Teachers in Harford County Public Schools are warning parents about their plans to work-to-rule in the upcoming school year, and how the protest over school funding will affect students both in and outside of the classroom.
Staff working from home also raises some big challenges so lots of businesses have been utilizing daily activity log software which shows what employees have been doing which obviously makes managing remote staff a great deal easier. Teachers who work-to-rule perform only their contracted duties, and work only during the hours required by their contract.
In an open letter to parents, teachers at one local elementary school explained their plans to work-to-rule as follows:
“Increased federal, state and local educational demands, a decreased budget, increased class sizes and contractual obligations force us to make very difficult decisions. These decisions are necessary in order to allow us to continue to provide a rigorous education for each student. Below you will find two lists. The first list is what we will be able to continue to support during our duty day. The second is a list of activities that extend beyond the duty day, therefore, the staff will be able to provide little or no support.
We will continue to:
• plan, organize and deliver rigorous lessons that address specific student needs.
• input data into online systems to track and monitor student progress.
• implement and utilize interventions to address specific student needs.
• provide feedback regarding specific student progress
We will provide limited or no support to:
• organize or volunteer for afterschool events (i.e. – Generations Dance, Spring Fling,…Reading and Math Night, S.T.E.M. Night, etc.).
• organize and assist with clubs/organization (Engineering club, Lego club, etc.).
• participate in extended day field trips.
• return phone calls/e-mails outside of the duty day which is 8:30 am – 3:50 pm.
We hope that you understand our difficult decision to limit our participation in extracurricular activities due to the budgetary constraints brought on to us by the County Council and Board of Education.”
The letter is one of many to come for parents countywide, as work-to-rule, begun near the end of last school year, will go into full effect this August, said Ryan Burbey, president of the Harford County Education Association (HCEA), the union representing county teachers.
Work-to-rule was instituted after state and county funding authorities failed to fund a 1% cost of living increase negotiated for all school employees in the 2013-14 school year, plus a scheduled step increase for those who were eligible.*
Burbey said that thus far, approximately 650 teachers have voted to work-to-rule, but he predicted that the job action would be joined by many others when school starts up again. “I believe the vast majority of teachers, union and non-union, are going to be working to rule,” he said.
Harford County Public Schools had approximately 2,900 teachers in the 2012-13 school year, according to the school system’s Web site.
Work-to-rule is a protest over school funding, including salaries that have been frozen in four out of the last five years, Burbey said. How long the job action continues will be up to participants, he said, but a return to funding the scheduled step increases would be a benchmark, according to Burbey.
HCEA has also issued guidelines for teachers that are working-to-rule, including:
“DON’T call or email parents outside of the duty day
DON’T purchase any materials for your classroom…Request all materials for your classroom which you normally purchase on your own from your principal. If your principal cannot provide needed materials through their normal budget, simply do not use them.
Consider resigning from coaching and other extra-curricular activities
Notify your principal that you will no longer be performing the voluntary activities that you normally do. These include but are not limited to [School Improvement] Team, Social Functions, Clubs, Dances, etc.
Meet at the lobby at the prescribed end of the teacher day. Walk out together. Take nothing home with you.”
* The teachers’ contract with the school board includes a set schedule for future salary increases based on longevity and education levels, known as steps. Steps and other salary increases are subject to the following language in HCEA’s negotiated agreement “All items in this Negotiated Agreement requiring fiscal support will be subject to the decisions of the Fiscal Authorities and the Board of Education’s final actions on the operating budget for the school system.”
Below is HCEA’s complete list of Do’s and Don’ts for work-to-rule:
Work to Rule Guidlines (1)_Page_1 by daggerpress
Wow…what a way to call out the crazies. Ring the bell…Here they come! Let the teacher bashing comments begin!!
No teacher bashing here.
What a one-sided article. Please read the entire list of guidelines, including the suggestion to inform the parents about Work to Rule and the bold-faced line that talks about meeting all contractual and instructional obligations, before offering negative judgements. Thanks.
Except that the guidelines about not supporting clubs could be in direct conflict with contractual requirements if the principal formally assigns the effort to a teacher.
Principals cannot assign duties. beyond the duty day. All that wonderful stuff that your community enjoys happens because of dedication, often without compensation and when it is the rate of comensation laughable.
Wow,
I appreciate the comments that all teachers are told to meet the minimum requirements and obligations and I’m not being sarcastic.
But I do have to say that where most people work just meeting the minimum requirements means that you are on the short list to be let go if cutbacks are needed. Where most of us work our value as an employee is based on, among other things, our performance and how much we exceed minimum requirements. Employees who just meet minimum requirements are ‘a dime a dozen’.
Well said
Most employees are a dime a dozen, but that depends on the job, and in this case teachers are the subject. They are NOT a dime a dozen last i checked. There are not a lot of educators out there who want to work for what the county pays as well as put more of their time in than they are supposed to anyway. They do all the extracurricular stuff out of the need for a volunteer to run it because no one else will. I see their point, and agree they should get a raise of the 1% they want, but it is so much more than just that. The county council has the money, but they refuse to appropriate it responsibly. The teachers want more than just a raise. They also want the overall funding increased for all schools so that they can better educate the kids. This may seem in the short run to hurt the kids, but their purpose here is to wake the council up and get them to actually fix a community problem for once instead of worrying about their political careers so much. Most teachers do go above and beyond their normal duties, but not doing that in this case is the point.
Praying for all teachers to have a strong work ethic and for them to remember that children are only young eager learners once. Don’t take your hurt out on them. We parents appreciate all you do and are here to support you. We pray you don’t let our children down, but must of all we hope that you get the respect you deserve. I hope most teachers, many of whom are HCPS parents, exercise good judgment. We can’t support you if you don’t return our calls.
Teachers truly appreciate parents’ support! The guidelines say to not call or email outside of the duty day, but I would guess most teachers (the good ones, anyway) will find time during the day to be in touch with parents. Any good teacher will tell you that partnerships with families are imperative to a positive and successful learning environment, so they should maintain an open line of communication. I hope the teachers of your children don’t let you down!
Well written…..thank you. I second your message as a parent of a school age child with learning disabilities.
My thanks are meant for Supportive Parent, Wow, and all other residents of Harford County who will respond accordingly.
Dear Parent,
We need your support. We need you to help us fight for our schools. Our students and teachers are being short-changed by continual underfunding. Contact me.
Mr. Burbey,
I have and will continue to speak out for my children, my children’s peers, and teachers to the BOE, the County Council, and other elected officials. I believe in being present, as positive as possible, and most of all persistent when education is discussed. I volunteer as much as I can. I cannot support Work to Rule in its entirety as a former teacher, but I do respect teachers.
I understand your feelings. Please contact me. This is about much more than teachers’ salaries. The fourth freeze in five years was just the tipping point. HCPS is in dire need of additional funding. The quality of the entire system is in jeopardy.
Mr. Burbey, I agree with you there. I don’t care about my pay as much as being able to implement common core and how ready schools will be with technology for PARCC…
I think that is a false choice. Our schools should not be trying to weigh whether to honor their contracts and preserve a quality workforce vs. providing necessary materials and quality professional development.
HCPS has been so tragically underfunded for so long that it is no longer even sustainable. We should be expanding programing and hiring teachers; not contracting programing and cutting nearly 200 positions over the course of two years. If we do not raise awareness and get folks to demand substantial increases in funding, next year’s cuts will be much deeper and more hurtful.
Property taxes are much lower, county pension share has increased, and the state is cutting its share of funding, yet you speak of more hiring, more expansion, and more spending. Makes great sense for us.
It would be a relief if you would actually come out and just demand a tax increase instead of dancing around with the bs.
You do realize that the excess funding that the state has now, if not used by Baltimore City is going to PG county btw. Meaning, the best county with the best funding is going to get it. Write your reps and let them know it is needed here more than anywhere else. PG schools are much better off than HC schools are.
Supportive Parent-
Right now there are 650 teachers the union says have signed up to do this. Out of 2900 that is not that many. I strongly doubt MOST teachers will do this next year. I know at my school, I talked about it with several teachers who said there is no way they would do it. OR if they did, they would simply take the work home so it looked like they were walking out.
I am a teacher in Harford County myself and a union member. I will be honest, though, I am really unhappy with what the union is doing. First, I think “work to rule” is not going to make any parents support teachers more. If anything, it will do the reverse. I do not think it does anything to make teachers look like the professionals we wanted to be treated like. Secondly, and I am sure someone will argue this, the union did say more cuts should have happened so steps could be received each year. To be honest, I would rather lose a step than see someone in my building be fired.
That being said, I will agree that the situation in Harford County Public Schools is reaching a tipping point. Many of the most talented teachers are starting to look into other counties and see what the options are. As a parent, I would encourage you to make your voice heard because, sadly, the county is more likely to pay attention to your concerns than those of the teachers themselves.
The reason they don’t pay attention to teachers has to do with HCEA and the head of HCEA. You guys elected him and also his predecessor so now you have to deal with the results of the decisions you made.
Get your facts straight; teachers in this county have not had what they deserve for many years. Years before Ryan Burbey and his other predecessors were head of the HCEA.
Teacher,
Contact me.
This is funny considering the guidelines for the new evaluations. Good luck with that teachers! This isn’t going to happen. Teachers even considering doing this will rapidly be replaced by the fresh out of college, cheaper, stars in their eyes, fresh meat.
Yep. You are correct. Most teachers won’t be able to do this as written because teaching is A LOT more work than 8-4 M-F job!!!! And with Common Core and new evaluations….well our job is not easy.
However, we can stop spending our own money on the classroom and students, stop helping with fundraisers outside of work hours, no longer assist after school programs and events, etc.
No, ugh, you are wrong. Ryan Burbey, the head of your union, has assured all of us that what you say is NOT true. Better get on board.
And I will say if I am going to do my job well, I can’t work to rule as it’s presented. And I won’t.
Well said, ugh! We can’t work to rule or at least I can’t. In theory, yes, in real life, no. I have already spent part of my summer reading two books on teaching reading and writing to primary grades, a college course, common core sessions and teaching summer school. Most teachers will not be able to work to rule. They may give the appearance by leaving at the end of the day, but it will be too hard to not work at home. I put in 11-12 hours a day during the school year and usually 6 hours on either Saturday or Sunday. My husband does as well.
SPY..it sounds to me like the way educators are being treated if you have to do all that just to provide a decent education is abusive, and the requirements on curriculum need to change to a better system that does not require so much of your personal time. I can understand putting in 2-3 hours extra every few days, but it is the result of the demand as far as STEP, and CORE and other requirements that creates the problems. These programs need to be melded into one program of curriculum. This is the type of stuff they want to fix in the county as well as the state.
HCEA will help you.
All due respect, I am angered at this whole mess because everyone, from state to county, to board, to HCEA have mishandled, misrepresented, underestimated, and overall screwed the schools in our area. (Honestly, someone knows where the money is and has money to put toward schools) Not only am I not getting a step or cola, but I have to pay towards a union who is as messed up as everyone else. Egos have controlled this county for years!!! This is not the year to take money from those who can’t afford it in the first place. We all make less now than last year, which even with the step, was less than the year prior due to increase in insurance…. ..etc
Don’t bother helping me. I will continue to do my job and work as hard as I have for my school and students. However, I will also resent the fact that the union is going to contribute to the fact I’m bringing home less money again this year, on top of insurance increases. Most importantly though…. my family will survive and my students will thrive, reguardless of the fact few understand and that the state, county, and board do not value education.
It seems like you have questions about many issues. Feel free to contact me. I would be glad to address any of your concerns.
No teacher need fear replacement by “by the fresh out of college, cheaper, stars in their eyes” for simply following their contract. All components of the new evaluation system can be accomplished during the duty day.
If teachers do not fear replacement, what will motivate them to keep performing at their best? You can only say “its for the students” for so long before burning out and retiring in place.
If I were in charge, HCPS would follow commercial industry, firing the lowest performing 5% of teachers each year and hiring newly graduated teachers as replacements. That would be a low-cost way to continually improve the teaching staff in HCPS, which would result in better education for the students of Harford County.
You truly don’t understand teachers. We are motivated to make a difference. We are motivated because we believe in education. We are motivated because each time a student enters our classroom we embrace them as our own chid and strive to help them to fulfill their potential. Education is not a commercial industry. It is not just for the students. You may not understand this but doing good work that benefits society and helps build a better future feels good and provides all the motivation necessary. Likewise, teachers tend to get better overtime. While new teachers bring enthusiasm which permeates the entire building, veteran teachers bring wisdom and experience which can only be learned through years of professional practice. Cost only decision making has no place in education.
“Cost only decision making has no place in education.”
Says the man holding after school activities hostage until his salary is increased.
I surely do understand teachers. The problem I am having is with the head of HCEA. You.
And Kharn…
You are NOT in charge. You will never be in charge. You are not qualified to be in charge. You lack the education, qualifications and certifications to be in charge…You lack the education, qualifications and certifications to even be one of the teachers you continue to complain about. You continually spout off about how easy the teachers have it and how easily they can be replaced, but you lack any iota of understanding as to how much work one must put in to even become qualified as a teacher.
All it takes to be in charge (well, have a major influential role in HCPS’s funding, and thus their way of doing business) is sufficient votes to win election to the school board or county council, no other qualifications required.
Where I work for the Federal Government, I work alongside contract employees. Three out of three of my co-workers were recently discussing the principal motivation used by my management to enable them to perform their jobs Simply stated: they are routinely told if they don’t do their job someone else can take their place. While this is certainly true, you can clearly see that the threat of being fired is foremost in their minds, and would never tolerate such comments from my manager. He is arrogant and willfully stupid with little or no empathy for anyone else, and routinely concerned about his perceived toughness.
Recently I was told to cope with the mediocre among us, and if I don’t like it I can always vote with my feet. He has rebuffed my commentary that he needs to stand up for his people and for what he believes in by telling me it will be like this until I retire. He does not take much seriously unless it affects his boss’ perception of him and when he receives admonishment for his unprofessional actions he behaves like a small willful child.
In summary, we all know we are replaceable, it would be nice if you didn’t regard us as so easily replaced that you have to insult us with your rhetoric about not letting the door hit us on the way out.
You are not replaceable as an FTE fed. You might get transferred but to fire you requires almost an act of congress or god himself.
Civil Servants are exactly like the cannons on the White House lawn. Nobody knows where they came from, You can’t make them work, and you damned sure can’t fire them!
As a federal employee it is entirely disingenuous to say you are motivated by the threat of unemployment.
Have you replaced anymore teahcers lately?
I support all teachers 100%, and agree with work to rule, but since we now have to pay $25 for activities and $50 for a sport in which our child participates, I surely hope that there are coaches and leaders for clubs.
The $50 goes to support poor kids who can’t afford equipment. Basically, you have to spend $50 for your kid who is a resident of the county to be allowed to play in a sport. I suppose the huge property taxes we pay don’t afford the county enough money to hand out to the kids whose parents don’t work and complain their kids cannot afford to play sports.
Harford County has started the subsidy process early considering most of these kids will be on subsidies most of their lives anyway.
We already pay additional fees on our phone, cell phone and BGE bills to subsidize most of these people anyway. Not to mention the ever increasing taxes and fees to support a group of people who….. no matter how much money you give them of your earnings, will ever be satisfied and hate you to boot.
Bravo Harford County – get them on the dole early.
Your property taxes are small in comparison to other counties and neighboring states.
and that means exactly what…………….. I should pay more?
how much ADDITIONAL of your income to you pay into the IRS?
that is what I thought….
Maryland is #5 on the list of most expensive states to reside in.
Here is the top 5 –
#1 Hawaii
#2 New York
#3 Washington DC
#4 New Jersey
That is overall cost of living and harford county property taxes are much lower than others… My property taxes are about 2k more than harford. Do I like it? No, but Harford’s are not bad in comparison
Time to step up you are an idiot and clearly should not be posting about education.
Bill, you simply do not like the truth… My county gives 70 cents of every dollar to schools. Harford gives about 50. Schools here are newer, have better technology, adequate staffing, and morale that harford teachers would envy…
Harford County does not even dedicate 50% of the general fund to education. It only gives 45% of the general fund to our public schools.
Speak Your Mind,
Yep, property taxes are not as high as some other counties and they are going to stay that way.
“We will provide limited or no support to:
• organize or volunteer for afterschool events (i.e. – […] Reading and Math Night, S.T.E.M. Night, etc.).
• organize and assist with clubs/organization (Engineering club, Lego club, etc.).”
Mr Burbey, what do you have against the gifted children that normally participate in these activities? I thought you supported students, but cutting off activities frequented by gifted students, who, as a whole, have above-average parental involvement, reeks of using them (and their parents, who will certainly call the school to complain about cancellations) as pawns in your quest for more money.
The negotiated agreement states that elementary and middle school teachers must complete duties as assigned by the principal, they do not have a defined mandatory number of after school hours they must complete like high school teachers. Your advice to not support after school events could endanger teachers’ jobs if they are unaware of this requirement and they ignore their principal’s assignments.
