Furlough/Salary Survey Questions and Responses
Following are questions/comments and responses sent in as a result of the survey of DPS staff members that was sent out on Monday, March 29. This survey asked staff members to offer their views on a 2-day furlough and/or salary reductions in order to save some teaching positions. The results of the survey will be considered as the Board prepares the budget.
The total anticipated budget reduction is over $20 million. The total amount of the reduction options before cutting base teacher positions or instigating any pay reductions only totals $9.3 million. The $9.3 million includes over $5.4 million of cuts directly to Central Services (items #1, 2, & 3 on the option list). That leaves the Board in a position to find over $10 million of additional budget reductions. The overall DPS budget is 80% at schools and 80% in salaries.
The magnitude of the budget crisis facing all school districts across the nation is leaving districts with few alternatives other than cutting positions.
Continue to check the Budget Website for the latest news about the budget and for questions and answers posed by staff, parents and community members.
Will all Durham Public Schools' employees take part in the furlough? Or is it just for teachers?
All DPS employees would take part in the furlough. It would not just be teachers.
How would this impact Durham Public Schools' Teachers/Employees if the Governor Perdue says all state employees will have to take two furlough days, on top of what Durham Public Schools is asking for (two furlough days). Does that mean we will have to give two furlough days to Durham Public Schools and two days to the state?
The furlough mentioned in the survey is a local one. If the Governor should impose one also, then any days imposed by her would be in addition to any furlough days imposed locally.
Will Durham Public Schools still build a new middle school in Treyburn despite the budget deficit?
Construction dollars cannot be used for personnel. Plans for new schools funded with taxpayer bond dollars will proceed as planned.
I am interested in any initiative to save teacher jobs. I would like to know if there has been consideration for staggered furloughs/reductions in pay. I am concerned that the impact on a Teacher Assistant’s reduction (at any rate) is far greater than on folks making more. Just an inquiry.
Thanks for your email. The Board discussed very briefly the idea of progressive cuts based on salary.
Q. Will we be notified of the Survey results that were sent out this morning? I personally feel Stipends and Bonuses from teaching positions should be halted in order to save Peer teaching positions. The clerical positions do not receive such Bonuses to my knowledge. What will be considered to save Administrative jobs?
A. Thanks for your email. The survey results will be shared on the Budget Website. Regarding your comments, there is no discussion at this point about saving the 60 Central Services positions that are being considered for reduction. The only discussion is about saving teaching positions.
I just completed the survey and I wish there had been a comment after the survey. I know that I am losing some staff members due to the budget situation. I am upset that if I had been willing to give up pay, it would NOT have helped to save any of my staff. I also want to say that it has truly hurt the moral today in the department as they read the survey and feel that their jobs are NOT worth saving according to the survey. I know that this is a tough situation, but it should not save only one group of people job. EVERY employee is valuable to the education of the children.
Thanks for your email and your comments. This is a very difficult time for everyone and we all need to do everything we can to help lead our staff through this difficult period.
Why was a comment section not placed on this survey?
Thanks for your email. There is a place on the DPS Budget Website to submit budget questions. There is a very short turnaround time for this survey, including the analysis, so it was limited to questions only.
Does this mean we would still get to maintain our years of experience? And, if salaries were cut, would we still get a pay raise due to experience, just based on the next (lower) pay scale?
If the salary reduction is selected by the Board, that would not affect a person's years of experience. However, whether salaries are cut or not, the General Assembly determines if teachers get pay raises and it is unlikely that this will happen in the upcoming legislative session. If/when pay raises are made by the Legislature, those would be based on the years of experience.
How are these our only two options?
Thanks for your email. These are the options the Board asked for staff input into--there are other budget reduction options that the Board is considering. These are listed on the budget website at http://www.dpsnc.net/about-dps/budget
Thanks!
Has it been decided when those days would be and can we get advance notice this year so that we with low salaries can plan for it?
A. No decision has been made on a furlough but we will surely provide advance notice. Thanks for your email.
Please evaluate the survey. The first question, regarding the two days of furlough, is unclear. The answer choices Yes and No are next to the chart regarding a 1% pay reduction. It is unclear what checking Yes of No is in response to. I will refrain from completing the survey until this is corrected.
Thanks for your email--a 2 day furlough is the equivalent to a 1% salary reduction. That is why the box is there.
Let’s cut jobs downtown! No one is helping me in my classroom anyway.
The current proposal calls for cutting 60 Central Services positions for 2010-11 and 25% of the operating budget for Central Services. Also, see the following question and response from the DPS Budget Website. Thanks for your email.
DPS has the reputation of being top heavy downtown. What is being done to clarify or rectify this?
