It is not the salaries of the current teachers that is causing the deficit in T/E. It is the legacy costs to PSERS that is draining the surplus.

That said, I don't agree that being a "wealthy" area is a justification to raise taxes. People live here because the taxes are what they are relative to other places nearby. Increasing taxes may result in the "wealthy" people moving elsewhere, thus reducing the tax base and resulting in a downward spiral.

Agreed, Andrew. PSERS is the large elephant in the room

The "fact" is, the wealth of a district does not matter and the fact finder is dead wrong.

Beyond being a report that sides with the union's demands on 17 of 19 items, the fact finder did not take into account the state law that caps how much costs can increase without voter approval every year. In other words, regardless of how much money our area may or may not have, it doesn't matter - cost increases are capped unless the school district goes to a referendum every year...referendums that probably won't pass.

Plus, T/E may be wealthier, but that doesn't mean every homeowner in the district is. This fact finder took his pre-conceived notions and applied them to his report - while ignoring the real facts.

This is a joke and the school board was right to vote no.

I can't actually comments what I want to say! How about you teachers pay your fair share! My wages have been frozen in this economic turmoil and my health insurance continues to rise...Be grateful to have job, so I don't think paying 10% premiums is asking too much! Besides, if we are so "rich" in TE, why do we have the TE C.A.R.E.S. program? I'm sick of unions "bargaining" for more and more and never willing I give up anything when everyone else is suppose to sacrifice to give them more. Something is wrong with that line of thinking. I'm sorry you work 6 day work weeks, but most have the summer off and it's a profession you chose, I don't get 10 weeks of vacation a year...perspective? And I still work every other weekend. I say when you're among the highest paid teachers in Chester county, you are already get more! Time to give a little to get a little...

I agree- sometimes teachers unions can go too far. But people must keep in mind that families move to T.E. largely because of the schools. What makes these schools good? In large part- teachers.

If we want to attract the best and brightest to teach our children, then we are going to have to sacrifice. Otherwise your children will suffer (and so will the value of your property as potential homeowners will seek areas with better schools).

Not all T/E residents have a great deal of money, resources, or assets. Teachers are paid a comfortable 12 month income with high option benefits to work 9 months of the year. Teachers can supplement their income by working a part time job. Therefore, I do not support higher taxes to pay for teachers salaries or benefits.

I would guess 99% of the complainers on this board are among the 90% who don't vote in the primaries. Who cares? If you don't vote in the primaries, you get a bunch of pro-union clowns on the ballots in November.

Maybe a Ku Klux Klan or pedophile can get a few of their friends to vote in May and get on the ballot? We are the joke and there is nobody to blame but ourselves for this mess.

All you big mouths tell us how you registered to vote in the primaries then maybe it's worth listening to you. Otherwise, the 90% can just stfu.

Not all of us are "Wealthy"!!!

@Andrew Snyder: That's not a threat. It's simply a fact. Teachers will move to districts that offer better benefits- or they will simply opt for other professions (and if you look at the credentials of many T-E teachers, they have the educational background and youth to make that transition into the other very easily). Oh and by the way, Andrew: they might go to Philly. Charter schools pay exceedingly well.

The problem with so many today, is that they want something for nothing. They want their children to have a quality education- yet they complain about teachers whom they trust with their kids everyday. People whine about SEPTA and poor roads but the idea of putting any more money in infrastructure is out of the question. We send young people overseas to fight our wars and despite our yellow ribbons, seek to cut back on veterans benefits.

Funny how many of these same people who complain about handouts and entitlements expect free public services themselves.

The comments so far are ridiculous. Clearly most readers are paying no attention to the details of the ongoing negotiations, and are just making up "facts" about the situation based on their preconcieved notions abour unions and teachers. First of all, the teachers have been willing in these negotiations to accept cuts to wages and benefits, but not sufficient enough for the board to keep taxes from going up,which is political poison in T-E (see the above comments). Furthermore, the drain to pay for the pension fund is state mandated, nothing that either side can do about that. This was a legacy of the Ridge administration. T-E teachers may be among the finest in the state, and among the hardest working, but are not nearly among the highest paid.

This illustrates the problem with saying the wealthy should pay more taxes. Who decides who is wealthy? Is it the family with two middle income wage earners who each work 60 hours a week and have to put their kids in daycare to earn $125,000 each? Is it small business owners who hold their busineses as S-Corps or Partnerships to avoid double taxation, but need to pour most of the so-called "income" back into the business to keep it growing? There are no simple solutions. The only thing that works is to reduce government spending to match revenues. Otherwise, we are the next Greece or Spain.