You are completely incorrect. No teacher will face consequences for not working outside their duty day while meeting contractual requirements. Here is what our contract says:
“8.3 Duty. The length of the normal duty week for teachers may be up to thirty-seven and one-half (37 1/2) hours including duty free lunch.
(A) In addition to the 37 ½-hour duty week:
General faculty meetings, school improvement meetings and other meetings directly related to the teacher’s assignment will not be scheduled for more than once weekly for approximately fifty (50) minutes except in instances of school evaluation, the opening of a new school, and emergencies which affect the operation of the school. Faculty meetings will not be scheduled on a regular basis on Fridays and the days before holidays. Elementary and Middle school teachers may be assigned to supervise school-related activities which are held before or after school or in the evening. Such assignments will be made so that the responsibilities for such supervision are shared among the members of the faculty. Consideration will be given to teacher preferences. Assignments will be filled by volunteers first. If there are not sufficient volunteers, to fill the assignments, the remaining assignments will be filled by assigning teachers in an equitable manner. High school teachers may be assigned to supervise school-related activitiesthat are held before or after school or in the evening. Each high school
principal shall establish a fair and equitable method for distributing extra
duty chaperone responsibilities among the teachers in the school.
Consideration will be given to teacher preferences when assigning teachers to supervised school-related activities. Assignments will be filled by volunteers first. Each teacher will be required to serve as a chaperone fornine (9) hours per school year without additional compensation. After a teacher has completed nine (9) hours of chaperone coverage without
compensation, the teacher shall be paid for subsequent coverage at the rate of twenty dollars ($20) per hour. Duty hours for chaperone coverage shall be calculated from the officially assigned start time until the Administrator in charge of the event officially releases the teacher. Weekend activities shall be voluntary; however, teachers may select weekend activities toward the nine (9) required hours as noted below…”
As a parent of a gifted child, I know how bereft of reasonable enrichment HCPS is. This too is the result of serial underfunding of our schools.
The bottom line is that teachers can no longer be expected to fill the gaps of funding and programing.
Our intent is not to deny students. No one is more unhappy about the current situation than HCPS teachers.
Our hope is that this job action will raise awareness of the crucial role which teachers play in our community. We hope that parents and other stake holders will realize how much teachers have willingly given for free and at their own personal cost.
Our goal is to change the funding dynamic for both teachers and students, so that HCPS can become the kind of school system which our community deserves. Without additional funds, this will not be possible.
I would encourage all stakeholders to look at the surrounding counties, see what they have and what they can provide for their students, that HCPS simply cannot afford being one of the lowest funded counties in the state.
Please explain these two sentences:
“Elementary and Middle school teachers may be assigned to supervise school-related activities which are held before or after school or in the evening. […] If there are not sufficient volunteers, to fill the assignments, the remaining assignments will be filled by assigning teachers in an equitable manner.”
The statement is clear in its verbiage and past application within HCPS.
Except HCEA has changed the conditions by implementing work to rule and stating there will be no volunteers at the start of the school year, which opens the door to principals responding by assigning teachers to maintain services to students at historical levels. Refusing to complete assigned duties is a fireable offense in employment law.
You really have no idea what you are talking about.
Thanks, Ryan. It is always entertaining to have a legal document explained to a lawyer by a social studies teacher.
Who is the lawyer that you are referring to?
Are you a contract lawyer?
You are a total classless uncaring D-Bag… Quite possibly the most negative self absorbed person on this site… Unplug your computer and go do something worthwhile, perhaps volunteer for a good charity.
Sorry, I gave at the office.
ok…you are right.
I expect teachers to teach. That is their job and what they are paid to do. I am glad they are getting back to the basics. If students and their parents want after-school clubs, then they should run them themselves and pay the school the same facility charge that anyone else must pay for the use of public facilities. The County has made the choice to reduce the take-home pay of teachers over the past five years, so teachers must also make the choice of how much, if any, of their personal time they are willing to volunteer and donate to others. The sad part is what I expect the work-to-rule teachers will discover is that all of the extra time they have put out over the years will not even be missed by many students and parents. It is interesting how over the past five years everyone’s expectations have been diminished in terms of virtually aspect of life – work, security, economics, health care, education, service, etc., etc. I suppose all we are seeing with work to rule is a reflection of the times.
Burbey could have conveyed his instructions regarding work to rule internally with his unionized teachers but the fact he wants this in the form of a public pronouncement proves what this really is. This is the not so veiled threat to the public. This is nothing more than holding your kids hostage.
I did convey the instructions internally. I was asked for info by the Dagger and I gave it to them. HCEA is not holding anyone or their children hostage. We are simply following our contract.
This is simply put at attempt to hold the county and the kids hostage to your demands. If work to rule only results in more parental involvement in kids after school or sports activities to fill those gaps then it might just be a good thing. If work to rule has very little negative effect then what do you do Burbey…tell the teachers to call a sick out? This is exactly why unions have no place in public employment.
Why is following our contract holding anyone hostage? Contracts outline duties and compensation. Our teachers will continue to uphold their responsibilities. Teachers are just not going to do more than what is explicitly required.
No, I will not be calling for a sick out. Teachers cannot strike in MD. We will abide by our contract and the law.
Maybe you could demand they fire more janitors and admins – surely there’s a list of positions with the HCEA that you can finger through and line out as unnecessary…surely there are other non-union personnel who’s lives can be thrown under the bus so that you can have your steps.
On any given day you can find enough haha county maintanence workers at the hickory wawa to fund a raise for every teacher in the county and make all activities free for everyone.
I fail to see how children or programs are being “held hostage”
Everyone needs to stop assuming or expecting that teachers should work for free.
Teachers have been working above and beyond what the contract language states in a contract that has not been honored in 5 years. And yes… I know that the contract is subject to funding — but it is unreasonable to expect teachers to continue to do more than what the contract asks for when it is abundantly clear that the powers-that-be could care less about the language in the agreement.
I don’t see how work-to-rule will decrease the quality of instruction afforded students. So, a teacher may spend 2-3 hours less a night crafting a sensational lesson plan and the students will simply learn from a so-so lesson that has probably been provided by a dry curriculum guide. I have no right to ask a teacher to spend that time that they could be devoting to their own family or own pursuits to make learning a truly remarkable experience for their students. They are not getting paid for either that time or the creative energy that is expended. Folks, you get what you pay for. If you are unwilling to pay for the extra time and energy, then you should not expect it. The funny thing is that teachers haven’t ever asked for more; but rather, just what they were promised to begin with. Learning will still happen and hopefully, teachers can start to see more balance in their lives.
The issue is that teaching is a salaried position. The job must be accomplished on time and to the quality standard regardless of the hours required by the worker, and for years, the community has come to expect teachers to sponsor clubs & dances and coach teams (some of which rate additional compensation to the teacher) to the point that such duties have become part of the norm rather than the exception.
Working to rule is a statement that the participating teacher is not interested in the quality of their work (previously, some could reuse lesson plans, assignments, etc, for years on end with the same typos, but Common Core is going to require teachers perform an almost complete rewrite from my understanding) or performing some of their duties entirely (sponsoring clubs, assisting students after the bell, etc), and is attempting to do the least amount possible to skirt by while avoiding reprimand.
Again, you show your ignorance. Teaching has a specified duty day. Teachers voluntarily have given their time. Working to rule simply means that they will not voluntarily give their time.
There is no “voluntarily give their time” for salaried employees. You’re paid a flat rate for all of your efforts for that year, regardless of how long you spend doing it.
That is not how it works when you have a contracted duty day and duty year. Perhaps you should read a little contract law…
Mr Burbey,
The duty day in the HCPS/HCEA negotiated agreement only covers the required attendence at the school, not the complete list of tasks expected/required of teachers, or do you really think the vast majority of teachers complete all of their work within the described duty day and go home to make dinner, watch TV and play with their kids without having to grade papers, modify existing lessons to accomodate IEPs for individual students, or prepare new material?
The Contract specifically states:
“8.3 Duty. The length of the normal duty week for teachers may be up to thirty-seven and one-half (37 1/2) hours including duty free lunch.”
The contract then goes on to list additions.
Nowhere in the contract does it state that tasks not completed during the school day must be completed outside of the school.
Nor does the negotiated agreement state that employees must wear clothes when in proximity to students, but 99.95% do it anyway.
Kharn,
Way to win a debate by staying on topic and proving your point with a sound and reasonable argument.
However, to respond; your statement regarding clothing is outside the scope of payment and required work hours. Should you wish to discuss this, please, by all means, start a new topic regarding clothing (or lack of clothing) requirements and responsibilities of teachers. I am sure tons of people would love to comment on that. I know there are a few teachers I would enjoy seeing sans clothing.
Unlike you – I find the list of adults I would like to see sans clothing very, very short.
I said a few. Does that make my list long?
How many does it take to have a long list? How many for a short list? How many for a very short list?
If you are married, does your list only consist of one person?
You’re arguing with a guy who has a personal ax to grind with teachers.
Federal employees – APG – Harford County residents – pay cut now – not hypothetical – actual 20%+ cut that is never coming back. Mom and Dad both work for US = 40%+ cut. At a time of massive tax hikes and rate increases by Federal and Maryland state. Broken promises by Mr. Obama, Congress, Mr. O’Malley, Mr. Craig – liars at all levels of govt of all political parties. Teachers need to realize the new norm – Mr Obama and Mr O’malley – no better than Mr Craig – everyone is looking out for number one now. Maybe work to rule will be a good thing – maybe some of the clubs, sports, etc run by teachers in the past can now be led by concerned parents and really get the community involved. Maybe just the wake up call for parents to act.
I guess the feds are finally taking their share with their big fat salaries and cushy benefits. They make way more money than the private sector counterparts. According to the following article, private sector pay has gone up 10.5% during the time federal pay was frozen. It should stay frozen. My taxes shouldn’t pay for someone to make more money than me.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/16/pf/jobs/worker-pay/?hpt=hp_t2
The only thing that is permanent about your commentary is the lie that you tell when you say the pay cut from furlough is permanent. It is extremely disingenuous of you to post this absolute crap on here for the rest of the uneducated low information voters to enjoy.
They should be made permanent.
No Teacher Bashing Here – We love the Harford County School Administration and Teachers. It will be a shame if someone like Ryan Burbey is able to create a toxic atmosphere between Parents/Children and Teachers. These economic slowdown have impacted everyone not just federal, state and local government workers and teachers. There are limited resources and citizens have only so much tax to give. I personally believe that our Teachers will take the high road and will continue to provide a great learning environment both in and out of the classroom.
I gotta tell ya, if I had the choice I would redirect my newly mandated $12.50 Rain Tax to the teacher’s union instead of their steadfast democrat ally Martin O’Malley and company. Just think how big your raises would be next year if only the Rain Tax of 2014, which increases to $125, would be reallocated. In all seriousness and honesty, when was the last pay increase for our public school teachers and what was the percentage?
This is indeed interesting.
I would like to address the fee for sports. My mother was a single mom who worked two jobs. This kept us sheltered, clothed and fed. This did not pay for sports. If there had been a fee for sports, we would not have been able to play. Fees for a public school’s sports program are wrong. Period. Everyone is not on welfare. Yet not everyone can afford even $50. My mother paid property taxes as well.
Now, as far as teachers and this year’s work to rule, I agree. Teachers have, over the years, taken on more and more of parents’ responsibilities. Most parents could reasonably take off one day per year to volunteer. This would take care of the average classes needs. Parents that are able could take off more. This is possible. This is not impossible. It is only INFREQUENT, because parents and employers are used to teachers taking over this area of parenting. Yes, it is often difficult to arrange time off to volunteer. Yet I state again, that it is not impossible.
In my own current circle of friends, most are homeschoolers. The majority have modest incomes, yet the income earner is available at least occasionally for activities. This includes those who are not paid for time off, as in our own situation for many years. I just do not believe that HCPS parents cannot cover these activities. So what if some parents end up giving more time than others? My grandmother, a teacher by the way, told me many times that “Life isn’t fair.” The children of parents who truly want no part in their education are not at fault. Not only that, but they need even MORE help. They also will one day be our co-workers and neighbors. Our grandchildren will play with their children and go to school with them. Why not do our best to make sure they get the same benefits our own children get?
The public school system is not a parent. Parents need to reclaim their place, and this is a great opportunity for them to do so. What could be more important??
And one more thing…… Federal workers have been under a three year pay freeze with an anticipated 4th and 5th year coming. Also rumored that step increases (and these do not happen every year – some you have to wait 3 years) are going to be targeted for elimination. Federal workers cannot strike – they will be fired. What local government officials realize – the vast chunk of Harford County residents are Feds and these Feds cannot take many more hits without going under and would make the protests by teachers look like child’s play if property tax increases or a school tax were put into play. The Teachers Union Rep is doing his job but I think he and teachers that support his positions have a case of tunnel vision. The economy woes of Spain, Italy, Greece are coming home to the US and government employees at all levels.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/16/pf/jobs/worker-pay/?hpt=hp_t2
Austerity begins at home.
well good for private sector, they need a bump up from the past recession. I’ve worked my Fed job for 25 years and make $90K. I support a family of 4. I drive over 100 miles to work, spending 3 hours on the road on average daily, paying tolls and fuel costs along the way. Health care costs out the wazoo. I live in a small 3 BD 2 bath 50 year old house that needs a new roof. I don’t know what Yum Yum’s perception of cushy or lush life is, but I’m not living it. So easy for people who aren’t Feds to spew the “lets sock it to the rich Feds” garbage.
You’re not a rich Fed. Your pity party is postponed until you are really suffering.
On an hourly basis even at 90K a year Bel air guy brings home less than a 15 year teacher. I believe the max for teachers is now 72K correct and the contract call for 189 days, 7.5 hour workdays. Bel Air guy works full time, year round and pays much more by way of taxes due to his lengthy commute. The union hears these salaries in the private sector and they presume that’s what a masters degreed professional is entitled to yet they never take into account the very long break they take each summer. The difference in actual hours has to be part of the equation.
Nor does the union account for the difference between the degrees. A master’s in business administration or engineering is much more difficult to obtain than a master’s in history, English or education, and the pay reflects that.
Kharn, your bias shows your ignorance. How would you know the difficulty in attaining each of those degrees?
I have to agree here. Teaching is basically a part time job.
Teaching is not a part-time job. You are foolish, disrespectful and short-sighted to state this.
Mr Burbey,
If they are the same difficulty, why didn’t you get an MBA and make millions on Wall St earlier in life? You could have quit after a few years and lived on a fat trust fund while teaching.
Where are teachers today? Home. Where are they tomorrow? Home. Where were they yesterday? Home. Where are they next week? Home.
Where is the rest of the working world? WORK!!!
Try a masters degree in Science — physics, bio, chem, geology — just pick any science offered in HCPS. The labs alone are three hours a week per class.
I’m not saying that a science degree is any harder than an English degree, just that, at the high school level, most of us are not getting degrees in Education, we are getting the same degrees that many of the working sector are getting – yes even MBA’s for our Business teachers.
What makes an English degree for a teacher any easier than the same English degree for an editor? By your own expectations, we have to sponsor clubs, tutor, etc., in addition to our regular schedule and our planning and grading, so we don’t have any more time than anyone else. Most science classes aren’t offered in the summer due to time constraints for the lab work, so you can’t throw summer break at me…
I think my compensation is just fine, by the way – BUT I want the contract honored. I fully expect to make less working 190 days than someone equally qualified working 240. However, over the course of my career, there will be no opportunities for bonuses or promotions. That is the reason for the steps. I don’t want a C.O.L.A., I just want my steps.
“full time year round”….LOL. You are joking right? I know sooo many suffering ‘real world’ workers that work year round and make 90k+. Let see….one of them is in Cal this week…another is on a cruise. And a third suffering ‘year round’ worker is in Atlantis….after returning from a trip to MI just a few weeks ago. Wow..that is tough.
It is called “leave” aka “vacation time.” We get a few weeks…not 14.
Your contract calls for 189 days; slightly under 38 weeks of work. There are 52 weeks per year. Do the math.
Maybe education should be a full time job – year round.
Kids would be more educated and teachers would actually have to work a full time, year round job for their salaries like the people who pay their salaries do.
I guess you are not counting coaches in this equation then…14 weeks off? LOL. Football, Soccer, and Field Hockey all have summer leagues & optional practices/running/lifting. Guess how much they get paid for working with your kids then?
OH yea…you are right. These guys get nooooo time off during the year. LOL. Man you are an idiot.
I’m not getting paid to be at home. I work 190 days, and I get paid for 190 days. Summers, holidays, etc. are not paid vacation time. Anyone who thinks otherwise is clueless. If I don’t show up for work, they deduct 1/190th of my salary.
We don’t get paid vacation time; get a grip. Your arguments are not sound. I work every summer, as does my husband. No one pays us to be at home during the summer. What are your professions? Do people disrespect you the way you do us? I certainly hope not.
