Antigo School District (by Ben Drinken)

Like many public school systems around the state, the Antigo Unified School District continues to face significant financial difficulties. Multiple rural schools including Aniwa, Lily, and River Grove have been closed and yet the school district continues to hemorrhage money.

Recent thoughts by the Antigo School Board to hold a February 2011 referendum to once again ask voters for permission to exceed state imposed revenue caps was nixed, knowing current economic conditions probably wouldn’t favor well with taxpayers headed to the polls. Instead, the school board is tentatively planning to ask voters to approve the borrowing of millions of dollars to build a new school large enough to get all the rural elementary school age children under one roof and close the remaining rural schools including Spring Valley, Crestwood, Pleasant View, and I assume Mattoon. I’m not sure if the plans include closing East, West and North elementary schools or not, as specifics are scarce at this point.

In theory, having all the elementary kids under one roof will reduce staff numbers and be cheaper overall to operate one building vs. the current multiple facilities and duplication of services. Now I’m not an accountant, but I find it difficult to believe borrowing millions of dollars with interest to build a new school, is cheaper than operating the 3-4 older  schools built in the early 1960’s that are completely paid for. I guess I would have to see the breakdown of cost analysis to make a believer out of me. No numbers for a new school are available but one can assume a new middle school would certainly be in the 10-15 million dollar range. Can principle and interest payments on 10-15 million dollars be less than the current cost of maintaining the rural schools that are paid for?

The 08/25/10 Antigo Daily Journal reported the current Budget Breakdown. 80% of the entire Antigo School Budget consists of salaries and benefits of staff, (49% salaries & 31% benefits), 18% support services and 2 % instruction. Now I will be the first to admit, I don’t have a clue what percentage of any business consists of salaries and benefits. One would assume it is significant.

What I do know for sure, is the vast majority of non educators are taking major concessions, pay freezes, cuts in salaries/benefits, layoffs, furloughs and job losses by the thousands due to the poor economy. At Sub Zero, the high end appliance manufacturer in Madison, about 200 union workers will see a 20% cut in pay and benefits. Harley Davidson as well as hundreds of other companies around the state (and nation) have mandated similar cuts as well. 90 thousand Boeing employees will be paying increased health insurance premiums.

My employer has recently announced beginning 01/01/11, we will receive reduced company contributions towards our 401k’s and a 14% average increase in health insurance premiums for employees. I’m sure this is a common scenario for most privately owned company employees here, and around the state. For the second consecutive year, social security recipients have not seen an increase in their monthly checks.

While just about everyone else is taking it on the chin, area teachers continue to live the good life. The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), aka the teachers union, continues to demand and receive salaries and benefits above those for private sector school teachers, as well as wages and benefits earned by private sector employees with comparable education levels.

http://www.wpri.org/WIInterest/Vol11No3/Niederjohn11.3.pdf

There is an old saying, that it takes an entire community to raise a child.  School teachers are certainly not the only folks educating and teaching our children, and non teachers certainly shouldn’t be the only ones taking cuts in salaries and benefits while being expected to maintain the school district and handsomely rewarded school teachers. Governor elect Scott Walker recently stated, “We can no longer live in a society where the public employees are the haves and the taxpayers footing the bills are the have-nots,”

In 2008 the average teacher earned $52,230. Two full time teachers married to each other and making average pay would rank among the richest 20 percent of households (2008 qualifying income: $100,240) per Newsweek magazine 09/13/10.

A typical work year is identified as 2,080 work hours. Most non teachers receive 1-3 weeks of vacation a year meaning they work between 1,960 and 2,040 hours a year. The 2010-2011 school years appears to be about 190 working days, (give or take a few days) for Antigo public school teachers. 190 work days x 8 hours a day equals 1,520 work hours. Obviously, some teachers spend more than 8 hours a day working while others do not. Even if some teachers work 9 hours a day that would still only amount to 1,710 hours worked, compared to 1,960 – 2,040 hours by non teachers. I doubt most teachers typically work more than 45 hours a week unless they are coaching a sport for which they get paid extra.

Teachers can typically retire at age 55 per the Wisconsin Retirement System while contributing very little if anything, towards their retirement fund (remember the 31% of the entire school budget that goes towards benefits). Due to the increased average life expectancy, many school teachers who retire at age 55 will be retired for more years than they actually taught school.

Here is a link to area school teachers wages. Simply type in a teachers name and school district to find out what area teachers are earning.

http://www.htrnews.com/article/99999999/MAN0110/80514083/DataMine-Search-Wisconsin-teacher-salaries

Taxpayers are unable to sustain the current school system. The Antigo School Board has made about every cut they can possibly make without requiring major concessions from the teachers union.

The late John F. Kennedy stated, “Ask not what your country do for you, ask what you can do for your country“.

Changes have to be made regarding salaries and benefits of our teachers. The teachers union (WEAC) needs to step up to the plate and make concessions like the rest of us. Teachers need to contribute more towards the cost of their own healthcare and retirement, and place less burden on the taxpayers. It is a parity issue of public vs. private employees. Retired senior citizens living on a fixed social security income should not be expected to pay increased taxes so teachers can continue to reap the rewards of collective bargaining.

I have friends, neighbors and relatives who are school teachers. I appreciate each and every one of them for the job they do. Educators play a vital “ but equal” role in raising a child. While being a school teacher may not be easy, neither is working in any other profession.

Actions speak louder than words. I believe it is time for WEAC, the local teachers of the Antigo Unified School District, and the Antigo School Board members, to provide parity between teachers and non teachers. The teaching profession should not be exempt from the significant concessions all the non teachers in the area have made, and who are being asked to make continued sacrifices to maintain the school system. I refuse to vote in favor of exceeding the state imposed revenue cap or a new school, until teachers make concessions.

“It takes an entire community to raise a child” (and pay for their education).
The “cost” of educating children needs to include “concessions” from our teachers.

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