Racine Unified's teachers and educational assistants were already in for tough negotiations this summer with the school district facing an unexpected $8.2 million budget deficit. And now they're heading into negotiations minus an executive director.REA and REAA Executive Director Nick Whitman (right) announced this week he was resigning after less than two years on the job. Whitman, hired in December 2007, is leaving Unified to lead a teacher's union in Tampa, Fla. He notified the Racine Education UniServ Council (REUC) of his resignation on Wednesday.
In his letter, Whitman said REUC would work toward hiring an interim executive director while a search is conducted for a permanent director. He also said the Wisconsin Education Association Council will support the local teachers and educational assistants unions in the interim period.
Whitman picked a difficult time to leave. Racine Unified needs to bridge an $8.2 million budget deficit this summer and fall by raising property taxes and cutting services. Unified's Board of Education could raise taxes 12 percent to $8.09 per $1,000 of assessed value to offset the deficit, but the district said in a statement this week it was already working with its labor unions to cut costs.
The district's statement said, in part:
Racine Unified is going to face some tough decisions related to that loss in state aid. However the District’s Board of Education does not have to make those tough decisions alone. Instead, the leaders of the unions representing the various District employee groups anticipate having the opportunity to work closely with Administrators and School Board members to ensure that all options are reviewed and that the budgetary focus remains on improving educational quality as outlined in the jointly created and recently adopted North Star Vision.Whitman is leaving to represent teachers in the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association in Tampa. He'll be executive director of an organization with 15,000 teachers and 8,000 educational assistants. It's the eighth-largest school district in the country.
While the District and Union Leaders began meeting today regarding the budgetary situation, the specifics of those discussions cannot be shared at this time as they may impact contract negotiations.
All I can say is "Wow".... Things are going to get really ugly between now and when the budget is finalized in October.
ReplyDeleteSo let tell how this will work -- some one from WEAC will drive down to Racine and help the union balance staff cuts versus property tax increases to bridge the 8 million dollar gap in state aid? Good luck.
ReplyDeleteSad to see him go -- and so soon too.
ReplyDeleteGood - now all this city needs to do is get rid of the REA entirely. This organization has done nothing but promote laziness, incompetence, and provide job security for a bunch of losers and complainers. Real professionals don't need a union if they are confident in their abilities to perform. Racine teachers are not capable of delivering results. It has been obvious for many years.
ReplyDeleteYes, Anonymous 1:03, although RUSD teachers are trained and educated at the same exact universities as EVERY OTHER TEACHER IN THE STATE, something about the Racine environment makes them fail at a much higher rate. Must be the negative douchebages like yourself that they have to contend with.
ReplyDeleteIf they are going to accept my hard earned money from me - then they need to answer and be accountable to me. Racine gets all the idiots that barely passed college. Case in point - take a look how many get their "degrees" from these online diploma mills. Some school districts actually require the employees to get real degrees!
ReplyDeleteHaving done absolutely nothing for the district's CHILDREN, its time to get out of Dodge!
ReplyDeleteUnion workers are not professionals. If teachers want to be considered professionals they should abolish the union.
ReplyDeleteThe Union and the PAC is what allows the teachers to screw the kids.
ReplyDeleteMost union employees have to punch a time clock and get paid for the hours they work. Start making the teachers punch one of those and get paid only for the hours worked and not during all the time off in a calendar year. Im sure we could save the district a TON of money in doing so. Many wouldnt have jobs just because someone was actually keeping tabs on them.
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how much time is put in when the school day is over. Would people then get paid for working this extra time? Speaking for myself -- when I stay late or go in during the summer -- I do not even think about being paid for my time. I am a professional, and as such, the hours I work above and beyond the school day are done to get the job done.
ReplyDeleteAs it is many RUSD staff members do have to punch in and out on a system called KRONOS. These people who often put in time after school are now more likely to go home as soon as they are required to punch out.
Anon 8:00 - Oh we get it all right - right up our rear ends at tax time! You and your fellow teachers refuse to do anything without compensation. Look at coaching - is that volunteering? Hell no. Is Lighted Schoolhouse volunteering? Hell no. Is summer school volunteering? Again, hell no. How many of these "professionals" go to institute or records day? Very few if any, yet they are paid. These things are all paid above and beyond your outrageous and lavish salary and benefit packages. You tell me another job where you are paid for every minute extra you work or in the case of institute/records day you get paid for not even showing up.
ReplyDeleteRUSD is a dead tree rotting from within because of the REA. You tell me another job around here that received a mandatory 3+% compensation increase EVERY year.
I could just puke hearing about your salary and benefits that myself and every other taxpayer pay and yet you are so ungrateful, arrogant, and have the nerve to demand more.
With the QEO gone now, the ceiling is the limit for the increases for teacher's salaries in the upcoming contract. Watch Gov. Doyle be magically gone when the teachers ask for 7%, 6% and 5% over the next 3 years.
ReplyDelete