Citizen group questions school-employee bonuses

Talk about it

The Citizens for Responsible Government criticizes the Baldwin-Woodville School District for giving a $500 Christmas bonus to each of its 200 full- and part-time employees. The group indicated that the surplus should have gone back to taxpayers.

Leanne Rice of the Citizens for Responsible Government tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that taxpayers won’t get a bonus and that her group is so upset, it’s looking into some kind of recall effort.

School Board President Jeff Campbell said teachers and other employees agreed last year to freeze their salaries and pay more toward their health insurance and pensions – even though the teachers didn’t have to do so, since they’re still under a union contract through this summer.

Campbell said the concessions helped create the surplus of $100,000. He told a Baldwin newspaper that the School Board had talked earlier in the year about the possibility of giving something to employees.

That was at the same time talks were being held in Madison on the new state law that limits public-union bargaining. Campbell said they have custodians making $8 per hour and young teachers in the low thirty-thousands.

While the employees couldn’t get a raise, the board decided they should get a bonus. Campbell said there was no opposition expressed when the matter came up at a recent meeting.

Tags: wisconsin, government, politics, education