March 10, 2009

LI Teacher Pay Rises as Economy Sinks

Contracts, negotiated "even in the face of a souring economy" will assure teachers at many Long Island districts annual pay raises between 6 and 8 percent, according to Newsday.

The newspaper reviewed 10 teacher contracts signed after November 2007 when economists warned of future economic problems. The district contracts reviewed are with Cold Spring Harbor, Commack, Copiague, Fishers Island, Island Park, Mount Sinai, North Shore, Oysterponds, Port Jefferson and Three Village.

The raises also come as anger builds over the Island's high property taxes. School costs account for about 66 percent of property taxes; salaries and benefits for the Island's 42,500 full-time teachers and other school professionals make up 56 percent of those costs.

Raises in the most recent teacher contracts include both contractual increases - typically 3 percent to 3.5 percent a year - and automatic annual increases based on years of service that are already built into the salary stepladder.

Within three to four years, top pay for the most senior teachers will rise to $140,094 in the North Shore district, $142,971 in Cold Spring Harbor and $145,068 in Mount Sinai.

Central Islip's contract, signed five years ago, runs through the 2014-15 school year. By then, its top earners will be paid $173,840.

In an editorial, Newsday asks, "Where is the teachers' share of shared sacrifice?"

Personnel costs amount to 70 percent of most school budgets. Even though the federal stimulus package contains billions for local school districts, administrators are warning of layoffs and program cuts.

While school boards share some of the responsibility for offering generous deals while the economy was tanking, the teachers and their unions now want taxpayers to kick in more money to keep them at full employment.

Posted by Lise Bang-Jensen

« Previous | Main | Next »