The following is a detailed analysis of the current Walled Lake Consolidated Schools teacher contract. Walled Lake employs 990 teachers and enrolls 15,300 students. Of its $167 million operating budget, 87 percent is devoted to employee compensation.
Salary Schedule
- Salaries are determined strictly by "steps," which use a matrix of years experience and graduate credit hours and degrees.
- There of 25 "steps" on the schedule, so teachers get automatic pay raises (2-3 percent) for their first 25 years in the district.
- 89 percent of teachers have graduate degrees and 80 percent have more than 5 years experience, meaning the vast majority of teachers' base salary is between $50,405 and $81,361.
- The Michigan Department of Education reported the average teacher salary in Walled Lake in 2007-08 was $74,105.
- In addition to step increases, the entire salary schedule increases by 1 percent each year.
Pension and Retirement Benefits
- Every teacher participates in the state-run Michigan Public School Employee Retirement System, a defined-benefit lifetime pension system
- Pension calculation: highest 3-year average compensation X 1.5 percent X years of service
- Retirement eligibility: 30 years of service at age 46 or 15 years of service at age 55
- Teacher contribution: 5.4 percent of salary
- After 55, subsidized medical, dental and vision insurance for life (employees never contribute more than 18 percent of premiums)
- Annual pension based on average salary of $74,105 and 30 years of service: $33,347.25
Fringe Benefits
- District pays complete cost of health insurance premium (approximately $14,500 annually)
- Two health insurance options:
- Plan A - MESSA Choices II with $100/$200 deductible and $10/$20 RX card, $40,000 life insurance, long-term disability, dental, vision.
- Plan B - $1,200 cash payment, life, long-term disability, dental, vision.
- Severance pay: $250 per year of experience (maximum of $7,500)
- Substitution teacher pay for 50 percent of their accumulated sick/leave days upon retirement, resignation or termination
Bonus Pay for Additional Duties or Certification
- Certification with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: $2,000
- Department chairpersons: $1,539-$6,928 (varies by size of department and experience)
- Curriculum coordinators : $4,617-$6,928, (varies by experience)
- NCA chairs get stipend of $3,600 or $1,800 (depending on their building)
- Other wage rates for additional duties:
- $27.40/hr for Saturday tests
- $28.20/hr for summer school
- $0.47 per minute for temporary substitution
- Class of more than 30 students: 1/6-1/5 of salary
- Elementary after school special education classes: 5-20 percent of salary (varies by class size)
Work Schedule
- Required number of work days: 179
- Daily schedule: Begins 5 minutes before the first class and ends 5 minutes after the last class
- Maximum of 7.5 hours per day at school (1,342 hours per year)
- A 30 minute uninterrupted lunch period
- Compensation day for every evening parent-teacher conference
- Substitute teacher pay:
- Working on "compensation days"
- Training during the summer
Leave Time
- 11 days at beginning of school year
- 2 for personal use
- 3 days for bereavement
- 2 days for non-Christian religious holidays
- Unlimited accumulation of leave days
- 2 years of leave time for joining military, Peace Corps, Job Corps or America Corps
- 2 years of unpaid leave for childcare (seniority and tenure remain intake)
- 2 years of personal illness/disability beyond sick days (unpaid)
- 1 year for tenured teachers to attend school
- All persons on leave can stay on district's health insurance plan
- 12 weeks for birth of child, adoption, or family illness. Health insurance paid by district
- Year-long sabbatical leave for tenured teachers at half salary and full benefits
- 7 days for union business (union pays for substitutes)
Compensation for Union President
- Union president is released from classroom teaching without loss of pay or fringe benefits
- Additional stipend: $4,617-$6,928 (union pays half)
- 10 per diems during summer
Extra Curricular Activities Compensation
- Coaching (based on years of experience)
- Head football, basketball, volleyball and wrestling coach: $4,617-$6,928 (assistants: $3,078-$4,619)
- Head ice hockey, track, baseball, gymnastics, swimming, softball and soccer coach: $4,233-$6,351 (assistants: $2,693-$4,042)
- Head pom pom, cheerleading, golf, tennis, skiing and cross country coach: $3,078-$4,619 (assistants: $2,309-$3,464)
- Middle school coaches: $1,924-$4,042
- Music and Fine Arts (based on years of experience)
- Band, orchestra, chorus and marching band: $1,924-$2,887
- Assistant high school marching band and pep band: $770-$1,732
- High school drama/musical producer: $7,696-$11,548 (may be split between teachers)
- Middle school play director: $1,539-$2,309
- Miscellaneous
- High school forensics: $3,848-$5,774 (assistants: $2,309-3,464)
- Senior class sponsor: $2,693-$4,042
- Junior, sophomore, freshman class sponsors: $770-$1,155
- Camping program: $770-$1,732 (four nights; prorated based on length of trip)
- Supervisor of Reproductive Health Education: $770-$1,155
- Yearbook: $1,924-$2,887
- Student newspaper: $1,154-$1,732
- National Honor Society: $3,078-$4,619
- Elementary safety patrol: $385-$577
- $28.72/hr for drivers education
- $27.40/hr for After School Cable Television Production Manager
- Intramural coaches/sponsors receive $18/hr
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.