Talking Points

TALKING POINTS about the Proposed 2-year policies. (I know that is a lot of information so please use what you feel comfortable stating.)

Did you know that double dipping for education legislators was eliminated in 2002 by an opinion of the Alabama Ethics Commission?

Is there any need for these policies? Just make sure that the Ethics Commission ruling is followed.

Is it right to punish every two-year employee if only one or two have done something wrong?

Did you know that these policies essentially eliminate flextime for all two-year college employees?

Do you realize that the policies will eliminate the strongest supporters of education in the Legislature?

Who is left to protect the Education Trust Fund from raids, protect the funding of PEEHIP, or protect the integrity of the Teachers' Retirement System?

These policies are flagrantly discriminatory against educators.

Lawyers can work and serve. State employees can work and serve. Doctors can work and serve. Bankers can work and serve. Car dealers and insurance salesmen can serve, but under these policies, educators will be prohibited from serving if they are employed at a two-year college.

Legislators employed or contracting with universities are not prohibited from legislative service.

Since 1819, no occupational class of Alabama citizens has been denied the right to serve as a legislator in the state's part-time legislature.

These polices will deny any and all employees of a two-year college from serving on county commissions, city councils, or public utilities, or even getting reimbursed for mileage or food for going to a district Boy Scout meeting, helping United way, or taking children to a church youth group retreat, if they go more than 10 times in one year. If a two-year college employee helped during a disaster like Katrina and was given food or reimbursed any expenses, they would be in violation of the policy and subject to dismissal.

These policies override the Alabama Constitution that sets the qualifications for serving in the Legislature. It is up to the people of Alabama to determine who serves, not the governor, or the chancellor, or any other executive.

The majority of legislators who are educators will be immediately affected during the next session, yet almost all legislators were employed as educators when they were elected.

The practical elimination of flextime means that legislators will be forced to choose between providing for their families and serving their citizens.

Policy 609-04:

Prohibits any postsecondary employee, including the presidents and support staff, from using annual or personal leave as they wish, although these employees have earned this leave and the law says they can use it as they please.

No two-year college employee can use personal leave or annual leave to make money no matter how small an amount.

The policy says that legislators who are employees must use unpaid days only, and that they are allowed only 10 unpaid days per year.

This policy will supersede all other polices previously adopted without regard to past practices, traditions, or custom, or the directives of the members of the elected members of the State Board of Education.

This policy disregards the recommendations of a statewide policy committee made up of properly elected postsecondary employees.

All authority regarding employment rests with one man, Bradley Bryne, without oversight or accountability to anyone. Flextime is essentially eliminated unless you curry the favor of the chancellor.

Policy 220-01:

Eliminates employees of two-year colleges from serving in the Legislature.

Prohibits legislators, with as little as a 5% interest in a company, from contracting with any college in the two-year system. Does this mean that a car dealer who won the state bid on cars could not sell the same car to a two-year college and remain in the legislature?

Policy 602-01:

Gives the chancellor unfettered power to reverse any appointment or assignment of personnel that has happened or ever will happen at his whim without oversight or accountability to anyone, although state law gives the authority for personnel decisions to the presidents of two-year colleges. This policy is an attempt to override state law.

Even if a 30-year employee of the two-year college system has done a great job, and some fault is found in the past hiring practice, no matter how minor, this policy would allow the chancellor to initiate termination.

Janice J. Charlesworth
Executive Secretary
Alabama Education Retirees Association, Inc.