Fifth-graders at elementary school given assignment on teachers pay

In the middle of a contract dispute at Pennsbury School District, two fifth grade classes at Penn Valley Elementary School were given a homework assignment on what teachers should be paid.

The story comprehension assignment was a letter titled “It’s Time to Pay the Price” and was a letter written by a “student” to the “editors” about how teachers are not paid enough, arguing they should be paid commensurately with doctors and lawyers.

The average salary in Pennsbury School District is $81,040 with a total salary cost of $69,370,659 for 809 employees, according to the state Department of Education and sourced on OpenPAGov.org. The fifth-grade teachers who distributed the homework assignment – Maureen Laughead and Karen Despirito – make $98,222 and $81,869, respectively. There are 11,000 students in the district’s 16 schools.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, did not return repeated calls for comment.

Simon Campbell, Pennsbury School District board member, said at the board meeting Thursday night several board members said the homework assignment was inappropriate and unprofessional. He said an investigation into the matter was proceeding.

“The timing is not coincidental. We are in heated contract negotiations,” said Mr. Campbell. “It was discussed and a number of board members expressed their viewpoint that it is not acceptable, it should not take place. The administration is looking into it but certainly I would say the majority of the board is not in favor of this type of propaganda being put out to children.”

As stated in the school district’s professional staff manual, “supplementary materials are optional, directly connected to the curriculum of a given course, determined for use by the teacher.”

Teachers are given latitude in supplementary materials they hand out to students, which in this case came from Teacher Created Materials, Inc. They are also expected to use good professional judgment when selecting those materials, said Ann Langtry, communications coordinator for the Pennsbury School District.

“As this is a personnel matter, the administration is investigating the situation and will arrive at a determination and take appropriate action, as warranted,” said Ms. Langtry. “This assignment was one of a series of supplemental activities drawn from a booklet purchased several years ago by a teacher.”

The contract dispute in the school district began last January and the contracts expired in June, said Mr. Campbell. The teachers are asking for a 4.8 percent annual salary increases for five years and for no changes to their “Cadillac” health care plans. That would push the total cost of the school district to $72,700,450.

“We’re in the top 2 percent of school districts in Pennsylvania for highest teacher salaries,” said Mr. Campbell. “What they’re demanding is pure greed; it would break the backs of taxpayers, it would lay ruin to education services. We would have to maximize the tax increase under Act 1 of 2006 which is tough to justify in a recession and we would have to engage in a spectacular array of cuts to programs and services to children.”

Act 1 of 2006 caps property tax increases at 1.3 mills percent annually but allows local governments to pass a higher increase through nine exceptions, including capital projects, special education costs and pension obligations.

And with parents in an uproar and board members investigating the matter, the contract dispute rolls on.