From Harford County Public Schools:
The Board of Education and HCEA Reach Agreement
On December 15, 2016, at the conclusion of daylong negotiations, the Board of Education of Harford County (the Board) and the Harford County Education Association (HCEA) reached a tentative agreement on behalf of the approximately 3,000 certificated instructional employees exclusively represented by HCEA. The Board and HCEA have tentatively agreed to contract language items including additional planning time, changes in the Sick Leave Bank procedures, changes in vacancy postings, and changes reflected in impasse procedures to follow the current law. Upon ratification by HCEA membership, the tentative agreement with HCEA is scheduled for ratification by the Board at a later date.
The negotiations held were for the second year of the three-year agreement which allowed for re-openers for a limited number of language items. The current contract expires June 30, 2019.
The Board of Education and HCESC Reach Agreement
On December 21, 2016, the Board and the Harford County Education Services Council (HCESC) reached a tentative agreement on behalf of the approximately 900 employees HCESC represents. The Board and HCESC have tentatively agreed to contract language items including sick leave procedures and expansion of bargaining unit membership. Upon ratification by HCESC membership, the tentative agreement with HCESC is scheduled for ratification by the Board at a later date.
The negotiations held were for the third year of the three-year agreement which allowed for reopeners for a limited numbers of language items. The current contract expires June 30, 2018.
The Board of Education and AFSCME Reach Agreement
On January 4, 2017, the Board and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) reached a tentative agreement on behalf of the approximately 900 employees AFSCME represents. The Board and AFSCME tentatively agreed to language items which will change the voluntary transfer process and out of title (e.g. “acting” positions) work criteria. Upon ratification by AFSCME membership, the tentative agreement with AFSCME is scheduled for ratification by the Board at a later date.
These negotiations were for the third year of a five-year agreement which allowed re-openers for a limited number of language items. The current contract expires June 30, 2020.
Note: Salary Agreements for 2017-2018
The current agreements between the Board and all five employee units include a 2% COLA applied to all salary schedules and two steps for eligible employees. The salary adjustments are contingent upon necessary fiscal support from the funding authorities, as stated in the agreements.
Don’t worry the swimming and Drama progrrams fees will be increased to pay for it
This comment is just plain absurd.
Clearly you didn’t know. Pay was not an issue this year. Perhaps if you read you would know!
I hate to say it, but unfortunately Hacod’s comment is all too true for this board of education and the administration. They have in fact instituted fees for drama and athletics to recoup costs that go into the general fund for the schools this year.
Later on a number of school board members, their associates and the administration will get on here to lecture and get defensive, but let’s face it, it is all to true. Very sad.
“The salary adjustments are contingent upon necessary fiscal support from the funding authorities, as stated in the agreements.”
If the people ultimately controlling the money aren’t sitting at the negotiating table, why do the unions keep wasting their time?
So, they should not negotiate a potential increase and be assured nothing, rather than negotiate an increase and possibly get it?
What happened to the Administrators’ association?
Most interesting posting on teacher salaries, HCPS negotiations with unions, and the HCPS swimming program. This close to the County Executive’s State of the County address, timing could not have been better.
Reviewing recent events to take away some of the intrigue surrounding these circumstances though may help to relieve anxiety.
First look at the rate increase in the water and sewer fund. Review both the study itself and the 2017 budget. Notice that lines in tables 6 and 7 for administration, accounting, and engineering increase by about 3% per year for the next 5 years. Those are people costs. Looks like the administration, and the County Council are positioned to give out salary increases to water and sewer employees for the next 5 years. Then look at the 2017 budget for the Rate Study Revisited #1, which describes how the water and sewer rates will be reviewed again, in 2019. No doubt to be increased.
Next, the County Council raised their salary schedule. Although it is a onetime pay adjustment, it no doubt accounts for salary increases over an extended period of time.
