A financial mess in California

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Fact #1: Collectively, Sacramento County school districts have a staggering $1 billion in unfunded retiree health benefits. Just one county.

Fact #2: Sacramento City Unified teachers get full health coverage from Kaiser or Health Net for themselves and their families, contributing none of the $1,600 to $1,800 monthly premiums for family coverage. Teachers there also get fully paid dental coverage (75 percent paid for dependents) and a fully paid life insurance policy (75 percent for dependents).

Fact #3: Elk Grove employees receive full family health coverage with a $20 co-pay for office visits. Like Sacramento City employees, there is no annual or lifetime cap on benefit payouts.

Fact #4: Elk Grove Unified, the County Office of Education and Sacramento City Unified offer lifetime health benefits for retired employees with at least [only] a decade of service. Most other local districts offer health benefits only until retirees turn 65.

Conclusion #1: It's ridiculous that taxpayers are paying for full health benefits for employees and their families. 50/50 or 60/40 might be reasonable.

Conclusion #2: It's ridiculous that taxpayers are paying for the health insurance of people who are retired and under 65. If you are under 65, GET A JOB AND PAY FOR IT YOURSELF.

Conclusion #3: It's ridiculous that taxpayers are paying for the health insurance of retirees after only ten years of service. Taxpayers could be on the hook for 40 years of payments in return for only 10 years of service. Ridiculous.

Conclusion #4: If you are at the gov't trough, you're part of the problem! Too many able-bodied folks are living off other people's money. You know what Margaret Thatcher once said about the problem with socialism...

Conclusion #5: The real American heroes are those who create wealth. But some of you need to quit sucking off the taxpayers' tits with all the gov't checks and benefits you're getting.

Conclusion #6: Quit thinking of ways to make things more difficult for private business.





http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/02/2720659/sacramento-elk-grove-school-workers.html#ixzz0nrg3htlL

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/11/2741385/school-districts-lack-1-billion.html?storylink=lingospot_related_articles

[Leroy Lizard]

Teachers counter that their supervisors receive generous benefits, too. And, they note, teacher salaries in the Sacramento region lag behind the state average.

For instance, teachers in Sacramento City Unified earned, on average, about $60,500 last year, almost exactly their average salary in 2004 after adjusting for inflation.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/02/2720659/sacramento-elk-grove-school-workers.html#ixzz0nsPv4WtS


After adjusting for inflation, shouldn't the salaries be about the same?

[Harry Beanbag]

You forgot to mention the $10 Billion per year tab rung up at the expense of illegal aliens.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

You forgot to mention the $10 Billion per year tab rung up at the expense of illegal aliens.

Gee how predictable are you, Harry?

But the fact is, this problem isn't about illegal alien population explosion. The California student population entering schools has been less than it was during the 1990s and has stayed relatively level for several years, so that the overall enrollment peaked about 6 years ago. Many school districts are battling declining enrollments and even closing some schools. The birthrate has been falling, slightly, for some time.


http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/DQ/EnrTimeRptSt.aspx?Level=State&cChoice=TSEnr1&cYear=1994-95&cLevel=State&cTopic=Enrollment&myTimeFrame=S&ChartDirectorChartImage=chart_WebChartViewer&cacheId=f1df521427ec46299a2cca0b1bd6949e&cacheDefeat=634093897110265000

[GottaHavePride]

After adjusting for inflation, shouldn't the salaries be about the same?


Only if you think people should never, ever get a raise no matter how long they've worked for that school district. If a school district is doing things right, they should be retaining most of their teachers over a six-year period.


EDIT: on the other side of the coin, why do people now seem to think they're entitled to retire at a certain age? And why is it your employer's responsibility to provide retirement funds for you? If a person wants to be able to retire at some point, maybe they should take responsibility for that and save or invest money so it will be there when they want it.

[Harry Beanbag]

Gee how predictable are you, Harry?

But the fact is, this problem isn't about illegal alien population explosion. The California student population entering schools has been less than it was during the 1990s and has stayed relatively level for several years, so that the overall enrollment peaked about 6 years ago. Many school districts are battling declining enrollments and even closing some schools. The birthrate has been falling, slightly, for some time.


http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/DQ/EnrTimeRptSt.aspx?Level=State&cChoice=TSEnr1&cYear=1994-95&cLevel=State&cTopic=Enrollment&myTimeFrame=S&ChartDirectorChartImage=chart_WebChartViewer&cacheId=f1df521427ec46299a2cca0b1bd6949e&cacheDefeat=634093897110265000


Predictable? <shrug> I thought we were talking about a financial mess in California. $10 Billion in unfunded liabilities is a financial mess, no?

As far as the rest of your post about school enrollment, I'm not sure what it has to do with me.

I did think that the conclusions in your OP were ironic and humorous considering your wide stance on open borders and the more illegals the merrier. :)

[Crucifax Autumn]

They should just have the illegals teach for minimum wage and no benefits.

[delhalew]

This is a serious problem. A widespread problem as well. At some point the rug will have to be pulled out from under these people, as the gravy train is over.

[Crucifax Autumn]

But I LOVE gravy!!!!!

[StoopTroup]

Who gives two poops about California?

[Crucifax Autumn]

Is is 2 poop gravy?

[StoopTroup]

Not sure but I think he's an attendant in one of the River Spirit Bathrooms.

[OklahomaTuba]

In the end, there will only be chaos.

Only way around this mess is to torpedo the dollar and hope for hyperinflation.