@RenterNow- I do work in the private sector. So I am not a union thug or lazy government-supported socialist as your question probably implies.

Here is what we need to ask ourselves. What do we need to do to retain and foster good teachers? Anyone who's seen Waiting For Superman can attest to the fact that
there are a good deal of burnt-out and/or incompetent teachers out there. Do we think that TE is immune to that problem? We're fortunate to have great teachers. Let's keep them here and treat them with the respect they deserve.

And R.N- to your point of higher salaries not equaling higher student achievement- you are right in regards to the importance of parents in education. However, much of the reason why 'Stoga (for example) is ranked highly in the state is because of the abundance of AP classes. In order to attract the teachers who are capable of teaching such classes, we need to treat them as professionals and pay them according to how much they contribute to society.

We moved here 2 years ago, I have 3 small children. We are not wealthy, we moved here to better our children's lives with this wonderful school district. But buying our home we calculated in our taxes to what we could afford. This would hurt us pretty badly is our taxes were raised too much. I don't find that fair to any home owner who took into consideration the tax before buying their home. TE is not the only great school district either we would of been fine with Radnor or Great Valley too..Why don't they have fund raisers or get donations? I'm sure some of these rich would give money to the school district? Or rent advertisement space in the hall ways? I heard of other schools doing it. Cut back on supplies, let the rich parents send what is needed in school, TP, paper, food..

I am a single mother.....I wish I had the salary of a TE Teacher and the same benefits to boot.....Not all residents are "wealthy" and it is nice to have a mix of different socio-economic groups. Don't forget our elderly who are struggling to make ends meet. It's time for teachers to live like the rest of us. We all work hard. Frankly, the pensioners are killing us.....it is unsustainable, especialy when they retire before age 65.

The mediator has no business offering personal sentiment regarding what the sides in the dispute should or should not do in the report - very unprofessional and, for me, undermines the creditbility of the report and any recommendation.

We can debate what constitutes wealth, what the primary cost drivers are, reasons for academic success, how politics influence business decisions, and the merits of a person's voting record . It's constructive noise, but does not yield a solution. The reasons are many and all a result of past behavior - everyone's to some degree.

Attrition is a factor in any job situation; the Board should make decsions on behalf of their consituents that provides for the long-term sustainability and an acceptable level of academic performance. Unfortunately, I believe the budget levers available to the Board are limited; the solution is not to unilaterally increase taxes (i.e. revenue), structural changes need to be introduced to the cost structure that provide lasting effect. The operating environment is forever changing, all involved must recognize the changing landscape and adapt.

Nonetheless, I suspect there will contine to be the tiresome practice of posturing from both sides that will eventually result in a compromise that will come later rather than sooner. One thing that does not parallel the pace of change today is the evolution in human behavior.

I too have young children in the school district. - However, when we bought our home here we figured out the costs.. Since moving here 7 years ago. My taxes have continued to be raised, my health care cost have increased, my beneifts have been reduced.My husband and I work for a very stable companies and are paid rather well, however, we do not make the same salary as many of the T/E teachers. I am unsure of why teacher feel that they should not have salary freezes, have to pay for a majority of their health care, just like the rest of the families in the school district. I understand that I want the best education for my child - but my company expects the best out of me no matter what is going on in the economy. If I don't like it - I could leave - they could too.. there are so many good teacher out there that want jobs. Do you really think they would just up and leave a secure position? Its time to be realistic about the economy and everyone should buckle down... not just the families in T/E and the majority DO NOT use public Education.

Wealthy, or house poor? For the amount we paid for our house we could have a mansion in some other parts of PA. We paid tax dollars for this loser??

If I read one more comment about teachers only working 9 months a year and asking for more pay, I will SCREAM! The teachers' union has had their wages frozen and offer to continue to do so AND are willing to pay more for their health benefits. Yet they, too, have to pay the increased cost of living and have families to support. I no longer have children in the school, yet my children are successful BECAUSE of the education they received in TE. Let's face it, you get what you pay for! Please get the facts straight.

I agree that taxes should NOT be raised. I grew up in Montgomery County, MD, which also has an outstanding school system (my sister's kids are there now). Bethesda, MD (where she lives) is also one of the wealthiest areas in the countries, and our taxes are much higher than theirs. When I tell friends from around the country how much we pay in taxes, they practically fall over backwards. I believe 100% that teachers should be compensated well, as they provide huge value, but T/E teachers are already paid very well! My real issue is with the insane retirement benefits...one friend told me retired T/E teachers get 100% of their salaries for the rest of their lives?! Seriously? In this day and age, that kind of thing is unheard of in the "real" world. It's far too much of a drain on the budget....THAT needs to be changed if this budget crisis is ever going to be resolved.

