complaining about it. As far as the sick leave payouts, that is a benefit which employees earn if they don’t take off from work. I can take off my 12 sick leave days per year or the county can pay it out yearly or they can pay it to me when I retire. It is after all a benefit that I have earned. The fact that private employment doesn’t really offer this is of no consequence as I have traded better benefits for a higher wage in the private marketplace and steady, but smaller increases which of course we are not getting anymore. All the while the county is running a 30 million surplus and has a 90 million buffer in their bank account for future liabilities which are paid out of operational funds yearly anyway, thus I don’t really see a need for this fund in the first place. I have a few years left, so I really won’t be impacted by this new made up reality. The county has the funds to pay for pensions, raises and steps. At some point county employees, teachers and deputies will grow some and demand their fair share of the county’s funds to pay for the services we provide gladly to the citizens of HCG.
Alex, I only hope you are never harassed in the manner some of our teachers are in their daily practice. HCEA protects our contract. Those who have never experience capricious actions are fortunate.
To your other point, we don’t want to be the only public servants who receive their just due. We want all of the contracts and promises to be honored.
What is truly tiresome is the incessant teacher bashing, uninformed, naive and condescending offal which spews from your bias and ignorance.
any pay raises?
You should ask O’Malley what your vote and union dues bought you, because it doesn’t sound like he’s getting you a pay raise anytime soon.
That is the sad reality…the teachers are symbolic of America as a whole. In our nation, the middle class consistently feels the brunt of every fiscal policy passed by the government. Same with teachers…they take the brunt of HCPS fiscal issues. Let’s be honest…they will not receive this bonus, nor a COLA or Step AGAIN this year. However the administrators will still receive their six figure salaries (who needs a bonus when you make six figures?), the superintendent will still receive his perks (home office in Timonium, gas allowance, county-funded SUV), and those with positions beginning with “vice president” or “assistant” will continue to pull in monstrous salaries as well.
I have read in a previous post the idea that a commission of parents and teachers ought to look at the HCPS budget and recommend where fat should be cut so that the budget isn’t balanced on the backs of those who really matter in a school setting. I agree with that notion. But that will never happen because the perks enjoyed by those at the top would be threatened.
I learned in the military that if you want to see where the waste is, you as a guy/gal on the front line. Those who are in the trenches see the fat and can tell you where to trim it.
Parents and teachers are on the front lines in the quest to educate kids…I bet they could trim the fat and find money for teacher bonuses, steps, COLAs and still have money to spend.
Well said, Reggie. It’s those that work with kids every day that matter most.
Craig made a promise to pay these bonuses for this year. This is disgusting that politics are coming into play. As the Maryland state income tax goes up, the county’s percentage of money from the income tax increases too. I am not a county employee.
Craig offered bonuses then O’Malley shifted the state’s burden to the counties. Craig is not the problem, the economy is. If you find out you have an unexpected windfall and tell your kids you are taking them to Disney then your car breaks down, do you take them to disney and walk or fix the car? You might really want to head to disney but sometimes the reality sucks.
A Disney vacation costs $ 5000 + so if I can afford that then I must be doing something right. So it would appear to me that fixing the car would be a drop in the bucket. Unfortunately, with my teacher’s salary my kids will never have that experience… That’s ok with me though, we don’t need fancy vacations to have fun!
It’s a shame we spend more in Maryland than we take in. I just am amazed at how wealthy our state senators, delegates, and governors are and think we are. Tax hikes won’t hurt any Marylanders, we all are rich? They can never hold the line on spending. It’s always drama about the children’s future and no more police and bridges falling into the sea. Before the housing bubble burst governments were spending like drunken sailors. When the revenue bubble burst nobody sobered up. Even Ehrlich’s administration saw rise in overall spending. I am taking pay cuts with my job and either I’m going to have to find overtime, get another part time job, or stop spending as much. I will be glad when we get a governor and legislature who come from reality. Hopefully Mr Miller and Bush will go away soon and the American public won’t fall for Mr O’Malley’s BS the way Marylanders have.
SOME private sector employers pay out sick time. Not all. Not many quite frankly. I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority do NOT pay out “sick time”. Vacation, yes, but sick time, no. So if you’re working for a private entity that pays / paid out your unused sick time, consider yourself fortunate for that.
Increasingly over the last 15 years or so, many private sector employers have been gradually combining vacation / sick time in to something along the lines of “all purpose leave”. Basically they put it all in one bucket. You’ll might make out better in pay out potential, but that combined bucket is usually smaller overall than the two separate buckets were.
And if you can name me a private employer that doesn’t cap accrued, unused sick time LONG, LONG before it hits 4 digits… please let us know. Limits on annual carry-over / accrued leave buckets are usually no more than somewhere in the ballpark of 5 or 6 weeks.
I’m not at all surprised. We county employees knew it was to good to be true that we would get the second half of a well deserved bonus. Does this also mean that the undeserving people who are budgeted to get raises in 2013 won’t get theirs either? Of course they will. Those that don’t need it or as I said deserve it always win. If the rest of us don’t get any why should they. The head of the Risk Management makes $88,000 and is scheduled to get a $4400 raise is this fair? How many more are hidden within the new budget? Business as usual.
