More than 40 people attended a Banks County Board of Education meeting Wednesday night (April 1) on a proposal to cut employee salaries. Four people spoke with two being bus drivers who asked that their salaries not be cut and pointed out that they are already “the lowest on the totem pole.”
“We’re here to listen to your concerns,” BOE chairman Ron Gardiner said.
Starla Shirley first spoke and asked that the bus driver salaries not be cut.
“We bus drivers do not feel our salaries should be cut,” she said. “…We don’t make anything now.”
She pointed out that some of the raises approved last year for some staff members total more than a bus driver makes in two years. She also spoke on the many duties the bus drivers have, including discipline and returning items students leave on the bus.
Bus driver Gena Carland also spoke against the pay cut.
Others speaking included teacher Gena Moore who said she would prefer a pay cut instead of employees losing their jobs.
The BOE is considering cutting the local supplement portion of employee salaries. Another hearing will be held at 6 p.m. tonight (Thursday, April 2) at the Banks County High School auditorium. People wishing to address the board at the hearing will be given the opportunity to sign up to speak beginning at 5 p.m. prior to each hearing. Speakers will be limited to three minutes each.
A called meeting of the BOE will be held at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, at the high school auditorium for action to be taken on the proposal.
The proposal is to to reduce local supplements to school district personnel covered by the state board of education minimum salary schedule. Superintendent Chris Erwin said earlier that he is proposing three percent of the local supplement of every employee being cut. Erwin said he has discussed this with the staff during several recent faculty meetings. He said many staff members offered support of this proposal in hopes that it would limit the number of terminations.
“We want to limit the amount of terminations,” Erwin said. “I don’t think there is any way to avoid it completely. If they (the BOE) accept my recommendation, I hope that will cut the amount of employees laid off by half.”
$130,425.12 ( 4,942.59 travel) in 2008 His salary is $153,710.04 (5,657.97 travel)
Well that is a little bit of a raise I think ????$ 23,284.92 more in just one year..that's more than a bus driver makes in two years . That's a little less than a lot of school employees make in a year. And we wonder why the school system is out of money and needs to make cuts....
www.open.georgia.gov look for yourself.
Everyone deserves a raise but if for this year alone if people gave it back would do you think it would help to keep the staff from loseing there jobs?
The teachers and administrators booted out this year will
still be supported by your tax dollars. The situation is the same across the state and there are no jobs for them to go to. So, they are left to depend on public assistance. Ironic, huh?
Taxes, taxes.... Chew on this....
There are enough Banks County citizens that owe back taxes, if they had paid they could have saved several jobs or made it possible to give the bus drivers a well needed raise. Let's pick on these folks for awhile. They are taking from our children.
board members could have gone to Jeykll once more!! Or
maybe the board could have given a 5% raise instead of
the measly one they did give. I DIDN'T GET A RAISE THIS
YEAR BY THE WAY!
I do not nor have I ever had children of any kind.
How is this taking away from from your kids? You had
them, why don't you educate them? No, I am helping to
pay for your underacheiving offsprint and those UNGODLY
Salaries!!! So don't give me your crap about taxes!!
Let's hear your outrage at Irwins salary!! Or the fact the
High School has HOW MANY assistant principals making 70
plus thousand dollars a year! All while at one time
the AVERAGE salary in Banks County was 9.00 per hour!!
Argph, This chewing just coughed up a hair ball!!!
#2 Apparently you are someone's "underacheiving offsprint". Get a dictionary!!
All these ppeople on the BOE are talking about cutting the pay of staff and bus drivers but none of them are offering to take a cut in pay themselves. They say they do their jobs for the kids but you look at what they make and they get cost of living increases every year.Does the cost of living go down every year for bus drivers???
If they were to suggest cutting it from the BOE they would find somewhere else to get the money.
Bus Drivers, I have one word to say "STRIKE"!!!
A week of no pickups and dropoffs will get the school boards attention!! Then, there's one additional word, UNION. That will ensure this crap does not happen again!!!
adminstration make. If, these people don't like what they make you should left a long time ago and found something that paid you
alot of money. You haven't said anything until now when time is getting hard. Everyone is having to cut back.If I'm not mistaken the paper said that everyone is taking a pay cut. I want to thank Chris Irwin and board of education for what they have done for the school system.I hear from people in other counties talking about how Chris has brought our school system up to par.So, be thankful that you have a job. Thanks Chris,board,teahers and everyone that work in the system for all thay you do.