Carroll teachers are incensed that they will get only a 1 percent raise next year, the smallest increase in more than a decade, negotiators said.
“The sense is we?re very upset that the state and county government have limited the actual budgetary amounts available in such a way that there is no money for the Board of Education in our case to fund more of a raise,” said Hal Fox, teachers? chief negotiator.
Teachers negotiated a 7 percent raise last year, and with the 1 percent increase ? the smallest since 1992 ? first-year teachers in Carroll will make about $40,200, Fox said, among the lower starting salaries in the state.
About half the teachers will receive an additional 1 percent raise halfway through next year under the agreement, Fox said.
But as young teachers leave for other counties or better-paying jobs, class sizes continue to balloon, making teaching more difficult, Fox said.
“It?s having an adverse impact on the teachers, the support staff and, of course, the students, because we have too few people trying to provide a valuable education to too many students at once,” Fox said.
Teachers in Harfordand Baltimore counties may not get cost-of-living raises this year, officials have said. First-year Harford teachers earn about $40,500.
In Anne Arundel, teachers are expecting a 6 percent raise; in Howard, a 5 percent raise.
Ted Zaleski, Carroll?s budget director, said commissioners have put as much money as they can into education.
“We don?t have any significant room remaining to take on additional costs,” Zaleski said.
Commissioners have $5.6 million that has not been allocated to anything in next fiscal year?s budget, but Zaleski said it?s not likely it could be used for teacher raises.
“We have the money this year,” he said, “but we don?t know if we?ll have it next year.”
