The passage on Tuesday of the county budget for the fiscal year 2015 leaves Harford County Public Schools $29.6 million short of its funding request for the year beginning July 1st. The task of making ends meet now falls to the school board, which in years past has forsaken employee raises, cut teaching and other positions, implemented pay-to-play fees, cut school bus transportation and nearly tapped out its fund balance, among other budget balancing moves.
Cost cutting this time around may include any or all of the above. But a lack of raises in four out of the last five years has left teachers at a “crisis point”, according to Ryan Burbey, president of the Harford County Education Association, the union representing teachers. Burbey and others have repeatedly warned that teachers are struggling financially, and low pay relative to surrounding jurisdictions has caused top teachers to leave, threatening the quality of education in HCPS.
A flash point has been the lack of “steps”, or scheduled salary increases for teachers according to their years of experience and education levels attained. Steps are subject to funding availability each year.
For the fiscal year 2015, funding step increases for eligible employees will cost $4.7 million, according to Jillian Lader, HCPS manager of communications, with longevity increases adding another $900,000.
As early as next Wednesday, the school board will decide whether to eliminate step and longevity increases from their budget for next year, or find a way to pay for them. Notably, Board Member Cassandra Beverley in late January asked how many teaching positions would have to be cut in order to raise $1 million toward teacher salary increases. The response at the time from Jim Jewell, assistant superintendent of business services, was approximately 16.
Doing the math, that adds up to 90 teaching positions cut, equating to more than one and a half per school, to provide step and longevity increases for eligible staff. That does not include any other position cuts that may be undertaken to balance the rest of the budget.
With the understanding that budget estimates are subject to change, if it becomes necessary, should the Harford County Board of Education cut teaching positions – and increase class sizes – to give teachers a raise?
Considering that other county employees have gone years without step raises or a raise in general, and when they did get a COL increase, their benefits contribution also was increased (which nulled out the COL increase), I’d say that the teachers should learn to accept the pay they are currently receiving and understand that the entire country is still living with recession issues and be happy they have a job. They always use “the children” as the excuse, personally I’m tired of hearing it.
Glad my tax dollars aren’t still paying for your services.
I find that interesting because other counties in Maryland are having no problem funding steps!
Really, it is a matter of will. Craig can find money for contaminated waterfront property and even new buildings, but not for personnel.
Of course David Craig and the Council can find money for contaminated waterfront property among other things we don’t need. Look at the players involved in that transaction and the campaign contributions made to them over the past eight years. On the Water St. contaminated property you have: Clark Turner (executives and related entities) – over $100,000; Manekin – $26,000; Paterakis; $8,000; Allen Fair – $14,000; GeoTechnology Assoc. (division of MRA who prepared environmental study saying basically that clean up is no big deal) over $35,000 through MRA contributions. So the county does not have money to pays its employees but can come up with $3 million plus clean up costs which are unknown to bail out David Craig’s developer friends who otherwise would be stuck with a $3 million loss. Who in their right mind enters into a deal like that????
And this is not the only example. Look at the purchase of Rock Glenn Park in Aberdeen. $1 million of county money was used for that. The main players in that deal were Robert Hockaday/Streett/William Cox who combined gave more than $60,000 to Craig & Co. This group would have been stuck with the property but for the county bailing them out. Again no money for employees but plenty of money to bail out friends. James Run TIF – up to $23 million of county money set aside for developers. Same story, thousands of dollars of campaign contributions from the parties involved in that deal. Robert Schulman attorney for developer who doesn’t even live in Harford County gave $10,000 to Craig & Co. Joe Snee and his firm over $27,000. T. Kevin Carney and related entities over $13,000. Beech Tree TIF up to $14 million of county money set aside for these developers. Again heavy campaign contributions from the parties involved. Clark Turner again on this one. James F. Knott and related entities over $20,000; Caves Valley Partners – $5,000; Morris Ritchie over $35,000; John Gessner – $17,000. To be clear all of the amounts above were given over an eight year period to Craig and our current council. Aberdeen Gate Project – St. John Properties – over $70,000 to Craig alone. Not all contributions are specifically related to a given project (although some are clearly connected like Schulman and James Run) but the cumulative dollars certainly give the players influence over multiple projects. Some figures are approximate. This data is all from the campaign finance database on the MD elections site and is just the tip of the iceberg.
