PINE RICHLAND RESIDENTS...increase in school taxes/teacher contract negotiations....are you concerned?

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by southeastlady

The PSERS employer rate for 2011-2012 was 8.65%. This rate will increase to 12.36% for 2012-2013.

The projection rates for PSERS employer rates which have been established by the PSERS Board of Trustees continue to increase per fiscal year with a projected rate of 27.58% by 2021-2022.

These projections show that within the next four years ALL school district contributions to the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) will increase to over 25% of salaries/wages.

This dire situation is the culprit that will cause increases in taxes in every county in the state. As an example, the projected increases will cost Pine Richland School District an additional $4.9 million in the next four years, based on an estimated salary figure without factoring any annual increases in salaries or wages. Even after deducting state reimbursement, Pine Richland will still incur an increase of over $2.5 million over the next four years related to PSERS contributions.

The concern for increased taxes in Pine Richland due to this deficit is not simply an issue in this district alone. It is widespread and will cause concern for all taxpayers, if indeed and infact it has not already done so since we the taxpayers are the employer.

Regarding increases in counties needing to provide extra services due to population increase, one should examine the Butler County paradigm. There has been a huge influx of both residents and businesses into this county, primarily into Cranberry Township. The tax base that this infusion produces far out strips the need for additional services due to population growth. Butler County property taxes remain low and stable.

The most disturbing part of the figures that you are sharing is that local school districts have absolutely no control over this substantial bill being sent their way annually. It means little whether the taxpayer lives in Allegheny County, or an adjacent lower taxed county, this bill needs to be paid, and every school district taxpayer is ultimately responsible. On the state level, we need our legislators to return from their extended summer vacations and do the job(s) that we have elected them to do.... to fix this major injustice that they and some of their predecessors created. We cannot forget that each teacher, administrator, and certain other district employees will each receive an underfunded (but guaranteed by our state government) million dollar pension that they do not contribute even one dollar.

On the local level, the school boards must be forced to control spending. They will not do this, as long as they can increase taxes unabated They can control the costs of such areas as contracted salaries and benefit packages, athletic expenditures, extracurricular costs, and building to excess (like stadiums and Italian marble school floors) .I commend you and your group for trying to make a difference.

[GVmove]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Hampton.

Thanks for answering my question about which of the 2 homes you own you live in.

With owning 2 homes, one in Hampton and one in pine richland, you must be paying really big school taxes.

I don't know what the school taxes are in Hampton, but with the information southeastlady gave out, it looks like you really pay a lot for your house in pine richland and now you have to pay more this year. I think southeast lady said they will go up 4 more percent.

From what I read on this thread it looks like southeast lady would be a big help to you with all the information she gives out about pine richland. I wished I had somebody in my school district that had all these facts.

[southeastlady]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

The most disturbing part of the figures that you are sharing is that local school districts have absolutely no control over this substantial bill being sent their way annually. It means little whether the taxpayer lives in Allegheny County, or an adjacent lower taxed county, this bill needs to be paid, and every school district taxpayer is ultimately responsible. On the state level, we need our legislators to return from their extended summer vacations and do the job(s) that we have elected them to do.... to fix this major injustice that they and some of their predecessors created. We cannot forget that each teacher, administrator, and certain other district employees will each receive an underfunded (but guaranteed by our state government) million dollar pension that they do not contribute even one dollar.

On the local level, the school boards must be forced to control spending. They will not do this, as long as they can increase taxes unabated They can control the costs of such areas as contracted salaries and benefit packages, athletic expenditures, extracurricular costs, and building to excess (like stadiums and Italian marble school floors) .I commend you and your group for trying to make a difference.

Thank you for your support.

I completely agree that "the school boards must be forced to control spending". This is the purpose of our group initiative.

