PUSD step/contract increases no different than AIG bonuses! Schools & Kids, posted by Parent, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 21, 2009 at 12:55 pm
How is paying the PUSD step salary increases (stated on Web Link) for employees different from paying the contractual bonuses AIG paid out? Why not cut the increases this year and keep all of our teachers?
Posted by Peter, a resident of the Del Prado neighborhood, on Mar 21, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Wake up and smell the roses. The AIG bonuses should not be compared to teacher salaries. However the AIG bonuses can be compared to the top administrators long term retirement bonuses. Come on PUSD board do something that helps the kids. You can restructure the contracts of the top administrators, so that they do not get these very expensive bonuses. Lifetime helath insurance for the four top administrators and spouses plus a cash bonus of 40K each, these don't even include the other monies that Dr. Casey gets. Why should the tax payers pass a parcel tax that would indirectly pay for these bonues. Yes, we know that none of the parcel tax money goes to administrators, however if you have parcel tax funds, then that frees up money within the districts budget to go to the administrator's bonuses.
Posted by A concerned parent, a resident of the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood, on Mar 21, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I agree that they parallel one another. The AIG retention bonuses were a known contractual agreement. The step salary increases are similar in nature - a contractual agreement. In both cases taxpayer money is being requested and will ultimately (whether directly or indirectly) pay for those increases. The Pleasanton community should be no less outraged over the step salary increases this year as they are about the AIG retention bonuses. Instead of following the same path that Congress took and providing tax payer dollars without requesting a renegotiation of those contracts, the Pleasanton community should force the PUSD board to negotiate that salaries be frozen at their current rates for at least one year until the financial outlook can be re-evaluated. I'm not proposing salary reductions, just a freeze on increases. If the district has as good of a working relationship with the employee units as they claim on the PUSD webpage, this discussion shouldn't be one that is difficult to have. I applaud the board members for recognizing the importance of maintaining the quality level of education Pleasanton has established over the years. I want to support the tax, but not if the administration and educators aren't willing to show their consideration to the community by foregoing their increases for the upcoming year. The Pleasanton community should be dictating to the board the conditions upon which we are willing to provide additional tax dollars, not the other way around.
Oh, and maybe John can pay back a little more of that interest free $200,000 loan he got as a measure of good faith. I'm pretty sure he can swing it with his annual tax free $10k annuity and $227k annual salary.
Posted by Joe, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Mar 21, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Peter Del Prado is right on. Monies from a parcel tax frees-up other monies. Budget games, budget games, budget games and the PUSD should've,could've, but they didn't and they won't. They took the easy way out and went to the Bank of the Taxpayer to see if the ATM still has some cash in it.
I saw budget games in the corporate world daily, but they didn't impact taxpayers...this does and it shouldn't. Public pensions at the state, county, and municipal levels are killing CA and the reluctance of govenrment agencies whether they are PUSD or some other agency are going to bring harsh reality to us all.
Posted by resident, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 21, 2009 at 6:08 pm
No serious negotiation or concessions will take place until the citizens finally say no to more taxes. We must stop ourselves from continually being treated like an ATM card by government services.
Be part of the solution … just say NO to the parcel tax.
Posted by Jeb Bing, editor of the Pleasanton Weekly, on Mar 21, 2009 at 6:30 pm Jeb Bing is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
Just a reminder that we are restricting all posts related to the June 2 parcel tax measure to registered users of the Pleasanton Weekly Town Square forum. We have found that this keeps the conversations more civil and focused without any restriction on what posters say or the opinions they express.
Posted by Pleasanton Parent, a resident of the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood, on Mar 21, 2009 at 7:15 pm Pleasanton Parent is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
Logged in and re-posted per admin's request....
I agree that they parallel one another. The AIG retention bonuses were a known contractual agreement. The step salary increases are similar in nature - a contractual agreement. In both cases taxpayer money is being requested and will ultimately (whether directly or indirectly) pay for those increases. The Pleasanton community should be no less outraged over the step salary increases this year as they are about the AIG retention bonuses. Instead of following the same path that Congress took and providing tax payer dollars without requesting a renegotiation of those contracts, the Pleasanton community should force the PUSD board to negotiate that salaries be frozen at their current rates for at least one year until the financial outlook can be re-evaluated. I'm not proposing salary reductions, just a freeze on increases. If the district has as good of a working relationship with the employee units as they claim on the PUSD webpage, this discussion shouldn't be one that is difficult to have. I applaud the board members for recognizing the importance of maintaining the quality level of education Pleasanton has established over the years. I want to support the tax, but not if the administration and educators aren't willing to show their consideration to the community by foregoing their increases for the upcoming year. The Pleasanton community should be dictating to the board the conditions upon which we are willing to provide additional tax dollars, not the other way around.
Oh, and maybe John can pay back a little more of that interest free $200,000 loan he got as a measure of good faith. I'm pretty sure he can swing it with his annual tax free $10k annuity and $227k annual salary.
Posted by AVHS Dad, a resident of the Stoneridge Park neighborhood, on Mar 23, 2009 at 10:18 am AVHS Dad is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
This is quite possibly strangest thread I've seen.
The PUSD step salary increases were negotiated to keep teachers (and admin support personnel???) that are doing a good job.
The AIG bonuses were to retain buffoons that destroyed their company and bankrupted investors on a global scale.
Posted by Pleasanton Parent, a resident of the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood, on Mar 23, 2009 at 11:16 pm Pleasanton Parent is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
No one is saying that the teachers, admin, and support personnel are not doing a good job. The point is in a time of finacial need it is insulting to be coming to the taxpayers asking for money only to be paying out salary increases.....it doesn't really matter if one of for the "bad guys" and one is for the "good guys." If the district is saying they need money or else our kids suffer, but have no problem taking their own increases and letting them suffer if the measure doesn't pass....shame on them. If the money isn't available for our kid's programs, it shouldn't be available for salary increases either.
Posted by djohns, a member of the Amador Valley High School community, on Mar 24, 2009 at 2:18 pm djohns is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
Posted by AVHS Dad, a resident of the Stoneridge Park neighborhood, on Mar 27, 2009 at 7:17 am AVHS Dad is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
@Pleasanton Parent & djohns:
So you think teachers in Pleasanton are overpaid and should get no increases? take salary cuts?
Have you or your significant other gone to your employer and volunteered to take salary cuts or forgo increases for the good of the company? to keep others from being laid off?
Again, any comparison between the AIG bonuses and PUSD step salary increases is ridiculous and embarassing.
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