The Prince George’s County Board of Education failed to adopt a 2009 budget this week, and will head into the coming week pleading with unions to try to arrive at a financial compromise by Feb. 28.
In the proposed $1.68 billion budget before the board is a $14.4 million carrot, labeled “reserve for negotiations,” to lure union members to accept more responsibility in the wake of fewer school-based staff and administrators. The reserve cache could be used for raises or rewards for accomplishments such as earning a doctoral degree.
Some board members, however, questioned the wisdom of offering raises to some while handing pink slips to others, including 40 “parent liaisons,” a position created in 2007 to build community at each of the district’s 205 schools.
“I’ve never worked with an organization that gave raises the same year layoffs were going on,” said board member Heather Iliff, who also works as a consultant for the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations.
Ron Watson, vice chair of the school board, suggested – to no agreement – reducing the union reserve money by $2 million and reinstating the parent liaisons.
Another sore spot for union leaders are the nearly 400 staff positions, including dozens of vacant teacher positions, that would remain unfilled under the current budget.
“We plan to ask, ‘Are you pitting a raise against the number of teachers? Because that’s not fair,'” said Donald Briscoe, president of the county’s teachers’ union.
Briscoe said “teachers would like a decent raise, especially because neighboring jurisdictions have gotten one,” and said even $14 million wouldn’t amount to much.
In its 2009 budget, Montgomery County schools committed to a 5 percent cost-of-living raise for teachers; Virginia‘s Fairfax County is considering a 3 percent raise.
Briscoe, who said his weekend homework was analyzing the budget in advance of next week’s meetings with his members and the board, offered one piece of financial advice: “We’ll have to see which positions they’re talking about, but we can certainly help them with some cuts made within the administration.”
