In a last ditch attempt to get salary step increases for Harford County teachers, teachers’ union president Ryan Burbey is asking parents to advocate for the raises despite the staffing cuts and higher class sizes needed to pay for them.
Burbey posted a message Saturday on the union’s Facebook page “Harford Students Count on Us!”, urging parents to contact school board members who are set to pass a budget for the new fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014. In his message, Burbey calls the higher class sizes “a difficult pill to swallow for the community,” but necessary for teachers made “desperate” by a lack of salary step increases in recent years. Salary step increases scheduled in the Harford County teachers’ contract are based on years of service and education levels attained, and subject to decisions by funding authorities and the school board.
The Harford County Board of Education requested funding next year for a cost of living increase for all employees, plus salary steps and longevity increases for those who are eligible. But county funding fell $29.6 million short of the school board’s overall operating request for fiscal 2015, requiring the Board to scale back its spending plans.
The Board took a stab at balancing its budget last week, narrowly defeating a move by Board Member Jim Thornton to provide $2.8 million for a salary increase – roughly equivalent to a 1% cost of living increase for all employees – that potentially required layoffs of 46 non-instructional staff. Superintendent Barbara Canavan said she would explore other options to pay for the raises, but she told Board members that the layoffs, coming on top of 240 position cuts since 2010 would “decimate” the system. The Board delayed until Monday its vote on the amended budget recommended by Canavan, which prevents layoffs and holds the line on class sizes, but does not provide salary increases for any employees.
Burbey said today that he was urging teachers to attend the Monday meeting, and he was also seeking support from the broader community.
Below is the Facebook message from Burbey, president of the Harford County Education Association (HCEA), which is the bargaining union representing the approximately 3,200 teachers in HCPS:
“Dear Parents,
I need to ask you and your members to please advocate not for a 1% for staff, or for the no-layoffs strategy but for a practice and philosophy of honoring teacher and employee salary steps regardless of funding. I know that means cuts which will increase class sizes. I know that this will be a difficult pill to swallow for the community. Unfortunately, teachers have reached a point of desperation. We cannot go on without our steps. Likewise, the lack of steps and failure to honor our salary scale has reduced our teachers to beggars, who must not only make daily sacrifices for their students but also beg for the money they were promised when they were hired which they desperately need to sustain their families.
Please help us. We will never change the priorities of this county and get county government to properly fund our schools if our teachers continue to be sacrificial lambs.
This is the link to our Facebook page where you can also find the link to submit a comment on the budget recommendation there.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harford-Students-Count-on-Us/112404392106446
Please contact me if you have any questions. Please also feel free to share this with anyone.
Ryan Burbey
President HCEA”
Where is Burbey Bunch’s comments? I need a good laugh already.
LOL,
How about this shit-for-brains:
No wonder most of the county grads need remedial college courses, the teachers want a raise but they are not asking for one on their signs. All they are asking for is for us to support education. We obviously do support our grads not needing remedial work when they get out of their classes. Perhaps the signs they are holding up are some sort of a confession of failure.
If its money, how about ‘Hand me your Wallet’ signs? Or how about ‘Up with cash – Down with kids’. Even a sign saying ‘No raise – No sports’.
And what is with the ‘Save our Schools Sign’ – I didn’t know we were spending them – and since when did the government save anything? Maybe the teachers should be guarding them, lest we lose another one in a hand of poker, or such.
Now go ahead and hit the moron scale with a you-post-stupid-funny-stuff reply. So far, it looks like you are doing the signing for the ladies. Up your game a little.
Regardless of your personal ideas or opinions, and whether or not you agree or disagree with anyone else’s, your behavior here is uncivilized. Everyone forms opinions on what they feel is best, including yourself. But you sir, are not simply expressing your opinions, you are demonstrating a character flaw.
As part of your summer reading, I suggest “Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct”, by P.M. Forni. Dr. Forni is a professor at Johns Hopkins who came to realize that regardless of what or how much or how well he taught his students, if they left his class not knowing how to be kind, considerate, polite people, he had failed in teaching them the most important things they needed to be successful as PEOPLE.
