One thing the Board and administration keep referring to is that teachers have a large part of their retirement plan picked up by the district. This is true. Nothing on the subject is ever mentioned after that, however.
Why do teachers have this benefit? Are we the only district that has such a benefit?
The first thing the public needs to know is that EVERY employee of Strongsville City Schools gets their retirement picked up. This includes bus drivers, hall monitors, custodians, and ALL administrators, even the highly paid treasurer who reports teacher salaries by adding in that benefit while failing to report his own salary the same way (Teachers approx. 10+%, OAPSE approx. 9+%, and Administration at approx. 11%).
Why do we have this benefit?
In the past, the district negotiating team agreed to provide teachers with the retirement pick-up instead of giving pay raises for three years in a row. Teachers accepted this substitution.
Community members should be asking, “Why was the Board trying to hide pay increases to teachers? Why not just give them regular raises and be done with it?” Only our administrative teams can answer that.
It is worth noting that non-certified employees were the first to receive the retirement pick-up -- even before administrators, who also received this benefit before teachers did. Someone must have considered it successful. Why else would that the benefit be offered to ALL employees?
For the Board and Treasurer to act as if this is an unfair burden on the district is, at best, deception.
Are we the only district that has this benefit?
No, it is fairly common. For example, Berea/Middleburg Heights/Brookpark Schools have the same benefit, as do many schools throughout the state.
The Board’s talk about the retirement plan is a smokescreen. Strongsville teachers negotiated this benefit in place of pay raises with the trust that our Board would uphold their end of the bargain. Now, this same benefit the Board voted on and approved and gave to everyone in the district is called into question by the Board in a deliberately deceptive attempt to mischaracterize teachers.
All we are asking for is a fair and equitable contract that we can trust will be upheld.
If you are looking for answers, please contact the Superintendent's office at 572-7000, email the Superintendent at lampert@strongnet.org, or get involved in your school district decision making process by attending the next Board Meeting, Thursday, Nov. 4th, at 7pm, at the Administration Building, Room 104.
