DCPS did nothing for veteran teachers. Don't think for a second they didn't.

From WJXT, 

"The bill provides Duval County with $22,882,843 for teacher salary increases, $18,306,274 or 80% of which is earmarked for raising the minimum base teacher salary, and the other 20% or $4,576,569 can be used for boosting the pay of other instructional personnel. 

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2020/12/08/dcps-board-reaches-tentative-deal-with-teachers-union/ 

I hope people understand this was extra money that in previous years had been used for bonus plans. 

The state gave the district almost 23 million dollars EXTRA. 

This wasn’t money that was already allocated for salaries. Teachers were already going to get their steps, and performance increases. Since that is the case, where is, did the extra money for veterans go? 

Say there were 4,000 veteran teachers left to share the small amount. It divides out to 1,144 dollars or basically their step plus 91. That is supposed to be extra money, not all they got, remember, and I can’t stress this enough; this entire pot is extra, not new money. Money for veterans and their steps had already been allocated. In fact, the state held the district harmless, giving them as much money as they did last year, perhaps the only decent move in this fiasco. 

Then think about this. Say there was no new money for teachers, that this year was supposed to be like last year, are they saying that people wouldn't have got their steps or performance increases? Why would that be the money is already there? It’s not like the district goes to the state every year and says, we need X amount for steps and performance pay; we will take a cashier’s check. That money is budgeted through the per-pupil allotment, which actually went up last year and generally rises and falls based on that and attrition and new hires.   

The bottom line to me is even if the district got nothing new from the state, and the funding was kept the same as last year, we all would have still gotten our steps or performance pay.  

This is what it looks like to me. The district took that 4.5 million and divided it by x (veteran teachers) and said this is what they will get, basically their step plus 91 dollars. They then took the money already allotted for salary and used it for other things. Now some of that may have helped paras and other staff and maybe even some good stuff too, but let's not pretend the district moved an inch for veteran teachers.  

It’s a little wonky so let me try and explain this way. 

The district had a pot of money to pay for salaries.  

The state gave the district almost 23 million extra, 80 percent was to be used to increase minimum salaries, and 20 percent was to be used for people whose salaries were above the new minimum. 

To me, it looks like the district took money out of the original pot and diverted it to other purposes. The new money replaced it, and the district gave veteran teachers what they would have got anyway plus 91 dollars. Nothing else makes sense.  

Now some people are saying, well, teachers are losing out on bonuses, not salary, so it’s not a pay cut. 

Others are saying since there was no assessment, even though teachers worked the entire year, they weren’t owed their increases. 

Then there is the this was a new contract crowd; nothing is guaranteed. 

All are crappy and disingenuous answers to the fiasco that is unfolding in front of us. 

To me, the bottom line is there was money, and more money was added to it. Instead of giving that money to veteran teachers, the district took an amount nearly equal to the new money away. They put a pea under a shell and moved it around.    

The state really screwed veteran teachers; then the district doubled down.   

I call bull sh*t. 

I have asked the district for comment and or to tell me what I got wrong. If I hear from them, I will let you know.