I received the following message about a huge raise the
board plans to give to their auditor.
I follow your blog regularly and
feel that you need to address an issue I was just made aware of. I have
been told by contacts in the budget and HR office downtown that the Board
Members have just approved a $30,000 raise for their PERSONAL auditor.
This is insane. Nobody in the district should get a RAISE that is almost
equal to the starting teacher salary. Not only that but I am told the
auditor is also getting an assistant--- so she gets more money and less
work--- i don't know a single teacher who gets that hookup. Also,
the board members have recommended hiring a personal assistant for each of them
- for what I don't know.
I just find it interesting that they
are handing out raises and building an army of staff when teachers do not even
have an approved raise this year. This is crazy.
I decided to ask the district if it was true and contacted the director
of communications. First let me tell you she has always been professional, polite
and helpful and I know it can’t be the easiest thing either as I am sure some
in the district consider me the enemy. It’s
not her fault her answer blew me away!
The Board recently approved an adjustment to the Board Auditor’s
salary. This is a district position that reports to the Board. The
increase of $23,000 was made after a market analysis comparing Duval’s salary
for this position to other similar sized districts in the state of
Florida. The analysis also compared the scope of work and personnel
managed by this position. The adjusted salary and organizational changes
align the salary and work of the Duval County Board auditor with these
districts.
Okay, sounds reasonable right, the board plans to give its
auditor a 23 thousand dollar raise, they said they did an analysis and that’s
fair market, okay fair enough.
But then I decided to look at the fair market for teachers. Duval
often compares itself to the other six big districts, Broward, Orange, Hillsborough,
Dade and Palm Beach, so that’s where I went
In Hillsborough county teachers start at 38k, are making 42
by year 4 and if I taught there, year 13, I would be making 54 thousand dollars.
In Dade County they start at 40,500, something it takes ten
years to get to in Duval County and if I taught in Dade I would now be making
about three grand more.
Let’s check Broward County
They start at 39 and by year 4 they are at 41, again making
Duval’s pay scale look shameful.
I also have no doubt if I would have continued to check I
would have continued to find how ridiculously bad our pay scale is compared to comparably
sized districts but I don’t think my blood pressure could have taken it.
Here is the districts pay scale so you can see how embarrassing
it is.
Then the city and district wonder why we have a teacher
morale problem and why we can’t keep teachers, here is an idea pay them fair
market value or is that just for district staff and not for teachers!
Absolutely shameful.
I don't generally read your blog but a friend of mine sent it to me. I am a district administrator and I am sickened by this information. I have worked at the DCPS office for almost 10 years and have gotten nothing but about a 1% raise last year. Why in the world can the board members give their personal auditor (who is known more for taking long lunches and preparing cookies and parties) over $20,000? If they are giving her what other districts pay (and I agree that teachers here should get what other districts pay) then I want the board to approve raises for all district employees to make what other districts pay. they are only taking care of her because she is theirs. They don't work or care about the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteIts bad that they treat you so poorly even though you work at THE IVORY TOWER. But, at least you could start preparing cookies and throwing parties; its called being a STOOGE. I have seen several NINCOMPOOP move up the ladder to HIGH PLACES and HIGH POSITIONS without having any real qualifications or skills. All they did was KISS SHI**Y A**ES. But they don't know that 'Foul hell is The destiny for them'. Anyway, my advice to you is, "Never Compromise Your Values for Material Gains".
DeleteThe Duval district pay scale is not accurate because they didn't give us our step several years ago.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher in Duval county, the teachers are being used and neglected by administration. All of the school board members should be fired because they care nothing for their teachers, let alone their students. If they did care, why are they dragging their feet when it comes to paying their teachers salary reflective of inflation?
ReplyDeleteNor have we gotten a step increase this year. Several years ago my step increase was $3000. I waited a long time for the big step. Not getting it meant losing $30,000 over 10 years. Not giving up your contract means having your pay frozen forever. DTU sucks.
ReplyDeleteChris, is this the SAME AUDITOR who DID NOT KNOW 101 million dollars or $101, 000, 000 was HIDDEN somewhere in the UNDERWORLD of Duval County Public Schools Coffers when Ed Pratt Danals was Superintendent, and then suddenly, miraculously discovered it? If so, her designation shouldn't be AUDITOR but MORON and should have been fired since then. Anyway, these OLIGARCHS are becoming more and more EMBOLDENED by the day. $23,000 PAY RAISE? They are really having a FIELD-DAY with TAXPAYERS MONEY. My old folks, now dead and gone, used to call such personalities, or rather lacking of personalities, BRASS-FACED just because they KNOW NO SHAME! I do ever so often ask myself, "Are they HUMANS, really, or are they DEMONS". So, I shall quote a few verses from the Bhagawad Gita, in an attempt to explain:
ReplyDelete"Demoniacal are those who know not what is duty and what is not. Purity, RIGHT CONDUCT and TRUTH are not in them. They say - the world has neither truth, nor moral foundation, nor God; Nothing else but mutual union of lust and desire has caused this creation. Holding this view as they do, these low-minded ones of fierce actions are enemies of others. Born they are, as if, to ruin the world. Victims they are of their own desires; vanity, CONCEIT and ARROGANCE find favor with them; their MINDS are EVIL, their VIEWS are DARK and their ACTIONS IMPURE."(BG 16:7,8,9,10).
"Bound by a thousand hopes and blinded by lust and anger, they HOARD MONEY by UNFAIR MEANS."BG 16:12
That is a great question but I don't know.
Delete