As you might have heard, the state is running a deficit of close to two billion, and the budget has to be balanced by September 30, or state government might once again shut down.
Months ago, Governor Jennifer Granholm offered a proposal to save the schools hundreds of millions in the year ahead. Teachers, would be offered sweetened pensions as an incentive to retire now.
Teacher salaries are determined mostly by how many years a teacher has served. The idea was to get highly paid veteran teachers off the books and replace them with new teachers who cost less.
By the way, if you worry that replacing a lot of skilled veteran teachers might weaken the quality of education -- forget about it. Yes, of course that is a legitimate concern. I have talked to more than one school superintendent who thinks that would be a terrible idea. “Teaching isn’t like putting fenders on a car coming down the line,” one told me. “it’s an art that takes years to perfect.”
He was right, of course. But quality education issues have played little part in the debate over teacher retirement. Instead, it has all been about money and politics.
And once again, it appears that has been a lethal combination when it comes to getting anything done. Here‘s what happened:
The governor proposed a plan that would slightly raise the amount teachers retiring now get. Those who elected to stay would lose dental and vision insurance, and they’d have to give three percent of their salaries to the retirement system.
But neither the Democrats, who control the state house, nor the Republicans, who control the senate, liked the governor’s plan.
House Democrats, spurred by the teachers’ unions, came back with a plan that would give the teachers much more. It would also save the state more in the short run-- but cost a lot more in the long run as pensions kick in.
Senate Republicans called this an outrageous and massive giveaway of taxpayer dollars.
They came back with their own plan. It left things basically as they were, but added the governor’s scheme of making teachers who didn’t leave pay three percent into the pension plan. House Democrats called that outrageous.
The result was, once again, deadlock.
Late last week it looked like a compromise was possible. But it seems to have all bogged down over health care costs. That, and the fact that people care only about their own narrow interests.
Plus the fact that neither party wants to make the other look good this year. To allow teachers to figure out what they wanted to do, and to allow school systems to figure out their needs, the governor said the whole thing needed to be done by April 1.
Well, April Fool. Today is May 4th, and there is still no bill.
Yesterday, the governor said it may now be too late to entice teachers to retire this year. If, that is, any bill ever emerges.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, the election is approaching, and the massive deficit is still there. If you can see anyone who looks like a hero in all this, you have better eyes than I.
OUR LEGISLATURE NEEDS TO VOTE YES IN GIVING THOSE MICHIGAN TEACHERS A SMALL INCENTIVE TO RETIRE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE AND ABLE, TO RETIRE!
ALSO, FOR THOSE EDUCATORS WHO HAVE YEARS OF SERVICE AND AGE THAT EQUALS 80 WOULD NOT ONLY BE ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE ….WOULD RETIRE!
MANY SCHOOLS ARE CLOSING, AND MANY, MANY EDUCATORS ARE BEING LAID-OFF! ALSO, BUS DRIVERS, PARA-PROFESSIONALS, SECRETARIES, ETC. HAVE BEEN GIVEN PINK SLIPS!
WOULD OUR STATE OF MICHIGAN RATHER HAVE OUR STATE PAY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION FOR ALL THOSE LAID-OFF?
OUR NEW COLLEGE GRADUATES, AND CHILDREN, ARE LEAVING THE STATE THAT THEY RESIDE IN TO LOOK FOR OPEN TEACHING POSITIONS!
IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT FOR MICHIGAN? THIS SMALL INCENTIVE WOULD ALLOW THOSE TEACHERS A CHANCE, AND OPPORTUNITY, TO RETIRE!
SUPPORT AND VOTE YES FOR THIS RETIREMENT INCENTIVE! THEY CERTAINLY DESERVE IT!
THE HOUSE VERSION PROPOSAL HAS A NET SAVINGS OVER A DECADE OF $734 MILLION DOLLARS!
THIS IS A WIN-WIN SITUATION FOR EVERYONE!
Posted by: BARBARA | May 05, 2010 at 10:29 AM