So if there is any doubt as to where Craig and the council’s priorities lie, just follow the money to all the most recent controversial land transactions. It is abundantly clear that this government doesn’t care about what really matters to its citizens. All they care about is collecting campaign contributions from developers and making them happy. What we are seeing is a clear and distinct pattern of our government catering to developers and their own special interests ( ex. new Havre de Grace High School, new Havre de Grace library) while neglecting the needs of its citizens. What is more troubling is that the people they are hurting the most – teachers and police – are the very people who should be given the highest priority.
Maryland politicians favoring their contributors? You don’t say…
Don’t forget Craig also used taxpayer’s money to buy the Plecker’s Golf property on Route 7 in Joppa. It’s another “help-a-friend” purchase, and he paid above-market value for this unsellable lot.
Business is always downsizing its workforce.
Businesses are always downsizing their workforce.
Need to go leaner and meaner
How about getting out of your silly union. Save the money you would otherwise be blowing on nonsense. After all, your union president has done nothing but get the public to hate you.
Shamika – Are you saying that you and the rest of the good citizens of Harford County hate teachers?
I’m not Shamika, but I agree that Mr Burbey is a clown and his shenanigans only hurt HCEA’s image.
Hate? No, that’s not the right word.
I do think that HarCo teachers come off as largely unappreciative complainers though, largely through their behavior here on the Dagger. You knew that pay would never be great, *way* back in college as an Ed. major, right?
You honestly believe most of these people who post on here are actually who they pretend to be? This is just cheap entertainment.
Please do not lump all the teachers into one category because of the few that come on this site and complain.
@ Bel Air Mom – How do you or I know that teachers are the ones who are crying and complaining? All I see are a bunch of anonymous posts.
To be fair, most of the teachers who post here are responding to anti-teacher diatribes from those outside the system. Many of these claim to know what teaching is like and that it’s an easy job that anyone can do (not true). Many others claim that teachers should quit whining about pay and if they don’t like it they can go get a job in the private sector (also not true; we are qualified to be teachers, not accountants or engineers or human resource specialists). Many rail against the “2 month summer vacations teachers get (failing to recognize that teachers don’t get paid in the summer; try going for 8 weeks without a paycheck and see if you can make ends meet). Often times people claim that teachers are the reason the education system is broken (blatantly not true; it’s hard to make clam chowder with a few rocks and a cup of water). No one seems to recognize that in HCPS, almost every teacher has been told what to teach, how to teach it, what books to use; there is very little allowance for individual teaching styles (for better or worse, but mostly for worse).
I could go on and on about why teachers have been unfairly demonized by a short-sighted and ungrateful populace, but I think I’ve made my point. It is sand that since we aren’t acting like good little sheep and are actually standing up for ourselves (or paying union dues to have someone do the standing up for us so we don’t endanger our jobs by aggravating power hungry administrators and school system executives), we are the bad guys. It is amazing that anyone wants to become a teacher (or stay a teacher) in the current political climate. Huzzah to my brethren who live to make an impact on the lives of our youth and keep on keeping on despite all the nonsense directed at them by insolent children, ungrateful parents, and petty, micromanaging administrators.
Morton’s Fork?
All county employees are feeling this pinch..which has become more than a “pinch” the past couple years…like the teachers…deputies when they were hired either laterally or in academy..were shown a paper with their step increases every couple years! This isn’t a raise or bonus per se…but a longevity increase for time on the job…instead of getting hired by a
company at a competitive salary…we get hired knowing we will start at low pay level with gradual increase over certain
years…and no one ever mentions a “stipulation” or “catch”?? You are told u will get the steps and thats it!! Especially if you come from other agencies where these steps were a given!!
There is something corrupt going on with the county politicians and their buisness friends!! Maybe there needs to be an independent audit to see how they are using tax payers money?? This is the wealthiest state in US and we are not a poor county…..
Take the money they are wasting to build the new David Craig High school and give the money back to the employees. Enrollments are dropping at Havre de Grace and there is no need to spend money on a new school.
How is it that we can afford to move forward with new Youth’s Benifit and Havre DeGrace buildings if we can’t pay the teachers, police, and other county employees? Living in a home where we both work for the county is a challenge. I know it’s our choice to work elsewhere and I try to see the best, but enough is enough. What kind of corruption is involved that makes paying for construction -but not people the new norm?
Did someone say sickout or strike?
Illegal, HCEA would be decertified if they tried it.
So what? what are they doing now for us anyways? Strike seems more powerful than union.
Teachers are NEVER happy with their salary. You could pay them $100K a year and they will still bitch about something. I came from a family of teachers and none of them are poor. They all have nice homes, nice cars and big families. If you dont like your job then quit. If you cant find another job somewhere else then maybe you aren’t as good of a teacher as you think you are.
