The benefits of Benefits

SCHOOL COMMITTEE BENEFITS POLICY FOR PRINCIPALS

Vacation Time: The Principal is entitled to twenty-two (22) days of vacation annually to be scheduled through and subject to approval by the Superintendent. Unused vacation shall be cumulative to a maximum of forty-four (44) days. Upon completion of fifteen (15) years of administrative service in the local school systems, the Principal will be eligible for twenty-seven (27) days of vacation annually, cumulative to a maximum of 54 days. Should the Principal request 30 or more vacation days for use at one time, she/he will submit such request to the Superintendent at least 6 weeks in advance of the date on which such vacation use is proposed to begin.
Holidays: The following days shall be recognized as legal holidays:

New Year's Day Patriot's Day Columbus Day
Martin Luther King Day Memorial Day Veteran's Day
President’s Day Independence Day Thanksgiving Day
Labor Day Christmas
Sick Leave:
a. Sick leave is intended to provide insurance against loss of income due to personal illness. An Administrator shall be entitled to eighteen (18) days of sick leave with full pay per contract year. Each eighteen (18) days of sick leave shall exist as of the beginning date of contract, provided that the administrator is present to assume his/her contractual obligations. In the event of non-appearance caused by accident or illness, the administrator's pay may be withheld, with due notification to the person, pending the assumption of contractual responsibility. Sick leave shall be cumulative to 240 days.

b. Absence by reason of death or critical illness in the immediate family shall not be charged against sick leave.

c. An administrator who has completed fifteen (15) or more full years of service with the Committee, may upon retirement or the administrator's estate upon death, be compensated for that portion of his/her unused accumulated sick leave in excess of 120 days, at the rate of $20/day for each unused accumulated sick leave day in excess of 120 days.

11. Personal Leave: Up to three (3) days per year of personal leave will be allowed for each full-time administrator. Such personal leave will not be charged against sick leave. Additional personal leave, up to a combined maximum of eighteen (18) days per year may be granted by the School Committee. Such additional leave is normally charged against sick leave at the discretion of the School Committee. Personal leave will be used to take care of problems or business for which absence is not authorized under any other portion of this contract and will be granted without reference to the specific nature of the request. Personal leave shall not be used to gain extended vacation time, and personal leave shall not be cumulative.
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So the Superintendent gets the same benefits package as do the Principals and the document entitled "School Committee Benefits Policy For Principals" was attached to Alberto Rodriguez's original contract. But there's something else called Family Medical Leave Act:

This is a federal law which entitles anyone who has worked in a job for a year to twelve weeks unpaid, intermittent sick leave to support a family member or oneself if validated by a licensed physician.

There are forms (FMLA) that must be completed to be granted this. For sake of consistency, the Amherst Schools use these forms as validation of an illness even if someone, like Dr. Rodriguez, has not worked here a full year.

Furthermore, the Schools permit staff to use 10 of their own sick days in a school year to support family illness, so they suffer no loss in pay. They permit staff to accrue up to 245 total sick days. (In general, staff get 12-15 sick days annually.)

In Superintendent Rodriguez's case, he has not been here a year--but was instantly granted 20 sick days upon signing his contract last spring. All staff, regardless of their length of service, are required to complete the FMLA paperwork if they have either a planned sick leave or an unexpected sick leave which is more than 3 consecutive days.

So Dr. Rodriguez's 2/22 "sick day" does not trip the FMLA paperwork--because it's only one day--and neither does the April 15th and 16th sick days; but 4/20 to 4/23 will because it is 4 days.

UPDATE: 1:00 PM Reliable sources confirm that Nick Grabbe, forever reporter with the venerable Daily Hampshire Gazette, is on the story.

And according to this puff piece in the Bully, he can take the heat.

Amherst School Super's super contract

Click boxes to read


Wikipedia:
Paid sick days, sometimes referred to as sick leave, guarantees workers time off to stay home when they are sick without losing pay or their jobs. Some paid sick days policies also allow paid sick time to be used to care for sick family members, to attend doctor or medical appointments or to address health and safety needs related to domestic violence or sexual assault. Nearly half of workers in the private sector (48 percent) do not have a single paid sick day to recover from illness or to care for a sick family member. As a result, they face difficult choices: lose a day's pay or even their jobs, or go to work sick and risk infecting coworkers and customers. Parents who lack paid sick days are often forced to choose between their jobs and their sick children. Nearly half (49 percent) of working mothers miss work when a child contracts a common illness. Three in four low-wage workers (79 percent) do not have a single paid sick day. These workers are least able to afford to take unpaid time off or risk losing their jobs.

