For more information on what these changes could mean to you, go to www:neamb. The link to 403b information is in the middle of the page.

AEA is sending two delegates to the NEA Convention in Washington DC, July 1-6.
Dexter Jackson and Steve Gissendanner will represent AEA.

Treasurer- Amy Morris
Secretary- Ginny Haney
Vice President- Amo Gunsallus
President- Steve Gissendanner

The school board has approved the budget for the 08-09 school year as expected.

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May 22^nd Compensation workshop to focus on three areas:

1. compensation strategy – the selected market, statewide/what districts?

2. benefits – retention, stipend, VRIP

3. differentiated compensation – incentives, merit pay

AEA spoke to the school board at the regularly scheduled meeting on April 17 regarding compensation issues.

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The board was informed that we recently completed a workload survey, and that we define compensation as pay, benefits, working hours, working conditions, and working environment. A few highlights of the survey were presented with a promise to forward more complete information electronically so that it can be considered as part of the compensation workshop in late May. Data presented:

51 % response rate

75 % of classroom teachers work more than 50 hours a week

54 % of classroom teachers work more than 55 hours a week

27 % of classroom teachers work more than 60 hours a week

72 % of classroom teachers say they cannot completed expected tasks within the hours they work

Link to full survey data at the bottom left of this page.

The BOS Public Hearing on the budget was heavily attended by folks demanding lower taxes and questioning the expenditures of county government and, to some extent, the school system.

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Parents, teachers, and students spoke in support of a higher tax rate and supporting schools. AEA spoke.

In a change of atmosphere this year, many of the folks speaking for lower taxes spoke positively of the schools’ efforts to control costs.

Click on the AEA Time Survey 2008 link, located in the blogroll at lower left, to see results of AEA’s Time Survey 2008.

Next Dates

April 2 Budget Hearing

April 9 Budget Hearing and setting of tax rate

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The budget hearing was attended by many parents, a dozen teachers, and numerous folks with the Albemarle Taxation Alliance.

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Speakers spoke against raising taxes. Do teachers deserve large pay raises? Do we need classes that teach other than the basic reading, writing, and math? Is the new fire station too fancy? Is our cost per student too high compared to other school divisions? Is the school transportation budget too high? Is central office overstaffed?

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Parents and teachers spoke about the needs to fully fund the schools. Teachers did a fantastic job of highlighting what we do and the challenges we face.

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In a noticeable change of tone this year, the folks speaking against taxes were careful to support teachers.

At the School Board budget workshop on Tuesday, February 26, the board looked at budget cutting options. The proposed teacher salaries for next year are preserved in all options presented to the board by staff. Dr. Moran spoke about the difficulty of recruiting teachers in future years if the county does not keep up with competitive pay.

Dr. Moran spoke of the impact on staff, and the need to notify staff asap if reductions are made. It seems notifications can be made mid March after more information is available from the BOS.

Staff did not look at VERIP because it involves both the school board and local government. VERIP and the longevity bonus may be looked at in the next budget cycle. This would take some detailed study due to many issues, such as grandfathering folks currently in the program. (Likely changes in future years in VERIP and longevity?)

Dr. Moran also spoke to the difficulties of RIF as more senior teachers bump less senior teachers. Even a small number of staff reductions can impact many schools as senior teachers are moved into other slots. Dr. Moran also spoke of the undesirability of part-time staff for a number of reasons, such as not being available for PLC time.

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A few highlights from the (current) worst case option:

Option 1

Reduce TA time K-1

Increase class size middle and high

Math specialist (1 position)

Guidance Councilors, H.S. (3 positions)

Technology (1 position)

(17.28 FTE)

Professional development - reduction

Textbook replacement - reduction

Computer replacement - reduction

Emergency staffing

Strings and world language (subsidy staffing, that does not mean eliminating the programs, although it could eliminate a class depending on numbers )

Left alone:

Longevity bonus

Art, Music, PE staffing

Look to the bottom left (blogroll) of this page to find additional AEA pages.