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Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

I was reading about the insurances as well. That is valuable information but when the Union negotiated they still ensured a long line of increases. The insurance is an IMPORTANT issue. Private sectors are crucified by insurance. These questions were asked and this information was presented but with . really nothing concrete in return. It is a negotiation so i agree if we gave extra for insurance and had a pay freeze that makes sense. But lately there is no negotiating ,it is here you go. I really do not want to sound like a lot of people out there but when solid information like this is presented the "Do it for the kids" stuff comes up. It is a bit frustrating. The information really does point to NO. I feel the picture is larger than it appears and there are other issues we must consider too. The Police Department is horrible. Fire Department. I am not saying give all the money but we cannot forget about them. We just had a tax increase i read about in the Ledger of $175 so if the override passes I will be up $760 in a single year. That hurts my household as my high deductible insurance plan also went up.

The library was a large topic for money, if we move on to that to quickly then I have no idea what I will do.

Last point, the Elderly communities on fixed incomes, are we really going to neglect them and the disabled. We can't, not morally.

Great information! Thank you.

Re: Wakefield

Preschool Teacher $35,460
Kindergarten Teacher $67,640
Elementary School Teacher $71,380
Middle School Teacher $71,400
High School Teacher $73,090
PE Teacher $44,140
Substitute Teacher (Hourly) $16.84/hr
Teaching Assistant $30,090

Sorry for scattering these. It has taken a bit of time and work to get it all together but another comparable school system. Melrose stays right with them with better testing results.

Re: Wakefield

A little clarification - the City joined GIC in 2008, and in the first year alone saved over $1,200,000.00 in premium costs. Prior to that, the City paid 82% of far more expensive plans like HMO Blue, so what the City pays now is actually less than what they paid prior to that. Now add in the wage freeze, which is sort of an override in reverse. That 0% year carries over into every following year, just as an override does, saving the City millions more every year.

Interesting sidebar - it took a 70% approval vote from the unions for the City to implement GIC. Of course, being the largest union, it was the teacher's union that sort of drove that, but three organizations did vote against it, both Police unions and the retirees. That's one of the reasons Dolan hated the Police. It wasn't long after that that he initiated that ill-fated (from his perspective) police study, and then that cockamamie overtime abuse allegation was made, which proved to be totally untrue. Both of those things made him hate the Police even more because they made him look really bad by exposing his truly petty and vindictive nature.

Which brings us to the so-called "public safety" plan. There has never been and there is not now any serious consideration of a new police station. It was and still is a smoke screen, cynically designed to garner support for the last, and now this override. It may happen at some point down the road, but as long as Dolan was Mayor, it was political bull$hit, and with the current Mayor, nothing has changed.

Re: Wakefield

Correction - there were five groups (of thirteen) who voted against GIC, including both police unions and retirees, and two much smaller unions that I forgot about.

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

The GIC was first entered into in 2009 and saved over a million dollars. However, that was almost 10 years ago!. The city renewed for six years in July 2015. Raises have not been zero since 2015.So the city is paying at least 84% until 2021. This is absurd and not sustainable. When we look at things like teacher pay , we need to consider the entire benefit packages. We are paying 84% and Reading is paying 71%. Other communities are enrolled in GIC and pay considerably less toward their employee health insurance. Wake up Melrose!! Follow the money!! The propaganda nonsense being spewed by our unelected mayor and the Teacher’s union is laughable. Our teacher retentionRate according to the DOE web site is slightly above state average.

Also, let’s look a the steps and lanes salary levels for teachers for comparable towns such as reading and Stoneham at the M-30 level. We are basically at the same amount. The reason why the “average is lower” is because Melrose had a wave of retirement a few years back according to the superintendent. As a result 30 percent of teachers are in the first three years and 70 percent have been their less than 10 years.The suggestion they leave at a higher rate than state averages after a few years is nonsense. Again, look at the steps and lanes increases for comparable communities and then add in the overly generous health care contributions. Not sure why Yes supporters continue to use the same scare tactics playbook that the hard working people of Melrose see right through. We may have different actors in 2018 but we have seen this movie before in 2003 & 2015.

