First, it’s great to see the left turn lanes up and working at Riverside-Brookfield High School, and early at that. Let’s just hope the crossing guard does not impede that process. The only problem with restricting parking in front of the school but allowing drop-off and pickup is how long drivers will be waiting.
The second is the weak attempt to balance the budget. It does look like a good attempt to reduce costs by freezing administrators’ pay, but, really, a total savings of $15,000? That’s hardy the amount of a tax bill for a modest home in Riverside. It seems like the joke is on the taxpayers. The raises were not even in the administrators’ contracts.
They all had substantial increases earlier this year. What they should do is return that raise. They cannot in all honesty expect the teachers union to agree with a freeze after the bogus attempt the administrators pulled.
It’s ironic that with all the proposed cuts and layoffs the budget still has a deficit of $600,000. Does it seem strange to anyone else that the deficit amount is real, real close to the amount of projected teachers’ pay increases plus that of support staff?
It is painfully clear that the school board and RBHS administrators do not expect the teachers union to modify the last year of their contract nor to be receptive to expect less in the next contract.
I see no reason for administrators to be eligible for teacher union perks since they are no longer teachers. Anyone making over $114,000 should be able to pay their own portion for healthcare and retirement benefits.
Frank Vlazny
Riverside
