Update: According to the Express-Times, the Easton Area School district is proposing for the teachers to return to last year pay schedule (think pay cut) and agree to a freeze pay for two years. Where is the proposal for the administration to return last year pay raises and agree to a two year pay freeze? This is about shared sacrifice!
As I have stated in the past, I believe the public sector unions and the local municipalities must find a way to create viable financial models to avoid overtaxing our citizens.
In the case of the Easton Area School District, the school board and teachers union seem willing to have another public standoff in order to solve the approximately $14.0M budget deficit. According to school district figures, even if the teachers agree to a one year pay freeze, the savings would only be total $7.4M per year or about half of the budget gap. Additionally, the one year pay freeze proposal does not address the long-term financial viability of the Easton School district.
If the school district is correct and the average teacher pay raise is really 12.57%, then the school district has no financial pathway to solve its future budget gaps.
So here is the bottom line. Both the teachers union and school board need to re-open the union contract and find a viable financial model. Additionally, the school board needs to freeze all administrative pay raises and find additional cost reductions programs. This must a shared sacrifice between the administration and the teachers. I think we can all agree our kid’s education and well being are at stake.
If both sides continue these counter productive conversations, our school district could be broke, our kids will receive a horrible education, and the broader Easton community will suffer. It is time to have real adult conversations.
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