NOWHERE in his book does he claim that you have to agree with everyone; in fact, it is when you disagree with others about, particularly in matters which you feel passionate about, is when your civility–or lack thereof–shows most.
You are obviously an intelligent and well-educated person. I hope you will learn to pair these positive traits with the ability to address people with respect and dignity, regardless of whether you think they are right or wrong.
Civility,
Wow! You think that post was bad, scroll down a little.
But, concerning your post, let us consider the subject of a “character flaw.”
It is irrational to accuse one of a character flaw for merely posting some hyperbole in a forum ‘with an edge’.
Seems to me, real character flaws are exposed when you abuse children. Shall I list them for you:
Passing students on to college when they need remedial work in basic subjects.
Suspending students for protecting themselves from bullies or using finger guns.
Emphasizing one gender over another with ‘Girls rule the Nation’.
Blaming all the classroom problems on the admin instead of taking responsibility.
Or how about the character flaws being used to get a raise:
Lying about poverty.
Willingness to take a lack of a raise out on the students.
Protesting that the schools need support when it is about money for them.
Funny thing, civility is always requested from one side. This case is the same as most of the others. It really means to shut up and let the other side do their thing.
How about the teachers earn some respect by reflecting some dignity. Now, back to the forum ‘with an edge’.
Nice try, Civility. But Burbey Bunch is what he is and nothing is going to change him. Which is not to say that you don’t have him pegged and completely owned him with your post. You did. But he WANTS to be uncivilized. That’s why he emphasizes the “with an edge” part.
Straight A college scholarship types aren’t usually too upset with the people who helped them get there. But here’s a guy who in spite of his intelligence, probably did poorly in school because he has such an angry attitude, and is blaming his personal failure on teachers. If you notice all the different times he posts, he probably isn’t employed or is underemployed and needs someone to place blame on. Teachers of course, shouldn’t take this guy personally, of course. After all, he holds the record for “thumbs down” on his comments, and has had more “hidden due to low rating” than anyone I’ve seen. Even the people who agree with him don’t like his posts!
You are pretty cool in my book, but please stop misusing the word gender. People don’t have gender…words have gender.
Don’t feed the trolls.
This guy must not have a job if he always is on here making comments.
Maybe he is having a good craft beer with Thomas Fitzpatrick.
Tom Fitzpatrick should run for a position with the humane society. He loves Dogs
I say cut all High School Sports programs across the board, ALL of them. If kids want to play they must do so by fee through a rec program. High School sports have become nothing more then a popularity contest. Leaving many kids with an empty hopeless feeling because they did not make a team. A lot of the decisions who to keep on these teams are clouded by who the parents know, how much money they have or they have donated…etc
Sorry Bub, but we are not a communist society. You see, as much as you all hate the whole concept of winners and losers, Sports are a COMPETITION. Not everyone can do it. You are probably one of the ones who advocated for participation trophies. Thanks for turning todays youths into a bunch of brainless collectivists that have no drive and beg for someone else to take care of them.
I’m not sure what kind of person your kid is, or what kind of kids he’s hanging around with, but all the kids I know are intelligent, hard working, awesome kids! Just of the kids I know offhand….electrical engineering major, mechanical engineering major, medical physics, aerospace engineering (who already has his pilots license), computer programming, economics, mathematics, medicine, going to U Maryland, U Delaware, James Madison, Bridgewater, Washington College, naval Academy, etc; some are also accomplished musicians, artists, writers, etc.
All HCPS graduates, all major academic scholarships.
The opportunities are there, made available by HCPS, and delivered by HCPS teachers. If the kids refuse to learn, refuse to study, refuse to put forth effort, and the parents support them, then they won’t learn. But if the parents give them no option but to learn, they’ll do great.
So quit insisting that every kid is a loser just because you know some losers or, God forbid, believe everything you read in the mass media.
How many school employees with blackberries recent hand in their perfectly functioning blackberries for IPhones?
It is politically incorrect along with devalued moral turpitude for the signs to have “I need money” or what ever straight forward way to ask for a raise.