Given that it would be very uncommon to provide raises for one group of employees and not the rest, it is more than 99% probable that all employees, and the teachers, and deputies and all others included in the Harford County budget will get raises. How much, to be determined. In the case of the teachers, the HCPS and the School Board, very interesting that HCPS has put the swim program on the table. That is a gold watch strategy. Parents want the program, Teachers and other employees want raises. Who smashes the gold watch?
Final piece is the relocation of the property management function out of procurement to the County Administrator. The County Administrator stated that this would save money, approximately $200,000. County auditor’s fiscal note concluded it would be budget neutral. It cannot be both. Regardless, why the move?
This is the part that gets very interesting, and may require a bit of careful thought. Harford County is asset rich, cash poor. BRAC did not infuse large sums of money, and in fact increased demand for County resources. Previous building booms infused short term money but increased demand for County resources beyond revenues contributed. Three of the largest land holders pay no taxes. They are also three of the largest employers in the County and it is unlikely that their employees will realize enough in salary increases to significantly increase the tax base. Property tax revenues, which will increase, will do so slowly. Additionally, the Office of Economic Development has succeeded in attracting jobs that, according to the County Auditor, pay about 150% of minimum wage, or about $12 an hour for a 35 hour week. Those jobs are necessary, but they do not support Harford County’s appetite for revenue, and they bring their own requirements for government resources. What to do?
Sell off County assets. Which ones? Water and Sewer? Much easier done when the process is “more efficient and more effective”.
Readers are left to ponder that and determine what it will accomplish. Consider though the County Executives desire for an Agricultural Center. The County Executives desire to find funds for a new High School and Middle School in Havre de Grace. School Board requirement for more technology. All the other projects that cannot be funded because there is no money.
Pay very close attention to the County Executive’s and the County Council President’s State of the County addresses this evening.
THNX
JOHN P. MALLAMO
Wake up people. The athletic and drama fee were put into place, and then raised for the same reason. Yes, it is a revenue source, but more importantly it is increasing the number of families applying for free and reduced meals. The school system then gets a big fat check from the government. So these fees are going no where, and even worse they contribute a very small amount to the budget. Not a math whiz, but I bet it is under 10 million out of the 450 million.
So Teachers get 2 steps and 2%. That equates to about an 8% raise for most. Must be nice, meanwhile the rest of the county employees probably get a 2% total raise.
Or none at all
Go to collage for four year, then get the teaching job, go back to collage and earn your Master’s Degree over your summers off and evenings. Harford County Public Schools is hiring.
@WIHSO. Its a good thing you were able to read and write that and understand the math in the response above.
Oh, so you don’t know what getting a teaching certificate is like, nor do you know what teaching is like. Yet that doesn’t stop you from taking a shot at teachers.
Because he’s an idiot. Probably failed out and holds a grudge because he couldn’t make it. Boo hoo
The salary scale/schedule didn’t even mention “steps” if you bothered to look. The language was recently changed, and any teacher who has 15 or more years experience wouldn’t normally get that increase unless it’s longevity which is payed once every 5 years. The HCPS document was a salary schedule which showed salary based on “years of experience”. However, many teachers are several “years of experience” behind their actual years of experience due to failure of HCPS to fund the salary schedule. This whole “step” thing was never an issue in this county until the last 10 years. It seems to have been a political creation to turn Harford County citizens against each other with the intention of advancing someones march to Annapolis. That march was cut short, but the adversarial climate that was created lives on. There really never was much of an issue about the COLA either because most teachers make squat. However, they do get laid off (without pay and no unemployment unlike the private sector where I work) during most of the summer. For comparison, salaries and wages rose on average 2.9% in 2016. The proposed salary schedule will only increase 2% for teachers next school year and only 1.5 % this year. I do support teachers and our local school system.
Quite a silly system, you negotiate raises you can not deliver to pacify the employees, then ask the county government to fund an unsustainable increase while the Board of Education is well aware the county does not have this amount of flexible funding. Another Canavan and Licata led budget request while each is making between 190k to 210k.