COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CURBS SAVE WISCONSIN SCHOOLS MILLIONS

http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2012/03/13/collective-bargaining-curbs-save-wisconsin-schools-millions

Heartlander – Joy Pullman – 3/13/2012

This article is a good review that describes the results of Act 10

Budget 911

Facing a $3 billion budget deficit, Walker cut state school spending by $555 per student, advocating the collective bargaining restrictions as a door to balanced budgets for districts that had to then cover their own shortfalls.

Act 10 also let districts require public employees to contribute up to 12.6 percent of their salaries to health insurance and 5.8 percent to pensions. Both figures are just below the averages of what private workers in the state pay for the same benefits.

Because of these requirements, just the ten school districts that saved the most this fiscal year together saved $85.6 million, according to figures from the MacIver Institute.

Concessions Teacher Unions Refused Despite Tight School Budgets

Milwaukee: Cash-strapped district wanted to drop insurance coverage for Viagra, which cost taxpayers $786,000 per year.

Milwaukee: Switch to a less expensive employee healthcare plan at no cost to employees, saving $48 million and 480 teaching jobs.

New Berlin: Contract proposal with pay increase one year and wage freeze another to help eliminate $2.1 million deficit and save 27 teaching jobs.

Milton: Switch employee health insurance carrier. Employees would get comparable coverage, and the district would save about $450,000 each year.

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