The Montgomery County School Board voted Thursday night unanimously to approve Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Anderson’s budget recommendation for an average compensation increase of above 8.6 percent for all employee groups. The Board also approved the recommendation to increase nursing hours in all school buildings to full day hours.

Montgomery County has placed a priority on making salaries competitive for staff and ensuring that students are the first priority.  The “Student’s First” theme has been a longstanding theme for the School Board and Superintendent Anderson.  “I’m so excited about having full day nurses at all schools to support our students.  After making progress in getting nurses for the entire day at all elementary schools in my first year, expanding this effort to all middle and high schools will benefit our students and staff greatly. Staff members often care for students when a nurse is not available.  We have been focusing on health and wellness initiatives over the last two years, and the Board’s approval of full day nurses really supports our health and wellness goals for everyone.”

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors approved the School Board budget at their meeting on April 28, 2008.  The increase for the school operating budget from the County General Fund is $1,718,539.  This increase added to the increases in state, federal, and local funds increased the district’s school budget by 8.52 percent.  While the budget request was not fully funded, the superintendent recommended adjustments to keep the areas of compensation and nurses a priority.

Montgomery County is a leader in many areas. It has also become a leader in the recruitment of diverse staff. The school division is now beginning to make progress in salaries as well.  “The heart of our work lies within the people we have,” stated Dr. Anderson.  Montgomery County was featured in a 2005 article in the Roanoke Times on the diversity initiatives for staff recruitment that were implemented to enable the district to improve in recruiting more teachers and administrators from diverse backgrounds.  This year, the human resources department was notified by the Virginia Department of Education that the district’s highly qualified teacher rate was above 99 percent. Salaries have been a longstanding area of concern as Montgomery County Public Schools has been ranked near the bottom in salary rankings in Virginia.

 
Last night’s decision to provide an average compensation increase of 8.6 percent to staff and continue to implement the second year of the superintendent’s recommended three-year compensation plan for custodians significantly increases staff salaries and most especially addresses custodial/maintenance salaries. The school division is expecting that this salary increase may well be the largest salary increase for school staff in Virginia.

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written by Tony, May 06, 2008

First, I am intimately aware of what educators go through both at the teaching level and the administrative level. I've been a teacher, my father was a teacher, my brother is a principal and my mother was an employee of the school superintendent (not here). So please do not presume to "lecture" me on the educational system.

I also did not say that a teacher's day ends at 5:00 p.m. I was asking, does anyone think anyone else's day does? Please read before you criticize. I wasn't posting an attack on you personally Mr. Michaels, I was simply asking for everyone to consider each other. I didn't even say that the raise was not justified or warranted. These types of opposition and assumptions against anyone that doesn't share your exact views turns people away from your cause.

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written by Gene Michaels, May 05, 2008

I am being too fair actually. I've been there and I doubt you have. Before anyone has the audacity to grumble about an 8.6% raise or even as much as assume that teachers can just go home at 5:00 do the job for a while for Gods sake. I guarantee you that you'll have a different point of view.

In short, you don't know what you're talking about.

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Let's get real here okay...
written by Tony, May 05, 2008

Okay, so at this time 8.6% looks like a pretty good increase in a downturned economy. You can't blame someone for pointing that out.

Nor should you pull the the ol' "Whoa is me." educational dogma. You know what? Everyone has good points and bad points to their jobs and teaching is no better or worse than anyone else's. Sure there are restrictions in place that make it hard to do your job, there are parents to deal with and shortages of good teachers out there, but don't blame it on others.

Take a hard look in the mirror. What other job (other than a government one) basically has protection from dismissal (after tenure is achieved), regardless of performance? What other job gets three months off in the summer to either enjoy or make extra income? What other job has a union, but its not called a union? What other job gives you an automatic raise for furthering YOUR education, and in some cases even pays for it? Do you think the rest of us just get to call it quits at 5:00 p.m.? Do you think the rest of us don't deal with people that think they are always right? Get over it! You don't have to be a teacher or even in the school system. If you don't like your job and what goes with it, then move on down the line to a job that has no guarantee of employment, benefits or advancement.

That being said, I think teaching is a very noble profession and teachers/schools do have some significant hurdles to overcome. Some of those hurdles have been self imposed by teachers going to the extreme and administration scared of its own shadow, others by parents, lawmakers and "concerned" citizens.

Let's just be fair here, okay?

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written by Gene Michaels, May 03, 2008

Oh my God in Heaven am I reading this right? 8.6% is crazy?

Man, what color is the sky in your world today?

"It's NOWHERE NEAR enough of a raise. What klutz in their right mind would even think of questioning a raise for school employees regardless of how much it is? Obviously this person of obscured identity has never been behind the desk of a principal or teacher, taken care of a special needs child during school hours, driven a school bus, served a meal in school cafeteria, made sure the schools are kept clean, spent many hours after the school day supervising school activities....and the list could go on and on!

Our school employees for years have been grossly underpaid and now the county is just beginning to play catch up. No one in their right mind would question a raise for these people no matter what the magnitude is.

I might also add that school employees get few compliments and have to put up with a lot of thankless "crap" from ungrateful parents and "citizens" who take them for granted!

Mr/Mrs Citizen, did you attend any of the school board meetings to voice your opposition to the pay raises for school employees? Of course you didn't.

Would you like some cheese with your whine?

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written by citizen, May 02, 2008

8.6% increase is crazy!! How many parents of children in the school system have ever received raises that big? I guess now we can expect the smartest kids in the state since our schools will be so much better because our teachers are paid so well. This County is going crazy

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Buget approval
written by citizen, May 02, 2008

I'm especially pleased that full-time nurses be @all schools, all day. It's a necessity. Hundreds of children need this resource for comfort, temporary care, and referrals. Sometimes, it's their only "primary care." Thanks to the School and Supervisor's Boards and Dr. Anderson, Superintendent of MCPS.

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