Victoria school district should cut salaries
Victoria school district #61 is facing a deficit budget and must do some cost cutting measures to balance the 2021/22 budget. One of the programs considered to be affected is the loss of school music programs.
The Victoria school board is looking at all of the wrong areas to cut costs. They should be concentrating on the elimination of payroll costs such as freezing all wages to all employees in the Victoria school district. Why?
In the 2019 financial period ending June 30, 2019 the school board chair person received a yearly salary of $24,478. In the 2020 financial period ending June 30, 2020 the school board chair person received a yearly salary of $26,813, a increase of $2,335.
In the 2019 financial period ending June 30, 2019, the District Superintendent of the school district received a yearly salary of $191,974. In the 2020 financial period ending June 30, 2020, the District Superintendent of the school district received a yearly salary of $207,756, an increase of $15,782 This is a increase of 8.2 per cent. Total nonsense.
This is outrageous as people earning these kind of wages, never need to receive wage increases ever. A total waste of taxpayer dollars.
Total payroll for the financial period ending June 30, 2019, was $167,656,380; $75,391,749 was wages for all employees earning $75,000 and more per year, 45 per cent of total payroll.
Total payroll for the financial period ending June 30, 2020 was $174,680,630; $85,716,438 was wages for all employees earning $75,000 and more per year, 49 per cent of total payroll.
The Victoria school district has two union contracts. They are Cupe 382 and Cupe 947. The term of both contracts is from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022. Wage increases are two per cent in 2019, two per cent in 2020, and two per cent in 2021.
This has to stop. Taxpayers cannot keep paying these kind of wage rates. Future wage contracts have to be negotiated with no wage increases to even out payroll expenses. This does not mean forever, but a break to no wage increases has to take place.
The above proves that school district employees are number one in importance and the school students are number two. Total cash grab from the taxpayers.
The amount of money paid out in wages and the school district talking of removing school music programs. Mickey Mouse thinking.
Unbelievable!
Joe Sawchuk
Duncan
