If Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is spending $3.6 million in county money to give some staff five-figure raises this year, it seems reasonable to ask who's getting those raises and how the market rate for those jobs was calculated.
I blogged about the bare-bones info at the end of June, figuring more details would land the next week. I was wrong.
Late Tuesday, I was told once again that nothing would be released until all employees getting market adjustments (which come before the 3 percent across-the-board raise that was just approved) have been notified. In place of the 2007 market study used to calculate the fair wage for CMS employees, I got this excerpt from a draft and this PowerPoint presentation to the school board from 2007.
Despite the instructions on keeping the draft data private, any report to the board should have been considered a public document for the past five years.
CMS leaders began planning for the 2012-13 budget last fall, and went public with the case for raises in January. You'd think top administrators would have dusted off the study and been ready to explain how they calculated market rates and how, if at all, the pre-recession data has been adjusted for today's market. If some salaried staff have been underpaid by $17,000 for the last five years, wouldn't it make sense to identify the jobs in question and show what was used for comparison? Are they making that much less than people in the same job in other school districts? Did CMS compare, say, the salary of a CMS engineer with that of an engineer in private industry?
Superintendent Heath Morrison replied to an email this morning saying this topic "has not been on my radar yet," and that he will try to get the information "ASAP." Interestingly, his schedule shows he plans to spend a good bit of the next two days in communication audit meetings. Some of that will no doubt be focused on districtwide "messaging" and ways to get CMS information directly to parents and interested parties. But I hope they'll also talk about better ways to respond to queries from the media and public on such high-interest topics as raises, school technology and principal turnover.
Update 4:30 p.m. Wednesday: LaTarzja Henry, head of communications for CMS, says she has located the full 2007 study and is about to deliver it. Specifics of the raises will be released Wednesday, after the board approves the 2012-13 budget Tuesday night, she said.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Still seeking CMS raise details
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18 comments:
Tag... I'll be "it" now.
Allow me to send a request to Ms. Shirley. Since I already received a detailed breakdown of the 3% raises, perhaps she can detail the market adjustments for me, as well.
None of the 3% raises had anyone's names on it, so I don't need to know anyone's names for the market adjustments, either. I would just like to see a position breakdown, like they already gave me on the 3%.
I'll holler at you if and when I receive something. Thanks for your persistence so far!
Wow - ridiculous.
Break CMS apart - sooner we do that the sooner we get accountability & improvement.
That's what I asked for, too: Position, location and amount of raise. If you get it first, let me know.
Curious about what you got on the 3 percent. Did you request a full updated payroll? Otherwise it seems like the answer would just be 3 percent for all positions. No?
Yet another slap in the face. First off the media and BOE have misled the public by making people believe the BOE has approved a 3% raise FOR TEACHERS. Teachers were vilified as greedy etc....but it got pushed through. HOWEVER, THEY DID NOT, they went on for 4 months talking about a 3 % raise then the state kicked in 1.8 (or something close to that), meaning the county is only giving a 1.7% raise in addition to the state funding. The county OUGHT to give a 4.7% raise. BOE CROOKS!!!! Now these clowns in tandem with the suits downtown WHO DO NOTHING TO ACTUALLY HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON INSTRUCTION are going to get 5 figure raises?????? Once again downtown is making classroom teacher look bad in the public eye. Ann at what point will you provide blogs and articles that ACTUALLY separate us classroom teachers and the great things we do from the septic, cancerous, and fire, aim, ready mentality from downtown that plaques our classroom. THIS RAISE crap is yet another slap in the face.
I mean 1.2 not 1.7 ...sorry
Ann, I emailed you the spreadsheet on the 3% raises.
Once again a slap in the face of teachers. The management downtown does not need raises. We all know this the teachers are the most underpaid on the planet for the wok they do. I predict a serious shortage of teachers one like we have never seen before and good for them. Its time they put their foot down. They do the heavy lifting and th downtown idiots get the money !
Idiots are right!! All of you on this blog. Why do you not feel central office people do not deserve increases? They are working people underpaid as well and all have families to support, bill to pay. Ignorance shows through on how out of touch you people are. They are here just as much for the children as anyone else is.
5:43. Either you work downtown or your related to someone who does. Anyone who collects a paycheck based on holding meetings and acting as a clearinghouse for paperwork does little to nothing for our children.
Morrison you better get this on your "radar" ASAP. This is the same smoke and mirror tactics that got the last one on the bus. How can you give this exhorbant raise to people that do not TEACH children. Problem solved if you make everyone teach at least one class everyday. What a grand idea!
Nothing's changed.
No I do not work for CMS. My spouse works as a teacher and we appreciate all employees that touch our children. We are talking maybe 20 different people that interact on a daily basis. I have worked and received increases every year and I not only want my suppose to get an increase, I want all families serving my children to get it. I am shocked that people really feel that these "others" do not deserve an increase and an increase of whatever, based on other like positions. People are not working for peanuts to take care and educate YOUR children. Step up to the plate!!!!
9:18......PEOPLE DOWNTOWN DO NOT WORK FOR PEANUTS!!!!! Nor do they "touch" our children. They make policy that hinders those who do teach children. Your spouse along with every other one of us teachers and school based employees (custodians, secretaries, cafeteria workers etc....) are due an increase. HOWEVER the people downtown are ALREADY overpaid and do little to nothing but create obstacles for actual educators. I find it hard to believe that your spouse would endorse a pay raise in the neighborhood of 5 figures for people downtown. Some of those that make 6 figures are already overpaid. If we were to cut out say 50% of the people downtown, I GUARANTEE YOU THAT THERE WOULD BE NO NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE LEARNING IN CLASSROMS.!!!!
Cut the 5 asst supt, cap the phys ed teacher pay, eliminate a layer or 2 of bureaucracy and we'll have a more effective, efficient & responsive CMS. Use part of the savings to give real meaningful increases to all levels at CMS. Unfortunately we still have no change agents in CMS education to do this.
CEO's pay goes up even when the corporate profits go down. How is this any different than those in the Ivory Tower?
I am sure the Communications/PR department deserve every cent increase they get. I am also sure that Andy Baxter deserves a raise on every "I dont know" answer he makes. Put him out again on the lecture circut with teachers and he may become in the stratus with Bruton Smith!
Come On Man
Ann, slide 14 talks about "Going Forward". It mentions a couple items that CMS would be doing like creating new evaluation forms and annual market analysis. I wonder if you could ask for this information just to see if indeed, they have done these things. I would think the market has changed.
...good times...good times.
If it weren't for the fact of five finger discount I mean five figure raises, this would be funny.
It is most likely going to an executive director. All you have to do is look at the gaps in salaries. All zone supers are paid relatively the same. Principals, like teachers, are too varied and moving one will only upset the apple cart. Norwood is my guess, but it could be Fish. Both have been around for a while and are underpaid when compared to their peers.
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