There is a direct correlation between property values and schools. The better the school system, the higher the property values. A sure way to cause house values to go underwater quickly and to disable people from refinancing or moving is to underfund a school system. The T/E District is not just the finest in the Commonwealth academically, it is also the finest in sports, music, drama and art. Virtually every major college recruits and accepts students from T/E because of the District's profile. Our three kids all went through Conestoga, which is by far the finest High School in the area. It surpasses all of the private schools around and virtually leads the state in SAT scores, college placements, athletic championships and all around success. Granted, Great Valley, Radnor, Lower Merion and Newtown are also fine but property taxes in Radnor and Lower Merion are far higher than in T/E, and the school performance and property values of GV and Newtown do not come anywhere close to T/E. I do not want to risk a massive decline in my property value because some are so short-sighted that they will vote against their own financial interests because they think (incorrectly) that teachers have an easy job, are underpaid or otherwise exert undue leverage. In fact, our teachers and counselors are materially responsible for our wealth and the success of our kids, which is our real wealth, in my opinion. I would gladly pay more, and will contribute on-line, as have others.

This is an important discussion. Readers can get more background over at Pattye Benson's Community Matters blog, (where the comment length is not limited!). This post will be in two parts.

Here's some context that may be helpful.
- The wage compensation of the average teacher in TE for the 4 year contract just ended increased by 30%
- Career teachers can retire from TE with a pension equivalent to an annuity worth well over $1 million
- In the last contract, teachers paid less than $1,000 for a family healthcare plan that costs the District $18,000

It seems that the District and the TEEA do agree that the compensation plan is out of line with that of the taxpayers that pay that compensation and that changes are necessary. The dispute is over the degree of correction needed.

(on to part 2.....)

(part 2 ....)

Fortunately PA regulations help to structure the options.
1. The District can increase property taxes to fund the increases in the cost of the PSERS retirement plan. This increase is projected at 1 - 2% a year for the next few years, and may increase beyond that if the plan continues to be underfunded.
2. By law, property taxes can increase only at an index of the rate of inflation, currently also in the 1 - 2 % range. Employee compensation is the majority of District expense, so this caps the money available for wages, healthcare, tuition reimbursement, sick days, personal days, EDRs, dental care, vision care, and so on. An exception to this would be if the District cut jobs by reducing programs. This happened to pay for some of the last contract - teacher numbers are down about 10% for similar enrollment. Further cuts seem likely to affect the quality of the educational program. Other ideas to save costs include the elimination of transportation, also problematic.
3. The final option to pay for increased compensation is to ask voters in a referendum to either increase property taxes above the index, or to institute an EIT. It is this solution that the Fact Finder appears to be recommending, although without any assurance that such an increase would be approved.

In closing, there is no evidence linking student performance to teacher compensation; parental education level is the key driver.

Responding to Renter, the facts are that the average T-E salary is below $80K. To get to that yearly salary, teachers - with a Masters degree - need to teach in the system for 13+ years. Starting salaries are in the $40s. And to exceed $100k, you need to teach for sixteen+ years and have a PhD, that's not "a good number of teachers".
Teachers don't leave partially because their salary is tied to years of service.
I am a business owner, and I know teachers, in neighboring districts (with advanced degrees) who would make more, with better hours and less stress, if they worked for me. But they choose teach because it's their calling.
To compare salaries with national averages ignores cost of living, let alone quality of education. Average salaries here are high because teachers stay for years, that's a good thing for us and our schools. Starting salaries in our district are very average compared to most of the Phila. suburbs.
The teachers are not the bad guys here (nor is the administration or the board). Teachers are accepting of wage freezes, but resist layoffs and long-term wage cuts. If there's a villan, it's the State's pension mandate, and a government that has cut state aid to pay for the pension mandate. And, legislators like our own that voted for the budget cuts.

It is pretty clear that quality of schools drives property values for all residents, not just those with school age children. It is also clear that the school district has had to make some serious cuts over the past few years. There are fewer teachers and some programs have been cut. That must have been tough for all concerned. T/E is not the only school district facing these challenges. So, our cuts may be more or less than other districts. In the end, I support the board and if they decide to raise taxes, I am OK with that. A friend of mine with a similar house in the Media/Swarthmore area pays double the real estate taxes that I do. My only request would be that the kids get to spend more time on Physical Education - it has been cut too much and must be negatively impacting their academics.