Let the backstabbing begin...

Hitchcock's Psycho Shower Scene: Flickr.com

From:
To: Richard B. Morse
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:46:35

Rich--

I've just read your 7:30 AM comment on Catherine's blog. My take is that over the last few weeks or so, you've been baiting a number of people to come out and play on her and Larry's blogs.

Here's my other take: You were once a measured, thoughtful citizen with strong, challenging opinions. You've now become a bitter, public asshole.

I'm sorry to say that. With no sarcasm, I truly hope all's well with you.

J

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Mrs. Morse pulling the same stupid stunt 3 years ago


Soooooooo, Overriders are already desperately eating their own--or I should say formerly one of their own.

I can't think of a more "centered" (although listing to the left) mainstay for all things Amherst than Rich Morse, who I always affectionately refer to as the "Grumpy Prosecutor"--with no disrespect intended to his vital profession.

And he freely admits to voting for every Override that has come down the pike in his relatively brief years inhabiting the People's Republic.

So when he recently started to question the wisdom of this current Override I knew Overriders were in serious trouble. This nastygram from Mrs. Churchill only confirms that!

How soon they forget:

When the 'Amherst Plan' Override failed 3 years ago Mr. Churchill received a threatening phone call from then Selectman Rob Kusner:
The Amherst Bulletin gleefully reported (with audio file no less)

Mr. Morse's offending remark from this morning (Oh my!):

Marty K's post may be the most vivid demonstration that we may not be able to have an honest debate on these issues in this town.

And last time I checked, Rivkin and Sanderson are in the majority on the local School Committee. In other words, the touchstone of effectiveness in elected office in Amherst is not whether or not one is able to work with Andy Churchill. It's forging working majorities. And for the time being they have one.

Rich Morse

February 12, 2010 7:31 AM

Lay on Macduff...

So the die has been cast, the Rubicon crossed or as General Custer so famously last exclaimed, "We got 'em boys!"

As expected the Select Board this morning rubber stamped the orchestrated package presented to them by the Budget Coordinating Group--albeit slightly less (looks like the Regional Schools cut their demands a bit, maybe by tapping the $1 million stashed in their E+D Account.)

Now the amount is $1,680,441 and it's a single amount, all or nothing lump sum with "allocations". And because it's a General Operation Override, it is FOREVER.

But yes, the following year the "allocations" are gone; only the tax amount remains--plus 2.5% of course.

Never forget. Never, never, never...

Where were you when they came down?

Live from Town Hall: It's BCG Wednesday morning!

10:36 AM
Well, this will pretty much decide the amount of the Override and structure.

10:38 AM Stephanie starts (without the Town Manager). John Musante on cell phone, presumably calling the town manager.

10:45 AM John Musante Updated Cut list. Let's hear from the heads of those budgets. Streetlights put back on list if addition funds come in. Grand total for town budget is $537,252. If state aid is only cut 5% then Pubic Safety (including Police Animal Welfare Officer) are safe. (the Governor's budget actually calls for 0% cut)

10:48 AM Elementary Schools: (Rob Detweiler Business Agent) $400,000 is our request from an Override. SC voted 5-0 for that.

Regional Schools: Asking for $950,000 from the Override. Amherst taxpayers will pay almost $750,000 of that (since we are three quarters of the Region.) Region vote was 8-0-1 (one abstention)

Library: met last night reconsidered the Override and went back to an amount of $88,994 from an Override.

Stephanie: Did they make any strong statement on the Override?

Pat Holland: "No"

Gerry Weiss: Trustees voted for this amount ($89,000) but they are not asking for an Override???

Holland: They are not taking a position on the Override. (Gerry looks a tad pissed)

11:05 AM The Town Manager has entered the room! (who needs Elvis?)

John Musante: $1,765,000 is the new (and improved) grand total for the Override.

11:10 AM Stephanie: Priorities are good--but they are inexact. Doing the best we can. We do not have strong Ra Ra support from all the boards. Looking at $1.8 million Override and $2.5 million in cuts. What is our best way to go forward? With a goal of getting some restorations would a Menu Override have a better chance of getting something passed or would a lump sum work better? Had this discussion before but it's now a "fever pitch" point with the general public. Do we want some rather than none?