I would like to quote an excerpt from "Education Advocate" to further solidify both of our views as follows:

"Last year it was necessary to roll back the education spending in the state budget due to PA no longer having the stimulus money. School districts should have known the federal stimulus was a short term padding of education budgets. In an effort to make up for current budget issues some districts are seeking an exception through Act 1 (105%+). This means they are asking for a possible increase in local school districts taxes which goes above normally allowed increases. THE LAST TIME ANYONE CHECKED THERE IS NO MONEY TREE IN HARRISBURG, AND THE MONEY AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL GOING INTO THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS COMING OUT OF THE POCKETS OF MOSTLY THE SAME TAXPAYERS".

[southeastlady]

Just a little info on this system for all taxpayers:

This system was established in 1917 and is a "defined plan" for school employees in Pennsylvania.

A defined benefit pension plan provides a specified formula for the annual pension benefit an employee will receive upon retirement. The amount of a member's pension benefit IS NOT tied to the investment performance of the fund.

In a defined benefit plan, the members do not benefit when the investment performance of the fund is good. The employees also DO NOT bear the investment risk of a down market. The investment risk is borne by the Commonweakth of PA and school employers through the employer contribution rate. As a result, the employer contribution rate RISES when there is investment loss.

Since the system relies heavily on the performance of its investments, the changes in the economy over the past few years have negatively impacted the status of funding for the plan. School employers do not have the ability to restructure benefits offered to retiring members. School employers are MANDATED by the law to pay the employer contribution rates established by the PSERS board. These rates are projected at 12.36% for 2012/13 with a projected increase to 27.58% by 2021. The fund managers presume or forecast an 8% return on investment with virtually no risk. In the market conditions that have existed since 2008, this would not seem plausible.

[southeastlady]

The school board meeting for Pine Richland is scheduled for tomorrow evening, August 13th at 7:30 PM.

Negotiations continue for the teacher's contract well past the scheduled deadline for settlement.

Come and join your fellow residents in an attempt to make a difference.

[Mr.pix]

How much more are we expected to stop the ransom demanded by this union. I know they have a tough job but so did I and I made 16, per year but from there it dropped . I put my life on the line working with dangerous out of control adults and teens in setting not secured. I was threatened many times verbally and physically. I was on call 24 7 no overtime no retirement, no health insurance no job security. I had no union I got no raises and the best part people thought they should not have to pay for my work.
That's social work, a master' licensed, approved provider for insurances and I barely made enough money to pay my travel to and from work. Now my husband in electronics started out with a job that paid well, within five years he was out of work and so was We went from 60k to 25k and finished our fabulous careers at 20k.
Teachers in this part of the state are treated like royalty. They cry and everyone runs to wipe their tears. I have had it there are schools in this country that can't provide, books, pencils, paper or a safe environment to work in. Several years ago in Brockway, Pa, they lost a major employer. The school board had to ask the teachers to take a pay cut or loss their jobs. Since their families had worked for the company they took the cut. The PR district is asking for a freeze on salary's so they can build more schools, they are also asking for teachers to pick up their health costs, hey who doesn't have to pay for this we all due. This is the last year employers will pay health costs. Suck it up and pay like the rest of us. Retirement concessions most of us do our own savings if we can afford the utility bills, no cell plan or cable for us. If teachers do not concede then it's time to lay off the excess and wasteful spending. And that bring up carter schools why don't school districts run their own and there are a lot of classes lids could attend on line. Buildings could be downsized. The whole education system needs overhauled . Kids need jobs which they can not get after graduating from high school let alone college. From the time kids go to school they need to be exposed to all different types of industries, careers and field trips to view these jobs. They should start going on internships as freshmen. Thus exposing them to what May interest them. Schools should work with employers have them offer training as part of their education in high school. Then this training should continue in colleges. Colleges are needing a major change. Five years to get a degree, no job and debt 100k or more, no skills, how do they pay it back. 9 to 18 month specialized training run and supervised by actual companies with a job offer when they finish successfully. Say no to the old school and to the ransom.

[Hopes]

Is this issue still ongoing?

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Is this issue still ongoing?

Yes, see Pine-Richland educators vote to authorize strike - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette