74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesTEACHERS ARE 'ANGRY, VERY ANGRY'

TEACHERS ARE 'ANGRY, VERY ANGRY'

"A waste of time – we'll be back on the picket lines Monday," one teacher said Saturday in response to Friday's marathon Senate session to find funding for teachers' salary raises.
Stephanie Hernaiz, who has taught at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School for 25 years, articulated the thoughts of many teachers who witnessed the legislative session. "I don't know what they think they're doing. It (the legislation) only covers one year and you don't know what you're going to get. Eleven million is not enough."
In Friday's special session, the Senate passed a bill by a 9-5 vote that identifies more than $11 million for salary increases for teachers. By the same 9-5 vote, legislators also passed a revised early retirement bill for government employees.
Albert Richards, who has taught at the Peace Corps School for 30 years, said Friday after leaving the Senate's morning session, "It's a kick in the rear with both feet. I have two kids in college who need money all the time."
Aubrey W. Harley, a 25-year teacher at Bertha C. Boschulte Junior High, said, "They lied to us," referring to the $8.6 million that was addressed in the bill before the Senate.
Since the teachers had already rejected that amount at negotiating sessions, they thought the legislative session was addressing the additional money they are asking for, another $8 million.
"They don't even have the original $8.6 million," Richards said.
Derrick Gumbs, BCB kitchen manager for 17 years, agreed with the teachers, saying the government could find the money.
"They can find money for Y2K, for vendors. What about us?" Richards said.
Hernaiz said that when Gov. Charles W. Turnbull came to them, "he already had a set figure. All he wanted to do was take back the retro and raise starting salaries. It had nothing to do with us. He wants to attract new teachers to the territory because so many are leaving rather than taking care of the dedicated teachers who stay here.
"Look at the raises they gave to some people last year — Juel Molloy, Rudy Krigger and the executive staff," Hernaiz said. "And what about June Archibald, the department's public relations person? They raised her from $35,000 to $50,000. Why?
"They should put her butt in the classroom and give her the salary we have if she has a degree," she said.
Hernaiz said it's not just Turnbull who is at fault. "Schneider did the same thing," she said. "They give massive increases for selected people; the teachers are angry, very angry."
She concluded, "I'll bet you money they're going to give away more IDC benefits, too." The senators just don't get it, she said, commenting that the only educational requirement for a senator is a high school degree. "They should all have law degrees – they make the laws."

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.