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Bad decisions
Overrides fail time after time because this town has its priorities backwards.
This contract settlement is a good example. They have decided to spend money we don't have on raises instead of worrying about jobs and services. And then they expect voters to vote for an override to give them more money????
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Pay INcrease of Teachers
The TEachers for FY02, 03 & 04 received a cost of living income boost of 3%-3.5% & 3.5% plus some more vacation time plus an increase in longevity payments. Where this 3.3% came from printed in The Ledger is absolutely wrong if not someone offering a lie! Teachers do deserve a fair contract settlement, but not on the backs of all other town employees. BELD commissioners annointed their personnel with 3-4-4% raises stating ''we need to remain competitive in the marketplace with our staff'' and that is pure unadulterated bunk. Water and Sewer Employees or golf employees who are similarly employed by enterprise funded (non-taxes funded) operations have no different marketplace value. Our politician BELD board members give away the store each year and our SELECTMEN just sit there and say, ''it's out of our jurisdiction as they are autonomous''. We hear a similar cry about the School Teacher's contract and the school committee -''they are out our Selectmen jurisdiction and autonomous''. Mother Braintree pays these rates and Mother Braintree is a government for the people, BY THE PEOPLE. All employees, enterprise or not or school or not, should be treated fairly and comparably. The $5.5mil new dollars Braintree taxpayers will need to find to comparably fund all town employees a similar pact as the Teachers are getting will be about $10 on the tax rolls over the next four years. The $5.5 isn't just for the teacher's contract (that would amount ot about $1.4 million new dollars over four years against the rest of the employees being included as well with the other $4.1 mil that will be needed). Can we afford this? If not, call your School Committee members and Selectmen. If we have to afford this, then do the same and be silent afterwards. Our employees are our most valuable assets, folks. All of them.
By Retiree
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to Retiree
The Ledger arrived at the 3.3% average ny taking your figures for the three years stated and dividing by 3, that gives them the 'average' increase per year within that cycle. However, teachers, and most all employees, also received step-increases for each of those three years; these raises increased their salaries in addition to the cost of living increases. So, isn't it fair to say that their actual per centage of increase was more than the 3.3% quoted?
By money matters
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how much more...
A LOT MORE...step increases for teachers are as high as 8%!!
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