St. Mary's County $6 million School Deficit

mcgraw

New Member
The following letter is about Mr. Martirano's huge mess. It is from the school association.

"Attention EASMC and CEASMC Members:
Important SMCPS Budget Update

Background

We want to catch you up on recent events relative to the school system's budget deficit. As I shared previously, Dr. Martirano is framing the budget problem as the "FY14 Health Care Shortfall" rather than the "FY14 Budget Shortfall," which is more accurate. Honest errors were made that resulted in a significant budget shortfall that went undetected for too long, primarily in the area of healthcare. The budget was faulty and now SMCPS finds itself short funds necessary to cover healthcare and other costs. This is a FAR different problem than what is being shared publicly. Yes, healthcare is extremely expensive, national medical costs continue to skyrocket, and you have a fabulous healthcare plan, but our costs are not significantly outside the norm.

Recent Activity

Please see the attached letter that the three local presidents (EASMC, CEASMC, SMASA) jointly delivered to Dr. Martirano and the Board of Education last Friday morning. We are extremely disappointed to share that to date there have been no responses. Despite our urgings on your behalf, the presentation given to the Board of County Commissioners at yesterday's work session remained largely unchanged (see attached). In fact, Dr. Martirano kicked off his presentation with the statement, "Healthcare is the real issue." We have performed our own independent analysis of SMCPS healthcare data using a private consultant who is an industry expert. He affirmed our theory that the budget and a lack of funding are the problems, not healthcare usage.

Primary Concerns

· This budget crisis is exactly that - a budget crisis, NOT a healthcare usage crisis.
· All funding sources considered, St. Mary's County remains last in per pupil funding.
· Dr. Martirano has publicly stated that there is no money for FY15 negotiations (this means no steps and no COLA), but he has yet to ask for the required money.
· An inflated assessment of SMCPS teacher salaries was communicated yesterday by a Board of Education member at the public Board of County Commissioners' work session.
· As we advised at EASMC's April Representative Assembly, Dr. Martirano said that possible FY15 budgetary solutions include returning IRTs to the classroom and reducing some paraeducators. It is his legal responsibility to request the funds necessary to support the needs of the school system; the FY15 SMCPS budget should reflect no harm to IRTs, paraeducators, and the students who they serve.
· In his April 23 public presentation, Dr. Martirano cited "Negotiate healthcare prescription co-pay increases" as part of his FY15 budgetary solutions. Insurance is NOT a topic open for negotiations for FY15, we have not received a request to open insurance negotiations for FY15, and we will not agree to open insurance negotiations for FY15 should we receive such a request. The soonest that insurance will be a topic for bargaining will be during FY15 for the contract that will be effective FY16.
· If we are going to work collectively to get through this budget crisis, then we need to call it what it is rather than making your well-deserved and fairly bargained healthcare the red herring.
· Negotiations are stalled until the FY14 budget and FY15 funding are more clear.

Our Next Steps

· EASMC, CEASMC, and SMASA jointly requested an emergency meeting with Tammy McCourt, SMCPS' new Assistant Superintendent of Fiscal Services and Human Resources. It was our intention to share our questions and contradictory findings about SMCPS' healthcare data. Unfortunately, while we were able to have a preliminary phone conversation yesterday afternoon, Ms. McCourt is unavailable to meet with us until after Wednesday due to her preparation efforts for tomorrow's Board of Education work session and meeting.
· We will request additional healthcare usage data based on our initial analysis.
· We will attend the Board of Education's 1:00 p.m. Budget Work Session scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday).
· We will share our concerns with the Board of Education during the public comment portion of tomorrow's 5:30 p.m. Board of education meeting.
· We will continue to monitor SMCPS' budgetary process, advocate for the Board of Education to include salary increases in its FY15 budget request, and protect your healthcare by exposing related mistruths and misinformation.
· We will advocate for, defend, and disseminate information to our at-risk members (currently IRTS and paraeducators) regarding the contractual protections and processes should SMPCS decide to proceed with transfers, reductions, or both.

Things You Can Do

· Monitor and review the Board of Education meeting agendas and presentations. They can be found at External Linkhttp://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/smcps/Board.nsf/Public.>· If your schedule allows for it or if you have available personal or annual leave, attend tomorrow's 1:00 p.m. Board of Education Budget Work Session in the Board of Education meeting room at Central Office.
· Attend tomorrow night's 5:30 p.m. Board of Education meeting. Consider sharing your feelings during public comment about the budget crisis and its impact on you, your family, and your students.
· Email the Board of Education members and Dr. Martirano repeating the requests made by us on your behalf in the attached April 24 letter.
· Email the Board of County Commissioners and ask them to adequately fund SMCPS to ensure steps and a COLA, and that all educators remain whole.

We welcome your feedback, and encourage your participation and suggestions. Meanwhile we will continue to keep you informed.

