What a Shame

I have long said that it is easy to count votes on the County Commission but that was before the election. Ever hopeful that things will change, I must say that I was seriously disappointed in the budget committee’s decision to forgo including teachers in the employee bonus. It is an unfortunate staple in Jefferson County that many of our elected officials simply will not support teachers. The bonus money we are talking about is not substantial-only around $120 that would have come as a Holiday bonus-and they support every other employee of Jefferson County or the Department of Education receiving a Holiday bonus.

Here is what I say to them…shame. Shame on you for excluding those that have spent thousands of dollars on their own education to make very little money educating others. Shame on you for refusing to recognize their contribution to our community, which is monumental. Those other County employees that you willingly give bonuses to because they do a good job-they were educated by teachers. Your doctor, lawyer, mechanic, all of those people that make your life run smoothly, they were educated by teachers. The bus drivers, secretaries, bankers and financial advisors-they were educated by teachers. Every elected official, even those that always vote against teachers, were educated by teachers. And so were/are their children.

The reasoning behind the budget committee’s decision to take teachers out of the bonus loop is that the Department of Education got $267,000 in equity money that was to be used on teacher’s salaries this year. Why did Jefferson County receive this money? Because our teachers, who pay astronomical student loans and often dig into their own pockets for ice cream or lunch money for a child, are grossly underpaid. Those funds are salary equity funds and only go to the lowest salaried systems. Is it enough to catch us up? That is almost laughable. Some lucky teachers got as much as $21 in annual raise.

Some on the budget committee had a problem with higher salary employees getting the bonus and that was a deal breaker for those committee members. Never once did they consider that there are County employees that are higher wage earners than those at the DOE and they will be enjoying a larger bonus than any employee of the DOE.

At the core, this bonus is a thank you for a job well done. It is paid for with funds that were saved out of the last budget year and was not conditional on anything other than a split of funds saved and length of employment. Teachers are the only County employees that do not get longevity pay. Is the budget committee planning to exclude every employee that did receive longevity pay? No, and they shouldn’t. This is a thank you, pure and simple. To exclude only one section of County employees is a statement and it not one that I am interested in making. I appreciate the work of every employee in Jefferson County-including teachers.

We have made some strange decisions in Jefferson County in the past and we have an odd priority list. It is beyond time for us to wake up and take stock of the statements that we are making because people are listening. It is not enough to give lip service to your convictions. Action is required.