The timing is surprising, but the announcement was not. On Wednesday, Governor Sonny Perdue called on the 128,000 teachers in the State of Georgia to take a three day unpaid furlough. With pre-planning starting in a week in some counties, school systems were in a rush to try and figure out what their next move is.
I have written about the furloughs before (Furloughs for Georgia's Educators? and the follow up - Furloughs for Georgia's Educators? - Part II). I was even hopeful that neither the Governor or State Assembly would call for them, but unfortunately, Gov. Perdue has.
What this means for everyone is that your three unpaid days is equivalent to about 1.58% of your pay (3 days/190 days). I have seen that this is supposed to mean about 2% of your pay (according to the AJC), but I can't get the math to work out. In any event, it seems that you will still receive a raise over last year, but it will be very, very small. If you remember, teachers were given a 2.5% cost of living increase, and this will make that increase almost go away. Factor in increased medical insurance, and it probably all goes away.
There are several articles and press releases about the announcement, and I will list some below for everyone to read for themselves. It looks like whatever actions any of the educator organizations are going to take will need to be done as soon as possible, so keep a lookout for any news.
I have written about the furloughs before (Furloughs for Georgia's Educators? and the follow up - Furloughs for Georgia's Educators? - Part II). I was even hopeful that neither the Governor or State Assembly would call for them, but unfortunately, Gov. Perdue has.
What this means for everyone is that your three unpaid days is equivalent to about 1.58% of your pay (3 days/190 days). I have seen that this is supposed to mean about 2% of your pay (according to the AJC), but I can't get the math to work out. In any event, it seems that you will still receive a raise over last year, but it will be very, very small. If you remember, teachers were given a 2.5% cost of living increase, and this will make that increase almost go away. Factor in increased medical insurance, and it probably all goes away.
There are several articles and press releases about the announcement, and I will list some below for everyone to read for themselves. It looks like whatever actions any of the educator organizations are going to take will need to be done as soon as possible, so keep a lookout for any news.
- Teachers groups angry over furloughs - By Alyse Knorr - Atlanta Journal Constitution
- Educators see negative impact on instruction due to call for furloughs - Press Release - Georgia Association of Educators (GAE)
- PAGE Responds to Governor Perdue's Call for Teacher Furloughs - Press Release - Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE)
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