Might be a good time to start buying some gold???

[Leroy Lizard]

Only if you think people should never, ever get a raise no matter how long they've worked for that school district. If a school district is doing things right, they should be retaining most of their teachers over a six-year period.

If you take a snapshot of the district now and six years ago, the teaching experience and education levels of the teachers should be about the same. Teachers retire and they are replaced by new ones, and this should be a continual process. If you retain your staff, all you are doing is stockpiling experienced teachers in preparation for a wholesale loss of staff in the future.

In other words, your model works only if teachers never retire, or if all of the teaches in the district were hired at the beginning of the six-year window.

Again, if you look at what teachers get paid now versus what they got paid say 20 years ago and adjust for inflation, the numbers should come out about the same. That's how inflation works.

[Crucifax Autumn]

And there I thought it had something to do with balloons and rubber rafts.

[47straight]

SanJoaquin, I'm going to have to go ahead and speak up on behalf of LosAngelesSooner and tell you that you have no idea what California is really like, and it just makes you look like a dumb redneck to talk badly about anything in that great state.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

SanJoaquin, I'm going to have to go ahead and speak up on behalf of LosAngelesSooner and tell you that you have no idea what California is really like, and it just makes you look like a dumb redneck to talk badly about anything in that great state.


I love California. It is a great state. I've lived here 25 years.

But let me tell you, right after I graduated from OU I got a teaching job in Oklahoma for an annual salary of $7665.

Spread over 12 months, that's a gross pay of $638.75/month.

They took $80/month out of each paycheck for health insurance for my wife and me. That's about 12.5% of my gross pay.

Today, I no longer get paid as a public servant, but I have $270/month taken out of my pay for my family's health insurance HMO.

As I posted in another thread, California's biggest budget headache is battling public employee unions over benefits. The sweetheart deals they have are unsustainable.

Check out today's story. Arnold has an uphill fight with the unions.


Schwarzenegger budget would eliminate welfare

By Kevin Yamamura and Susan Ferriss

Published: Friday, May. 14, 2010 - 1:06 pm



Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked lawmakers Friday to eliminate the state's welfare program starting in October and dramatically scale back in-home care for the elderly and disabled as part of his May budget revision to close a $19.1 billion deficit.

The Republican governor also proposed cuts to state worker compensation. Besides asking for a 5 percent pay cut, 5 percent payroll cap and 5 percent increased pension contribution, Schwarzenegger has proposed cutting one day per month of pay in exchange for leave credit.

The proposal would affect all state workers under the governor's authority, regardless of whether they are general fund or special fund employees. Employees would not be able to cash out any of this unused leave credit when they leave state service

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/14/2751461/schwarzenegger-budget-would-eliminate.html#ixzz0nxXLMAlA

[olevetonahill]

jaun , I might listen to yer side if and when you admit that the Illegals are a part of the problem

[delhalew]

Ahnold is a girly man. If he were not out of options, he would never be making these hard decisions. We are long pst time to talk about cuts. It's time to **** or get off the pot.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

jaun , I might listen to yer side if and when you admit that the Illegals are a part of the problem

Vet,

With a $1.5 trillion deficit this year on top of a $1.4 trillion deficit last year, I'd say most anyone who whiped his a$$ in a public restroom is part of the problem. Quit expecting gov't to provide you toilet paper on top of everything else.

Look, of the 10.8 million who are illegally present, I'm sure there are those who scam or deal drugs or rob banks. Deport them or execute them, I don't care.

I don't expect Arnold to win the fight, but fine with me if he ends all welfare and lets the religious and humanist organizations take care of the less fortunate and those who ate too many oreos to get off of the couch to look for work.

I am not FOR illegal immigration, I am FOR a free market of labor. A legal free market of labor. We had 25 years of economically good times in California and migrants (legal and illegal) were part of the engine. But all the better if it's legal. Biometric worker visas make sense to me.

We'll eventually turn the corner and work our way into good times again - but it's not going to be led by big companies hiring U.S. citizens to fat salaries with fat benefits/pensions. It can be led by regular folks who start small businesses, many who may need a supply of inexpensive labor.

It should be as easy to start your own business and staff it as it is to work for someone else.


In any case, don't forget ....

Conclusion #6: Quit thinking of ways to make things more difficult for private business.

[olevetonahill]

That shat aint gonna happen jaun

Back in the late 70s early 80s
I was building Homes In Elk City and selling em fer around 40 to 50 bucks a foot including Lot, Realtor fees and construction Interest .
The same house In Cal would have sold for 200 bucks a foot

Thot about trying to build some out there . Forget it
Way to much Gov. even back then


Now Did I hear ya say That Illegals a large part of the Cal Financial prob ?

[delhalew]

That shat aint gonna happen jaun

Back in the late 70s early 80s
I was building Homes In Elk City and selling em fer around 40 to 50 bucks a foot including Lot, Realtor fees and construction Interest .
The same house In Cal would have sold for 200 bucks a foot

Thot about trying to build some out there . Forget it
Way to much Gov. even back then


Now Did I hear ya say That Illegals a large part of the Cal Financial prob ?

I share that frustration vet, but this HAS TO HAPPEN. Not just in Cali. We have to demand it...daily. Christie is having success in Jersey. If he can do it there...it can be done anywhere.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Conclusion #6 is fine with me. It's CA and their silly laws that drive so much business to Nevada. We'll take it right now and be happy about it!