From the Harford County Board of Education:
The Board of Education of Harford County and the Harford County Education Association (HCEA) today reached a tentative agreement to add an amendment to the 2011 – 2012 contract regarding the disbursement of the first installment of the County Executive’s proposed $1,250 stipend for all county employees. The amendment will allow for the disbursement of the $625 payment to all teachers, pending funding approval by the County Executive and County Council.
“It is my hope that this tentative agreement will be ratified quickly to allow our teachers to finally receive the county bonus funding that they rightfully deserve,” said Superintendent Robert M. Tomback. “I am truly pleased that HCEA agreed to tentatively accept the Board’s offer to disburse the one-time funds to our teachers.”
Following the announcement regarding the one-time bonus for all county employees in November 2011, County Executive David R. Craig vetoed the legislation that would provide funding for teacher bonuses. In order to reinstate the funding for teacher bonuses, the County Executive would have to introduce new legislation for the County Council to render a decision. Per the amendment to the HCEA contract, upon ratification by both parties, the bonus monies will be disbursed two weeks following the successful appropriation of funds by the county.
The County Council will also consider funding for the second installment of the $1,250 bonus later this spring. If approved, the second $625 payment would be disbursed in June 2012.
Copies of the agreements may be found on the Board of Education’s Collective Bargaining webpage, which can be found on the school system website at www.hcps.org by clicking on the ‘Board’ tab.
Really hope that they approve of the second half of the bonus, I’d really like to put it away for college.
I hope it is approved. The workers are deserving of this bonus.
the teachers are deserving of a bonus, but the HCEA handled it wrong and tried to grab for more money. I think you teachers need to get new leadership. If they messed up the bonus that all county workers were getting. Just imagine what they are going to do for your retirement and health benefits, if they are shifted to the county. I’m am not a fan of your union because he is either power hungry or doesn’t know what his people want.
I’ll believe it when I see the money. As a non-union member, the handling of this situation by HCEA beautifully demonstrates why I feel such organizations work against the best interest of taxpayers and their own members. Mind you, I attended an HCEA info. session, and heard them out as to why they initially rejected the bonus. I just wasn’t impressed with their reasons.
So, the HCEA is finally going to allow the teachers to get money they should have had months ago!….will the HCEA also be issuing a check to the teachers to cover the interest the teachers would have received on the money if it were in their bank accounts months ago? With leadership like that, I’d rather go it alone.
I agree! Savings accounts are paying right around 0.8% APY. On a six hundred dollar bonus that would have been handed out in December, that means the teachers lost out on anywhere from 10 to 16 cents in interest, depending on when they actually get their bonus and not including what is taken from the bonus in income tax. So yeah, HCEA really ought to be held responsible for all the money that the teachers lost.
It’s really refeshing to see someone on the Dagger who is so concerned with making sure our county teachers are not being ripped off the money they so much deserve!
Craig embarrassed Randy Cervany when Randy tried to get cute with the bonus money to use it to negotiate salaries and then Craig vetoed the money transfer. Now this is Cervany trying to save face because he is about to have a mutiny on his hands. Watch, Craig won’t transfer the money (which at this point he shouldn’t because he can’t trust Cervany)and the Union will make Craig and the Council look like the bad guys. Read between the lines people….Cervany has to go. His incompetence is costing the teachers money.