No, you get sick and personal days. If you stay home sick, you get paid.
No, you get sick and personal days. If you stay home sick, you get paid. The summer savings plan allows your salary to be paid over 12 months.
The summer savings plan no longer exists.
In Atlantis? Must be difficult to vacation in the mythical land beneath the sea. Sorry I couldn’t help myself.
Atlantis is a huge resort in the Bahamas. So huge that it is referred to simply by it’s name. There are commercials for it on TV.
Even if a teahcer works 9 hour days (1.5 extra a day to account for time spent working at home), that’s only 1701 hours a year…not factoring any sick or personal day. A person with a normal job works a full 2080 hours a year. Mr. Burbey, I know you are no mathmatician, but thats a full 379 hours less a year.
It’s 14 weeks less work – that’s 14 weeks not paying for gas back and forth to work, 14 weeks of free time to garden or take up that hobby you’ve been waiting since last year to get back to, learning to golf, painting, remodeling your bathroom. Let’s not pretend that 14 weeks doesn’t exist.
…spend with your kids, sleep in, cook decent meals, go swimming, take a nap, etc, etc.
Yum Yum…you are clearly clueless…(and you must be working hard on the Dagger all morning. good work!). Most teachers don’t just take the summer off and lounge. They are all working 2nd jobs. LOL. The words of a clueless Harford County resident. MOST teachers now get second jobs…work at camps…or do something to make $$$.
And most teachers work 2nd jobs throughout the school year.
Not paid though smart guy… Almost every teacher works another job during the summer because they get 0 pay during those weeks… And the summer is only about 9 weeks. But again all unpaid
Fyi. Most teachers average 50-60 hour work weeks, some much more. This includes hours on the weekends and nights, after our own children go to bed. Believe me, my hubby hates my job because of the time it takes and friends/family had no idea until they saw what I have to do to do my job well.
As for where am I this summer….classes to further my education, sessions to get training on common core, student goals, new teacher evaluation, and educator academy so that I can help teach others at my school about all of these new items we need to learn, while being unappreciated. For me and many, its not about the money. Its that more and more is expected from us, yet our government and county put money anywhere but education and make us feel they lie about where the money went. See the newest news about buses? Parents are mad and want to go to the next board meeting. Good luck.
Ugh –
Do you enjoy teaching?
Are you effective?
Do you think HCPS wastes money?
Common Sense – You’re an north end of a south facing horse.
I love teaching! Truly do and entering my 17th year. I am a highly motivated and effective teacher. I honestly don’t know enough about where the money truly goes. I do know we need something to help us with all the new initiatives and there’s no money right? The new tests are all computerized…. but our schools don’t have enough band width, let alone enough computers…
I personally am okay with my salary, but something has to shift the way we are made to feel about the expectations placed upon us….these issues and terrible teacher bashing makes us feel we need to fight more, when really we just want to be appreciated and supported.
Education costs have risen exponentially over the past 40 years and results to say the least haven’t even come close to any reasonable expectation of improvement.
Kind of makes people think that there is extreme waste, and jerk-off apologists like Burbey, the union and administration are the problem.
People don’t hate teachers they hate the wasteful educational complex that robs our children, parents and taxpayers.
Common Sense –
You are the east end of a west facing horse.
Can someone answer my question. When was the last time teachers received an increase or raise, however it’s termed in academia. How much of a pay raise?
Last summer HCPS and HCEA agreed to eliminate 60 positions in exchange for one step (approximately a $1500/yr increase).
Assuming maximum potential salary that’s about 2%.
Glad you think it was a raise; basically, it was a loss with rising costs in benefits. Only in Harford County can you get a step increase and your take home pay is less than it was the year before.
The cuts were not negotiated. HCEA does not set staffing levels.
I have worked for HCPS for 10 yrs. I make 21,000 after deductions it comes in close to 17,000. No raise or step, this year will make five years without one. I know I am not a teacher, but I can honestly say all the hours before and after work are not appreciated. Nor are they compensated for. But I do it for the kids. All I want to say is: Teachers are not revered as they use to be and parents need to step up more. I stay because I love my job. I wish the people on this blog would help instead of just make negative comments. Come up with a solution, not create more of a problem.
Last year,
The agreement provided teachers, guidance counselors and other members in the bargaining unit a 1 percent cost of living raise, plus a step increment raise for those who were eligible and a longevity increment for others that were eligible.
However, even with that raise, many teachers were taking home less money than they did 5 years before.
Based upon inflation correct and then wouldn’t that same factor also affect all incomes?
Not for me. I make a significant amount more than I did 5 years ago.
However, I work in the private sector for an employer that honors its contracts.
If you’re employer declared bankruptcy and closed the doors you’d no longer have a salary correct? As is true with all salaries – it required receipts; input, inlays. Ask the people that used to work at Beth Steel how valid a contract is…even if they invested in a retirement plan it’s gone. Your salary increases have nothing to do with honoring your contract because without the necessary income your check would read a big fat zero. That’s exactly why public employee unions are troublesome – it’s inevitable that the unions look at taxpayers as a limitless source of revenue and it opens up often unreasonable demands. Look at Chicago – we aren’t there yet certainly but I’m bettin’ Burbey is simpatico with Karen Lewis.
“If you’re employer declared bankruptcy and closed the doors you’d no longer have a salary correct?” – I would get a job somewhere else, so I would indeed have another salary. However, that is not what happened here in Harford County. The County is not bankrupt, nor has it closed its doors. The County operated at a surplus and the County, through the Board of Education, made a contract with the teachers union. A contract should be honored (especially if the funds are available, as it was proven they were).
“As is true with all salaries – it required receipts; input, inlays.” – If you don’t have the money, don’t agree to the contract.
“Ask the people that used to work at Beth Steel how valid a contract is…even if they invested in a retirement plan it’s gone. ” – Completely irrelevant.
“Your salary increases have nothing to do with honoring your contract because without the necessary income your check would read a big fat zero. ” – However, if they money is available, shouldn’t the contract be honored?
“That’s exactly why public employee unions are troublesome” – I have never liked unions. I think, for the most part, they are an outdated, unnecessary tool for some workers. However, since they are here, the contract with them should be honored.
“– it’s inevitable that the unions look at taxpayers as a limitless source of revenue and it opens up often unreasonable demands. Look at Chicago – we aren’t there yet certainly but I’m bettin’ Burbey is simpatico with Karen Lewis.” – I don’t believe unions look at taxpayers as limitless sources of revenue.
I love all of these posters like Kharn, Money Tree, yum yum (probably all the same nitwit) complaining about having to work all summer and teachers having off…yet they live on the dagger and post constantly. It’s laughable to read…yet they sit here and cry waaaaaaaaaa…at work. Now reply quick guys!!! It’s almost time for you to clock out.
I’ve been accused of being David Craig, now I’m Kharn and yum-yum. How do you know I don’t work nights – maybe retired, even a teacher?
You are probably Ryan Burbey’s wife. And Dagger is the outlet you ahve to tell that numbskull husband of yours the truth. Ha.
Ha back at cha, but not really.
I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave my family out of any postings.
Ryan –
Please you’re on an anonymous board and someone makes a little joke and you get bent.
So I’ll tell you Burbey you go get bent you DMF.
You’re the pettiest pathetic little tool I’ve come across.
It’s unfortunate for everyone in Harford County you live here.
Common Sense –
You’re an south end of a north facing horse.
I apologize for being such a D-bag….can’t help it. Blame my parents.
I blame your father for not pulling out.
You are getting nasty now; no reason to get personal. Stay on topic.
Actually you are a dried up sour old hag.
Its great to be the boss, there is no one to tell me I’m surfing the internet too much, and now that my kids might not have Lego club after school this year, I can leave whenever I want to make sure they have educational opportunities. But not every HCPS parent is as fortunate.
I am on food stamps and collect welfare. I don’t have a job.
oh…and I’m good at being an a-hole.
I understand completely the plight of the teacher. I was a teacher and I know it is far more comprehensive than a 71/2 hour day. In fact, I don’t understand how anyone will be able to teach a rigorous program and not take work home with them as the work to contract calls for. Any teacher will tell you that when they leave the school, their workload is far from over. Anyone who has never taught does not understand how rigorous being a teacher is. I can tell a lot of war stories about this, but I am not going to elaborate unless pressed. The problem is a terrible economy. After not getting what the BOE promised for 4 years, NOW, the HCEA decides they are going to take action, when lots of people are suffering far worse than they are. HCEA leadership is too often a friend of the Annapolis mafia. Have you seen any of the complaining posters post anything negative about O’Malley and the General Assembly? I haven’t, instead they blame David Craig. He had to divert 6 million dollars to the state to pay pension costs for teachers because the state dumped that cost on the counties. That could have paid nicely for teacher increases in salary. On top of this, the state passed a large number of taxes. How many of them have gone for education? How is this increase in taxes helping people survive in this economy? The negotiations process is backwards. HCEA negotiates with the BOE, who then asks for the money from the County Government, who has no authority over the BOE. Teachers are the pawns in the middle. Craig is worried what the state will do next, as are the leaders in most of the other counties. Also, HCEA, stop telling the public that you are asking for more money because it is in the best interest of the kids. It may be but most citizens aren’t buying that. There is nothing wrong with asking for money for the teachers. It is also honest.
Burbey says “All components of the new evaluation system can be accomplished during the duty day.”
So, no need for evening and weekend work. I’m glad we got that straight.
Yeah, Jaguar Judy, the teacher is being used as a pawn once again, and no matter what they do, they will be wrong.
Well, jedgar, the head of HCEA can’t be wrong can he? And he speaks for the organization that represents all teachers of Harford County. Get it? ALL TEACHERS now that the legislation has passed that requires ALL TEACHERS to pay the HCEA. So the teachers better get on board and stop whining that they need more time. Burbey has spoken.
Monster so let me get this straight you are a teacher and a police officer. So do you teach the police I sure hope not maybe that’s where the problem is.
Where did you get the idea that I am a teacher and a policeman. My post says that I was a policeman. Perhaps, you should read more carefully. Are you a policeman or a teacher. I read carefully and didn’t see anything that would lead me to believe that you have much education.
So which are you….Monster or jedgar? As we can see, you are both. Up to your old tricks again.
and you are up to your old tricks again. Thank you, Mr. Gahler or Mr. Bodway.
Monster/jedgar,
You crack me up. You got busted once before for posting under several names. I guess you have so many you just can’t keep them straight. Well, have fun, whoever you are, but realize most folks will not take you seriously when you post under several screen names.
If what I say in untruthful or incorrect, no one should take what I say seriously. That is why what you and your group who use many names aren’t taken seriously.
So I was correct. You got caught Monster/jedgar.
Hey, Fiji, nice name. Probably have 6 others. The pot calling the kettle black.
The great thing about the dagger is that there are only about 8 people using different names talking to themselves…
People will begin to see the need to fund the educational budget when they start to see it affect their kids. And it will be noticable and it will be soon.
I know one thing, I’m going to drink a budwieser and continue to watch the entertainment. Wasssss upppp
What time are you on duty?
Why am I so darn cool!
Ok, I haven’t seen this yet so I’m going to go for it.
Administrators, the BOE, the County Council, the state and fed government, and even many parents don’t give a shit how good the teachers are in Harford County Schools. What they do care about is their jobs. Above all else. Hey teachers, your students passed the tests and moved on to the next grade? You are highly qualified! You keep referrals down? You must have superior classroom management skills! You fly under the radar, take no risks, strictly implement the curriculum, and completely engineer your observations? Great! That’s what the power players want. A nice quiet county full of mindless drones. Here’s a harsh reality, and it is the reality… the squeaky wheel gets a nice quick deflating. It’s all about control and fear in this county. There is one thing only that motivates the power players and that is the divine buck. As long as teachers show up to work and provide the basics I stated above, nothing will change.
And if this is too honest or political for you then I recommend pulling back the veil blurring all this bullshit and take a closer look…
… and Ryan, I know you are very polarizing but I also believe you honestly want the best for the teachers (which of course filters down to the kids). I believe you would take a “bullet” for the cause. But I think you are deluding yourself if you think work to rule will accomplish anything. On the contrary, it will make the teacher/admin relationship even more strained. So many readers here think that teachers are unappreciative as it is. Work to rule will not change anyone’s mind, will not gain us the respect we crave, and will paint teachers in an even uglier light. Please, please come up with a more effective means of action.
It is not my decision to make. The membership voted for us to initiate Work to Rule. Contact me.
In all fairness, we did get to make the decision. However, to be clear, it was a “yes” or “no” vote. It wasn’t as if it was voted off a list of options.
Then come up with a better solution. This is going to be a difficult school year for all school staff, not just teachers, but administrators, support staff, everyone involved. I don’t know what the answer is, but I think that when a county has 92 millon unspent dollars it should put some extra toward education. I am not saying all of it because the money should be equally spent among all areas of the government. How did we get a such a large surplus? People argue that you can’t spend a surplus, but how did it get there? That’s a lot of surplus.
There will be other actions and other options. Work to Rule was demanded by many members due to the utter lack of respect for teachers’ well-being. Our Board of Directors, decided that this was an issue that needed to be voted on by the entire membership. Over 85% of those that voted, voted to initiate work to rule.
It is possible to work to rule without hurting students. HCEA will provide members with assistance and strategies as this situation evolves.
Thank you for your kind words. I want what is best for teachers and students. I don’t just want it to trickle down from teachers to kids I want out schools to be the best in the state.
Keep up the good work, Ryan. You truly do care about the kids and the educational system. I have had many face to face conversations with you and I am impressed. Just so sad that people cannot show respect for our profession.
Thank you for your kind words. We all must keep fighting for our schools and our teachers.
I wonder what would happen if the large number of teachers currently working on Common Core, School Improvement Team, curriculum writing, summer school, and all the other NON-required duties just up and left. Went home for the summer starting right now. I wonder what would’ve happened if no Harford County teacher worked for the system at all in the summer…
I don’t remember seeing that in my contract.
Well, with a little luck, you wouldn’t work in the fall either.
May I ask what you do for a living?
Again, people do not understand what teachers are having to do this year. Mandated changes, not ones we asked for. I wonder, too, what would happen if we did not do the things that are necessary to be able to do our jobs. With teaching summer school and trainings for the fall, I will have about the same vacation as any other worker will have. It’s sad that we have to continue to fight for money for schools. This is nothing new in Harford County; it has been going on for years. It does not matter whether a Republican or a Democrat is in office, the same thing happens in this county year after year.
I say bust the union and fire the ones who are not doing what it takes to get the job done. There are plenty of young, energetic you college graduates who would love to have their jobs, and would probably do a better job than most. Do like a private sector employee has to do. Work your job the way it is supposed to be done and be proud of your what you do.
Lol. If you look at the data of new teachers who leave the job within 5 years, you would be shocked. This job is not easy and colleges do not prepare you! All that turn around will make for a great education!
And how many of them were young women leaving the profession to become stay-at-home mothers or moving due to their spouse? Many professions lose workers in the first few years for those reasons, but it is especially common in female-dominated fields such as teaching and nursing.
It does not help when the take-home pay for a teacher is barely more than the daycare costs for two kids.
I’m sure many….however just as many, possibly more, are because of how hard teaching can be for new teachers.
If a college student did not discover that teaching is hard during his months of student teaching, I’m not sure anyone could help him.
Lol! From someone who’s never been there. Student teaching does not prepare you for your own classroom. At all!
If teaching is hard, why the animosity towards well paid teachers?
So which should give? The daycare costs or the teacher’s salary?
Neither one has to give, its just proof of the costs for services that are staffed in compliance with all laws.
There are strict rules on how many children each employee can watch, with a ratio as low as one worker per three infants, so the hourly cost is quite expensive.
If teacher to pupil ratios were set by law and set in a reasonable manner then there would be even more need for teachers.
And that is EXACTLY what the teachers of HCPS will be doing….and nothing more! I am with the HCPS educators in spirit!
Once again, a post from someone who knows nothing about teaching. I wouldn’t presume to tell you how to do your job; why do you think you know so much about teaching? Are you a former teacher? What do you do for a living?
@ Concerned Citizen: Do you know how a teacher is evaluated? It is quite a process and with all the changes coming in education, it is very unlikely that there will be too many ineffective teachers left. I know of two who were forced out with the evaluation process. My point is that the evaluation process is tough and if you aren’t willing to make the changes necessary to be a good teacher, then you are on your way out.
Harford County has an issue with the teachers, sheriff and a all volunteer fire system. So my kids will suffer by school cutbacks, my neighborhood will go to crap because of the lack of adequate police, and my house is at a greater risk of burning down because of the politics within the volunteer fire system. Time to move, I thought BRAC was the fix all at least that’s what it was made out to be.
Adios, amigo.
You thought bringing in a bunch of entitled Jersey residents, who (mostly) just complain about how much they hate Maryland and can’t wait to move back to NJ, would fix Harford?
They won’t even change their license plates from NJ to MD, what makes you think they’ll contribute to the county in a meaningful way?