Get a job and quit putting down those who work for a living.
I have a job, but many friends are teachers. Same douche bag as the original poster but different name……troll much? Teacher bashing….wow. That’s new. I guess you were self taught eh? Lets hear some more bashing? I never see that on this site?
Glad your not a teacher. You attack-replied to the wrong post. “Read” is a 4 letter word but do it anyway.
It’s not really possible to increase a class that already has (33) kids squished into a room meant to accommodate (24). Teach? It’s more like management and survival anymore. Good grief.
Correct that is why you will see more fees for extras like transportation fees coming!
My wife was told by her principal yesterday that she will have 36 kids in her classes next year. She teaches middle school. Imagine what that’s going to be like, not just for her, but for those kids. Is this the best we can do?
That’s just ridiculous, and I’m beyond words.
Private sector jobs are gone and your raises went with them.
All Bunchies should start paying attention to your future party leaders running for governor. Even they are discussing the real crisis in the state: private sector jobs! Thousands upon thousands have fled the state, including Fortune 500 companies. And this is from the members of your one party regime.
You have arrived at a point where the folks you voted for are forced to deal with the issue, but that will still not save many of your jobs. As educators you should have seen this coming – or did you actually believe that you don’t need good paying private sector jobs in order to generate the taxes to pay your salary?
You could try to blame it on some ‘Tea’ group, but they are the ones who have been leaving – just like you wanted them to do. Problem is, they took their hard earned money with them.
bla bla bla….funny thing is you think someone cares about your opinion while we all laugh at how serious you are.
Say there ‘BM’ – which said out loud is very apropos for whatever movement you are involved in.
Methinks you must be a ‘remedial responsible’ teacher who thinks he can use first person plural in reference to himself.
Rather, let’s be a good little Bunchie and loot the 29 million somewhere. I suggest we get back the 250 million spent on a phantom website! Oh, that’s right, it was the Bunchie political state party that did that – and we all know good intentions are all that matter! Or, perhaps we could loot Montgomery County – quite of few of those districts are the wealthiest in the nation on ‘gubmint’ money. No? Well, let’s just squeeze it out of the locals whose wages shrunk 3% last year.
Mkay!
With job titles like “Assistant Superintendent of Business Services,” Is anyone actually surprised beyond belief why HCPS is fvcked?
Did that position even exist a decade ago? How about 2 decades ago?
The Big Q isn’t should harford county cut teachers to pay teachers…the big Q is why is Harford County the ONLY county with this question? I don’t see a Big Q for cecil county…or baltmore county…or howard county…should I go on? The Big Q isn’t should harford county cut teachers to pay teachers…the big Q is why and how did we get in this situation? hmmmm….I wonder (without naming names). Big Q…why are we still building new schools and cutting teachers?
From a teacher and parent in this county, hcps are going down the drain. Reality! I am seeing it from both ends and the majority of teachers I know are looking to leave. Now I know all of the trolls will come out of the woodwork and post their teacher bashing rhetoric, but face the truth. HCPS are suffering which means kids are suffering. Regardless of who didn’t do what or who needs to do what or this or that….Schools are suffering big time. Reality.
I listen to this argument a lot. I have very little patience with the COLA argument because the economic climate within the county may not allow for this idea. However, when teachers are hired they are showed a salary schedule that shows them their salaries for years to come and the county is ignorning this aspect of the contract. I wonder, why can’t teachers break their contract but the county has every right to do so?
Before Kharn or other anti-education bullies begin to spew their venom, I am not saying that teachers should be getting COLAs at all. I am simply wondering why the county won’t honor contracts. When they hire new teachers they should put a disclaimer – steps no longer equals years of service.
One legitimate option is to do what the private sector does, which is to rid itself of luxury items, like free coffee, before it begins to lay people off. To this end, it would be very easy for the school system to eliminate the various sports programs and to have those kids move into whatever leagues are being offered by the Parks and Rec Department.
You are dead on, hit the homes. Stop offering things to the kids. All after school activities and such. Look how the parent’s went nuts on the bus change and pay to play. Go one step further shut all buildings down when the school day ends. Parks and rec will have to find somewhere else to go. Nobody cares when it doesn’t truly impact them.
Before they eliminate the coffee, private firms fire the dead weight.
Wonderful idea Keith. The only problem is that Parks and Rec (and most County government departments) have also had their operating budgets slashed. However, (just like the Board of Ed.) capital butdgets remain healthy. Several new failities have been built in the last several years while existing facilities sit unused, yet still need to be maintained; all while the workforce has been (thankfully through attrition rather than layoffs).