DPS Central Services cut 61 positions in 2009-10 and will cut additional positions for the coming year. When comparing Central Services staff using data from the 2008-09 Public School Personnel Summary (NC DPI), DPS has the second lowest percentage of the school districts listed when adding the “Other Professional” category to the number of staff for calculation purposes. This category includes information technology, social workers, speech therapists, etc. See the Central Services comparison chart for more information.
How about major cuts in administration rather than in people who serve the children?
And what has happened to all the money from the Lottery? It was supposed to go directly to education without corresponding cuts in budget. The lottery has been so successful that there are now spots on TV sponsored by the lottery commission offering help for compulsive ticket buyers.
Thanks for your suggestions/questions. They are addressed on the DPS Budget Website. The current proposal calls for cutting 60 Central Services positions and 25% of the operating budget for Central Services for 2010-11.
The following Q&A are taken from the Budget Website.
DPS has the reputation of being top heavy downtown. What is being done to clarify or rectify this?
DPS Central Services cut 61 positions in 2009-10 and will cut additional positions for the coming year. When comparing Central Services staff using data from the 2008-09 Public School Personnel Summary (NC DPI), DPS has the second lowest percentage of the school districts listed when adding the “Other Professional” category to the number of staff for calculation purposes. This category includes information technology, social workers, speech therapists, etc. See the Central Services comparison chart for more information.
What about lottery funds—doesn’t DPS get lottery funds for schools?
It is a little known fact that just 2 percent of the State Public School Fund comes from lottery dollars and DPS gets just $4.8 million annually for construction projects that must be approved by the county and the state before the project can proceed.
Thank you for surveying staff on this crucial matter. I would, however, like additional information and options for feedback. I appreciate that reducing teacher salaries are the obvious and perhaps only realistic way to free up monies to save positions, but I would like to know more about other DPS expenses such as: testing/assessment, athletic programs and associated transportation, central office salaries, etc. I realize that all of these items are under review, I'd just like to be made more aware of what the total picture is for DPS. I also appreciate that there have been and are opportunities for public input. I'd simply urge you to attach more information to the survey so the results will be more valuable to DPS than a two question survey on such an important issue. Thank you for your time and attention and for the Board's continuing advocacy of public education. I understand that there are no easy answers to such a difficult situation.
Thanks for your email. DPS has a budget Website set up to provide up-to-date info on the budget. Please take a look at the latest presentation made to the Board (March 25) and the Budget Options Menu that describes other cuts the Board is considering. That list includes 60 Central Services positions and a 25% cut to Central Services operating budgets, testing cuts, etc. Thanks!
Is it possible for a connect-ed message to be placed to teachers (especially year-round teachers on intercession) asking them to participate in this survey?
Thanks for your email. We sent a message to year-round principals letting them know about the survey and suggesting that they do a Connect-ED message to staff members
Why is the 1% table with the 2-day furlough?
1 day is equal to ½%. 2 days is equal to 1%
This reads as if the salary reduction is permanent. Why permanent? Why would our salaries not go back up when the budget crisis is over?
We note that the salary reductions would be permanent because we do not think it is feasible that the county would ever give us the $10-$13 million it would take to restore salaries to what they were before the reduction and these could not come from state funds.
First, I would like to know if the "suggested employees take furloughs and/or salary reductions in order to save teaching positions" includes Central Office staff as well. Does it?
All staff members would be affected by the furloughs and/or salary reductions if the Board of Education decides to choose either of those options. "Save teaching positions" does not mean that Central Services positions would be saved--at this time, the budget options include cutting 60 Central Services positions and 25% of the Central Services operating budgets.
Next, I see that this email is addressed to Durham Public Schools. Does this include Central Office staff? If not, did they received a separate but similar email?
The email went to the entire Durham Public Schools email group--that include Central Office staff.
The last thing that I would like to know is if Central Office staff is willing to make the same sacrifice that educators are asked to make. Are they?
I cannot speak for Central Office staff members. We will have to see what the survey results are and then what the Board decides to do. Thanks for your email. You may be interested in the many other furlough/salary reduction questions and responses that are available on the Budget Website at http://www.dpsnc.net/about-dps/budget
CMS also was considering a 2 day furlough but their Board said they did not have the authority to impose one. Does the legislature have to approve this?
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/news/Pages/BoardofEducationexaminesbudget-cuttingoptions.aspx
"A second option was a two-day furlough for all employees. The Board directed staff to pursue the possibility of a furlough aggressively with the North Carolina legislature. At present, the district does not have the authority to issue a furlough. "
Our Finance Staff Members have reviewed the budget bill legislation regarding furloughing of school employees and contacted the Department of Public Instruction. They believe that a short furlough can be accomplished. However, we are seeking legal guidance since there are differing opinions among other school systems.