I also agree that there is a tremendous amount of IT waste in the system, spending thousands of dollars like its going out of style, all while some Route 40 schools are still suffering with “hand me downs.” The closer you are to 102 S Hickory Ave, the better the gravy taste.
I have a child that attends the closest HCPS to the Board of Education building. Your comment is meant to divide and you are poormouthing. BAES has one of the smallest tracts of land of any of HCPS, it has a rotting asbestos filled building on the property, but that building can’t be torn down to make room for expansion because it is “historic” and portable classrooms sit right next to the dilapidated building instead. Teachers, parents and The PTA pay for supplies and field trips. When a new playground was needed, we didn’t go around poormouthing, we fundraised and built a damned playground.
Poor Route 40 Corridor, awww!
Q) Where is Harford’s newest high school?
A) E——D
BAES is considered historic? Wasn’t it built in 1984? Furthermore, why is it dilapidated considering it is only 30 years old? If it’s because it was poorly built in the first place, what a waste of money to build like it’s disposable.
It is true that many Rt. 40 schools get hand-me-downs. My school has old BAMS copiers and JHS received some of BAHS old furniture when it was remodeled.
The rotting asbestos filled building Hazzard is speaking about is the old Board of Ed building that sits boarded up and vacant on Bel Air Elementary property. Some of the old-timers that went there when it was a school building and some lovers of old rotting buildings have had it declared historic, so there it sits. The condition of the school itself is not that bad, but it is very small. The author discredited the prior author of his/her generalization that being geographically closer to the HQ automatically gets you nice new digs and a stellar budget. The author also takes a jab by pointing out that community has funded various things when needed instead jumping up and down in a tantrum and screaming “but mommy Susie got those nice new shoes, so I should have them too.” Maybe Susie has been babysitting, mowing lawns, etc. and saving up for those shoes. Get it yet? Or are are you still stuck on “The closer you are to 102 S Hickory Ave, the better the gravy taste.”?
Wrong again, Patterson Mill is the newest HS
Patterson Mill High School 2007
C. Milton Wright High School 1979
Harford Technical High School 1978
Fallston High School 1977
Joppatowne High School 1973
Edgewood High School 1954
North Harford High School 1950
Aberdeen High School 1907
Bel Air High School 1907
Havre de Grace High School 1896
Hey brainiac…check your facts before you go around correcting people…Edgewood has the newest facility of any high school in the county..
And bel air high school goes back about 200 years…they just celebrated the 199th commencement…
Actually bel air has the newest building… red pump was built last
Seriously, does anyone care to know what the Hell they are writing about here?
The NEW Patterson Mill High School – 2007
The NEW Bel Air High School Building – 2009
The NEW Edgewood High School Building – 2010
“I am dumber then a teacher”
Then a teacher does what?
oh…did you mean “I am dumber THAN a teacher”?
Not only did you say it, but you proved it.
Obviously that was the joke, the use of “then” as opposed to “than.”
That’s Right (the 2nd one, who used my nickname to respond), you’re absolutely right. I didn’t notice the obvious joke of using “than” instead of “then”.
I also didn’t notice the use of “what ever” instead of “whatever”, “straight forward” instead of “straightforward”, “its” instead of “it’s”, and “taste” instead of “tastes”.
Now that I noticed, I’m doubled over laughing! This “I am dumber then a teacher” is a comic genius!
WHAT
I think HCPS should ask Mr Burbey to attend each termination meeting, so he can explain his strategy and decision to push for steps over jobs to each laid-off teacher face-to-face.
Wow, I guess I should have read closer. No one is calling for layoffs. In fact, the request is not to fill all of the unfilled positions that are currently open.
I should read a bit better next time. My apologies.
Voluntary separations are never perfectly aligned with personnel needs, people still end up getting fired and new ones hired, or involuntary transfers between locations.
I have not advocated for lay-offs. I have advocated for HCPS to reduce positions. There are over 200 separations thus far.
What exactly do you think happens when a position is eliminated, Burbey? An angel doesn’t get his wings – someone gets laid off.