Also, almost all P&R activities and leagues are also Pay to Play.
I believe David Craig has been planning his run for Governor since he took office. He will honestly be able to tell voters statewide that, since he took office here, the citizens of Harford County have gotten new schools and new parks, while operating budgets have been reduced and property tax revenue has decreased.
And his opponent in the general election, if he makes it, will be able to say he did it by hurting all of the county employees and in a state with as many families with govt employees I doubt that will play well.
There will be no salary increases for teachers. Not next year or years to come. Teachers should no longer have faith in the county politicians, the school board, the superintendent or the HCEA. Thinking anything other than that is simply wishful thinking. If you don’t feel you are being compensated well enough for what you do, apply elsewhere. If you can’t move on, do as little as possible for your students. The only way compensation will improve for teachers is if services for students are affected.
Just start looking for employment elsewhere, I would cut alot of those lazy trades workers who ride around all day and sleep in their VANS and go to the Hickory WAWA. ALot of the lazy principals who dont give a crap
It’s him! It’s HICKORY JIM! Nice disguise, Hickory Jim! But we all know it’s you because who else is so consumed by the guys in the trucks at the Hickory WaWa? Nobody I know…just you, Hickory Jim! Welcome back! And thanks for all you do, keeping us all safe from those coffee-drinking county workers!
Move on,
You know, this isn’t a typical environment we live in right now. A lot of things are happening and none of them good. I give you a Gallup poll released the end of April: 47% of the folks living in Maryland would leave if they could (third worst out of all the states); 17% are actually planning to move within the year (fourth worst).
I am a bit surprised that the BOE is planning to cut teacher jobs since there is already a mass exodus planned.
You are wrong. It is a typical environment. The taxes in Maryland have always been higher compared to the rest of the country. Unless this country completely implodes, which I’m sure you are hoping for so you can blame liberal/democratic policies, Maryland will never change its policies. Maryland doesn’t need a majority of private businesses to operate. The amount of federal dollars that pour into Maryland from the rest of the country’s tax payers largerly overshadows what Maryland businesses bring to the table. Now, counties far away from the Washington beltway will suffer, but Annapolis doesn’t care, as long as the federal dollars keep on rolling in. So like I said, as long as the rest of the country keeps on propping up the federal agencies in Maryland, your doomsday predictions for Maryland are nothing more than your nightmare of a wet dream. And you should hope that continues, because if those federal agencies can no longer be afforded, this country will have been completely destroyed.
As for the environment in Harford County, you are also wrong. It is also typical. The politicians in Harford County have always underfunded education. Until the citizens of Harford County demand more funding for education, that will not change. Teachers should realize that ain’t going to happen for a very long time.
It is typical,
A few things:
First, this is a Gallup poll not my opinion. I have lived in various parts of Maryland all my life and find this poll stunning. It is not that Maryland has had higher taxes than say Delaware; it is that Maryland has become unbearable and (if the poll is correct) we will see a flight from the state greater than ever.
Second, I love hearing the old leftest line that folks are just mean if they disagree with them. If somebody points out what ruinous policies are doing to the state (because we care) then we are having a mean “wet dream” – that’s so trite and so immediately forthcoming as a Trotskyite knee-jerk reaction.
Finally, of course I know that fed dollars prop up MD. That is why MD will be the first to feel the pain when the fed gravy train ends. I can afford to wait out the storm, many can’t. The country is not going to go under. You will see the high paid bloodsuckers in Montgomery County take what they can and flee the country. But the rural areas have had to adjust already – Harford is getting the message early. State taxes will go up dramatically for a short time as government employees attempt to save themselves the only way they know how. In the end, MD will become a nice place to live: government hacks gone, government jobs shrunk, taxes cut.
The only way the federal gravy train ends is if this country is no more, and you said it yourself, the country is not going to go under. The federal budget is not going to shrink and the federal agencies that keep Maryland (at least Annapolis) afloat are not going to disappear. This will likely ruin rural counties, as you said. That is why teachers in Harford County need to find employment elsewhere if they want improved compensation.
Read further down in that poll and you’ll see two-thirds of those who want to move do so to either live in a warm state (like Florida) or to be near family. Not because of taxes.
That’s not even a nice try,
To the ‘true believers’ that taxes never matter, they will swallow your bilge. But to those who understand the real motives you are full of it.