Liz

Liz Purcell Leskinen
UniServ Director, St. Mary's County"
 

nutz

Well-Known Member
The following letter is about Mr. Martirano's huge mess. It is from the school association.

We welcome your feedback, and encourage your participation and suggestions. Meanwhile we will continue to keep you informed.

Liz

Liz Purcell Leskinen
UniServ Director, St. Mary's County"

Correctly addressing it would be "the teachers union" vs. "school association".
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
There are no unions in Maryland (against the law). School association is correct.

Nobody anywhere got the memo....obviously.


http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/education/marylands-teachers-union-takes-issue-with-common-core/24436950


Against the law...:killingme

AFT-Maryland, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, was chartered in 1973 and today represents more than 18,000 members in the State of Maryland.

The local unions within our State Federation represent pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; state and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals.

http://md.aft.org/about-us
 
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mcgraw

New Member
EASMC is the Education Association of St. Mary's County and CEASMC is the Collection Education Association of St. Mary's County. Unions are allowed to strike, associations are not.

I think you all are missing the point. These associations who work closely with the schools, are saying that Martirano is lying. The lost money is not from health care costs. So what happened to the $6 million?
 

Bird Dog

Bird Dog
PREMO Member
EASMC is the Education Association of St. Mary's County and CEASMC is the Collection Education Association of St. Mary's County. Unions are allowed to strike, associations are not.

If it walks like duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck.................you get the point!
 

SG_Player1974

New Member
So what happened to the $6 million?

The answer to that question lies in the question below.....

So, How much do you think your state taxes will be going up next year?:coffee:

Also.... How can you say "Honest errors" in the same sentence that you say they "went undetected for far too long?"

By the nature of that sentence, someone screwed up and it WAS NOT an honest mistake.

"Im sorry sir.... I know I get paid to keep these book straight but I HONESTLY blew it off or am too stupid to notice this 6 million dollar shortfall. When is payday?"
 
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Bird Dog

Bird Dog
PREMO Member
So where is Mr. Union Label, aka Blue Boy on this topic.

or are Teacher's Unions Symbols, not tattooed on his ass, like the others
 

mcgraw

New Member
This letter plainly says "We want to catch you up on recent events relative to the school system's budget deficit. As I shared previously, Dr. Martirano is framing the budget problem as the "FY14 Health Care Shortfall" rather than the "FY14 Budget Shortfall," which is more accurate. Honest errors were made that resulted in a significant budget shortfall that went undetected for too long, primarily in the area of healthcare. The budget was faulty and now SMCPS finds itself short funds necessary to cover healthcare and other costs. This is a FAR different problem than what is being shared publicly. Yes, healthcare is extremely expensive, national medical costs continue to skyrocket, and you have a fabulous healthcare plan, but our costs are not significantly outside the norm."

Only a portion of the money was healthcare. Where is the other $4.5-5 million? I want to know where my tax dollars went.
 

glhs837

Power with Control
Agreed, lets see if it gains traction. There needs to be an independent audit to determine exactly what money went where.
 

StadEMS3

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
Yup, I can see it now- let's spend couple more million dollars with a "friend of mine's" company on an independent audit to determine where the money went.
 

RPMDAD

Well-Known Member
No..certainly are not. Your credibility went down the proverbial drain when you posted this whopper:
Agree with you 100% Gilligan, my Mother used to belong to one for 25 years with a company that used to be called C+P telephone co. before it started to keep changing names. Wife used to work at Safeway, and i know they took something out called Union dues.
 

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
The real question people need to be asking, instead arguing semantics, is where is the former CFO. You know, the guy who just retired about a week or so before this budget issue came to light?
 

treehugger

New Member
Hello All,

This mess is going to be felt by the teachers/paraeducators, etc. Always top down in the system overburdened with too many chiefs.

I heard from another teacher that they did not fund the health care as they have in the past as a ploy to get more funding from the commissioners.

From the article on the baynet, "The school system budgeted $3.6 million less in the current fiscal year than in the previous, under the belief that changes in the plan structure and the way of handling the self-insurance, would lead to savings. Care First Blue Cross/Blue Shield recommended the school system budget $2 million more than they actually did. Martirano and the school board have admitted in hindsight that the budgeting was a mistake."

Another element of negative press for Dr. Martirano would be that an IRT was the teacher of the year but now her job is on the cutting block?

Increased healthcare costs for the employees just means I will have to continue to work two jobs to keep a roof over my head.

All I have to say is that I love teaching and my students so I will continue to teach.

I sure hope this is fixed soon!
 

PrchJrkr

Long Haired Country Boy
Ad Free Experience
Patron
1. Whose idea was it that our kids need "paraeducators" in the first place? If the teacher can't control little Tyreek, kick his ass out of school. It's not like he'll miraculously become a productive member of society anyway.

2. Who voted for the Kenyan who made all of our health coverage skyrocket? Um, unions and other brain dead dumb asses if I remember correctly.

3. Suck it! Reap what you have sewn...
 
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