Well, Kharn, there might be a good reason why they are unhappy here in the People’s Republic of Maryland.
Well it was made out to be by our elected representatives in the House and Senate who are the ones that engineered it. Thanks Senators Mikulski and Cardin.
Work to Rule is fine by me. Non-union members are being forced to pay $450 to negotiate wages -unsuccessfully, I might add – and will need to work an extra 22.5 hours to support the lost cause. Guess these hours will be easy to come by now.
So I don’t get it. There are constantly those users who say that teachers have a cake schedule…they are done at 2:20…or 3:30…or so one. They say “you guys are done working at 3:00…so quit crying”. But now Work To Rule comes up and those same users are saying…”so now you won’t do the extra work at home…so now you won’t design new & engaging lesson plans…stay after for kids…shame on you”.
So which is it? Do they have a cake schedule and are done at 3:00….or do they do work at home that now they won’t do? You haters can’t have it both ways. Either they have a cake schedule and are done at 3:00 so work to rule won’t effect anything so quit bi!ching…or admit that teachers work a TON after school and you were wrong when you were crying about being done at 3:00.
Sorry, Explain, Burbey says no more time is required. Maybe you could explain it to him. Maybe not since he is real busy figuring out what to do with all of the extra income.
Gosh, Judy; you seem to think that you know a lot about teaching. Have you ever been a teacher? If you are a lawyer, then you had to have a few teachers in your past. Think about it.
Well actually I have taught law at the graduate level so I guess I am a ‘twofer’. And the better teachers I have had in my past – and I have had my share – would puke at the thought of Ryan Burbey and his rants.
if you say so….lol. I’d love to know where….and many users here puke at the thought of you. So who cares…
I have taught at many levels of education and the environment in which you taught has no semblance as to what it takes to teach in a K12 classroom.
I would urge all parents to only send in items that are clearly marked with *for use by First Last name only*.
I will be doing this. I support the teachers, I stand by the tethers, and salute the teachers and Mr. Burbey for their efforts.
I do not want teachers spending their own money.
We need other options besides work to rule, yet nobody seems to have any suggestions. I am a great teacher. However, what makes me a great teacher is that I don’t just work to rule. Good teaching requires extra time and extra effort. Yes, I probably can complete all of my contractually obligated tasks during the assigned duty day, but I probably can’t do them well enough to meet the high expectations of the parents, students, administration, or myself. Working to rule is only going to make parents and administrators angry. It’s going to make children suffer and turn the community even more against teachers. I am disappointed with the fact that I am not paid what I am deserved according to my contract. However, I refuse to look a student in the face and tell him that I am not sponsoring a club, grading a paper in a timely manner, holding an after school study session, etc. because I am working to rule. I will be leaving the teacher’s union this year because I will not be part of an organization that fights with anger and is unable to come up with solutions beyond those that will directly hurt children and negatively impact my professionalism.
Do you have any other suggestions? Unfortunately most people in Harford County don’t care about this issue until it effects them. Lets be honest….as the last few years have proven (as well as this website) most don’t care about teachers & steps if it doesn’t directly effect them. This is a ‘me first’ county. If you are a 4th or 5th year teachers still making 40K and starting to have a family, then you are starting to think if you will still be in this boat in the next 5 years. No teacher thought they would put in 10 years and still be making 40K…but that is now a possibility. I think teachers are at the point where they are thinking about their kids and families before the students. It has gotten to that point.
If they are honest, so is everyone else in any profession. Don’t apologize for it, just re-think the timing of doing a work to contract and how it could be the biggest mistake the teachers could make.
I will never be at a point where I am willing to act childishly and unprofessionally, throwing a temper tantrum and putting my students second because of money. I went I to this job knowing the pay is not great. If things get so bad for my family and children because of the pay cuts, I will apply in another county or for other jobs. Some of my colleagues were flat out fired. Yes, it sucks that I have not received my earned steps. However, we are luckier than we realize. I think we need to be thankful for what we have.
The best suggestion I have is for the union to spend it’s funding researching the laws, reaching out to other counties, and gathering information for community members about the real facts of the situation. I suppose I should have come up with other ways to fight the funding issue on my own, but I thought that was why I paid union fees. My personal solution is to keep doing a great job in my classroom and putting students first. I’ll also be thankful I have a job with a salary that lets me survive a lot better than many people in our communities.
Oops, “its” not “it’s”. Please forgive me.
Please contact me.
Unless HCEA members can quit via the website, it sounds like he’s already planning to contact you…
AMEN – That is a Teacher I would be willing to fight for . As far as the other Teachers that state I will only do the bare min ? Why should I fight for you ? I have lost 88 hours of Pay and I had to take a second job . I now have to pay to play for my child as well before school care due to the change in school start time . I am Thankful to have a JOB , maybe you should be to .
The best thing the union can do is rally parents. There is no credibility with the HCEA in the eyes of the county government. You want to get the attention of politicians??? Parents must now step up to be a voice for their children and teachers.
Sorry, HCEA has no credibility with parents either.
Most parents have no credibility with the teachers. You should see the emails, complaints, enabling, entitlement. Guess there is no credibility in this situation.
Lack of both credibiity and respect all around.
How are teachers at private schools paid? More specifically, are they contractual? Are their salaries more or less for the same grade level/education level? Are they represented by a union? What are the perquisites? Are they the same, similar, or different? Why choose to work private versus public?
Why do my questions cause a thumbs down to someone? When trying to find answers to complex issues why not take a stroll down all available avenues?
From what I know, teachers at private schools are paid less than those in public schools. HOWEVER, you do not need to be certified by the state or even have a degree in education to work at a public school. I am not making a judgment on that; I am simply answering the question. I know there are certified teachers who are awful and there are non-certified teachers who are amazing. If it was my own kid, though, I would worry if the vast majority of his/her teachers were not certified. Anomalies exist, but education does set some kind of quality overall.
Also, I have thought about switching to a private school because of all the paperwork that goes into what we do today. I also think parents at private schools tend to have more respect for their children’s teachers because they feel like because they pay more they must be getting something better. Also, if parents are shelling out $10,000 a year, they are much more likely to make sure homework is done and that their child attends regularly. It is very frustrating as a teacher to see a student who is failing and their parent(s) don’t even bother to make them do their homework, let them stay up until 3am playing video games, etc., or even condone drinking, etc. at the middle school level.
Don’t forget that the private schools get to boot anyone they want for any reason (drugs, immorality, fighting, continued classroom disruptions, etc), and test students prior to admission so they can take only those that are high-performing. Kinda like the fancy magnet programs HCPS has boosting the test scores at AHS and EHS…
What makes any of you think that parents, both of which may be working two jobs, will have time or the inclination to fight your wage war? Who in the heck is out picketing fighting for them?
Frankly, your graveling and whining is beleaguered. If the employees of HCPS have been so wronged for so long, and maybe you have, take real action. Get a mediator since you say you can’t strike or get more creative with your tactics. There are so many decent, upstanding, educated folks that have NO JOB. There are many decent, upstanding, educated folks that are holding down two and three jobs. Sorry but you all don’t have the market cornered. I suggest each and everyone of you read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
I read it and shrugged it off years ago. Self justification from a self centered woman.
I will do the absolute minimum that is required of me in my classroom this year and indefinitely until I receive the salary steps for my appropriate years of service that are in the negotiated agreement. Fortunately for my students, that will provide them with an ADEQUATE education. It won’t be the best, but it will allow me to be evaluated as EFFECTIVE, ensuring that I will be in my classroom for the next 20+ years. I will do nothing with students, their parents, or administrators before or after my duty day. That is all my students, their parents, and administrators should expect of me, since they have been unable to convince a county executive, county council and the school board to make the budgetary decisions necessary to make education a higher priority.
In my opinion, all HCPS teachers should do the same, move to another system, or quit teaching altogether. I’ll be staying right here, sucking every last cent I can from this pathetic county.
Teacher number 2 on board. HCPS take notice. You did this. You took dedicated, passionate, hardworking, selfless educators and utterly crushed us. You forced us to take on multiple jobs, at the expense of those we hold most dear. You claimed to bargain “in good faith” and then showed your true political colors. You tried to buy us off with a whopping $600. You have taken a worthwhile and altruistic profession and ground it into the dust. You claim to care about the children and yet you care nothing about those who provide their education. You, HCPS, by being so power – drunk have so belittled and disrespected us that you have forced us into a corner. It’s fight or flight time, folks. HCPS has brought this upon themselves and, contrary to the two faced people in power, this all could have been avoided by a simple step.
It is time they reap what they have sown.
Well said.
$5mil that isn’t in the budget is more than “a simple step.”
MANY agree and will do the same. It’s very unfortunate because we didn’t select education as our career to deal with this, but the situation is what it is.
I’d hate for you to be my kids’ teacher with that attitude, I can just tell that I would be on the phone with your principal weekly complaining about your conduct and lack of caring for your charges. Is parent feedback a part of the new evaluation standards? I hope it is.
Hopefully I luck out and they’ll end up in a classroom with a teacher whose attitude mirrors Workingtillthejobisdone’s, at least then I’ll be dealing with a professional who takes their obligations seriously and takes pride in their work.
HCPS should take pride in their teachers’ work and pay them properly.
Unfortunately, circumstances beyond HCPS’s control are preventing them from having sufficient funds to do so. Instead of taking it out on the students, why don’t you picket the county executive or governor?
You may well see those demonstrations wherever Mr. Craig decides to campaign.
How about O’Malley and the Democrats in Annapolis? Your politics are showing.
I”d hate to have your kids in class. Guess we both hate….
Everyone of you dedicated teachers should sign your aggressive comments with your real names. Then at least the parents of those children which you plan to short change will know who to avoid. If you’re this angry now I can only imagine how inflamed your tempers will be on the first day of school. Unfortunately, the two faced people in power won’t reap anything. The school age kids of Harford County will be the recipients of your diabolical scheme. If any of you are able to look into the face of any youngster, K-12, and have such disdain for their intellectual/social/physical well being then you really are in the wrong line of work. Make no mistake, I will make sure to let all the parents I know that they need to pay very close attention to what their kids are hearing in the classroom and what they are learning. Parents have rights also. Especially those parents that are working their fingers to the bone to pay taxes from which your salaries are drawn. If any of you had any real chutzpah you’d tell the two faced powers that you are worthy of better treatment and will be moving on to greener pastures. But no, many of you have made it clear that you would rather offer up an adequate, albeit inferior education, stew in the classroom all day until quittin’ time and stomp out the door. I pity you and those that follow that lead. Mr. Burbey will lead you all down the road to perdition.
And perhaps you should sign with your real name so the teacher will know what type of parent they are dealing with!
I did…..
You and people like you should sign your comments with your real name so teachers can do everything they can to make your children’s lives miserable. Odds are, we will anyways. And this attitude is not about convincing parents to get involved so we can make more money. It’s because we can and we should, because we are human beings who value ourselves. I hope parents pay attention to what teachers do this year and complain all the way to the top. I guarantee that there will be nothing they can do about our performance because we will be performing EFFECTIVELY under the system that is in place.
And I should feel sorry for parents who have to work their fingers to the bone to pay the taxes that pay my salary? Here is what you don’t understand. In the private sector, you can work harder and get paid more. You can work the same and get paid the same. You can work less and get paid less or be terminated. As teachers, no matter how hard you work, at least in HCPS for 4 of the last 5 years, we have been paid less, but parents expect the same services. We can’t work harder and get paid more. We can’t work the same and get paid the same. We can’t work less and get paid less. We have to work harder and get paid less. That just ain’t going to happen any more. And remember, we pay the taxes that pay our salaries, too.
Pay for performance won’t fix this either. The education of diverse students is not a product that can be objectively measured because every student in every class is unique. Why isn’t there a demand for bus drivers, police officers, post office workers, soldiers, or any other public workers to be paid based on their performance? Ultimately because increasing taxes in this county seems to be impossible and shifting more funding to HCPS does not seem to be a higher priority, the result will continue to be a mediocre education for HCPS students until the economy improves. The improved economy will increase tax revenues, potentially leading to more money for HCPS. Although because people like you feel teachers should be at their beckon call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and care more for their children than their own children, I doubt HCPS will ever receive the budget that will be necessary to provide teachers with the salary that corresponds to their appropriate years of service.
Also, as I offer up my adequate education to my students this year, I won’t be stewing in my classroom all day and then stomp out the door. I’ll be kicking back in my classroom while students work. My feet will be up on the desk while I make business calls and make money while this pathetic county also pays me my teacher salary. And I’ll put on a great show for my administrators when I need to. And when I stroll out the door at the end of the day and go to profit from my real business, I’ll be smiling all the way to the bank knowing that I’ll be sucking every last cent I can from you pathetic losers (that’s you and people like you, K). for the next 20+ years. I hope every teacher in this county does the same, because that is all the people in this county should expect. I hope you pity me. Your pity might just help me to make more money!
Finally, leave Burbey out of this. He did not ask for this pathetic school system. You have worked long and hard to make this piece of sh#$ school system what it is. He is simply putting into motion the only rationale action that is left for teachers to honor themselves as human beings…not as teachers…but as human beings.
The majority of harford county taxpayers that fund your salary don’t have kids in school or particularly care if you are happy at work or not.
If the job is so bad stop complaining and find another one where they really expect you to work for a living.
If you or people like you don’t have children in this system, you still have a stake in the quality of education in HCPS. So you should care if I am happy at work. And I am happy at work. I get to work in a great school, with great students, with great teachers and get paid to do the absolute minimum and leave before you are even done eating lunch. Even if I wasn’t happy, I still wouldn’t find another job. Like you said, I don’t have to work for a living. I can just suck your tax dollars into my bank account, on top of my second salary from my business. Now, if you want me to do more than the absolute minimum, you are going to have pay me more. Then maybe I’ll put more attention on my students and less time on running my business.
I’m not complaining. I’m telling you how I am going to operate next year and hopefully how other teachers will operate.
It is very sad to hear you say that teachers don’t work for a living. What do you do, Bill, that qualifies you to judge a teachers life?
Do you have some super degree that allows you to know what happens in classrooms? While I am upset about school funding, I plan to do my best for my students. I am sorry for my fellow teachers who are disillusioned by Harford County and HCPS. I hope that they will be able to move forward, but I do understand how they feel.
“Why isn’t there a demand for bus drivers, police officers, post office workers, soldiers, or any other public workers to be paid based on their performance?”
Police officers, post office workers and Soldiers are all able to be promoted or demoted by their superiors for their conduct, and will work to the best of their abilities to get those promotions. With pay scales based only on education and no bonus structure, HCPS is not able to incentivize high performance. If a Soldier says he’s going to do the bare minimum to his commander in such a nasty manner as you have used, he gets to hand out towels at the gym for 4 hours a day for the next 60 days after his platoon’s duties are completed and he’ll miss out on promotions for too many demerits (along with being #1 on First Sergeant’s hitlist for the next few weeks) or even be reduced in rank. A police officer that does the bare minimum will find himself with horrible patrol zones, a bad partner, or even worse, slow back up when he needs help, and he’ll never make detective or sergeant. Postal workers get promoted out of the Jeep and into the office, and finally into managerial positions based on their performance.
Suffice to say, teachers are one of the few professions where you can’t lose pay for being intentionally negligent at your job.
First of all, I never said to my superiors that I was going to do the bare minimum in a nasty manner as you have suggested. However, I did anonymously say that I was going to do the bare minimum on this thread, which only turddi%$s like you read. Even if my supervisors did read this pathetic blog, they won’t know who I am. And I would never say that to my supervisors. I will of course, perform all of my duties to the standard necessary to be rated as effective. That won’t take much.
Both the rewards and penalties that you identified for both soldiers and police officers are based in almost all cases on experience. Most of the promotions (which come with increased responsibility) occur after a specified amount of time, as is the case in the teaching profession (except no increase in responsibility), which is why increased pay for teachers in HCPS and most counties stops after about 20 years, with an occasional longevity increment (every 5 years after that). The demotions that you identified also happen to teachers. Why aren’t you advocating for the firing of soldiers, police officers, or postal workers that are ineffective? Do you really think there aren’t any? Or do you think that those organization weed them out, just like HCPS does?
I have never suggested that any teacher be negligent in their duties. I simply suggested that teachers do the minimum that is required to be rated as effective. That will not require teachers to work with students, parents, or administrators before or after their duty day. Any teacher that is negligent will be placed on second-class certification (which is a significant pay cut) OR be terminated. Clearly you know little about how teachers are evaluated or how they are compensated.
Just because I haven’t mentioned problems with Soldiers, police officers and mail carriers doesn’t mean I haven’t expressed displeasure (or commendation for jobs well done via letter to their supervisor) in the past.
Please tell me more about second-class certification. I want to know the right areas to identify and call attention to when I discuss your performance with your principal, so I can better help you end up on that track.
You need a change of pace, teaching in HCPS doesn’t sound like its a good fit for your mindset. Maybe you could try running for Congress? They need more members who do not care and get nothing done while taking up positions desired by motivated go-getters.
