County Cutting School Leader Positions But Is That Necessary?
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According to an article published in The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore County school officials are cutting leader positions among teachers to save $814,000.
The question I have is this necessary and could it have been avoided?
According to the Sun’s article, this cost-cutting measure would impact teachers in a variety of ways.
“The decision will strip the title and pay from some teachers who act as department chairs and perform certain roles, including helping principals evaluate teachers, making sure books and supplies are evenly distributed and deciding how curriculum will be taught,” the article states.
As a blogger I was intrigued by this move since prior to this article I recently filed a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request and forwarded it to the county’s budget director, Mr. Keith Dorsey.
I was seeking information to confirm information from a source that the county police chief’s DROP money could exceed $1 million in cash, before his first pension check. The impetus for that perk (or windfall if you prefer) lies in a legislative bill 47-07 introduced at the request by then-County Executive Jim Smith which was then written by then-Council Chairman Sam Moxley.
DROP, which stands for Deferred Retirement Option Program and was covered by Bryan Sears extensively on Patch, was established by the county in July of 2001 and took effect in July of 2004.
Mr. Dorsey replied promptly to my request; however he was not clarifying the information I was seeking. I was looking for the $$ signs and what I received was this quote from his reply: “It is impossible to know now whether the Chief would make the decision to take the DROP at this time.”
This second part of the quote spurred me into action: “It is not possible to estimate a DROP benefit at this time as the calculation is done at the time of retirement and is based on too may variable factors including the DROP period chosen by the retiree.”
Now this statement is both true and false. The decision to take a DROP without the applied number of years, which range from a one-year DROP to a five-year one, could not be calculated exactly without the number of years; however there is a way to calculate the maximum $$ based on a five-year choice.
Based on the number of years of service of Chief Jim Johnson and his current pay scale, a figure can be calculated.
The formula that is applied to that amount of money is determined by a publication by the FOP (Fraternal Order Of Police) in 2001 titled – DROP Information and Worksheet.
Rather than try and apply this complicated formula myself, I contacted an expert on this matter and provide them with the necessary numbers to figure out not only the maximum amount of a five-year DROP but also the amount of the pension.
That expert who provided the information based on the condition of anonymity (obviously) gave me the calculations or $$ if you will. Other sources familiar with the DROP also verified this figure.
The amount of $$ based on a five-year DROP would be—hold on to your hats—$1.3 million. This is the amount of cash Johnson would receive before the first pension check is cashed. The pension would be in the range of $191,000 to $195,000 a year, plus or minus a few thousand.
Unfortunately these $$ are chiseled in legislation submitted at Smith’s request allowing for the chief of police to partake in the DROP program. Why would Smith care? It wasn’t his money.
It should also be noted that prior to Smith’s requesting this legislation the county police chief was not eligible for the DROP program.
As for the teachers and students, those $$ speak for them also but not in the A-plus category.
As for Jim Smith, he gets a F.
Buzz Beeler
6:11 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
Note that theses figures are based on calculations and the effective date of retirement. The ultimate decision on the DROP is left up to the retiree as was stated by Mr. Dorsey.
Ron Burgundy
7:45 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
Buzz, you bring up some very valid points about a system that's in need of repair. As anyone knows pension reform is long overdue.But....I can't blame Chief Johnson for accepting the deal, after all that would be like asking you to give back portions of your retirement. It's not fair nor right. It is imperative to see that pension reform be at the forefront of any future budget decisions. Unfortunately the pensions offered,while they made sense at the time to retain good,competent workers have exceeded the budgets necessary to maintain them. This is not a Baltimore County only problem. All municipal pensions need to be re-negotiated and modified to fit and reflect the leaner budgets we,as citizens, face. Our current CE tried to do that,albeit a small reform but reform none the less recently and was rejected by the majority of the Council,unfortunately.
Buzz Beeler
9:16 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
Ron,, he has not retired yet and the decision on the drop would be a personal one, his and his alone.
