The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
City employees will not get a raise in the next fiscal year, for the first time in almost two decades.
"Raises are off the table," Mayor Will Sessoms said.
Beach officials are still developing the 2009- 10 city budget, which will be presented March 24, but salaries for the 7,100 employees will remain flat, council members said.
It's the first time that a budget will have no raises since 1991.
"We're not laying off anybody, and that's the most important thing," Councilman Ron Villanueva said.
Without raises, the city expects to save $8.8 million. Along with the state's restoration of $2.7 million in funding, that reduces the city's budget shortfall to $36 million, said Catheryn Whitesell, the Beach's budget director.
Whitesell and city staffers are still working to balance the budget.
"We're still out of whack," Whitesell said. "We're struggling to close that gap."
The School Board has already approved a $695.7 million budget with no raises for school employees.
Dominic Melito, president of the Virginia Beach Education Association, said he has spoken to some School Board members about restoring a raise because of the federal stimulus money that the school division expects to receive.
Projections for Virginia Beach schools' share of the stimulus money would more than cover the $17.8 million cost of giving school employees an average 3.5 percent raise, Melito said.
An estimate from the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee put their share at $28.1 million, though the School Board won't see official numbers until Tuesday.
Some council members said they would like School Board members to mirror their stand on raises.
"It would be better if everybody is on the same page," Councilwoman Barbara Henley said.
School and city employees aren't the same, Melito said. For example, school employees don't have as much opportunity to apply for overtime and supplement their income as police or firefighters.
"We're hoping they can restore as much of the raise as possible," Melito said.
That's unlikely to happen, School Board Chairman Dan Edwards said.
The stimulus money is going to be a short-term cash injection and shouldn't be used for continuing expenses such as salaries, he said.
"It's not, 'No, we don't want to give them raises,' " Edwards said. "It's, 'No, I don't think the money is going to be adequate.' "
Pilot writer Lauren Roth contributed to this report.
Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121,deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com
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With all the Projects, Why Would the CoVB Worry 'Bout Staff
As long as there is heat in the winter and A/C in the summer, what is the beef?
Doc. Tabbor says, "Probably
Doc. Tabbor says, "Probably not what the NEA guy meant to say...".
I suspect he knew exactly what he was saying and was counting on the fact that, like santa, most people would interpret it incorrectly.
"It's time to start rewarding good teachers, stop making excuses for bad ones," - Obama - The only thing we agree on.
Santa
What do you expect the NEA to say? Of course their going to say that teachers are overworked and underpayed.
I hope you realize that is nonsense
"Over the decade from 1997-98 to 2007-08, in constant dollars, average salaries for public schoolteachers declined 1 percent while inflation increased 31.4 percent."
The term "constant dollars" means 'adjusted for inflation,' so what that sentence says is that during a period in which inflation was 31.4%, teachers pay increased by 31.08% (99% of 31.4%).
Probably not what the NEA guy meant to say, but even so, with those in the private sector unsure keeping their jobs at all or those of us who have businesses seeing our profits fall by 20% or more, it is hard for us to be too broken up by the news that city employees and teachers may not get a raise this year.
We are in a serious recession, everybody shares in the hardship.
From Beach Teacher
I am a teacher, and I am happy to have a job. Period. A raise would be nice, but with or without it, I will continue to do what I love. Sure, some teachers complain, but as someone who came from "the real world" of corporate world before teaching, we all know that every single profession out there has its share of complainers. Teachers are no different, but they are in the spotlight more often because of the nature of the work. I don't need a raise, but I would like to keep my job. Since I can, I am thankful for that, as are most of us. The VBEA does not speak for the majority. Trust me.
Don't Worry VA Beach...
Many to most of your employees live outside of the Beach because they can't afford to live in the city that they work. Sad. In the end, it is the citizens, not the employees, who will suffer. The good employees will end up leaving the workforce in the Beach and end up in other municipalities who do value their employees.
Rationale of harveymilk completly flawed.
Source: NEA - http://www.nea.org/home/29399.htm
Inflation continues to outpace teacher salary growth
Average teachers' salaries declined over the past decade
WASHINGTON - December 18, 2008 - Teachers across the nation are continuing to lose spending power for themselves and their families as inflation continued to outpace teacher salaries last year, according to the National Education Association's update to the annual report Rankings and Estimates: Rankings of the States 2008 and Estimates of School Statistics 2009.
Over the decade from 1997-98 to 2007-08, in constant dollars, average salaries for public schoolteachers declined 1 percent while inflation increased 31.4 percent. Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia saw real declines in average teacher salaries over those years, adjusting for inflation.
"Public schoolteachers deserve professional pay for professional work," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. "If we are going to close the achievement gaps, reduce school dropouts and recruit and retain highly qualified teachers, we need to compensate teachers across the country fairly for the work they do."
Source: http://www.nea.org/home/29399.htm
Quit complaining
One of the greatest things about living here in America is that if you aren’t happy with your job, you can always quit. Most city employee’s (including teachers) spend more time complaining about their jobs than doing it. If you are so unhappy with your job, just quit! However, life in the real world is very different. You really do have to do your job to keep your job. Most of you don’t know how good you have it. I wish I could get the pay and benefits they get.
Please stop with the "national average" bull
The "national average" according to the NEA is $52,000 a year. VB pays an "average" salary of $47,000 a year. NOT well below anything. In fact it's it's one of the highest in the state. A couple grand more and they would be better paid than "average" teachers in Alexandria VA and it's far more expensive to live there. The cost of living in VB is not the "national average", per capita income is not the "national average", median income is not the "national average", nothing in VB is the "national average" so, why should VB teachers be paid the "national average"? If VB fired a few of the lower paid teachers, they WOULD be paying the "national average" because, the "average" salary in VB would be higher. VB teachers make $9,000 a year MORE than the "average" person in the US and TWICE what the "average" VB resident makes. The "national average" is a moving target; If you raise VB salaries to what is now the "national average" then the "national average" will simultaneously become higher than VB salaries. It's just a silly, nonsensical justification for a raise.
limit overtime for the city
I agree that school employees don't have the opportunity for overtime pay as do city employees so to make things fair, if the school board says "no" to raises for teachers, then the city should eliminate ALL overtime pay for city employees. That way both the city and the school board would be "on the same page" as far as compensation is concerned and there would be no hard feelings between council and the school board.