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

First of all, I'm not advocating a 6% raise. That's obviously ridiculous, but you're missing the point about the City paying 84% of the premiums. Yes, the City is paying that 84% until at least 2015, but that $1,200,000.00 wasn't just saved in the first year of GIC, but every year thereafter. In order to save that money, the City agreed to raise the premium share from 82% to 84%. That was a great deal for the City - saving more than $12,000.000.00 over 10 years for a 2% rise in the premium share. That 2% cost was totally negated during that time by the year of wage freeze, which also carries over year to year. Additionally, employees didn't actually save that 2%, because the co-pays for GIC are much higher.

I don't know what part of that you are missing. Maybe you're not considering how compounding plays into it. The real health care budget buster is the $18,000.00 a year it costs the City to cover part-time employees/retirees, especially those that retire after only ten years. Most of those positions are pure political patronage. It's not the 2% rise to 84% that's breaking the bank. That 2% is actually revenue/expenditure neutral city wide given the compounding of that one year of 0% raises.

As for the teacher steps and lanes, the same principle applies. Every percentage the base is raised also affects the dollar value of each step and lane because those percentages are based on the base rate each teacher is at at that time. So, for example, a 2% raise in the base is actually quite a bit larger than 2% if you factor in steps, lanes, and stipends. Remember a few years ago when the teachers got that enormous raise that Dolan claimed was only 1%?

I completely agree with you about Taymore cherry picking stats to give the impression salaries are "lower". You are spot on in your assertion that it's because a higher percentage of teachers are on the low end of the scales. I actually did think Melrose teachers left at a higher percentage than average, but your figures disprove that. I thought, and still think that it has more to do with the environment than the pay rates. I'm not a teacher, but I wouldn't work in that system no matter what the rates were. It's toxic.

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

"Our teacher retentionRate according to the DOE web site is slightly above state average."

The only administrators and teachers who stay in the system now under this demoralizing, utterly nasty, and incompetent administration are those who truly cannot get another job despite constantly applying (like White-L who is always, as in ALWAYS, applying for other jobs and getting rejected!). The retention rate is therefore very misleading. Generally educators here are not staying here because they want to, but rather because they have no other options. They are quite literally the bottom of the barrel.

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

That's a very good point. And yet we lose principals at what I think is an astounding rate. How is it that Corduck was able to slide over to Lexington so easily? Her rise through the Melrose system strikes me as meteoric. What am I missing here?

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

Good Point
That's a very good point. And yet we lose principals at what I think is an astounding rate. How is it that Corduck was able to slide over to Lexington so easily? Her rise through the Melrose system strikes me as meteoric. What am I missing here?

Dolan helped her get another job because he/she had to get out of dOdge (Melrose). Was Taymore’s last contract extension/raise connected/blackmailed?

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

Sad to say but we are stuck with Taymore and Lambright for a while. Just google their names before "civil rights" and you'll see why. No school committee would ever hire such a potential liability to run their schools: Except the Melrose school committee members.

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

As someone in the know in Malden, I can say that both the super and her imported right-hand MA were considered blights and liabilities in that district, leaving behind an extensive legacy of lawsuits and legal actions that were costly and unnecessary, arising directly out of their incompetence and attitudes of arrogance and contempt. In fact the Malden district flat out rejected CT's attempt to advance to ASSISTANT super, and we made that call based on facts and a truly negative history that cost vulnerable students and certainly taxpayers. We urged the only one in your city who'd listen to consider this, and she made an articulate case for why that super should not have been hired and why the impressively qualified other finalist (with a legitimate academic ph.D and actual experience as a sitting superintendent) was the only logical choice.