You nor anyone else could get me on second-class certification. You could come see my classroom every day and I’ll be doing my job better than just about everyone, unless of course I have your child…I’ll be sure to pay as little attention to them as possible. Although your child would never end up in my class because he/she is likely more disabled than you are. But you won’t see me before or after the duty day. However, I will be working in my classroom for at least another 20 years, sucking the Harford County teat, mostly out of spite for people like you.
@F HCPS and F Harford County says
You should be cleaning up shit behind monkeys at the zoo and not teaching our kids.
Clearly, you have a distain for the citizens who pay your salary and a responsibility to educate our kids because of a profession you chose willfully to accept. Now stfu and do your job or quit and take that job at the zoo.
The zoo? That sounds like it would actually require me to get off of my fat a##. Nope, I’ll stay right here in HCPS for the next 20+ years, work about 5 hours a day (if you can really call it work!), get some real nice health care and pension, and be sitting on my couch before you even get on the road to head home. And during the summer….ha! I don’t think I have been sober for about 4 and a half weeks! Also remember, I’ll be doing the absolute minimum next year, all while running my business from my classroom. It sounds like you are the one who should be looking for another job…as a teacher!
LOL….oh brother. STFU. You are as bad as the kids going back and forth on facebook. Meet me at the bike rack!!!
Three words for teachers…Stand Your Ground!
Enough is enough – you have made it clear – that the teachers will do bare min this year . I say screw this drama – I hope the County pulls a Chicago . These are hard times , so deal with it .
Yes hard times says the person at a computer with an internet connection. It must be tough to make ends meet. You are probably at the point where you have had to go to only basic cable. I’m so sorry for you.
You do realize you are commenting about one of the top 100 wealthiest counties in the US?
“These are hard times”….now excuse me as I go swimming in my pool at my 750,000 house….
Excuse me ? First of all , I am losing 88 hours of my salary . I pay over $5,500 in property tax . I had to take a second job . I now have to pay for before school care due to the change in start time . I am a single Parent but I find a way to make it work . TEACHERS need to do the same . I have to pay to play now as well . Why should I fight for the Teachers that sate “I will only do the bare min ?
Dear Parent,
Our teachers just can’t go on any more. They have lost thousands of dollars over the course of the freeze. Likewise, there are many teachers who cannot even afford to take the classes to continue their certification. It is getting to the point where they have not choice but to leave. This should concern the entire community.
It is not that teachers will do the bare minimum. They will fulfill their contractual obligations. They just are not going to provide voluntary services. Many will be working a second or third job. Some will be looking for employment elsewhere.
Work to Rule is not just about our salaries. It is about the horrible inadequacies and inequities which the persistent under funding of our schools has caused. This is a fight for the quality of education in Harford County. We want our county government to invest in our schools. We want to have the best schools in the state. We want our teachers to receive appropriate compensation and professional development. We want our students to have access to current technology and necessary materials.
I am a parent too. Many teachers have children in schools. This action is not taken lightly. The community must demand the funding necessary to provide the schools our children deserve; the kind of schools which provide the best opportunities for our children. If the funding does not dramatically improve, HCPS will not be able to maintain the current program or staffing. We need your help to avoid the cuts which loom again in the spring.
Ryan I think I can afford a box of tissues for you .
It really is not about pity. It is about fairness, equity and quality. HCPS will not retain quality teachers by not honoring its salary obligations. Underfunding will continue to create a situation that is not fair or equitable to students, schools, teachers and the community at large.
Parent…you can take a tissue first for crying over Pay to Play. waaaaa
No one has fought for teachers the past 4-5 years so I don’t think most expect parents to do anything. But of course…now that you have to pay 50.00 to play a sport, you will get all up in arms cause it effects you. That’s Harford County….me first…me first…me first. Teachers are just learning from the parents after 5 years.
Haha – I understand I have to pay to play , there is no way around it . It needs to be done so there is no reason for me to waive my arms up in the air . I will pay that along with the extra $250 a month for before school care . This is the new normal . I do not mind paying MY share for MY children . I do however mind my tax dollars being used to pay Teachers that are and will do nothing more then the bare min .
If you are a single parent raising your kids, then get the hell off the dagger and raise your freakin kids. You live on this site. What are your kids doing when you are glued to this site? I’m done with this thread so go ahead and post in the next 5 minutes. Sad. Very sad.
Hahah – Judge much ?? For your info my children are attending camp . Even though its none of your damn concern . FYI today is the first time I have EVER and I repeat EVER posted on this site . Judge me all you want because I have a few hours of alone time today . You must be better then God . You are just pissed because others including myself finally have the balls to speak up , we are done with the damn drama , everyone has problems , not enough money or too much money . Why don’t you contact TLC that will save the budget problem – have the teachers do a reality show about their cause because right now some of the Teachers that are posting on here rank right up there with HONEY BOO BOO CHILD and KIM KARDASHIN the fame ***re , just calling it as I see it !
Parent, I know what you do with your “alone time” and it is not pretty. Pray tonight for forgiveness, and don’t forget to pray for the teachers. Remember, they are suffering through this hot summer without having to work. Oh wait, you know better than that. All of them are working.
I have been following this thread for many days and this is my first comment. From the article, 650 teachers approve this plan now out of 2900 teachers (<25%). Not getting raises yearly is what society has become. Ask the federal contract employees that were told that they had to take 88 hours of unpaid furlough time in less than three months. I work for the state and we have been furloughed 5 or more days every year for 5 years.
Two points have stuck out in this thread. There was little said by teachers or union people about the 38 week year that teachers work compared to the 50 week year worked by many. That is a valid argument in being considered as a form of compensation. Then a teacher made a valid point about parent involvement. I have received an appreciation certificate from the school for my volunteer efforts every year I have had a child in school and I think every parent should do something for their child's school yearly.
Lastly, in negotiations, public sentiment can often sway a dispute. The union and the teachers seem very greedy and self absorbed in this article a comment thread. It is not about redistribution of funds for the good of the children and the teachers. It is about the teachers feeling under-appreciated and under-compensated. If the union would come out and say this and make a valid argument, public sentiment would swing back to the teachers. And continue to keep in mind that IT IS ONLY 23% of the teachers backing this plan. 77% of the teachers are being lumped in with this vocal minority and probably hate the union right now.
All teachers were given the opportunity to vote their conscience. In fact, they still can. Many votes and elections have low turn out. This is also indicative of the moral, teachers are tired of being maligned, mistreated, overworked and underpaid.
If your argument is that the salary scale is not appropriate, or that some how teachers are overpaid, HCPS teachers are among the lowest paid in the state at every salary level.
Work to Rule is not just about our salaries. It is about the horrible inadequacies and inequities which the persistent under funding of our schools has caused. This is a fight for the quality of education in Harford County. We want our county government to invest in our schools. We want to have the best schools in the state. We want our teachers to receive appropriate compensation and professional development. We want our students to have access to current technology and necessary materials.
I am a parent too. Many teachers have children in schools. This action is not taken lightly. The community must demand the funding necessary to provide the schools our children deserve; the kind of schools which provide the best opportunities for our children. If the funding does not dramatically improve, HCPS will not be able to maintain the current program or staffing. We need your help to avoid the cuts which loom again in the spring.
So what happens if a sufficiently large number of HCEA members call you saying they reject work-to-rule, now that the voting period has ended on your poll and you’ve announced the path forward? Will you cancel it and instruct HCEA members to resume acting like regular teachers who care about their students more than their paychecks?
Maybe the low participation in your poll is an example of 1) teachers have lives too, they’re out working summer jobs, on vacation, etc, and aren’t reading work-related emails, and/or 2) they’re burnt out on the whining your emails always contain, knowing that nothing they’re capable of doing will change HarCo’s tax revenue and thus HCPS’s annual budget?
Or maybe those teachers already started working to rule as I did several years ago and care little about what their colleagues do.
In the end, who cares how many teachers work to rule? Those that don’t are suckers and those that do should be spending there time doing something other than teaching…unless they can spend their time working another job while they teach and suck off this county for every last cent they can before they move on.
“F” —— Please move on. I can’t stomach reading anything else you post, so I won’t read any other comment on this thread. I am a parent with children in HCPS schools and I have emailed HCPS, the BOE, the County Exec etc. about how the priorities within HCPS and the County (not that the County determines in the end who within HCPS gets paid what) need to be changed to place a higher value on classroom teachers. I’m trying to do my part to express my dissatisfaction as a voter in this County. But you? I’m not fighting for you. Praying my kids never had/have you as a teacher. If the schools are filled with teachers with your attitude, a good house cleaning is best. I hope you don’t “represent”.
Nope. I’ll be here for a long time. But you can always move one. I don’t need you to fight for me. I’m doing just fine. Your kids though…man I feel sorry for them.
Most teachers are suckers and do not have the attitude that I have. However, those teachers unfortunately, due to their reduced mental abilities as evidenced by their inability to evaluate the costs and benefits of a situation (can you say free market?), are nowhere near as effective in the classroom as I am. So I am a double edged sword – I know enough to be rated as effective and impart an adequate education on my students, but I also know how little is required to make that happen. Pray all you want thought, sooner or later (if it hasn’t already happened) your children will have me or someone like me for a teacher in HCPS.
In the end, you’ll keep reading this thread and others like it. Because things won’t change.
@HC parent, Few teachers are as jaded as F, but many teachers are giving up hope and that is what kills morale. Once that is gone an organization ceases to function properly or effectively. Some will move onto other school systems or professions but many who remain will feel less willing to give any extra to those (politicians) they feel are taking advantage of them. The only way to correct that will be to change those at the top. In this case those making the final decisions on funding – the County Executive and members of the County Council.
Mr. Burbey,
No where in my posting did I did I state anything about the salary scale or much of what your reply states. In much of what you are saying, I completely agree. Teachers should not spend their own money on supplies that should be given to them by the school system.. I stated that teachers felt unappreciated and underpaid and that was the major problem.
Therefore, my focus was to say stick to the main problem and argue your case that way. It should be easy from an outsider’s point of view. You know the salary structure of Harford County and the surrounding counties. If Harford County schools have larger class sizes, the student’s academic measures are higher than other counties, if you can show a lack of parental involvement and other types of examples like these, then you are debating an issue. If your facts are better than the Board’s, then you should get more money. Period.
Leave the kids and the teaching methods out of this. The people with the most to lose are the students
One final question to you sir: If a teacher makes $25K this year and gets a $5K raise, does that make him a better teacher? If the teacher loses $5K, is he now a worse teacher? NO, they are teachers and they do the job to the best of their ability at all times as far as I am aware. Money can make you happy or sad, but it has little effect on a teacher’s ability to teach a child.
Thanks for your time
Money will force a teacher to make a conscious decision to go above and beyond what is expected of them. I will no longer do more than the minimum as a result of the lack of salary steps. As a result I will not be as effective as I was the first 10 years of my career. The money doesn’t make someone a better teacher. The money provides motivation for someone to do the best job possible.
so let me get this right – you will do below min ? Is that breaking your Contract ?
Do you know how to read? I will no longer do “more” than the minimum. That is not breaking my contract. I was doing far more than was expected of me for the first 10 years of my career. That stopped long ago.
Ryan – do not expect much support from parents when Teachers are stating they will do very little or the bare min . I will pay for MY children , the pay to play and the extra $250 a month for before school care because it is part of the county cuts . I will however NOT support Teachers – that excuse my language ” Just do not give a **ck about our kids anymore” which has been made clear on this thread by several teachers . You want a extra nickel in your pocket , so do I , but the reality of it – It will not happen . Put your cause to a vote , that’s right you did but turnout was very low .
Parent,
It is not that we don’t care about the kids but rather that we do. If funding is not increased, there will be more jobs cut. That means classes will get bigger. There will continue to be a lack of technology, resources and professional development. Teachers are leaving in droves. Some of the comments here represent the extreme of the frustrations which teachers are feeling. If you value your schools, you will join us to fight for funding the HCPS funding problem is becoming a crisis. It is not just about teachers’ pay. I have ben saying this for years, before any of the cuts happened. Please help fight for our schools.
Don’t say “ALL”, only union teachers are getting a say. And Mr. Burbey, you aren’t being realistic to think that you can do all that is expected during our day. Planning a lesson with all the components during planning (maybe this can be done if all I teach is the same course), grading papers, filling out IEP forms, going to meetings, doing “other” duties, contacting parents about discipline and job embedded development can not be done in a day. Oh yeah I forgot, we do teach students somewhere in that time too. Sorry, I have 6 different classes to prepare for and some of them are brand new. With the new evaluation system, there is a lengthy self-evaluation form teachers need to be prepared to state why they feel they deserve this rating and there needs to be data and artifacts to back up the rating too. Forgot the data collection that will be required now too.
For a lot of us we feel stuck. We love what we do in the classroom and would love it if all the federal, state and local governments would stop telling us how to do things. Maybe their changes are not what is best for kids. They hide behind rigor but it is really dumbing down so kids don’t question things. Never have I felt so ashamed and disrespected by being an educator at the end of this year.
For those of you who think just leave, teaching is one profession that is is hard to cross state lines. Each state is different with their certificate qualifications so it isn’t so easy. Plus with Common Core things won’t be different. Just depends on what phase the state is in, sadly MD is just cruising ahead and not stopping to really think about the implications.
As a parent I’m scared for our kids because they are being indoctrinated. Teachers who aren’t with the program are the ones being pushed out or being set up for failure. Union keeps saying they are fighting for us but they are the ones who backed Obama, O’Malley and the other politic idiots who want this change. Why aren’t they questioning…oh wait they are now that Medical cost are being passed on to union members.
So now slam me since I only work 6 hours, 190 days a year with sick time and all the other things people on this blog think how teachers have it made. Truth is I’ve been working every day at least 3 hours on creating lessons, attending workshops so that I can understand what is expected and answers to my questions are “working on it” or “will be decided later”, and debating whether how I take home less money by joining the union or pay the “fee” for no vote. Sorry but I’m tired of being so disrespected by all. That isn’t true, the ones who do respect me are the former students who come back and say “thanks”. So every time I’m ready to throw in the towel, I have that happen and say this is why it is worth being an educator.
Work to rule isn’t for me. Can’t with all I have to do to make sure the kids are getting a rigorous educational experience that data shows how they have grown due to learning the material.
All teachers do have a choice. If you join you have a vote. If you choose not to join you do not.
It is just like political elections. If you do not belong to the party you do not get a vote in who their eventual nominee for political office will be. You want a voice, join. Otherwise you have little validity to complain.
If you want to cross state lines, why don’t you get your national board certification? Isn’t that a license to teach in all 50 states?
No.
I want to remind BillWill that teachers only get paid for the weeks that we work. We are unemployed WITHOUT pay during our “summers off”.
Thank you for clarifying that point. i was under the impression that teachers’ salaries were paid over the entire year and not simply during the school year. Personally, I would rather have the payments be smaller and be stretched over the entire years.
WRoe – Question – Do Teachers collect unemployment during the summer months ?
No.
Then get a Summer Job
Yeah…teachers should have to get a summer job in order to own a house and raise a family. Especially those noobs who get paid $40,000/year for five years in a row that have come on board to replace those overpaid punks like me that just sit on their butts all day. That is really going to attract the best and brightest to educate our children. Work for us and you’ll need to get a summer job! But don’t worry, you’ll have the summer off so you can do that!
WRoe,
If you are in fact “unemployed” during the summer months, why would you not qualify for unemployment?
The BOE makes you sign a intend to return form every year. You can not claim unemployment because of that. That way they don’t have to pay the taxes.
I asked because my brother has been a lifeguard for several years at the beach. He, along with many of the other lifeguards, have made a career out of working during the summer and then drawing unemployment during the off season. It was always amazing to me that someone who only wanted to work a seasonal job could qualify for unemployment. If he could get unemployment in that circumstance, I thought, surly teachers could.
Only a third on colonists were in favor of The Revolution, another third remained loyal to the Crown, and the remaining third was undecided. The picture in HCPS today is a third definitely want work to rule, a third oppose it, and the remaining third is undecided. However, that undecided third has reached a turning point in the discussion. Many of the teachers that participated in the last work to rule effort two years ago would never have thought of doing so but their frustration finally pushed them to action. Not all the undecideds will participate in the planned work to rule for next school year but what will happen is that enough have reached the point where they believe their loyalty to the HCPS is being abused and their goodwill is being taken advantage of. The attitude among the majority of teachers has changed just as it did for the colonists. This will translate into greater job actions, the loss of quality personnel, and forced cuts in services and programs for students by the BOE. Teacher reductions, increased class sized, eliminating course options, pay to play, changes to transportation and school hours is now a reality. Further reductions and the closing school buildings will be the next logical step for the BOE. Parents are beginning to get the message and hopefully will stand up and say enough to those making the final decision on school funding. If they do not then look for HCPS to drop into the bottom third of school systems in Maryland which will undermine property values, discourage business from coming to Harford Co. or encouraging others to leave, and shortchange our children’s capacity and opportunity to compete in an ever challenging job market. Ultimately parents will decide what becomes of HCPS in the voting booth.
