bucky12345: This is Walker's "divide and conquer"
strategy at work.

You want to play hardball. Now it's all of our representative's turn. Remove their cadillac health insurance thye get for life for them and their families and reduce their pension plans and paid wages they get after their terms are done.

The hate for teachers here is unbelievable if you can read thank a teacher. I have never understood the assault on educators simply because they are union members, until Walkers war on them I had only seen a few examples of teachers needing to be fired. I found most to be hard working and professional. What other profession would we let politicians denigrate as if it was prostitution. If I have to chose who to believe between this jerk and the teachers it's as they say a NO brainer. Teachers beat lying politicians on either side of the aisle every time. Wake up and SEE the lies.

At least I'll pay for that myself instead of trying to get others to do so for me.

Fedup, did you ever serve and were you ever exposed to agent orange? You are more pathetic than I could have ever imagined by reading your stupid comments over the course of the last many months. You disgust me and your idiot friends should be disgusted by you, but apparently they have no respect for those who have served. Even RAF should step up in this case, but it appears he remains silent. Bebe, 916, etc., where are you?

No Motorman, I'm staying. From the most recent polls and elections it looks as if most folks in Wisconsin agree with me. Things aren't fixed in WI by any means but we are headed in the right direction. Perhaps it is you who should look for the door if you don't like our progress? And remember...Forward Wisconsin!

The State should get out of the education business. It's a losing effort for public education compared to the results of charter and private schools. If a teacher is unhappy with the current situation in Wisconsin there are 49 other States to choose from. Change happens to us all in the private sector; at least a teacher can relocate and find work fairly quickly. Good Luck to all in this downward spiral of an economy we call the 21st century.

I'm wondering how many griping here are retired union employees who were granted lifetime health benefits. That is the private-industry model that bred these plans for the public schools, you know. Yes - it is a pretty sweet deal, and I am guessing that they had to give up a lot of other things in negotiations to get this deal. Now they lose it and get nothing in return. Sounds "fair" to me......

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So the quality of education shall begin its decline in Wisconsin. Sadly, this is exactly what the wealthy corporate sponsors of Walker want. Once the good teachers leave, then they can point a finger and say the schools are failing, opening the door to corporately sponsored, for profit, private schools paid for by your tax dollars. Just another way for corporate america to dig into our pockets.

Buzz,I think the 20k number may be a bit low (but not completely unreasonable) if you take into account that many older teachers have master's degree's and credits beyond a masters. It would be interesting to see the salary schedules of a few area districts comparing the top of the scale to the bottom.
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Many districts only offer a couple of years of paid insurance to retirees, some a set dollar amount that, when it's used up is gone. I don't know of any district that can afford to pay health insurance until the retiree is 65 and/or on medicare.

When a teacher retires they are replaced with a cheaper new hire (if replaced at all), thus saving a district roughly $20,000/year (The difference between a teacher with 25+ year experience and one with 0 years experience). The main reason teachers retire before the age of 65 is due to the health coverage that is provided to them by districts. Without this benefit teachers will not be able to retire until 65, thus costing the district more had the teacher retired earlier, like at 58.

It's called divide and conquer and it seems to be working. Are we all fighting to get to the bottom?

Koch-Bros: Just food for thought: What is the percentage of Walmart employees that are considered full-time, so they can receive any benefits?

It's a great idea to pay employees over $100k in health retirement benefits after working as little as 10 years, all out of school instructional funds.

Gee, you have to wonder how school districts got so smart while businesses that have to support themselves with no government help are so stupid as to not offer such money-saving benefits. What are the odds of EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS in Wisconsin being simultaneoulsly so dumb as to not offer such benefits and the school districts all being so smart?

It is a wonder the boards of Wisconsin businesses don't raid school boards for their financial management talent.

LandO Brave -- theres your 1st problem -- NONE of us is any more important than the other. If the garbage isnt picked up -- disease can spread and we can die. If our cars dont run, we dont get to work. If the sidewalks dont get shoveled you can fall and split your head open (which is exactly what I think you have done).

Koch_Bros you are so funny. I am not sure if you are the bestest or if its Mr Mouse. Yur both goud.

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."

@ Fedup-- Are you serious? I don't think teachers are filling our children's heads with "Liberal garbage". Politics and Religion have no business in the classroom! However, I think some of the extreme right confuse compassion, sympathy, and empathy, for "Liberalism". Yes, the teachers are the MOST important!

I'm 35, when I went to school (age 5 to 17) I spent 40 hrs or more a week w/teachers compared to around half that w/my own parents...and even less as I got older. That was the norm for my peers too, since both parents had to work. Teachers are responsible for much more than any of us give them credit for.

If you open the ENTIRE WI BUDGET and thoroughly look it over, I'm confident even the "Rightest of the Right" will discover that there are HUNDREDS of areas to save us taxpayers more $ without ever even touching EDUCATION or HEALTHCARE!

worriedcitizen; I'm glad you see the need to have the wealthy pay more taxes.
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fedup, as you prattle on about working to the "legal retirement age", don't forget that it was your friend Tommy Thompson who instituted the early retirement program to save schools money. When the highest paid teachers retire and are replaced by younger teachers earning less money, schools save money, even if they kick them some health insurance moneys as a retirement bonus.
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It seems like a good plan actually. You get the burned out teachers who are hanging on for retirement out of the system 10-12 years earlier, those master teachers who love teaching can keep doing it until 65 or 67 or as long as they want and the school districts save money.
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I personally know a teacher who taught until he was 75 and then retired after his 50th year teaching (to make a nice round number) and know another teacher who is still going at 85.

