TPS’ troubles not made by union

4/13/2013

At a meeting of the Toledo Board of Education, a self-appointed Toledo Public Schools watchdog suggested the district’s performance audit should focus on wages and benefits paid to its employees (“TPS audit IDs $100M in savings," April 4).

TPS employees agreed to a 3.5 percent reduction in pay in 2011, in addition to a 1 percent giveback the previous year. I compared the hourly rate of pay in the current contract with that paid in 1996.

Back then, a school bus driver with 5 years of experience was paid $15.44 per hour. The current hourly rate is $16.85. That is an increase of $1.41 an hour over 17 years.

Include the $2,362 a year TPS employees pay for family health-care coverage, and it is apparent that employees have made huge financial sacrifices.

The problems that face TPS are caused by severe reductions in state aid, declining property values, and the continued loss of students to charter schools, not by overpaid employees.

DAVID BLYTH

Staff Representative American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Ohio Council 8

South Reynolds Road