BillWill – I appreciate your participation in this debate; have you been following the other articles on the Dagger concerning HCPS and the budget shortfall. If so, you probably know all the participants in this county and their point of view. To me it is simple, I respect that you have a job in this community to do, as do I, but I would never presume to tell you that your work is not valued because you are a ten month employee. As I have stated before, many teachers work 2nd jobs during the school year and throughout the summer. My husband and I are both teachers and we work all summer. My point in this is that teaching is a little different than some professions in that it is time consuming and requires continued education on the teachers part. It’s not just getting a masters degree, you are required to continue your education in order to maintain a certificate. Please know that I am not complaining about this, it is part of the life of a teacher. I have spent a good part of my summer (when I am not working) on lessons for the new school year and reading books to help me with the change in curriculum and the teacher evaluation process. Many of my colleagues are doing the same. Again, no complaints, part of my profession. However, my contract has not been met for many years. I cannot just break my contract with HCPS whenever I want and go to another school system. I would lose my certification. I have no desire to switch professions. I would simply like for my contract to be honored. I have come to teaching later in my life and when I lose steps, it affects my retirement. These are my arguments.
I am aware that our country has taken many hits economically. I am willing to do my fair share. But how does Harford County come to have $92 million surplus? Why is some of this money not allocated to HCPS and other departments of our local government? Why doesn’t the County Executive answer these questions instead of passing blame to others? Why did the County Council allot funds for capital improvement to the weight room at Joppatowne High instead of putting that money in to the school budget? I pay taxes just like you, my children went to HCPS schools (even one of those terrible magnet programs described by one of the contributors to this discussion), and I am concerned for our futures. I can think of many alternative solutions for HCPS and for the County to deal with the budget issues. But again, please do not disrespect me. I do not direspect your or your children. I worked very hard to become a teacher and I plan on continuing to be a good one!
Working to the contract is part of what happens when needs cannot be met. Before we even start the new school year, principals are scrambling to figure out to how to meet the needs of our students with so many staffing cuts. This is a tough situation; as I often tell my students when they need help, “remember there is one of me and 25 of you. I wish people would not take us for granted when things are good. Support us as we support your children!
Spy – I wanted to reply to your response. When Harford County announced they had a $92 Million dollar surplus, I wanted to scream. From working in the State government, I know that means it is time to start spending with reckless abandon. First the County gave all employees (excluding teachers) a bonus; wasteful spending. And to be honest, I did not keep track of what they did with the rest of the money.
In a corporation, if you run a profit (surplus) it gets paid out in dividends with some held back for unforeseen future events. That money should have been returned to the people that caused that surplus, property tax paying homeowners. Assuming you live in the county, you and many teachers plus hundreds of others would have benefited greatly in a time when it was needed most. But never expect any government to do something that makes sense. To a Government, it was free money to be spent on anything the desired.
The County Executive, David Craig (a former teacher), holds the “most sway” in this county. Why has he not stepped in on the teacher’s behalf? I understand that it is Mr. Boniface and the Council that decides on the spending for the schools, but Mr Craig should be a big supporter of the teachers and their union. That is unless he does not agree with that side of the argument.
Lastly, I believe Mr. Burberry is your Union leader. He is a terrible public relations person. All arguments are decided by public support and I do not see the public rallying around the teachers on this issue at this time. I truly hope that the situation reverses itself in the near future. There needs to be a way to give a merit increase to good teachers, keep the pay equal for the adequate and get rid of the lemons
@BillWill -Thanks for your comment; I do agree with some of your comments and I do hold the County Executive responsible for some of the budget issues with HCPS and all other parts of the county goverment. I don’t think Ryan is terrible; he is doing his job and is not afraid to challenge the county’s leaders. But I do think that people believe teachers just want more money. I think if you polled many teachers, you would see that most of us want to be able to do our jobs well and the cuts will make that difficult. The new announcement of HCPS busing changes and cuts in staffing for all of the school system are just a beginning. Most teachers will pull from their own pocket to make up the difference, but that is becoming more and more difficult. I am sad that we are in such a place as a county. Unfortunately, people become angry when things like this happen and cannot see to reason. This becomes a place to express that anger. I just wish that people could see beyond the anger and understand that we need to work to a solution in this county. Opinions and politics become weapons in the form of words. That is why I appreciate your comments made in a respectful, calm manner.
So, Spy, you hold David Craig responsible, but you don’t hold O’Malley and the Annapolis Democrats responsible. Your politics are showing.
Spy – Again it seems as if two people can have both a similar and different position on an issue and discuss it rationally. Unfortunately this does not happen here from what I see.
I was compelled to write because I am here doing a little extra work for a presentation tomorrow. Mondays are normally hectic, so I am getting a jump start. That is when I had a minor epiphany. I am doing homework. It is the same thing that the teachers ask of their students to enrich the education outside of school hours. My children could easily get C’s without lifting a book at home, but I have instilled in them that their education is their JOB and part of that job is homework.
The “work to rule” means teachers do no homework. My previous statements still stand and I agree on a number of the issues that the teachers are bringing to light. However, how can a teacher be so hypocritical and give their students homework assignments when they state they will do no “homework” themselves.
Every job I have ever held had some type of homework that accompanied it. It is how I rose in the ranks. It is also a part of the “Puritan Work Ethic” that has distinguished this country from so many others.
Teachers, please do as you wish, but stop the public outcry for sympathy. The sympathy will never come when you are using our children as your bargaining chips. I have never in my life had my email blow up as it has from what I thought was an innocuous post that I was using to purely vent my own frustration; over 45 emails in less than 30 hours. Most of the emails are thoughtless and adolescent. I hope these are not from teachers or there is little hope, but I will continue looking for that faint glimmer that I still see way out there. That is where the solution lies.
billwill,
It is not sympathy we seek but fairness for teachers and students alike. This problem goes far beyond teacher salaries.
First of all, if you are paying $5500 in property tax in Harford County, the assessed value of your house is more than $500000. I’d say you are doing better than just “making it work”. Unless of course your spouse just left you, in which case, hard luck. In that case, you might want to down-size bit. I know a great realtor who could help you out.
I don’t want you to fight for me. I would hope you would fight for you child’s or at least your neighbor’s child’s education. If you don’t, that education will continue to be mediocre at best. You sound like you want to have the same services while paying less for them. I’m pretty sure that is not how the world works. When the HCPS budget does not keep up with the rising operation costs, services are cut. It also sounds like you should be doing the absolute minimum at your job.
By the way, I will always have a job until I don’t want it anymore. I also have a second job. I also have found a way to make it work. One thing I have done is to stop spending extra, unpaid time with my students, parents or administrators before or after my duty day. This frees up time for me to make more money at my second job.
You are so wrong on many levels . You do not know me or my situation . Again I am thankful and I continue to make it work . This whole story is embarrassing , on the County and State level .
I do know the property tax rates in Harford County. Maybe your property is not in Harford County. In that case, your kids should be going to school in another district.
It sounds like you got transferred here by the feds, bought a big house at the wrong time, are now on your own, and are in a similar employment situation as teachers (less pay for more work). As so many have said on this thread to teachers, “you can find another job”.
still wrong , sorry to burst your bubble . Lived in Harford all my life .
With an enormous property tax bill. Keep on working hard! I know I won’t.
I truly am sorry for all the federal employees who are losing their wages. The sequester is ridiculous and unnecessary. However, should our local government impose unnecessary austerity simply because Congress cannot find a way to govern. It reminds me of when I was a child an my mother would say, “It they jumped off a bridge would you follow them…”. Our county can afford to fund the schools.
I think you’re missing the point between both the sequester and HCPS’s current budget situation. Harford County is not stifling HCPS’s funding because Congress cannot get its act together, they’re both dealing with shortfalls and money allocation issues because tax revenue is below required levels due to the economy while politicians push their pork projects, but they are otherwise unrelated.
Crocodile tears….seriously. You and your union are on record having supported pink slipping “other” county personnel in order to find the money to fund your steps. Let’s not pretend you care about anyone else, their jobs, their taxes or even their kids.
Funding the HCPS budget so teachers can be paid a salary based on their appropriate years of service does come down to only terminating other county personnel. There are many other ways to make it happen, although that certainly is an option. HCEA is in favor of many options. However, they have never gone on “record” supporting the termination of other county workers. If they had, you would be able to provide that record.
However, even if the HCEA had gone on record as you say they had, so what? Can you blame them? Who is more important to you – you, your family, or someone you don’t know?
What is your professtion, MONEY TREE? Why do presume to judge teachers?
Oh, I’m sorry. Did I break your concentration? (that was your friend that just got shot) I didn’t mean to do that. Please, continue. You were sayin’ something about “best intentions”? What’s the matter? Oh, y-you were finished? Oh, well, allow me to retort. What do HCPS teachers look like?
What country you from?
What ain’t no country I ever heard of! They speak English in “What”?
Do they speak English in “What”?
English MFer…do you speak it?
Then you know what I’m sayin’. What do HCPS teachers look like?
Say what again. Say what one more MFing time. I dare you. I double dare you you MFer. Say what one more god da$% time.
Go on.
Do they look like bit$%es? (you just got shot in the leg)
Do they look like bit$%es?
Then why you try to fu$# them like bit$%es?
Yes you did. You tried to fu$# them.
Teachers don’t like to be fu$# like bit$%es. They don’t liked to be fu$#ed by anyone but …
You read the Bible?
Well, there’s this passage I’ve got memorized, sorta fits the occasion. Ezekiel 25:17? “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord…when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”
(you just got shot about 100 times)
I am stunned that some of the teachers who have commented on this topic feel put upon because they have multiple jobs. In my familial case we have multiple jobs per person. It sucks! BUT, it’s the reality of our nation’s economic environment that has been with us for the past 5 years. The federal fiscal fiasco has trickled down to states and counties/municipalities. Many of my friends, physicians included, have multiple income sources. Again, if the teachers of the HCPS have had their contractual obligations legally obstructed why doesn’t your union, the HCEA, sue Harford County, County Executive Craig, or whoever is responsible and liable? That would be a preferable outcome rather than inflicting intellectual suffering on innocent bystanders…..your students.
Who said anything about teachers inflicting intellectual suffering on students? If parents don’t feel their children are getting the services they require, then it is the parents responsibility to provide those services. Continuing to send your child to a school that does not provide he/she the services that you feel they need is negligence on your part.
To F HCPS and F Harford County…..if you are really a teacher than whoever hired you should be fired. There is no way that someone with your negativity could possibly keep it hidden during work hours. And if you are an educator than you are the poster child for what is wrong with unionization of public sector workers. For anyone who works with you and/or represents you and stands by listening to or reads what you’ve written and DOES NOT denounce your status they are complicit in your reprehensible tact and ultimate delinquent behavior as directed at children. Your words as well as your union leader’s are saved and available to share with one and all who have even the slightest inkling of trouble this coming school year. One day down the road of life you may need help from someone with an EXCEPTIONAL education and instead you come face to face with one of the kids you short changed with your ADEQUATE skills. Hopefully they will remember you and treat you with such love and care as you exude. What a waste…..of time and money.
Yeah…anonymous blogs always bring out the truth from people. People on the dagger never try to instigate conversations or take on personas that are exaggerated or irrational. If you come to the dagger to find reality, you should probably kill yourself.
The people that hired me are some of the best that have ever worked for this county, as I am one of the best teachers (nominated for Harford County Teacher of the Year) this county has ever had. You are an idiot. Regardless of my irrational rants, I will continue to take every last cent I can from this county while doing the least possible.
There is no way you are for real…..I guess this is a gotcha moment. Thanks for a great big fat belly laugh! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ad infinitum…..
K,
Agaib, someone who doesn’t understand. When in the classroom, doing what we love, we can channel negative energy elsewhere. When wasting out time reading ignorant posts…well that’s another thing. Gotta stop getting emails with updates. You’re not worth my time.
Oh but I DO understand caveman or woman ugh…..that’s what YOU don’t know…..woo hoo hoo!!!
You might think the students do not see through the veneer and believe you’re happy, but they do. They’re with you for almost as many hours in the day as your spouse, and they can tell when you’re not happy or if you’re a nasty, bitter person on the inside.
I can’t believe these teachers and their attitudes on the dagger…this F HCPS character. I demand you find who he/she is and others like him/her and terminate them immediately! I have no idea who they are or if they are even teachers, but we can’t tolerate this kind of ballyhoo! Until they are found, no teachers should be given salary steps. Better yet, more teacher positions should be cut until all teachers spit out candy canes, poop rainbows, and provide me with 24 hour a day hand job service.
“Until they are found, no teachers should be given salary steps. Better yet, more teacher positions should be cut until all teachers spit out candy canes, poop rainbows, and provide me with 24 hour a day hand job service.”
It is sad that you are stooping so low with your comments about teachers. One person does not represent the whole professtion and your comment is not much better. If you want changes in education, then talk to the school board. But don’t try to lump all of us into one category.
@ F HCPS and F Harford County – I understand your anger and frustration, but you are not making this better for any of us!
Sorry it should say profession!
You obviously can’t see sarcasm even when it hits you in the face. I thought, “…spit out candy canes, poop rainbows, and provide me with 24 hour a day hand job service” would give it away.
I don’t care for your brand of sarcasm; it is uncalled for.
Part of this discussion should also include the 19 billion in unfunded Maryland State teacher pension liability.
Around 3000 a resident.
Unfunded? What you talkin’ about? Our taxes will keep paying for the pensions until we have no money left. What do you propose we do about it anyways? The state has made contracts with teachers to provide them with a pension? Are you suggesting the state breaks those contracts?
80 billion in state debt. Contracts are going to be broken.
Not while you are living in Maryland.
Congratulations, you idiots (the 5 or so of you who have assumed multiple names) have written just over 300 comments in 3 days about a topic that is meaningless. Anyone who actually cares about education and actually has the power to make changes does not come to the dagger for advice. Nice work, Dagger!
F HCPS, I sense a lot of anger and frustration. As a teacher, I can identify with both. However, I would like to ask a question about your statement that you will reduce your energies to the lowest minimum. Just enough to prevent anyone from putting you on an assistance plan or attempting to have you removed. It is true, you could spend years earning a salary doing this. I can’t tell you how many teachers copy the curriculum and have students do worksheets all day. You know who complains? The students. ONLY the students.
My question, by doing this are you hoping to motivate a change? Is there an endgame to your plan or is it just a statement of fact? Because the fact of the matter is if you meet only minimum expectations and fulfill the basics of the contract NO ONE WILL COMPLAIN!
Parents, you say? No you won’t, because your child will be getting good grades and no office referrals. Administrators? Hell no! They LOVE you! You’re flying totally under their radar… less work for them! The power players? That’s just laughable. They never cared when you were going above and beyond, why would they care now? What you are suggesting is taking place now and has been for years. If you are telling us what you are doing for informational purposes, fine. But if you think meeting the bare minimum will do a damn thing to help the cause, you are wrong.
What the power players want is mindless drones in the first place. They don’t want us to think for ourselves. When they refused our steps and canned those teachers they reinforced the fact that they want to keep this county in fear and under control.
See Stalinist Russia… over the top? I will point out that last year HCPS prevented employees from receiving any communication from HCEA through company email. They also deleted all emails stored in our mailboxes.
I’m not trying to change a damn thing. I’m just too invested in my career to move on. Plus, the upside is I work at a great school, with great students, great teachers and an administration that is hands off. I get paid to work a total of about 5 hours a day, have healthcare for my family (while my spouse makes about twice as much as I do), have the summer off and can work my second job while I’m at school. I also have the satisfaction of doing something meaningful for my students. Why would I leave that, at least as long as all of that stays the same? I’m just not going to put in any more effort than I have to anymore like I did for over 10 years, at least until I am paid what the salary schedule says I should. The only reason I have posted here really is to just piss in the face of the parents of this county who piss and moan about teachers working to rule, pay to play and transportation changes. I could care less if they actually get involved, for good or for bad. If they get involved for the good…great, I get paid more. If they get involved for the bad…see you later. I also enjoy it when people get so angry about how “easy” teachers have it, but don’t make the career choice to become a teacher. I want all of them to know how “easy” I have it, how little I am going to do next year, and how there is absolutely nothing they can do about it. Yes, my students and many other teacher’s students will not get the “best” education they could, but after all, they aren’t going to the “best” education system. They really shouldn’t complain, since you really do get what you pay for.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the pension. That’s nice, too….assuming it will still be there in 20 years!
I also failed to mention the new teachers…all of you new teachers whom have come into teaching the last 5 years, you made a big f’in mistake! You’re likely to never get a raise again…or for some of you…ever. Sorry! Get out now!
