Woodstock CT Café

The easiest mathematical solution is to cap the Woodstock Academy’s per pupil percent increase in tuition to the percent increase in the school budget that is approved by taxpayers. It is easily calculable and not tied to any subjective measurements. The amount paid to WA will still vary based on the quantity of students sent, but that is expected.Of course the trick is to get Woodstock Academy to agree to any such funding scheme. The reality is that the Woodstock BOE has little choice but to send the bulk of grades 9-12 students to the Woodstock Academy. The Woodstock BOE is also statutorily required to pay whatever fees they charge. On the Woodstock Academy’s part they really have no choice but to take Woodstock’s students as we provide the bulk of their revenues (among other reasons). So with or without a contract the bulk of Woodstock’s 9-12 grade students go to the Woodstock Academy. This leaves Woodstock Academy with little reason to offer the town contract concessions in the form of tuition caps or anything similar. There is also very little reason for the town or Woodstock to enter in such a contract without those concessions because they have to take our students anyway.

In the next (I believe) Woodstock BOE meeting we are going to be discussing the history of contract negotiations and if we should have another go at it. I do think we should have another go but I also think the same dynamic I talked about above will be in play. Unless something changes any negotiations are likely to lead to the same conclusion.

This dynamic is in many ways a simplification of the problem but explains attempts to change the dynamic. For example, while I wasn’t there I suspect the 9th grade proposal was an attempt to change that dynamic and increase the bargaining power of the town. If there was a credible threat of switching some of the business we do with the Woodstock Academy then they might be under more pressure to offer financial concessions. Unfortunately by running that one down, the BOE ended up showing that there is no credible threat of switching, the residents of town won’t support it. The dynamic remained the same, in fact the Woodstock Academy’s position was strengthened by the abject failure of the 9th grade proposal. Read the rest of this entry »

Also, do these statements apply to teachers at the ‘private’ Woodstock Academy?

• There is no social security deduction; thus, career teachers do not receive full Social Security benefits which are not affected by the rise and fall of the stock market (thank God).  

• Teachers pay into a teachers’ retirement fund but have to contribute to this fund for 35 years to receive full benefits. What happens if they change professions or move to a different state?

• Towns do not pay toward the teacher retirement program as they do for municipal staff who also contribute to Social Security and receive full Social Security benefits.

• There is no Medicare deduction or benefits unless the teacher holds other jobs to gain quarters or have a spouse who does.

• Unlike state employees, teachers pay 100% of their insurance upon retirement.

• There are no paid vacations – teachers are paid for days worked (189 in the new contract). Non-teaching school staff has paid vacation days, but teachers do not.

• Some teachers have to work other jobs on days/weeks off, and some new teachers have second jobs on evenings to make ends meet.

• I can hear some saying facetiously ‘oh those poor teachers play with kids all day and make more money than I do.’ Those who say this have not explored the employment requirements and the professionalism required for the job.

In my non-teaching job, I receive 20 vacation days each year which is equivalent to half a summer vacation. I will also receive retirement pay from a fund from which a significant part was paid by my employers and I will receive medicare benefits automatically. Non-teachers take these benefits for granted.

By contrast, Ms. Wholean gave herself a 9% raise before she lost re-election and other senior Town Hall staff received arbitrary 9-10% raises which is compounded in perpetuity. The fringe benefits received by Town Hall staff far exceed the benefits teachers receive.

by Harry Stefan 

I would have entered this comment under the current thread ” Answers to FAQ about the Woodstock Education Budget,” but “comments are closed.” (Thanks Harry. Admin will correct this.)

It has been determined that the Academy is not subject to Prop. 46. When the town’s Board of Finance states that the education budget must be reduced, that reduction does not apply to the Academy. If, for example, a cut of $900,000 is required, grades 1-8 must bear the whole reduction, rather than two thirds of $900,000 and one third of $900,000 from the Academy.

Perhaps a way around this unfair situation would be for the town to assess the Academy with a separate levy. Whatever amount claimed as an exemption by the Academy would be recouped with the levy. Call it the Proposition 46 Equalization Levy.