Let your voice be heard for Peters arbitration
An arbitration process to deal with the demands of the Peters teachers’ union is about to start shortly. On Feb. 19, the school district’s offer will be posted on its website and available for inspection at the district office. There will be a limited period, from Feb. 22 to March 2, during which township residents may make public comments to the arbitrators via mail or hand delivery to the district administration office on McMurray Road, or by using an online form that will be available on the district’s website.
Unless the teachers’ union is stopped, we will be facing massive property tax increases over the next few years. In order to put this in perspective for those who have not followed teacher compensation, a Peters teacher working 180 days a year, less allowed sick time, tops out at $104,864. They can retire at age 60 at 80 percent of that, or almost $84,000 a year, plus retiree medical insurance for life. Their medical insurance is far better than that of almost anyone in the private sector and far better than most other public sector employees. Their union contract limits class size, thus controlling the number of teachers the district must employee.
For comparison, crime victims advocates, almost all of whom in Washington have masters degrees, earn between $27,000 and $33,000 a year while helping the victims of crimes deal with the court system. Highly-educated social workers who deal with the most vulnerable populations (elderly, disabled, mentally challenged, families in crisis) typically have salaries in the $30,000 range. Even compared to salaries of teachers in other districts, Peters compensation is so generous that, when a position opens up, the district often gets as many as 1,000 resumes from qualified applicants without any aggressive advertising or recruiting. And yet, this incredibly generous compensation was not enough to satisfy the local teachers, who shut down the school district for weeks last fall.
I urge my fellow empty nesters/retirees to write to the arbitration panel during the public comment period and tell the arbitration panel where you stand.
Peter Glasser
McMurray