By the way, it is amazing how many people spend so much time posting here; myself included. Maybe it will contribute to change, maybe it won’t. Let’s remember, all through history words have changed nothing. This is absolutely true. Actions lead to change. Words can motivate people to take action but by themselves are just smoke in the wind. When people in this county are motivated to act, things will change. I don’t know if these dialogues will lead to change or not.
But at the very least they are very entertaining. More than what’s on TV… except maybe Sharknado.
Have a nice day!
It IS a form of entertainment; wit sharpening. After a while though, when the haters really switch into high gear, all subject context is lost and therefore no longer fun. Until the next time…..
I had a job and they would do temp layoff. Guaranteed to come back to work in 1 month. We got unemployment. Have you tried to file?
I am a high school teacher who has been teaching in Harford Co. for 20 years. I switched careers in my 20’s (from engineering) because I had a passion for teaching. I have no intention of following the “work to rule” .
I love my job and my students and I believe I have made a difference in their lives. I think the only ones hurt by the “work to rule” are the students and I know many of my fellow teachers feel the same way.
I resent the union for implying to the public that this is a choice that “most” teachers will make .
Thank you HCPS Teacher for your true sincere dedication. In my opinion, YOU are worth your weight in gold! First an engineer, quite a difficult degree to earn, then deciding your passion lies in teaching. For someone like you, I believe the public WOULD fight.
@HCPS Teacher – I think that you express the opinion of the majority of the teachers in this county. I struggle with supporting the fight for education and the needs of my students. In the end, the students win out. They are not responsible for the decisions of grownups in this county. They deserve to be educated by the best teachers. I hope that this mess will get straightened out. It is such a sad time for our county.
It is a tragedy. We all must fight for our schools. Around 200 positions have been cut in the past two years. Our schools lack necessary materials. Our teachers are struggling to stay afloat. HCPS lack funds for quality professional development. Our students do not have sufficient access to modern technology. The list goes on…
The students do not have access to modern technology? Practically every kid has a PS3 hooked up to a 50″ TV with 500 channels, and an iPhone5 in their pocket, with the vast majority having some form of desktop/laptop and a very high percentage having a tablet. If they have that much modern technology at home, what equipment do you think they need to learn about technology in school?
Dear HCPS Teacher,
My comments have reflected the vote of our membership, comments & emails from our members, as well as, comments from non-members. I believe it is possible to accomplish Work to Rule without “hurting” students. Will Work to Rule mean less extras, yes, but these extras are being solely funded and staffed by teachers for free and without recognition. We need the community to fight for its schools. We must all fight. The clock is ticking. If funding does not dramatically improve, next year the cuts will be much deeper.
I respect your dedication. I, wholeheartedly, believe that our teachers can find methods to deliver the same quality instruction they always have. HCEA will assist its members in making this work. I too struggle with the situation in which we sit. That is why Work to Rule was put to a vote of the membership. Members can still vote. Please contact me with any suggestions, questions or concerns you may have.
I ask you to consider the consequences of in action. What will be cut next year?
Mr. Burbey, you do not have a crystal ball to see into the future. Therefore, you don’t know if cuts or increases will occur. I am in total agreement that teachers as well as others employed by someone should not have to spend their own money to finance the gains of another. Why does the IRS give teachers an opportunity for a tax credit on what they spend out of pocket? Nobody in my family has that option as an employee of someone else. I’m not looking for a tax law debate, it’s just an observation. I have spent hundreds, if not low thousands of dollars over the years providing my kids with the school supplies from the yearly proscribed lists courtesy of each school/grade level. They’ve either brought some of the stuff home at the end of the year or it’s been handed out to other students whose parents couldn’t/didn’t send the stuff in. I don’t want to pay for others kids stuff either, just like your unionized staff. There are many different schools with different student bodies within the district. In all honesty, I don’t think educators who work for HCPS have been given adequate salary increases over the past five years. Especially those teachers that work in the schools that have minimal to nonexistent parent involvement. Also, those that have advanced degrees specifically in science or math should be compensated for their expertise. My problem is with unionization. There is no accountability for those like F HCPS and F Harford County. When educators can stand on their own merits, and there are probably many that wish they could, then I’ll engage. I know I know no one cares if I engage. That’s fine too.
I would like everyone to engage. I don not have a crystal ball but I do know that the cost of doing business will increase again. Since all the cuts were due to the cost of doing business, further increases in the cost of doing business will necessitate more cuts if additional funding is not provided. I also know that the FY 14 HCPS budget uses several million dollars of existing HCPS fund balance. Those funds are no longer available. Therefore, this deficit will necessitate more cuts.
I agree that the supply lists are ridiculous. That is another representation of the funding issues.
All teachers are subject to a system of accountability and due process. If they are incompetent, they face progressive consequences which include dismissal. The myth of the untouchable incompetent teacher is just that, a myth. Whether you like the comments of the “F Crowd” or not they do have a right to their opinion and to express it. Unionism is not the problem. Without our union, teachers would be in a much worse place.
I disagree…..but, based on previous comments I think you know that. If teachers were allowed to do just that, TEACH instead of babysitting, spending hours on IEP’s, all extraneous activities that take away from the task at hand, then maybe the parent-teacher-community relationship would thrive rather than take on an adversarial flavor. All people should be able to stand on their on merits. Unionization has an “US” rather than “ME” ideology. There is no individuality.
Exactly how would teachers be in a worse place if there were not a union to protect them?
In just the past couple of years, HCEA has staved off cuts to teachers’ healthcare which saved thousands of dollars for the average teacher. We have negotiated improvements to working conditions and prevent infringements on contractual rights. We were able to get salary steps last year when the BoE was initially withholding them. I could go on and on.
So where do you think those healthcare costs went? Did they just magically disappear since HCEA refused to have the costs put upon the teachers?
No, that’s not how health insurance works. HCPS now has to pay an increased share per employee, so money that might have gone to a step increase, only to be immediately taken away as a payroll deduction, is now an increased employer contribution with lower gross pay. It’s still listed on your W2, just not in a way most people understand.
Exactly which working conditions or contractual rights have you negotiated? I don’t recall seeing any HCPS-run coal mines or sweatshops during parent-teacher nights. Teachers are college-educated white-collar professionals, you’re not slaving away in a factory while demanding air conditioning because its 110 degrees inside.
You received salary steps last year at the cost of 60 HCPS positions, and now you’re complaining about classroom overcrowding. Great job. It takes a lot of chutzpah to tacitly approve trading even more positions for steps this year, but that’s apparently your MO.
correction: “a salary step and a COLA”, not “salary steps”
The HCEA is limited in what it can do to support its membership. Having said that, this work to contract is a PR disaster. I cannot believe what some of the posters, such as F, have said. My hope is that they are not really teachers, but anti-education posters who are trying to smear educators. Teaching is one of the most difficult professions. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool and needs to volunteer or substitute in a school. I also get upset with Burbey and HCEA supporters who constantly downgrade Craig and say nothing about the liberal leadership of the Annapolis Democrats. They have done far more to hurt teachers than the last 3 County Executives put together, but you will not hear the leadership of HCEA say that. My hope is that thinking teachers realize who is to blame. Mr. Burbey, care to answer this?
The funding problem is local. The state funding is a formula which seems to work for virtually every other county. The state of MD already pays more towards education in Harford County than Harford County Government. I don’t agree with some of the comments that have been made. However, I understand the frustrations. This really is not a partisan issue for me. I know it is popular to bash me as a partisan shill but that is neither my goal nor my intent.
The whole situation is a nightmare.
I can tell you that I was very angry about the pension changes. I was part of a crowd that protested. I disagree that Annapolis has done more to hurt teachers. However, I don’t think that blame is the goal. I want a viable solution which allows teachers to return to their steps and prevents any further cuts which impact the classroom or kids. The only solution is increased funding. The person who primarily controls funding is Mr. Craig. Therefore, this problem lands in his lap.
Mr. Burbey, I don’t understand how you can say this. It was a Democrat Governor legislator that reduced the Pension for teachers years ago. I can on, but let’s stay reasonably current. It was your buddies, O’Malley and his henchmen, that dumped pension costs this past year on the counties. That was money that could have provided steps and possibly a small raise for teachers. You are the ones that refused to take the bonus that Craig offered. Did you forget?
The pension shift has been debated for years. Everyone knew it was coming eventually. HCEA and I opposed this. However, at the same time that this was passed, so were revenues to offset the part of the additional cost to counties. O’Malley is not my buddy. As I said I was very angry about the pension changes. The bonus situation was nonsensical. It should have been offered as increased funding and negotiated. We never refused to accept the bonus, we demanded that it be negotiated with our employer. We must preserve our collective bargaining rights.
You and I are not going to agree on many issues. I would like to get past arbitration of blame and reach some solutions. If you can see a way that HCPS can save the additional money they require by all means please identify the specific budget line items and forward it to the BoE. Otherwise, the only solution is increased funding.
Asking those that continually bash HCEA spending to make a serious effort to examine the HCPS budget and identify specific items for reduction or elimination has been done many times before. The response has been virtually nonexistent, not feasible, ridiculous or lacks support from staff or a majority of the BOE.
Ryan, saying that putting the blame on someone will not solve the problem is true, however, then you need to stop blaming Craig. Mention your non-buddy O’Malley and company as you know they are the ones whose job it is to control education. The acting Supt. is already starting to cut spending. She has eliminated a few central office jobs. There are more that could be eliminated. Are the bureaucrats not doing anything? No. They are busy doing non-essential things. We take grant money coming from the federal government that is being administered by the MSDE. This money comes from taxpayers, but the state chooses where it goes and how much. The County then has to meet all of the compliance regulations, hire a staff person or persons, burden teachers and administrators with additional work, create reports, etc. Many grants aren’t worth the time and money that comes with them. Besides, It is taxpayer money being skimmed at different levels and offices. I see nothing wrong with pay to play, where was it ever mandated that education should pay for sports out of its budget? At one time the schools taught Driver Ed., but the budget at the time couldn’t sustain it. Transportations costs can be contained by going to a depot system, which apparently HCPS is now having to establish on a limited basis. All of the local Associations should fight the federal government and state to get them to stop passing non-funded mandates on the counties. Education is the state’s job, they should be paying for any of their brilliant ideas. The HCPS administration also has to stand up to the parents when they redistrict. We have lost student enrollment over the last several years, yet the Board wanted 20 some million more dollars this year over last. Balancing enrollment and teachers would be cost effective, but it is politically the most unpopular act of any BOE. They need to get some guts. The HCEA has to stop defending poor and incompetent teachers. It is demoralizing for good teachers to see slackers protected and get the same salary as they do. How much money could be realized there? I blame the union mentality for all for this. You can go into any school building in this or any other county, and the teachers will tell you who the bad teachers are and why. Have some confidence in the administrators to eliminate these people, after all, they were teachers once themselves. Adminsitrators are on overload also. If you really want me to, I will go through the budget for you. However, with your legal and other staff, you can find many areas that are not really necessary for students to learn. Just remember, every time some liberal legislator comes along with a new initiative, it is going to cost someone. That someone is the taxpayer who then takes it out on the teacher.
You should realize that HCEA does not defend incompetent teachers. We defend a contract and due process. Truly incompetent teachers are indefensible. In reviewing the HCPS budget, I have not been able to find substantial savings. More than anything, all stakeholders should get involved.
Mr Burbey,
How many teachers has HCEA refused to assist in disciplinary hearings due to your assessment that the subject teacher was incompetent?
HCEA can not do anything about what happens in Annapolis! You keep trying to move the funding issue away from what local government can do to fund the school system. Local government can not stop these budget pass downs from Annapolis but Mr. Craig and the County Council still have control over what funding the county provides to HCPS. It is a choice the CE and CC make and so far it appears they do not place as high a value on kids education as some other MD counties do. HCEA did not refuse to take the bonus. There was simply a disagreement as to how the money was to be disbursed.
I agree.
HCEA has and continues to support tax and spend liberals for state office, and guess what, there is no money left for your raises. The state has to continue cutting spending due to crushing debt and pension liabilities. The state share is going to continue downward. Maybe we should close the libraries to fund your requested budget….
what a surprise that Ryan agrees. You need to get your head out of academia and in to the real world or else teachers will be suffering from your head being in the sand. Try, despite your limited vision, that Annapolis has sapped a lot of money from county governments and taxpayers. A local government has to be responsible, and the taxpayers are limited, especially in this economy. If you can’t understand that then you and I have nothing further to say.
Mr Burbey agrees that HCEA has no influence in Annapolis? Then what good is MSEA, whose association with HCEA is so prominently featured on HCEA’s website?
State funding is a formula. It works everywhere that the process is not politicized. Harford County typically does not even contribute 50% of its children’s education, while being one of the wealthiest counties in the state and the 42nd wealthiest county in the entire country.
So? Harford County provides what it feels it can provide to HCPS within current budget realities.
Like a 6 year old in the toy aisle at Wal-Mart, learn to live within your allowance or expect everyone to snicker and point at you when you’re on your back throwing a tantrum. And even if you throw the most epic tantrum in the history of toy aisles, you’re still not getting that toy.
There is nothing that HCEA can do about Annapolis even if they wanted to. The real problem is funding at the local level and that starts with Mr. Craig. The County Council is just along for the ride as they have little power but should be held accountable for failing to use what power they do have. Mr. Craig and Council members may claim to be supporters of HCPS but I see little evidence of that in their actions and the votes they make.
O, you really don’t get it. The 6 million that the state dropped on Harford this year for pension costs could have paid for steps and a small raise. What don’t you understand about that?
The state did not drop 6 million on Harford County this year for pensions. It just is not true. Likewise, a large portion of the tax increase which are being railed against particularly state income tax were meant to offset rising costs to counties including pensions.
What are you talking about?
I was under the impression that the revenue derived from the gaming industry was to be used for the sole purpose of education. What happened to that money source?
The gaming revenue is in an education fund. This was otehr revenue enhancements, particularly an increase in income tax.
Please don’t budget using the gambling fund. It’s only going to decrease as the novelty of gambling wears off.
Mr. Burbey, support that statement that pension costs were not dropped on the counties. This really scares me that you make this statement.
K:
The key was that while gambling revenue was to be dedicated to the schools, Annapolis never promised that the funding from slots would be in addition to the previous contributions from the general fund into the education fund. The state legislature reduced, dollar-for-dollar, their contributions into the education fund to match the slot contributions.
They’re blowing those tax dollars on pork, and Maryland’s citizens voted to let them.
No you don’t get it. Local government politicians still have the final say on whether HCPS gets they money it needs to do the job. Get off your Annapolis kick.
Good Night, O, you really are gone.
o, if your salary is cut by x dollars, are you able to buy as much? Is this difficult for you to understand? Tell me you are not a math teacher.
One more thing, Mr. Burbey, it was also this Democratic mafia that passed a list of increased taxes and fees on the citizens of Maryland. How do you think that affected the willingness of taxpayers to want to pay more local taxes? You are doing better with your posts, they are more civilized and professional. However, I suggest that you get some training in economics and government before you make comments about Craig compared to O’Malley. You scare me.
We have very different perspectives. I have had training and coursework in both economics and government. Thanks for the compliment. I represent more than myself now. Since taking on HCEA leadership, I have tried at all costs to remain non-partisan. Our government relations committee is composed of a republican majority. Our Board of Directors has substantial republican representation. I have reached out to both the Harford County Republican Club and the rt.40 Republican Club. I have met on multiple occasions with all members of the council. I have met a couple time with Mr. Craig and would relish a more cooperative relationship. I even sent a message to the Campaign for Liberty and offered to speak about Common Core. I represent a diverse group of teachers. My highest priority is to fight for quality schools in Harford County. Folks can paint me as they will. Our children’s education is far too important to give up.
I was opposed to the Campaign For Liberty meeting. The main speaker this month will discuss Common Core. If that’s the topic Mr. Burbey will discuss then wonderful. If not, I still will not attend. And for further clarification, I’m not a regular visitor. My time is precious and I don’t follow any one group all the time.
If you are opposed to it, then shut up and dont go to it.
So sad. We are between a rock and hard place. If we work to rule, or take any other action that could possibly impact students at all, we are villains. Its a catch-22 because everything we do impacts our students. If we continue as is expected then nothing changes. Let me repeat that, if we continue as expected NOTHING changes. So we teachers can not win. I’m curious, those that are against work to rule, what do you suggest we do? Accept the situation? Suck it up?
I’m very sorry but my family is directly effected by the lack of respect and fair compensation by whoever is responsible. My family comes first.
I am a teacher and I teach my students they can make a difference but it takes action and not apathetic acceptance. How can I teach my students how we are a government of, by and for the people and then sit back and do nothing.
People are being hurt. Teachers, students, parents, the community. In a conflict this meaningful, groups are going to suffer.
I will not let my family be the victims.
What is has not yet been realized by most is that our children are already being victimized, not just by our frozen salaries, but many teachers also have children who are students. They are and have been short-changed.
Every student in the county is short-changed by your executive decision to declare work-to-rule.
It was not an executive decision.
