05.03.06
Senate Finance Committee Kills Health Care Stipend For Teachers
Via QR (List of amendments here):
Sen. Judith Zaffirini’s (D-Laredo) amendment to continue the health care stipend for support staff failed to pass the Senate Finance Committee this afternoon.
More here on what the TFT has to say about what’s being debated in the committee today:
Here’s what they’re not telling you:
–The pay raise is less than the $2,000 claimed. The actual pay raise is $1,500; the rest is money already owed teachers for the health-care supplement but redefined in this bill as salary. The $1,500 is $125 a month, before taxes and deductions–not chicken feed, but not enough even to make up for the erosion of teacher pay since the last state raise seven years ago.
–Their bill kills the health-care stipend entirely for “support staff”–some 300,000-plus school employees. Everyone other than classroom teachers and full-time counselors, librarians, and school nurses would suffer a new $500 pay cut under their bill.
–The Senate bill privatizes schools labeled low-performing, without first giving them the resources needed to perform at required levels–potentially as early as the first year they are ranked “academically unacceptable” for any reason under the state accountability system.
–The Senate bill cuts 20 percent from the new funding that was set aside for education in the state budget bill just last year (to $1.45 billion instead of the promised $1.8 billion).
–The bill offers meager new state aid for school districts–not even enough to keep up with inflation and enrollment growth.
–This Senate version of HB 1 undermines the minimum salary schedule by rehiring retirees at less than state minimum.
–And the bill has inadequate safeguards of equity, which is essential so that all students
More on this from the teacher’s side, Proposed raises not enough, teachers say.