Question about GTA
The question I have is who is paying Michelle Nelson, the Gilroy
Teachers Association president, and how much? Is she a teacher who
is simply doing the job of president or is she standing on the
backs of teachers to get a high-paying salary? I’d appreciate an
answer. 10-4 bye, bye.
Question about GTA
The question I have is who is paying Michelle Nelson, the Gilroy Teachers Association president, and how much? Is she a teacher who is simply doing the job of president or is she standing on the backs of teachers to get a high-paying salary? I’d appreciate an answer. 10-4 bye, bye.
Red Phone: Michelle Nelson taught for 26 years and is at the top of the district’s salary schedule, earning $74,889 annually. Any educator with 25-plus years experience and 75 or more units under his or her belt, earns the same salary. Nelson, who previously taught at Brownell Middle School, is on full-time release, under a provision referred to as “teacher on special assignment.”
The first year of her six-year tenure as board president, Nelson attempted to teach part-time but said the union workload was too much to carry concurrently. Nelson doesn’t receive any special stipend for volunteering as union president. But members of the negotiating team, which includes Nelson, received a $800 stipend last year and are set to receive up to $860 this year.
In the past, Nelson received reimbursements for gas and cell phone expenses incurred while on the job but this year decided to pay those out of her own pocket to save the district cash.
“I’m not making money off of this,” Nelson said, pointing out that she works long hours, including the summer.
Garlic festival inquiry
After last year’s Garlic Festival, someone questioned how the volunteers are paid. There were about a dozen groups that earned less than $100 and the person said it was the festival’s little secret that these groups were working to take advantage of the festival by using their volunteer status to get into the festival. With this year’s festival coming soon, can you tell me whether these groups are using the festival to get free tickets? Thanks Red Phone.
Red Phone: OK, here’s what we told readers last year. The question assumes that some groups dole out free tickets to volunteers who then do little work in return. But last year’s president, Monica Pirozzoli said “there is a system of checks and balances.”
She said individuals who promise to work a four-hour shift receive one free ticket to the festival.
“If you don’t show up for a shift, you either have to return the ticket or some organizations ask you to pay for the ticket,” she said.
Meanwhile, some groups on the list receive small dollar amounts, because the Garlic Festival allows volunteers to split their hourly “wages” among any nonprofit groups of their choosing. While some direct their hours to a single group, others spread the donations across a larger number of recipients.
“That’s why some organizations only have a few hours,” Pirozzoli said.
Readers:
Do you have a comment, complaint or compliment about an issue that affects Gilroy and its residents? Perhaps you’d like to suggest a turn signal at a troubled intersection? Just let the Red Phone know. Contact the Red Phone at 842-9070 or e-mail
re******@gi************.com
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