So the HCEA server just magically decided to poll the members about work-to-rule, and then the server wrote an email and blasted it out to all HCEA members saying work-to-rule is now in effect on the closing date of the poll? That’s some computer you have there. Maybe you should call NASA about your advances in artificial intelligence.
As president of HCEA, you are the executive. You’re the sole person responsible and accountable for all of the organization’s actions and able to make executive decisions without consulting with any board or calling a quorum. If you are not so accountable, empowered or responsible, you need to contact Dagger to change your title in every article from “president” to “symbolic, powerless PR figurehead.”
Kharn, you obviously know very little about HCEA or union in general. Unions are run by majority vote. I do have a Board of Directors to which I am accountable. We do need quorum to make decisions. Work to Rule was initiated by vote of the membership. There was nothing arbitrary or executive about it.
Notice he did not deny the fact that the students are short changed, he only deflected the argument. At least he did learn something from his “training”
Here is the result , of students being short changed . Maryland State Report Card for Harford County Schools just released 7/23/2013 Overall County performance http://mdreportcard.org/Entity.aspx?K=12AAAA
This had nothing to do with work to rule. This is what happens when you change the rules, in this case the curriculum, without changing the the method of measurement, in this case the test.
@Kharn – As a member of HCEA, we do vote on everything. Ryan does not make decisions for us, the union as a whole does.
You are not entitled to a job in hcps. If you don’t like what it pays, go somewhere else.
You don’t seem to understand. Teachers are citizens, taxpayers and parents in this community. We want our schools, in our community to be staffed with teachers who live here. We want people to put down roots and grow a community together. We want teachers to be invested in our community. If you make it impossible for teachers to stay, few will. Likewise, HCPS will not be able to attract quality candidates. However, this goes way beyond teacher salaries. It is about the quality of schools moving forward. It is about the quality of education for our kids.
I don’t care where the teachers live, I want them to accept their paycheck as reality and stop acting like bratty little children in front of their students.
Ryan, what part of the cash drawer is empty don’t you understand? The taxpayers are sick and tired of our hard earned money being squandered in the worst possible ways. Any middle class producer in this county is having 60%+ of his or her earnings turned over to one of the government entities. Is it your contention that we are not entitled to 40% or more of our own income?
Anyone who pays 60% of their income in taxes is not middle class. They are either poor and living far beyond their means or wealthy. I don’t want your cash. I want our schools funded. I want quality schools for our kids. I think that should be our top priority.
Saying you want funding is saying you want our cash, because any additional funding would come from the tax payers. And between municipalities, the county, Maryland, and the federal government, Harford residents are paying too much in taxes as it is, so HCPS needs to learn to live within its means, and you need to accept the reality that no more funding will be provided.
Saying HCPS needs to learn to live within its means is saying that as the costs of doing business rise, services, jobs and programs will be cut.
Welcome to economics 101.
There is no more money, so adjustments must be made. Now, if HCPS turned out a better product (more valuable diploma and better-ranking schools), it would attract new customers (new Harford residents) which would increase income (property and income tax revenue) allowing Harford County to reinvest in the schools. Sometimes you can find outside capital to reinvent an organization, but other times (like the current situation) you have to tighten the belt, focus on your core areas and accept a few lean years before you succeed and your business expands.
A “quality” school means diddly shit when its teachers are worthless
Right! When you add up the 30% payroll tax, property tax, driving tax, car tax, gas tax, sales tax, etc. etc. you arrive at 60% or very nearly that number. Denial will not make facts go away. If you want a bigger slice of the pie for teacher salaries, you can not make the pie any bigger. You have to take some pie away from somebody else.
What part of a 92 million dollar surplus do you not understand? That money should have been equally distributed throughout our county. You do not get that amount of money overnight. What is it that people do not understand about teachers? How is my opinion any less valid than yours? This is my community. My husband and I chose to live and raise our children here just like you. We are here because of the schools and the values we wanted for our children. The state of Maryland has given it’s part of the budget. The rest was up to the county and now that it has not been funded, the chips begin to fall. This is everyones problem and we need to fix it. The surplus is merely a start. Costs will only rise and because Harford County draws people for it’s way of life and educational system, there needs to be a change.
Spy,
“Equally distributed throughout our county,” like sending refund checks in proportion to the amount of income and property taxes paid over the last year? I’d agree to that plan.
Mr. Burbey,
If I want someone to do lawn maintenance at my home, I shop around for the best deal. If I want a new car, I do research and find the best bargain for my buck. If I need a day care provider for my children, I search for the best candidate. If I’m spending the money, I should have some options and input. However, as a non-union member I’m being forced to pay for a service that I couldn’t shop for. I realize union members don’t get to choose who represents them either, but at least they had the choice to refuse representation. Additionally, I don’t or won’t have the ability to contribute input. Don’t you think that non-union members should have input in the ongoing wage disputes considering we are now paying for it? And … Please … Please don’t reply with contact me.
Join the union and you will.
Oh come on, you could’ve at least put “Contact me to join the union”
There are many people who are shy and hesitant to speak up and out for themselves. In addition, they may not have the best work record. For example, they show up at the last minute, are the first to leave, they don’t really want to go above and beyond their job description. Then there are those employees that love their work, have exuberance and are the first to arrive and last to leave, they would do most anything to better their work environment. With union representation, both of these employees have one person, a different individual, negotiating the same pay increase for both people. I sure wouldn’t want to participate. I much prefer to negotiate my own destiny…..
Oh yes, give them more money. Burbey is an idiot
He fails to address or never mentions the fact that Omalley cut off the money to county and forced the County to come up with the money. He is only deflecting for his politician cronies that he likes to give your hard earned money too.
State funding for education is determined by a formula. The formula has been in place for many years. No one cut off funding. The wealth per child in Harford County has risen, therefore, our funding decreased.
No, again Bullshit Burbey is spewing lies and propaganda. The state’s (O’Malley’s) recent teacher pension shift sends to counties massive new costs that lie completely outside the county government’s management. There is no dodging it. Again he proves he is not only an idiot, but also, a lying one.
either that or Ryan Burbey is so incompetent that he doesn’t know. Either way the teachers are in trouble with this leadership. When I mentioned that the state had hurt the County by dumping a 5.5 million dollar bill for pension costs he stated that it wasn’t true. I couldn’t believe that he wrote that. Of course, I asked for further explanation from him, and still haven’t seen it. He has finally learned not to be so confrontational, now if he can just get educated. His best tactic is to keep his mouth shut and stay off this site. Teachers deserve better than this.
You are dancing around. The state made the County pay 5.5 million more this year to take over part of the cost of teacher pensions. The Citizens Advisory Board on the Budget indicates that the amount required will reach over 10 million shortly. If the Democrats would quit raiding the pension fund, there would be enough money there. You don’t really think that this additional cost to the counties is going to hurt your chances of getting the steps and other raises in this economy. You you think that O’Malley and his cronies raising and creating new taxes and fees are going to make it tougher on families to survive this economy? lf you don’t, you really are clueless.
Mr. Burbey,
You did not answer my question.
Do you feel that non-union members deserve input in the wage dispute now that we will be forced to financially contribute to this cause?
No. If you want a vote you must join. If you have concerns you can contact me.
No thanks. I’ll just contact my local representatives and ask them if it’s possible to add an addendum to the bill that indicated that non-union members are entitled to a “fair share” of input and information since we are going to contribute a “fair share” of the expense. I just thought maybe HCEA would see the request as reasonable. I’m not looking for input into who/who isn’t school representatives, president, political contributions, etc. I’m just a firm believer that you should get what you pay for and since non-union members will be paying for wage representation, the union should be inclusive in that regard toward non-union members.
How silly of you to think that. Remember, Marxism is for the people, not the Marxists. You will soon learn this or be re-educated.
I appreciate your support, but I’m not sure Burbey, or O’malley are
Marxist. Burbey would have to be a plant and he is just the messenger for a singluar complex issue-wage freezes. Omalley likely wants to reduce disparities with handouts and it gets him votes. Meanwhile increasing his personal wealth, and potential run for president. Fortunately, he was indoctrinated with some capitalism principals. I think the primary focus is on disparities, not total equality. They both support democratic principles, while you and I share more conservative principles. It’s all good. I asked a was denied. Now, I’m going to ask another group of individuals and see if I get the same result.
Mr. Burbey,
Can I join HCEA without having any of my money go to or my being forced to join either MSTA or NEA? My religious beliefs do not allow me to support either of these organizations in any way.
Keesha,
Please contact me directly about this.
Just throwing this out there , if non-union members have to pay they should have a say . Also can you VOTE RYAN OUT – maybe the county needs to hear the Teachers concerns from someone else , just saying . If you get bad customer service you change it or you replace it . Do the Teachers feel they are getting bad service by the Union if so I am sure there is a law somewhere in the books to handle that , or go over RYANS head . Maybe the County needs to hear the argument from a fresh voice , also maybe parents will respect the request that are being made from the Union if it was said in a different tone , manner , new voice , beside – Work to you etc . Just a thought . Now I know I will be bashed for this , but it’s something different to try .
Picking Mr Burbey was definitely a questionable choice by HCEA, he’s such a polarizing figure who has created such bad blood between HCEA and HCPS over the years that I’m surprised whenever he gets anything accomplished. The members need to conduct a purge, bring fresh faces to the table (from the shop stewards on up) and show HCPS they’re willing to look at the situation with new eyes while considering all reasonable proposals.
Do you know what the election results were when Burbey was elected? I think he received nearly 75% of the votes.
From the shop stewards, who are usually the most radical of the union members.
By radical, I think you mean those that are actually motivated to get things done and not settle for the status quo.
Just a thought: wouldn’t it be cool if issues dominated the discussion instead of personalities? I know that seems unrealistic with some of these more rabid posters, but just imagine if you could actually address issues instead of who you do not like in a leadership position because it taints the message.
My solution to this work to rule drama follows what I experienced when I was in school years ago in another county.
The school system had a simple rule: As part of the duty day, teachers were to be present for one hour either before school or after school, with their door open and available to students for tutoring or club sponsorship, with the schedule to be maintained throughout the year and announced on the syllabus. This gave the teachers time to use school resources to plan future lessons, grade papers, etc, while also providing adult supervision for student-led clubs and an opportunity for students to seek assistance.
This practice greatly expanded the number of clubs at the high schools because the teachers were already present, and students could easily find sponsors for any topic. Many students were thus able to earn leadership roles in clubs, which gave them opportunities to learn important life skills and greatly assisted in college applications. While morning clubs sound ridiculous, I had one that met every day, and while getting up that early was not fun, it let student athletes participate in something that their practices and games would have normally precluded, letting them show the world that they were well-rounded scholar-athletes and not just a jock.
HCPS should modify the contract to reflect this practice during their next negotiation with HCEA.
And what would the teachers receive in return for the extra hour of work?
Their job.
As you know, that’s not how negotiations work. Haven’t you advocated for teachers being able to negotiate their own individual contracts? I’m pretty sure those “super duper” teachers that you have stated are out there will not settle for more work for the same pay.
@Jaguar Judy & Kharn:
So, now you expect teachers, whom have not received four out of their last five steps over the past five years, to give up an additional hour of their time (potentially up to 180 more hours per year) just to essentially babysit your kids and not give the teachers any further remuneration other than ‘you have your job so quit your whining.’ Really?
Tell me, how much do babysitters get paid now hourly? Or, when you do hire them, you go outside your time frame, only pay them for the time you said you would (I’ll pay you for two hours when in reality I was gone for three, and you’ll take my money and be grateful……..)
I will be more than willing to babysit your children if you are willing to pay me minimum wage per kid, per hour…….
The club sponsorship and tutoring duties were tangential to that hour being a paid (as part of their salary) planning period each day. The district handed out very poor evaluations if teachers reused material from year to year without modification or were late returning graded work. The system worked because competent teachers were able to leave the building with very little work to do at home, while under-performing teachers spent the hour reteaching the material they did not adequately cover during the school day (on more than one occasion, since not every student needing help came on the same day), motivating them to produce better lesson plans in the future. It also let involved parents know when they could visit the school and find a specific teacher, without pulling them out of class, to handle a complaint or concern. Scheduling IEP meetings was also easier, since they could be before or after school without changing the teacher’s schedule.
Maybe my expectations are a bridge too far with the portion of today’s HCPS teachers who just want a paycheck and aren’t interested in making a difference, but that is a pretty sad conclusion to reach.
You could put me in that group of teachers who just wants a paycheck and will do everything I possibly can to do as little as possible this school year. That won’t be a challenge. And teachers will never ratify a contract with HCPS that requires their duty day be longer without more compensation.
Kharn you left out the part where everyone of those teachers had a fully funded pension and did not have to deal with today’s ‘special’ parents and their ‘special’ kids.
Enough. This forum and discussion will not accomplish anything. Teachers will evaluate their situation in school and do what needs to be done. Some work to rules….some not so much.
Parents, as sports and buses become part of an issue, continue to listen to school needs. Not teacher salaries. ..but other needs that are arising.
Dear mr. Burbey- I first want to say thank you for involving yourself in a very thankless job. I’m sure you feel your passion and heart are in the same place. I’m a teacher in this county and am very discouraged by the lack respect that I have seen on this message board. You have spent a lot of time and energy on this board. Please don’t take offense but might I suggest being more proactive with your time by helping to come up with solutions instead of going in circles with all these posts? We can start by comparing what we do with other more successful counties. I hesitate saying Baltimore county because of all the tomback haters. But their teachers are still getting step increases and colas and apparently have an active and powerful teachers union. Everyone needs to stop placing the blame on everyone else and start taking stake in the future of this school system.
Detroit also had an active and powerful teacher’s union.
I agree with you completely. HCEA is working to find solutions. However, I believe to organize and inform the community around our issues, we must engage in a wide variety of media and communications. The time I spend organizing and informing here is time that I can’t work at other avenues for a variety of reasons(usually because it is outside of work hours or at night). I don’t take offense at all. However, we, educators need to educate the public about the crisis facing our schools. That is why I engage. Please know that I and HCEA are doing far more than just engaging in the dialogue here. We are being proactive. We are organizing and planning for the upcoming year.
Mr. Burbey,
Could you ptovide some specific examples of what HCEA is doing right no to identify and eliminate waste in the current system?
Provide and now – sorry to insult a teacher with typographical errors.
Really not HCEA’s responsibility is it? They are employees of the system and have substantially less voice than the media. And would you believe them if they identified a line item they felt was unnecessary? I can identify waste where I work, but because I am an employee, any suggestion I have runs afoul of inbred policy established by well connected administrative types that do not wish to have their little empires whittled away.
Speaking of Baltimore County, I read up on their magnet schools as they have had those programs for a lot longer than Harford County and they also have middle school magnets. They have depot stops also and I was curious if it has always been that way there or if they previously provided transportation directly to the magnet schools.
I understand the teachers’ plight, but I do know that all funding in Harford County was held level or cut. The Board of Education did not receive a cut from last year; they just didn’t receive what they requested. They were granted some of the additional funds, just not all–exactly like other departments. Most County employees work hard and do not receive increases. The Board of Education decides what it will do with the money allocated to it. If they decide they want more administrators and less teacher benefits, then it is their decision. The Board of Education did receive an increase in funding–just not the “pie in the sky” they requested. There is a recession–wake up to it or go to another Maryland subdivision that will give you what you want. Taxpayers are tired of the complaints–we all have to compromise in some way.
And wake up to the fact that many teachers will work to rule and students will receive less services and attention as a result.
Do it, then. Stop crying and whining and get on with it. Or shut up.
Teachers will, but they will keep crying and whining so idiots like you will continue to be irritated by the fact they have “easy” jobs and still want more money. So suck it!
I really WISH the County and Sate would TEST all the current Teachers across the State , and use the individual score of the Teacher along with their students and then come up with a formula to hand out raises . Sounds fair to me , if my taxes help pay for a Teachers salary then I expect quality Teachers but I want data, numbers , etc to prove that Teacher A works harder and smarter then Teacher B – just saying .
What about teachers that teach in more difficult environments such as high poverty rates, single family homes, greater numbers of special education students, etc.? A teacher may in fact be working harder and smarter with those students who score lower on state tests than a teacher working in a school with more affluent parents and a better building that is newer and has more resources. There are many factors in a child’s education far beyond the reach of what a teacher can impact in a 45 minute class.
http://mdreportcard.org/Entity.aspx?K=12AAAA Maryland State Report Card for Harford County Schools – Test scores DROP below state average .
With all due respect, Parent, data is only good when taken in the correct context.
Which scores are you comparing? Basic versus Proficient versus Advanced?
Math, Reading, or Science Scores?
Which grade levels are you comparing?
Have the scores only fallen for one year or have they been moving steadily downward, which would suggest a trend, and then a true cause for concern?
Seems to me that you are grasping at anything to try to link teachers with students taking exams, when in reality, how well someone does on an exam is a combination of many factors – the biggest one being the attitude of the one taking said exam – if they decide they don’t feel like taking the exam, and thus fail that day, is that really the teacher’s fault?
Think about it.