Lets faces some facts here. The majority of our teacher are dedicated and work hard no doubt. They are paid well for the positions they hold. as am I in the public sector. I live in T/E and my children attend T/E Schools. My taxes were raised last year 3.4%.. but my salary increase was not that much. My health care increased but I was not compensated just because. Teachers should be paid for performance, not just expect an annual increase or an increase because they received a higher degree. and a 3% increase may be the top of the scale. What is an automac bonsu? A bonus is extra based on what you do not just because. What company in this economy pays 95% of an employees health care? What parent gets a year unpaid leave from their position with a guaranteed return to position. 12 weeks is the FLMA guideline..Its time for the teacher union and the township to face some hard facts and instead of raising taxes. They need to look at all aspects of where the money is being spent ( we raised taxes and still removed the language programs out of the elementary schools and the music program is being looked at next) Look at all of the township positions and start figuring where to balace the budget, not lay off people but make adjustment and quit thinking everyone needs an increase. The rest of us are hardworking residents and many of us can not continue to support the township in the way they have been acustomed to.

People love to argue whether teachers are overpaid or not. The point seems moot. The revenue side of the district's budget is limited by law. Therefore, if the union demands that teachers get paid more the only realistic way of accomplishing that is to cut programs and staff. The size of the pie is basically fixed. Unless the pension cancer can be altered, as it has been in California in a few instances by referendum, there is little to argue about. For a fact finder to say that people should pay more because the township is affluent is ridiculous. That was a waste of whatever money it cost.

Its funny how you all talk about money but forget who will suffer. The kids will suffer if they can't fix this soon. I'm a bus driver and the things I hear about the teachers is great. They take the time to get to know the kids and how they learn to better teach them the way that's going to have most impact. Most of the teachers work more then a 12hr day for their students and not themselves. Most teachers don't have the big houses why cuz they can't afford them. They can't even collect unemployment in the summer or on breaks. They miss out on the pay and benefits. Don't judge them for staying up late and redoing their lesson plans cuz a few kids didn't get the lesson the first time.

The starting salary in TESD is $50,250 for a new college graduate with only student teaching experience. The union doesn't represent them until they are hired.
For 2012, the average salary on a staff of 440 is $ 83,208. 135 teachers were on the top step. If the schedule was frozen and the employees got their step raises, the increase would be 2.3% (that's with the 135 getting no raise). (Retirements not figured in). The PSERS contribution goes from 8.65 in 2012 to 12.36 for 2013. Let's not ignore that the budget issue for TESD exists despite a 3.4% scheduled tax increase for this school year.
The kids will suffer if that's the goal. Teachers will "work to the contract" which means they will work for 7 :35 and call it done. But that's all they will contract for anyway. If we asked them to contract to work 8 hours, they would want more money. Professionals paid hourly.
It is nonsense to suggest that our district does as well as it does only due to our teachers. It's a whole system. Teachers retire and new teachers come. The kids come through in 13 years. It's a social contract to pay taxes, and a negotiated contract to work here. What we need to recognize is not what teachers are paid, but what they cost. Their salary plus 6.2% for FICA, 12.36% for PSERS, and $20,000 for health care. Personal days, 12 sick days, extensive time off (paid) for union business. And yet, all they bargain about is on base salary and a few more dollars towards their premiums.

I am commenting as a senior citizen. There are a lot of us in TE and most of us are not among the "wealthy". The continuation of increased taxes while our incomes do not is of great concern. Like many of our friends, we are considering moving out of the state all together because of all the local, country and state taxes that increase year after year. You can take all the statistics you want but the bottom line is that unions want more and more and give up less and less. I wonder how many of the teachers live in TE. I say, NO to any increase. Maybe we should offer less "fun elective" courses like photography, video making, guitar, dance and on and on. These all cost money. When I went to high school, back in the dark ages, we didn't have electives and we all got great educations.

This "fact finder" has no credibility - calling the district "wealthy" is unprofessional and wrong. There are some people who are quite comfortable but there are many who work hard and get by. He is obviously biased and it is disgraceful. In addition, there are many teachers who work hard and do a great job in T/E. That being said, with their salaries and benefits, are they really going to leave? I doubt it. If they want to go, godspeed but good luck finding a similar gig in this economy.