Whitnall District Not Experiencing Absentee Issues Either

The Whitnall School District, much like the Greenfield School District, has not seen a major increase in absentee teachers protesting Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill, according to school board president Bill Osterndorf.

Osterndorf said teachers were in their classrooms today, unlike in other areas of the state  because of the number of teachers who called in sick.

But that doesn’t mean district teachers aren’t upset with the bill.

“Our teachers are frustrated and they are disappointed and concerned,” Osterndorf said. “But we’ve been pleased that our teachers are getting to class, involved in instruction and doing things they need to do. People are doing their jobs. We’re excited and appreciative about that. … We’re proud of the fact that we have a district full of people who want to serve the kids. People are aware of what the priority is.”

Osterndorf said teachers are frustrated with a number of aspects of the bill, which includes wage freezes public employees, requiring state employees to contribute 5.8 percent toward their pension and 12 percent toward their health care benefits and eliminating most collective bargaining rights for public employee unions.

He said he was not sure, however, if teachers were feeling singled out since law enforcement and fire personnel and state troopers are exempt from the bill.

“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” he said “There’s (going to be) a significant impact on livelihoods. I don’t know what the final bill is from the state, but the expectation is that there will be significant changes in both benefits and pensions. It has a dramatic effect both on their current financial status and their retirement.”

Osterndorf added that teachers he spoke with are concerned about being stripped of their ability to bargain.

Just as Greenfield Superintendent Conrad Farner , Osterndorf said it was difficult, if not impossible to predict how the bill would impact the district.

“The bill ties to a number of things the state may end up doing,” Osterndorf said “It certainly changes the nature of the bargaining practices with the unions we have. It certainly is a fundamental change to the environment. … But because there are many pieces that interact in different ways, sometimes in unexpected ways, the full ramifications aren’t really clear.”