Welcome to the political class, sell-out.
Come on everyone. Can’t we all just get along. Lets just go and have a craft beer and talk it out.
Look at the photo again!
Ryan be lyin’ about teachers not being able to “sustain their families.” Do you see anyone in that line that is missing meals? In fact, I see one who should not be allowed to teach on the eastern shore, the state may tip over. It does, however, explain how they teach girls to ‘rule the nation’ – they crowd everyone else out.
The Burbey Bunch
The Burbey Bunch
can eat an entire school bus for lunch.
BB you are in need of a time-out before you get booted out.
Red,
Just a voice crying in the wilderness here. The system needs a sharp stick in the eye every now and then. I’ve seen some real vulgarity in other threads and zero happens. But, let’s face it, I am bucking a huge political system here – one that historically lies with impunity.
If the teachers want to come in here and bang down my posts, fine. Folks will read it after one click anyway. The question is when will the Dagger stop putting the same topic up for discussion. Apparently they are getting quite a few hits and love the action.
So, how much Burbey Bunch do they want? I figure I am a literary Ty Cobb, but with a certain sense of style. Nothing lasts forever.
I would like to see the GOOD teachers get rewarded and the LOUSY teachers get fired. My wife and I have been very happy until this year with the quality of teacher our children have been taught by. This year has been unacceptable and sadly I am convinced nothing will happen. Of course it is not all of their teachers, just 2. Seems when we discuss the situation with other parents these two are identified as troublesome as well. We have met with them and expressed our concerns, nothing. We meet with the admin types and expressed concerns, nothing. These two will be back in the classroom this fall I am sure. Now we are going to have to spend money for tutoring this summer to help our kids get caught up and ready for when school starts in the fall.
It is hard for me to rally in favor of teachers getting raises when I see some who have had a negative impact on my kids.
I am sure the union man will have some sort of song and dance about how it is not the union; it is the system and all that. That’s all fine and well; maybe it makes it easier for you to sleep. I just know that my kids cannot get this year back and now it will cost me money to get them caught up.
Fix the problem of bad teachers and then I will march in unison for the raises the good teachers deserve.
Brian,
And here is the thing, some of those protesting teachers have been around awhile and no doubt have compensation packages worth about $80k (pension/caddy medical added). Their household income package with a hubby is around $150k – but they claim they cannot sustain their households.
Personally, whatever sympathy I have had for them has gone out the window – especially since many of them advocate cutting student programs just to fatten their wallets and broaden their backsides.
So tell us Burbey Bunch. What is a good teacher worth in your estimation? And what should is a reasonable “household income package”? Since you seem to be the arbiter on fair compensation please enlighten us. I doubt you know much about the whole situation other than your version you’ve concocted in your own head. These teachers came to work for HCPS with the promise of working their way up a pay scale. HCPS hasn’t honored that pay scale for years. Nor have even made an attempt to fix the situation or even tried to placate their employees in any way. Now, asshats such as yourself want to denigrate teachers for standing up for themselves. I’ll bet you would be first in line at your job when compensation was on the table. BTW…Way to man up and use some stupid pseudonym to voice your opinions.
Dougie,
May I call you Dougie? Sorry not answer you sooner, I was wiping my head – as we asshats oft want to do.
Seriously though, I guess I am getting all the top guns today. First it was the civility loon and now the use-your-real-namer guy. So, I guess the next fellow insults my mother, right?
To be quick, let me answer the real issue which is “standing up for themselves” – as you put it. Hiding behind the theme of education to get a raise is not doing that. Pretending one doesn’t get a package worth $20k more per year than anybody in the private sector is also not doing that.
Lastly, demonstrating in a cowardly manner for a raise when they should be demonstrating to change a corrupt system is not standing up for themselves either – and most assuredly not standing up for the students they claim to be dedicated to.
Is all this a little clearer for you?
Thanks for proving that you have no grasp of the situation. Just an agenda that nobody can follow. Are you a teacher? I myself am not just trying to figure your angle. You say a 20K per year healthcare package? I say bullshit! You can throw some number out all day long to try and prove your point but you’re wrong.