They moved to be with the younger family members who had to leave because that is where the jobs moved them to. Why do you think states states like Texas are magnates?
Florida has been a mecca for retirement mainly because of no state income tax, asset protection against creditors, no estate tax and homestead tax exemption (with creditor protection) up to 160 acres and your house.
During hurricane season Florida has historically not been the best place to be. A major hurricane hasn’t hit there in a while (giving pause the the myth of increasing storms due to climate change).
It isn’t that it is warm. Hell, Maryland is mild except for a few months out of the year.
Anyhow, you are full of it.
Oh, here is straight from the Gallop PDF file:
“Different states, however, had different mixes of reasons; New York, Illinois, and Maryland residents all cited taxes as a key reason.
New York and Connecticut residents were also significantly more likely to cite a high cost of living.”
So, stick it.
Get rid of magnet schools, close HDGHS, stop spending on construction planning for YBES, close under capacity schools. Make sports teams a parks & rec issue. No sense having buildings and programs that will not be staffed.
I propose a new child education tax on parents with children enrolled in Harford County Schools.
You want to have children…….. FINE, you should pay more to educate them.
Socialized education doesn’t work that way. Besides, a parent-only system could never afford the bureaucratic overhead.
Want to use a senior center or park pay an extra fee!
You act like that’s a bad thing.
You have to pay admission to state parks, why not to county ones?
Cdev: it already happens.
The school system needs to press the big RESET button. Seems like everyday they are coming up with new ways for groups of people to game the system for their own benefit.
BOE meetings are a kangaroo court, I’d rather have diarrhea in a public restroom than waste time with that. That doesn’t make any sense, but its funny to read.
Hypothetically a mass teacher sickout day is hilarious, its unlikely the school system has any contingency plan to deal with that.
Do you honestly think the school would terminate everyone’s employment? There is not enough resource or time to rehire every position, the system barely manages to run on a normal day. LOL
The great teachers who can, are leaving for better jobs. I don’t blame them…I wish them the best. We all know there is sooo much waste in the county and school system. Let’s begin by getting rid of IF’s. Other counties can survive without them…we can too! They make over 100K to the personal assistant to the principal. Oh, but instead they will cut from the bottom up by getting rid of more classroom teachers and increase class sizes. Yeah, that’s smart! How about we also get rid of field trips, Harford Glen overnights, and the Planetarium visits. Finally, the Superintendent needs to really take a look at the special area teachers. Elementary schools that have 2-3 classes per grade level have special area teachers with 3+ planning periods a day. We should consolidate and have them be assigned to 2 schools to save money.
Other counties have IFs, they just call them supervisors.
They have subject supervisors in Harford County in addition to the IF’s.
Only in Government is an increase in budget (though a decrease in requested budget) a downfall. And enrollments are falling not increasing. Fewer students, more funds and still complaining not solutions. Welcome to America, have a nice day
Only in government are services underfunded. So it is a downfall when a government agency’s budget is increased because the previous year’s budget was too low to begin with. The small increase in the BOE’s budget doesn’t even cover the increases in costs of general operations, let alone make up for the inability to provide the services it should be able to. It’s because of taxpayers like you that complain your pay too much in taxes that the services government agencies provide do not live up to the standards you think they should. In the end, taxpayers always get what they pay for.
underfunded,
“Only in government are services underfunded”
Instead of displaying such an abysmal poverty of mind, I suggest your best alternative is to go back to your classroom and continue to tell half of your students that they rule the world and tell most of the other half to check their privilege. Go do that for the short time you have left. Your failure to turn out students who can read at the college level is already apparent. You are now showing that you believe what a common panhandler knows to be false.
Please! Somebody stop them before they teach again.
Spend a day as a teacher in Harford County and then maybe the shroud of ignorance that you cling to like a child will be lifted.
become a teacher,
Alas, he has strayed from his mentor’s teachings, and I may have to once again intervene. He may indeed be a child, but he is my creation.
Hmm, why would I want to be literally, the most important person in education (to the students) but be treated, universally, as a bottom feeder? Have to put up with politically correct status quo? Having to deal with extreme micro management from all the “higher ups”?
No thanks. I’ll wipe my ass with your biweekly direct deposit stub before I deal with an “onslaught” of Assistant Supervisors of the Supervisor of Supervising that are filled in the Public Education system.
Someone will hit the reply saying they don’t need people like me in Education. You’re exactly right, they need people like you who will work their ass off until they are over 65 for shit pay, and in the end, it was all a big waste of time unless you working for a pension/retirement.