If Cerveny had done what he should have done your full bonus would be in your bank account long before now. That would be the same Cerveny that makes more than the head of Risk Management by a long shot.
That simply is not true. The county council split the bonus. It had nothing to do with HCEA.
Ryan,
Get your head out. When the bonus was offered Cerveny put up such a howl because he was not the center of attention that it drug on and drug on for months. That is fact and it is endlessly documented everywhere including here on Dagger, and including your never ending and laughable defense of him. If the HCEA had just said ‘thank you very much we appreciate it Mr. Craig and Harco citizens’ and shut up, none of what followed would ever have happened and the full bonus would have been paid promptly. Cerveny shot himself in the foot but unfortunately the collateral damage hit the teachers and all of the teachers not just the minority that are HCEA members.
One of the reasons that Ryan Burbey does not have the money in his personal account today is because he helped Cerveny endlessly delay the payment. That’s fine for you but maybe not so fine for a few thousand teachers that really needed it and wanted it. Of course you and Randy know better than the HCEA membership who are just poor dumb slobs that couldn’t find their way to work and back home without you. You and Cerveny owe each and every one of them an apology.
Actually Alex, you have it wrong. Mr. Cerveny did not present anything on record until the County Council provided the funding for the bonus. Until that occurred, there was no reason to offer an opinion. If you remember, it was the County Council that split the bonus in half. It had nothing to do with the HCEA. So no, teachers would not have the entire bonus in their pockets, and neither would any county employees. They would have exactly what they currently have, half of it, minus taxes. Your disdain for the HCEA is getting in the way of your ability to remember correctly.
Alex, you are arguing with liberals, do you really expect them to take responsibility for anything?
Expecting reason (or anything else but selfishness) from conservatives is like expecting to receive the same services while paying less for them…just not going to happen.
Please explain how the HCEA is responsible for the County Council splitting the CE’s proposed bonus in half, which not only affected teachers, but all county employees. Please explain how the HCEA is responsible for the proposal by the CE to no longer provide the second half of the bonus, which will prevent not just teachers, but all county employees from getting it.
Alex, my friend, I owe no one an apology. THe bonus was held up to follow the law. As easily as Mr. Craig funded the “bonus”, he could have fund actual salary steps for the county employees and school staff. I understand why you are carrying his water but not everyone is his family.
Didn’t we see this one coming!!!
Lets be real. Most of the teachers I talked with already knew they would never get the entire bonus. Sad…but true. They all agreed that somehow they wouldn’t get it. So no one is that surprised really.
Get Real,
I suppose they did see it coming. Anyway, I will take your word for it. That’s the price of having the current version of the HCEA in power. I hope it is worth it to you all, but that’s your decision to make. However, the decision does come with a price and reduced bonuses paid late are part of that price. I do feel sorry for the many good and hard working teachers who deserved a bonus but allowed the HCEA to delay and diminish it when it was offered.
HCEA is not the reason the 2nd part is not being paid. That is the county council telling the CE that you can not do that!
Ah, CDEV, maybe that is the reason today. Late last year when the CE said let’s pay bonuses if the HCEA had replied ‘great idea, we are with you on this and let’s make sure together that the council agrees with us and approves them’ I can tell you that the council would have agreed when faced with a coalition of HCEA, its members plus the county exec.
Or, if you want to have it your way and balme the council then the HCEA should be loving the county exec for proposing bonuses and very angry with the council not the county exec for refusing to pay the second half. My view is that there would not have been a second half if it was handled well by the HCEA on day one. Everything would have been paid in one installment. Does the HCEA even know who is at fault? If not, someone please pass them a mirror.
The council decided to split the bonus the second they got the bill!
Alex, I believe that it is more the price of having a petulant child for a county executive.
Well, Ryan, when the HCEA goes out of its way to p*** off the guy in charge then they get what they asked for. Too bad for you. Next time learn from your mistakes.
However, having said that, the HCEA went out of its way to suck up to the governor and he also screwed them over on the pension deal. What is it with you HCEA guys? No one seems to like you, even the politicians you slavishly support.
HCEA did not suck up to the governor.
Name calling is definitely the right way to go Ryan. I would join HCEA immediately if I was a teacher to have you negotiate for me.
A rose by any other name…If it looks like a duck…If he acts like a petulant child…
Harford mom, you still do both. If you’ve budgeted yourself that tightly you do not deserve to be a mother, county exec, or governor. That is where the problem lies, anyone who manages their finances this foolishly should not be trusted with other peoples tax dollars or raises.
I think you are missing the bigger picture. This pension shift will be balanced on the SMALLEST piece of the pie… The Harford County employees. The school budget is “maintenance of effort”. The county employees had the layoffs plus no raises for 5 years. Unless of course you happen to be one of the connected few. Shhh, no one knows about this. Employees understand difficult times and the hate people feel towards the government in general. Everyone is fortunate if they have a job but hearing your CE saying it is another thing. “They’re lucky they have jobs”. He is our boss and supposed to be supporting us. But we live here, pay taxes and spend our money in the same stores as everyone else. Yes, I am a county employee and work extremely hard. My coworkers are equally dedicated. Why do you think we still work here? Fame and Glory?