You are correct that many municipalities across this nation are facing perilous times dealing with the pension costs.
I do not have a family and my job was and still would have been my career and had I ended my life's journey there the books would have closed with a zero balance. I was forced to retire by a man the CE should have fired a long time ago. Why he chooses to keep him in that position is beyond me. You find something to do after a time when you start forget what day of the week it is. I hear of others going through what I did. Sad, very sad.
I see some changes in the direction of the council and that is encouraging. No more councilmatic curiosity when it comes to the right thing to do.
Ron I would say that both you and I know the hand in which we play. I just don't understand why would a man with the education and experience of the CE continue to dig this hole.
Years ago when money was no object and the game was in the hands of the unions and power brokers, many of the issues were blurred. Things are different now. People are not happy and they seek a voice to express that.
Remember I was around during the Anderson and Agnew years. Gary, Sam and all the kings me fell.
I guess one day people will say "what the heck was he thinking!"
Steve
12:40 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Beeler to the rest of the Department;
"I got Mines. Screw the rest of you Suckas!"
Arbutus Town Crier
9:10 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Some are true for the cause,the heart, and humanity! Then their some who do it to work the system for their own benefit of their selfishness. When life finally comes to a close you cant take any pension, or material where your going . But the last laugh is you cant take anything with you, pride love of life man kind seems lacking for you Steve,Pride and improving humanity and the love of life is not of a material world. enjoy your pensions,materials enjoy trying to crush people, your stay where most of the Lawyers will be and will among friends!
Buzz Beeler
7:34 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Steve, I got mine because Fred Homan made that decision. If I could have stayed along with many others who gave so much to the department but were cast aside.
They tried to steal my pension by forcing a medical one own me. I found out about that back door deal and stopped it. You see if you pass away on the job, you get nothing and besides the voters saw things differently. They did not want change.
I have revealed my entire benefits on this site several times. You can thank Homan for that one.
If you really want to make a difference look at all of the wheeling and dealing going on out there and then write about that. It's your money their spending.
jack friese
12:41 pm on Saturday, March 2, 2013
Mr. Beeler: I am just curious, are you saying Johnson, will get 1.3 million cash when he "retires"? Then he gets a pension of $190,000 plus or minus each year? If these numbers are correct, taxpayers are really getting screwed- again. Talk about double and triple dipping by these clowns, as taxpayers get screwed.
How much does Kamenetz get paid? How much will his pension be. How much is ]
Smith 's pension?
It is no wonder why this County is going broke. With all the sucking up that Johnson is doing on the gun control debate for OweMalley, it looks like he is lobbying for a State Job working directly for OweMalley and his Annapolis gang.
To answer you question, Jim Smith cares because he is a political hack and Johnson is one of his favored cronies
No County can afford such outrageous pension programs. It is no wonder this State is damn near bankrupt!
Please Mr. Beeler, ignore those who are casting stones at you, do not let them discourage you. You are providing an invaluable service to taxpayers-- all at no cost to taxpayers for a change.
If changes are not made to these absurd pension systems, our kids and grand kids will be paying for the sins of these knuckleheads who continue to make bad and selfish decisions that benefit them and their cronies.
I am working on a project and if you can provide some of these answers it will help a lot. Thanks for your anticipated response.
Buzz Beeler
4:55 pm on Saturday, March 2, 2013
Jack thank you for your response. You will find this interesting that Detroit is in such bad finical shape the state is taking over. A sign of the times.
http://newyork.newsday.com/news/nation/detroit-bankruptcy-state-takeover-begins-as-gov-rick-snyder-taps-city-manager-1.4739056
My figures on the chief's pension (a complicated formula) are about a close as you can get. The problem with this kind of liability that is facing local governments across the country is that it is not sustainable.
The county is already borrowing money form its pension system and is being sued by the union over this action.
The county's pockets are not a bottomless pit. At the end of the meal comes the tab.