Have fun teaching with 40 students, and being in fear of your job every day.
MeThinks Im a Dbag. Hm…… MeBe Correct!
You have disappointed me and are perhaps correct.
Harford County Council turning it’s nose up at teachers and other county employees yet again, and Barry Glassman stating that he’s fine with Harford County being in the 19th-24th range for educational funding shows that this county’s reputation for excellence is ending. Teachers are weary of being made out the bad guy in this county and while Ryan Burbey may or may not be the man for the job at hand, I know of none of my coworkers who would even consider running for the office. I certainly wouldn’t; who would want to be called the names I see him called and while his integrity and even his family and personal life publicly are abused because he believes in being a voice for teachers in general. There are so few people in this county that voice support for teachers, just wait until you start seeing the almighty test scores plummet because your child is being taught by a first or second year teacher who is still trying to find their way around effective class control and teaching techniques.
My friend teaches at Harford Tech and told me that of the teachers that aren’t being secretive about it, as of now they have 11 teachers that have already gotten jobs out of teaching (2 went back into the private sector for $30K and $40 a year pay increases) or are transferring to other counties, and 4 that are just waiting for offers on top of the 5 people that have opted to retire. That’s a significant impact on a school, and who knows how many are being quiet about looking until there’s an offer?
That’s just one school, I’m sure it’s not going to be much different at all the others. Yes, you will always have newbies ready to jump at the open positions but you lose the strong knowledge base, curriculum writers, and mentors of established master teachers.
Trying hard,
So, with total teacher compensation about $75 – if they have been here a number of years – then those folks got $100k jobs. Okay, if you need the immediate cash. But they will get no future pension and they will have shit medical. Looks like a trade off rather than an improvement. To each his own.
What we need to understand is that there need not be any layoffs of teachers since so many are leaving. Cool, nothing is better than having the system wash itself out.
True but if you don’t replace them you will have class sizes of 40
become a teacher,
You are a foremost authority on ignorance with 70% of the students you turn out needing remedial work in a community college. Teachers should be crawling under rocks to hide instead complaining about how hard their job is – let alone want a raise.
As a hack in the education system, you would not be qualified to undergo the challenges of producing both profit and volume in the private sector – it’s results oriented, nor would you understand the hard earned value of same. Your job is nothing more than troweling out current political sludge while you mooch your salary from the people who are held accountable for what they produce. Now go back to selling your tree-ring circus of climate taxing crap.
Imitation laggy,
Liar, liar – pants on fire. I suggest you up your syntax a tad before attempting to imitate the great, the one and only Lagmeister – he who is the abstracter of the quintessence.
I’m guessing a public school teacher made you stay after school a time or two and made you do a little “role playing”. I think it might be time for you to talk to someone about that.
Burbey Bunch aka Lagmeister suffers from extreme Pedagophobia which has manifested itself in these multiple personalities through which he attacks those he perceives as a threat.
Seriously?
Do you really believe that teachers:
are hacks?
unqualified to work in the private sector?
don’t understand the value of results?
trowel out political sludge?
mooch their salary from those that are actually held accountable…as if to say that teachers are not held accountable?
sell climate taxing crap?
That’s a pretty awful picture that seems to illustrate either your lack of understanding of the kinds of people that work in Harford County’s public school system, your lack of seeing any value in having a sound public school system due most likely to you having no children in it, or your attempt at juvenile trolling. Or I guess it could be that you are a selfish asshole who was likely mistreated as a child and are probably living a pretty unhappy life. Either way, I think you might want to apologize to the teachers of Harford County that are exceptional professionals that have to see beyond childish comments like yours as they work to motivate and inspire their students to do some pretty amazing things.
therapy/fraud/do you read… and so forth,
In the defense of Burbey and Laggy we must understand that they may be the products of too much involvement in classic literature – or, they may be having fun with teachers who believe they deserve so much more while not having the ability to defend their position.
Come on, teachers are being faced with layoffs, yet they come in here bragging about being able to earn so much more elsewhere. Then, add in the fact that most grads face remedial work upon entering college – due to a lack of teacher accountability – and you wonder why someone on the outside is not appreciative of their plight.
If Burbey and Laggy are unhappy, it is the unhappiness of actually creating wealth – to be appreciated when government can’t loot enough of it. When we all see new businesses spring up in Harford County, followed by eager, qualified graduates rushing to fill all the new jobs, then Burbey and Laggy will see where some actual motivating and inspiring has been done. Until then, all we have are a bunch of mushy words (like exemplar) that the students don’t understand and can’t spell.