You want to retain the good teachers in our county. You’re going to have to pay them comparable to other counties. Everything is going up in this liberal-hell of a state. And you think teachers with Masters degrees or better should be happy with staying stagnant or as is more the case going backwards do to and increase in healthcare premiums? You’re delusional.
How about we quit spending money on buying property for future schools and technology that’s never utilized. I expected no answer from you and you met my expectations. Ramble on Richard.
And “cowardly”? Coming from a guy like you doesn’t mean much. I’ll bet you’re the one person liking your posts.
Or they also could be like one of my son’s teachers, who is supporting her family on her own while taking care of her husband who became a parapalegic after a car accident. Naturally, you would only assume the best possible case scenario and apply it to all teachers in order to justify your own bigotry.
I agree 100%. No teacher should ever get a raise as long as there is a bad one among them. Cops too. And dentists. Plumbers. Customer service representatives. Bank tellers. Anytime I come across someone who, in my opinion, isn’t doing their job properly, that means no one in that line of work should get a raise.
By the way…how would you feel if your kid’s teacher punished your child for something another kid did, even though your son wasn’t involved? Just wondering.
I would also like to see Poor Educators not rewarded as those who bust their ass. Believe me, HCPS has its fair share of poor performing employees just like everywhere else.
unfortunately, that is not the case when they all belong to a bargaining association. Everyone is equal until an individual does something to get fired.
Fired, such as the Perry Hall educator who showed up at a students house. Students in this individuals classes received a letter that a new teacher will be taken the place for the remainder of the year.
The cost of adding 1 salary step to teacher’s salaries next year would not cost as much if the HCPS negotiating team did not demand a 1% COLA on top of it. HCEA did not want to add the 1% COLA to the wage increase, but the HCPS negotiating team knows that without a 1% COLA, administrators would not get a pay increase. So remember that it isn’t just teachers asking for more money. HCPS administrators, especially central office personnel, are asking for even more, when they are the one’s that need it whole lot less than a teacher with 5 or less years of service that is still making the same starting salary they were hired at. Why doesn’t the HCEA emphasize this point at every BOE meeting and county council meeting?
That Choose Civility mumbo jumbo shrimp salad tater tot’s went out the window when “Girls Rule the World” after school club started.
The Kangaroo meeting starts soon, go Choose your Civility at a more appropriate event. Welcome to the Internet.
Shove,
I do like your sense of style.
Dougie,
I said package putzie – that’s pension and caddy medical.
The value of a Cadillac health plan for a family is $38k per year. Just subtract out the teacher contribution. The value of a pension for the teachers would be a minimum of $15k. Only 13% of private sector jobs have a pension and virtually no company offers the quality of medical that the teachers have. So, the total additional value of teacher benefits is easily $20k per year.
Again, you should add $20k to the basic yearly teacher pay to arrive at the total yearly compensation package.
You sound like a guy that’s bitter because he got downsized Pumpkin. Maybe if you had been more of an asset to your company you could’ve saved your job. Once again you fail to acknowledge a simple fact. Maybe you’re slow so I’ll reiterate. Surrounding counties pay better. In order to retain the quality teachers that we do have we, as a county, will have to pay them. This vaunted compensation package you cite is crap compared to other local jurisdictions. The teachers pension comes to about a 1/3 of whatever their ultimate pay is in the highest three years. Now take that and minus out their increased cost for healthcare and taxes and that’s what they’re left with in retirement.
Now if you’re angry because you choked in the corporate world and weren’t able to secure a golden parachute for yourself. There’s always McDonalds, I’ve heard they’re hiring. If you knew anything about the amount of work a good teacher puts into their day you might sing a different tune. Of course, you might still act like an asshat to get attention but that’s your problem.
Dougie,
“You sound like a guy that’s bitter” – well there Dougie, hearing voices coming from typed text over the net are we?
“Maybe if you had been more of an asset” – Perhaps those voices are talking to you and you should pay attention.