The not-for-profit health insurance company run by teachers was costing the school district an extra $600,000 per year, all at the expense of the kids. Walker passed a law allowing districts to get health insurance from for-profit companies, encouraging competition in spite of Democratic opposition.

That saved $600,000 JUST FOR DELAVAN, and Walker and for-profit health insurance companies are the bad guys.

Got it.

I would say anyone who thinks college degree holders should have a higher salary and better benefits than unskilled labor is actually much more pro-education than someone only championing those aspects for one particular college educated group. That is why I encourage all people that want to increase their income to go out and become educated and develop skills.

How rational is it to say someone is anti-education when they think that free benefits for life are a bit overboard these days?

worriedcitizen........Are you serious? RATIONAL THOUGHT IS NOT ALLOWED IN HERE! If you are against having your taxes raised to continue to cover the pensions and HC premiums of the public employees, you are a hater........It's that simple--End of story........

None of you "haters" does anything half as important compared to teacher. I don't care if you are a nurse, judge, firefighter, cop, politician, or whatever. Being a teacher trumps them ALL!!!! The education of our children(future generations) is of the utmost importance! Therefore Teachers should be compensated to reflect that! Mr. Scott Walker himself makes over twice what the highest paid public teacher in WI makes and has health benefits guaranteed for life, but I hear nothing of him and ALL the other overpaid lawmakers taking a pay cut OR contributing to their own health benefits. WHY??? Are they more important than teachers? I think NOT!!! None of us would be anything without teachers, and that is the bottom line!

I don't hate teachers. I hate what has happened to the economy but everyone has to be treated equally. Just because I didn't choose to be a teacher doesn't mean that I have to shoulder more of the costs for education than the next guy. Everyone needs to pay their fair share in taxes and live with the changes that needed to take place to help everyone, not just one segment of the economy. The money is just not there anymore for us to pull extra weight.

This is another good reason teachers are bailing out of Delavan faster that the greyhounds used to run. Thanks Walker-your city of Delavan is so proud. Good teachers do not want to stay- they are under staffed. If you don't believe it go and visit for a day. See the way these children act. It is scary and yet the teachers need to try to teach while worrying about their job security. My son did student teaching there...he said no way would he even consider teaching in Wisconsin. Teachers are treated horrible by the students and parents. Maybe they should consider turning one of those schools into a juvenile detention center as that is where most of those children will end up.
I encourage everyone to go see what the teachers have to go through daily with over sized classrooms before they make remarks.

I love these far left -- knee jerkers. If you listen -- which most far lefters are incapable of doing... people are only asking for equality in benefits. So if the teachers are getting significantly sweeter deals, the economy is bad, then they need to belly up to the bar and contribute. There will be some pain. What I see is equal pain for all.

I see reality has hit Delavan, this ought to go over like a brick. Looking forward to certain groups raising a stink about things everyone else has to deal with, life sucks doesn't it?

Funny that you should say that Fedup, because teachers ARE brain surgeons , every day they alter students brains.It's not too late, maybe there is hope for you too. Ever thought of going back for your GED ?

Gee, before the teachers cried that they were suffering, now they are saying to us "don't hate us because of our sweetheart deals!" "you made poor job choices" funny how that happens.

okay No2, whatever you say...so sad.

Hate, the new war on "blank" from the left fringe, and fake posters.

Hey motorman good for you. Why don't you hustle yourself down to the ESC and cut a check for a few hundred or thousand or so dollars and contribute on top of what you already pay in taxes. Seeing as how you are so enthusiastic and all. Probably get your picture on the front page of the Gazette and be a town hero. You know you want to. Or maybe you'd rather just name call on a blog and advocate for others to pay more instead. Pony up.

To citicaleye:
And the teachers made choices as well! LOL, you logic works both ways!

To previous hater (critical), you are a hater also!
You must be or have been a teacher.

To Previous Hater:
Your bad vocational choices.

Boo Hoo!
FREE "four to eight years of health insurance benefits" after they take early retirement? What planet are teachers living on where they think that is reasonable? Only public unions could devise such a plan.
They even get it on top of Medicare when they turn 65!
Don't expect any sympathy from those of us who worked in the real world and always paid part of our premiums, the deductables, and had nothing when we retired or lost our jobs so we had to buy it.

Watch out Delavan teachers!! If they have altered your benefits twice in two months, imagine what they will do to your salaries when they can roll them back to all basement levels soon.

To all teachers, those handbooks being imposed are going to brutal.

Before the righties break out the champagne, keep in mind that that it's very likely that the coverages are worse, deductables are higher, etc. Yes, the district will save money on premiums but the teachers (who have already seen their take home pay reduced by Act 10) will certainly be paying more out of pocket for health care. A double whammy for the employees.
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OK, that's out there. Now let the haters begin their celebration.