Besides, Burbey and Laggy are sort of funfest edgy – just what a forum needs. In fact, they should be paid for their efforts – especially Lagmeister, who is the god of writ incarnate.
John Gault,
I am glad at least one person on this board is capable of appreciating the wit and intellectual stimulation that I provide. Isn’t it ironic that on a board dominated by edu-doodles that I am the one that is perceived as “the god of writ incarnate”.
Bad laggy,
It’s Galt you moron.
I didn’t think you would apologize. You are an asshole.
Did you read,
An asshole I may well be, but living off of the wealth created by assholes is worse, particularly when you cloak yourself in some sort of sanctimony by having done so.
“Stop supporting your own destroyers through the sanction you give them. Do not try to live on your enemies’ terms or to win a game when they’re setting the rules. Do not help them fake reality. “
“Whatever else they fought about, it was against man’s mind that all your moralists have stood united. It was man’s mind that all their schemes and systems were intended to despoil and destroy. Now choose to perish or to learn that the anti-mind is the anti-life.”
Keep in mind that the college (especially Harford Community College) use remedial classes as a money maker. My friend’s son tested below passing and was put in remedial math. With a 100% average in the class a few weeks in the instructor told him to test out. Took the test again…and failed because it wasn’t anything he had in the remedial class. Turns out they don’t test on what they teach in the high schools or their own math classes. It’s just a money game they play.
Trying too hard,
The tests are standardized to the basic knowledge of the subject. Sooner or later you are not going to get the exact same problems you did as homework. Good grief!
Not only did the high school fail to teach the subject, it lowered the expectations of what is acceptable knowledge in the subject. If I were a parent I would be mad as hell at the high school that failed to teach him, not the school that expects better. I would gladly pay the money and thank the college.
This is what we have sunk to.
As someone already made the comment, open up your checkbook. The specific color college’s like to see on paper happens to be Green.
I realize that some degree’s are an extreme far reach for the average individual to fully fund themselves, such as someone who wishes to become a Medical Doctor, however, if you have the time and cash, nothing is impossible.
Would never be a teacher,
Currently, the pay is very competitive and the pension with medical is outstanding.
Getting pressure from all sides has always been the way in the private sector.
The private sector =
Consider if you will: every quarter you have to meet profit and volume or you lose your job; every year you have to meet a high target or you get no raise; at the end of your career you retire on what you have personally saved in a 401k.
Why do you think that few people have sympathy for teachers who campaign and vote for the very people who keep them in their velvet chains.
You’re right, Blue Cross Blue Shield, or whatever it is called now that the entire county has, is really great. That is one thing I did forget to mention, out of ignorance.
The pay is pretty high for a “rookie” entering first year public county school, but since certifications/degree’s/training have to all be there, it may not be comparable to any other county job in some aspects. Either way, it’s a career you will never make any money in, albeit, that may a good thing since this great state loves to tax. You can make a living in, sure, if you don’t stuff you fatass with food every night at the local “hot hot” restaurant, buy the most expensive latest and greatest “hot hot” car, buy a house 4X the size you can afford.
It’s not my (or anyone’s) fault that teachers aren’t financially intelligent at making proper decisions based on their wage, or, what wages they could be earning while they are in college before they are employed as a teacher.
Yeah, the pay is great for someone just coming out of college. The thing is, you never make more than that. Anyone starting teaching in HCPS in the past 2-3 years will never make more than what he/she makes now. You will literally NEVER GET A RAISE. Although other counties do. I will be in my 20th year teaching here and will probably still make $46,500.
In other careers, people who never get raises leave. There will be a mass exodus of teachers from HCPS this year…that’s pretty much guaranteed.
Or…you could leave HCPS for a year and then come back to be placed right on the step you’re supposed to be paid. Yep. That’s how it goes.
You are incorrect about that last part. All teachers, including re-hires and teachers from other jurisdictions, are placed 4 steps behind their years of service on the current HCPS salary scale. You can’t just leave for a year, get rehired, and be placed on your correct years of service on the salary scale. At least this policy treats all teachers equally…albeit equally poorly!
And next year it will be 5 steps behind a teacher’s years of service on the current HCPS salary scale! And don’t think for one second that it won’t be 6 steps behind come 2016 after Barry Glassman is elected county executive. Once the teachers that can, leave for other school systems, why would any new teachers that replace them stick around for more than a few years except to get some experience and their graduate degree paid for? What does Harford County gain from that? Better yet, what does Harford County lose from that? Look up, “the cost of teacher turnover on school systems”. What the citizens of Harford County are not willing to pay now to retain their teachers will be nothing compared to what it will cost them as their schools are filled with inexperienced teachers and administrators. Get off the sinking ship!