Instead of listening to facts and choosing the other totally qualified and distinguished candidate, the SC opted to bulldoze CT through with its cheerleading squad of virulent (ignorant) parents and their scripted talking points (led by law-breaking chair and vice chair of SC, along with mayor, who should have had nothing whatsoever to do with the matter). Watching the proceedings intently we were quite astonished to see that not only did they hire the grossly unqualified finalist, who then hired MA immediately (and at ridiculous unjustified salaries), the SC did this via a process that was as vile as the person they chose. Reading the public accounts of all the legal challenges to the process and hearing what transpired, it painted a clear picture of comprehensive corruption and abuse, starting with how the selection committee was gerryrigged around the rules/policies/laws and then having the incompetent mayor-appointed city solicitor there to lend an appearance (false) of legality to the whole thing. At every stage the one individual stood up and tried to represent to the public she served with distinction what was happening, meeting with continuous obfuscation and contempt by the rest of the committee, city solicitor, mayor. It was quite something to watch, and we wondered where in the dickens the public was that they weren't in there at every meeting raising the stink that surely would have occurred in most other places. The rest of the SC (and the ever-slumbering BOA who should have raised big questions, especially about the money and the legal bills being created at every turn) seemed to have forgotten they represent the public, and that is obviously still in evidence with the continuing contempt and arrogance both the SC and BOA show to your city residents.

Now we see some of the same virulent, ignorant characters back in front of the public, with their newly scripted talking points, trying to cram yet another money (and power) grab down the throats of the residents. Even the newly elected ones are reflecting the same contempt for facts and legitimate process, opting for their snotty facial expressions and haughty rebuts when challenged with anyone from the public coming before them to ask for the truth and responsible accounting. The parent group seems even more misled, like wind-up toys, only with bad attitude. The fear-mongering by the officials seems to have worked so far, but hopefully the sensible ones will prevail again. You've got smart and articulate people there who are telling you the truth. How come so many choose to listen to the bobbleheads instead?

Maybe it's something in your water? Or is it the sewer that just keeps backing up?

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

I can't add one single thing to that.

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

Missing Info
Dolan helped her get another job because he/she had to get out of dOdge (Melrose). Was Taymore’s last contract extension/raise connected/blackmailed?


What does that even mean?

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

Right??? So many conspiracy theorists here. SMH.

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

What?
Missing Info
Dolan helped her get another job because he/she had to get out of dOdge (Melrose). Was Taymore’s last contract extension/raise connected/blackmailed?


What does that even mean?
Insinuating an affair between her and Dolan because and earlier post in another thread was hinting at it. Any proof of this? Not been provided, and, most likely, doesn't exist. It is personal, rude, and, quite likely, libelous.

But, keep in mind, it's the cabal of powerful libs that are the mean ones to all the fiscally-responsible, sensitive souls on this board. Such a joke! This place is a hole.

Re: School Median Salaries-Bureau of Labor Stats

What It Is
What?
Missing Info
Dolan helped her get another job because he/she had to get out of dOdge (Melrose). Was Taymore’s last contract extension/raise connected/blackmailed?


What does that even mean?
Insinuating an affair between her and Dolan because and earlier post in another thread was hinting at it. Any proof of this? Not been provided, and, most likely, doesn't exist. It is personal, rude, and, quite likely, libelous.

But, keep in mind, it's the cabal of powerful libs that are the mean ones to all the fiscally-responsible, sensitive souls on this board. Such a joke! This place is a hole.
I am not sure about rumors although I have heard them and I think what people are saying is that this town has an issue in the hierarchy. People are nervous of their alderman, mayor, super and school committee and that is a tragedy. I am not trying to get into party stuff here just drop some information but their is a disconnect between the people on this matter. I have met most and yes with some I felt they had zero to no answers to even present an override. The Mayor is very nice but I have a hard time with a person not voted on by the people of Melrose presenting such a large override. Regardless of the charter it should have waited for someone we all had a part in choosing or hearing. I will say I have had some meetings wit the Liberal party in Melrose on the subject and yes it was scary, I heard some nasty name calling. But this is far from party politics its about truth and facts. the facts support a NO. if people will listen the No is not for the override itself i believe the No is for the number. 5.18 million is not the number. We have other areas in town too that need to be addressed. We just took an increase of 175. this is to much at once..

I will be gathering some more information that is relevent to the topic. Hope we can keep talking through it and finding a solid solution. Thank you everyone for chiming in.