Who's gonna drive you home... My Position

There is a sick leave buy back clause in the contract, affecting teachers hired before a certain date. I personally would rather not have a liability exceeding a million dollars hanging over our head. As best we can determine, the buy-back clause emerged as a compromise somewhere in the past, when the School system came to the negotiating table with little or nothing to offer in the way of financial incentives or raises. That's the way it always happens. Is there a lesson to be learned? Yes. Don't make promises that last more than 20 years. Perhaps there is some creative way to resolve this contractual issue.

Longevity is another "issue" in the contract that appeared some time ago, and I believe (if memory serves) may have been part of the 2001-2002 negotiations. Often, School administrations face a negotiating team heavily weighted towards teachers with the longest tenure in the system. They negotiate on behalf of the entire union, but interestingly enough, seem the most intrigued and persistent about salary structures that impact the last years of their teaching experience; years which coincide with what the bottom line on their pension will look like.

Again, perhaps there are some creative ways to address this particular contract item.

Still more drivers out there (the road to budget hell, as you can see, is full of drivers); but one last comment for tonight before I resume this discussion.