Mass exodus.. Yeah. Sure. They have been saying that every year.
You should know unless the teacher planning to leave the career in teaching has to give a hell of a lot more than a “2 week” notice in order to retain their “credentials.”
Believe it or not, it sounds like some people are just dumb as shit.
“Who knew working for a Public School would never give me a yearly raise?”
Go seek your money in another county, but when you reapply at HCPS after a few years elsewhere, many people will be laughing.
No, there won’t be a mass exodus this year or any other year. There simply aren’t enough jobs in other school systems in the area for “mass exodus” to happen.
What is happening however is each year more and more good and experienced (and I know those terms don’t necessarily go hand in hand) teachers are looking at options in nearby counties and even other states and deciding whether or not it’s worth leaving.
Not every teacher trying to leave will get hired elsewhere and those teachers will almost certainly stay here. The good teachers who consistently do more than is required (extra study sessions, club sponsors, class advisers, extra duties for sporting and other school events, etc) will get hired elsewhere. The ones who don’t get hired elsewhere are, for the most part, the types of teachers that posters on The Dagger like to complain about.
A few more years of this and I’d expect to see Harford County’s test scores and school rankings to start dropping, even at the higher performing schools. especially when it gets harder and harder for HCPS to hire top teaching graduates. The top candidates are going to go elsewhere unless they have extremely strong ties to Harford County, rose colored glasses, or don’t do much research into how things actually are going here.
When year after year goes by with the county executive choosing to not fund the agreed upon pay plan combined with so much of the bs that comes down from the central office, working just about anywhere else looks more and more attractive and more and more teachers will be willing to take that step.
My wife teaches at Harford Tech and knows of more than 20 teachers that started this past school year there that will not be returning next school year. That is nearly 1/3 of the teaching staff. Less than half of those are retiring. For a school like Tech to lose that many teachers in a single school year is pretty telling.
Yes, starting salary is competitive. However, what people like you fail to realize is that on year two, teachers in the surrounding counties at the very least move to step 2 on the salary scale. Not here. And at the beginning of year three, they move again. Not here. If my calculations are correct, and I am citing this from memory, Harford County teachers are at least 5 steps behind. This is not the definition of competitiveness. However, I am sure that you will find fault there too. You must have had a very poor high school career to hate educators as much as you do. Although, I am sure you will claim to have been an honors student.
I never worked for wage employment in high school, so it definitely was not a career for me to say the leat about your awkward, and rather confusing comment.
How do you relate “hating” teachers to posts comparing their medical and wages? Its not a job where you make boat loads of money, end of comment.
Supporters or teachers come here to get pissed off about the comments they read. Here is a free tip, don’t read them. It doesnt take paying off 15 years worth of higher education debt to figure that one out. I guess working with shitty supervisors, asshole co workers, and students who majority show no respect rubs off.
Actually the starting salary for teachers in HCPS ranks 22nd out of 24 MD school systems.
if there needs to be any cuts, they need to look at the Administration Staff in central office…and the many ‘mid-level’ managers taking up space, making 6 figure salaries (yes, they do!), and not contributing to the student’s bottom line education – save our teachers, downsize management!!!
Thats what you got when you elected Craig, and teachers please get a clue, you work part time hours compared to the rest of us, your paid quite well as it is for the amount of time and effort you put into your jobs, I have a great idea , you want to paid like professionals, then have a professional certification test, pass or fail, then each year another re certification test that directly decides what your pay scale for that year should be. Of course this wont ever happen because your union knows maybe only 50 to 60 percent will pass any kind of testing, Go vote another Craig like into office then in complain some more !!
Hey Mike Jones,
Teachers DO have to pass certification tests. They DO have to be re-certified. Teachers ARE professionals who, like every other professional in the world, have to earn their jobs every day.
PLEASE, use the education teachers gave you to learn at least one fact before getting all rant-like in public that way.
I have come late to teaching. I’m 49 and this is my second career. I have had many jobs in the past, many of them involving hard, physical labor and mental stress. I have been the guy digging the ditch and the guy managing the ditch-digging. I can tell you this, I’ve never worked a job as demanding and exhausting as teaching.
Try understanding that summers off are hardly vacations for teachers. They’re unpaid time off. And most teachers get work during the summers, so it’s not as though we work hard for ten months and then go to the beach for June and July.