11:15 AM Irv Rhodes: our 5-0 vote was NOT to support an Override, it was simply to put the $400,000 into the mix but not an official vote on the overall Override. If we had more time we would have come up with a different number. Very, very imperfect number (the $400K.)

Stephanie: "It's clear the School Committee is not vociferously supporting this."

11:20 AM Gerry Weiss reads the entire SC statement. Stephanie: "Again, not strong support for the Override." So how do we get them (schools, town, library) the extra money? Some of this is not "sexy". Library has a serious PR problem with its request (I assume she's talking about the recent six digit gift the Jones Library received)

Catherine Sanderson told Regional School Committee she strongly supported a Menu Override. Andy Churchill on the other hand strongly supported one lump sum (we all rise or fall together.)

11:25 AM Stephanie parses the written report of the FCC. They said to "consider" a menu override and that is what we are now doing. (Hmm...but they were a tad more definitive than that Princess Stephanie--and they also said an Override would be necessary in the next FIVE years.)

Gerry Weiss: Why did FCC recommend Menu?

Stephanie: Because it allows many different people speak to aspects of an Override. The problem is it gives people the right to say NO to certain parts, and it's only a tiny statement. "We give choice too much credit" (Hmm..why am I reminded of President Reagan's observation that the scariest line ever is, "I'm here from the government and I'm here to help".)

11:30 AM Gerry Weiss: "I think a lump sum Override will sink. As a lump sum we're holding each other hostage."

Bonnie Isman (Library) The voters are going to be skeptical. If schools are not ready now, why not go to Town Meeting and have them vote a budget contingent on an Override.

11:45 AM Irv Rhodes: I would welcome a delay. Otherwise, a Menu Override.

11:47 AM Stephanie: Extraordinary amount of discussion with unions (Police and Fire) giving up COLA's. Not fair to now NOT have the Override on 3/23. Contingent Override via Town Meeting is still a "safety net" if the 3/23 Override fails.

11: 52 AM Stephanie: BCG sent preliminary report to Select Board Monday night suggesting "lump sum". Do we now (BCG) still support that?

Gerry Weiss: Yeah, MOST people at this table still supports that (Lump Sum with Allocations)
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HERE IT IS FOLKS:

Shall the Town of Amherst be allowed to assess an additional $1,765,441 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the following expenses: Town Operation Budget ($537,252) Elementary Schools Budget ($400,000), Regional schools district Budget ($739,195) and Library Operating Budget ($88,994) for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2010?

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Musante: Explain it to the community this way. Extra state aid would be a "Great problem" to grapple with. We can then not levy to the limit as the town in 2004 when that $2 million Override passed. We got an extra $650,000 from the state and the town did reduce the levy of the Override amount that year. (Yes John, but what about the following year and the following year. Amherst has only had two general operation Overrides over the past 30 years and they are still both to this day generating extra revenues.)

Heated discussion between Musante and Rhodes (voices raised), Stephanie acts as ref.

12:08 PM GOTTA GO. If I had to guess they will put the above lump sum Override on the ballot for this coming 3/23. But as Bill O'Reilly would say, "I could be wrong."

Gold plated potties?

UPDATE: Wednesday morning

Nostradamus strikes again. Yesterday I predicted the Region would cave in to the bully Select Board and ask for $1.1 million (+ or minus $100-K) piece of the Override pie and apparently last night they requested $950,000--nice price point.

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ORIGINAL POST: Tuesday morning
So at last night's Select Board Override extravaganja festival Stan Gawle, 'Amherst Taxpayers for Responsible Change' spokesperson, mentioned the $140,000 sitting in a Capital Accounts slush fund for over a half-dozen years that Town Meeting appropriated for renovations to the "comfort station" at Community Field, recently renamed Ziomek Field.

And of course this particular comfort station is also Stan Ziomek's summer office for all things baseball.

But my sources tell me the reason the money was never spent to actually do the renovations is because LSSE (and Stan Ziomek is on the LSSE recreation Commission) wants to build a gold-plated $10 million Recreation/Teen/Senior Center on or around this site and it would look fiscally irresponsible to renovate the bathrooms and a few years later have to tear it down to make way for the Taj Mahal.

Since the town closed the War Memorial Pool next door after more than fifty years of continuous summer operation, and since the Town Manager is talking about replacing it with a water sprinkler park, why not roll that $140-K into that less grandiose idea?