And well, to the rest of it, your rejection that the package was worth more got shot down so now you are trying to save your ass by comparing it to other teachers. Do I need to point out to you that the teacher demonstration was not to convince other teachers. It was to convince the gullible public. So, now we got all that straight – I was right and you were wrong.
As to the other stuff, what is with the straw dog issues. How petty to set something up in your mind about someone who “choked in the corporate world” and pretend to condemn it as though it’s associated with anybody, anywhere at anytime. Is that nonexistence supposed to hurt my feelings? Got to write that off to those voices in your head again there Dougie.
Wow…deeply hurt. Some Keyboard Commando wants to bitch and moan that a certain group makes more money than he deems appropriate.
Your original assertion that teachers make way too much money when you include insurance and pension, besides being bullshit, is beside the point. They are asking that the pay scale that they were originally sold on when they signed with HCPS be honored. Now if you feel like providing chapter and verse proof as to why that shouldn’t happen then by all means lay it out for somebody who gives a shit about your opinion. You’re getting boring and redundant and haven’t had an original thought in hours. Good luck with your bitch session.
Oh my Dougie,
Can’t quit now can you? Accused me of using “some stupid pseudonym,” so now you are floundering – perchance having used your real name – trying to land a blow and save some dignity. You don’t need me to tell you that’s bad form. You should really read your posts and mine again. If you want to bleed some more, be my guest.
It is, however, getting to be a bit boring answering stuff coming from voices in your head. I never stated teachers made too much, I suggested – in so many words – that they are both devious and incorrect for implying that they cannot sustain their families. So, ignore those voices and read my posts.
Let me also add that one should expect a teacher, as a professional, to understand how the system works. When I read the words ‘contract’ and ‘promise’ tossed out – when they had neither – I cringe. Whom are they trying to sell? The vision that comes to mind is of a parent having to drag a child away from a candy store.
All this talk about teachers not having a ‘contract’ that promised a set salary scale…a friend of mine used to work at Harford Tech but went back into industry for a 50% pay raise mid-year. He got several letters from HCPS stating that since he ‘broke his contract’ he would never be allowed to work for them again. Teachers are expected to honor their side of the contract while the money-mongers get to ignore theirs. Tech is losing about 15 teachers to the private sector and other counties by June and even more are interviewing over the summer.Friends of mine from several different schools have told me that at the end of their interviews in Cecil County they’ve been told to “tell Harford County thanks for sending us their best and brightest”.
Having been in other countries I find it sad that Americans don’t value education and teachers. I’m concerned it will be our country’s future undoing.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the threat of larger class sizes is not enough to mobilize the parents. The threat of a class with 30+ students in it does not upset most parents. If you threaten to cut athletics and extracurricular activities, that’ll be enough to get parents to show up screaming and yelling.
Honestly, what did Mr. Fitzpatrick say? No one who has opened the door for him on his campaign trail has been against the proposed budget. You have got to be kidding me. Disheartening.
Thank you Mr. Thornton and Mrs. Beverley for acknowledging where the priorities need to be in this county. Heartbreaking is the place that education is in Harford County Public Schools. Mr. Frisch may find this to upset his stomach but think about those of us who can not afford food and housing without burying ourselves in debt yet we take care of everyone of the kids in Harford County and do not think twice about this. Same old discussion.
A different perspective that you are making close to $200,000 compared to our disgusting pay. This is unbelievable. KIDS have not been on your minds. Please. Why two new buildings when we can not afford to pay our current staff.
I keep hearing about how surrounding counties pay better and we need to pay teachers more or we will lose them. Well put up or shut up.if that was true we would have NO TEACHERS HERE. But guess what? They arent busting down the doors to teach in other counties that pay more because it would be a longer comute and MORE WORK. I got an idea, go teach in the city, they pay better and are always hiring. But that wont happen any time soon will it? Sooo tired of the crying. Be glad you have a job that has some stability, its more than most people have.
Watcher,
Correct-a-mundo!
Slugger,
Actually, in reference to one’s sex it is appropriate to use the word gender.
World English Dictionary
informal = all the members of one sex: the female gender.