VALLAS WATCH: Paul Vallas tries to force Bridgeport to pay his medical insurance while he campaigns in Illinois
[Editor's Note: To the surprise of nobody who watched the greedy performance of Paul G. Vallas when he was the so-called "Chief Executive Officer" of Chicago's public schools, Vallas is once again trying to have it both -- or more than "both" -- ways. While he will be spending more and more of his time campaigning in Illinois with soon-to-be-former Governor Pat Quinn, he has been demanding that the people of Bridgeport Connecticut continue paying his family medical insurance. With Vallas and his running mate running against retired teachers (and all future retirees), Vallas once again makes clear that he is capable of the greatest feats of hypocrisy and self-aggrandizement... George N. Schmidt, Editor, Substance].
Less than three weeks after he stood before more than 1,000 Chicago Teachers Union activists at the union's annual LEAD dinner, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (above right) slapped the teachers in the face multiple times by announcing that he was salvaging the terminal career of Paul G. Vallas (above left) by naming Vallas as his running mate. Given that Quinn's 2010 election was made possible by the teacher votes in two counties (Quinn lost most counties in the 2010 election), teachers who will now refuse to support Quinn are calling the decision "Quinn's political suicide." Quinn didn't even have the courage or decency to tell Chicago Teachers Union leaders before he announced the Vallas move. Vallas demands taxpayers cover his $1,700 a month health insurance till July.
Yes it is true;
Paul Vallas announced his intention to resign as Bridgeport's Superintendent on November 8, 2013. He affirmed that decision at Bridgeport Board of Education meetings in November and December.
Vallas even sat there nodding his head when the Board of Education adopted a resolution setting February 7, 2014 as his final day of work as Bridgeport�s superintendents of schools.
And then the day before yesterday, January 6, 2014, a letter dated December 31, 2013 and sent from Chicago arrived in at the Bridgeport Board of Education Office informing the Board that he would be staying on the job until March 1, 2014.
Vallas is not only demanding that he be paid his full salary for those extra three weeks, which would cost Bridgeport and Connecticut taxpayers another $13,500 but he is also demanding that taxpayers pick up his health insurance premiums until July 1, 2014.
According to the Connecticut Post, �Tacking on four months of health insurance payments beyond that would have cost the district about $1,700, according to some board members.�
However, the figure is actually about $1,700 a month!
Vallas� contract with the Bridgeport Board of Education reads. �The Board shall provide to the Superintendent, his spouse and eligible dependents group health and hospitalization coverage which shall include dental and vision coverage, with no preexisting condition limitation or waiting period. Said coverage shall be the same as provided to administrators in the Board�s collective bargaining agreement�the superintendent shall pay the same premium cost share percentages as set for in the collective bargaining agreement between the Board and the Bridgeport Council of Administrators and Supervisors.�
The cost for that health insurance coverage is in the range of $2,100 a month.
After the employee pays their share of the premium payment, the cost to the Board of Education is about $1,700 a month.
As every employee knows, health insurance coverage ends when an employee is no longer employed by the employer.
While certain benefits are sometimes provided as part of an early retirement package or a settlement package when an employee is fired, people who resign their jobs to take on something new fully understand that their employer does not continue to provide benefits after the employee leaves.
But Paul Vallas not only wants special treatment, he wants super special treatment.
Vallas is unilaterally trying to force the Board of Education to pay him for three additional weeks � all of which is time after the departure date approved by the Board of Education.
In addition, Vallas is demanding that Bridgeport pay his insurance premiums for April, May, June and July.
The extra cost for the taxpayers of Bridgeport and Connecticut for those extra health insurance benefits would be about $6,800, not the $1,700 reported in the media.
Add that to the extra $13,000 Vallas is demanding and taxpayers are being told they need to shell out more than $20,000�.all despite the fact that Vallas knew the Board of Education had adopted a resolution ending his employment on February 7, 2013.
As the Only in Bridgeport Blog posted,
�Even as Paul Vallas is preparing to walk out the door after more than two years as school chief, the nails-against-the-blackboard irritation continues. His latest issue with the Board of Education centers on a battle over extension of health insurance benefits. Vallas has received nearly $500,000 since he joined the district. He can�t cover his own benefits once he leaves the district? His health insurance should be extended through June as he�s campaigning for lieutenant governor of Illinois?
The Only in Bridgeport blog goes on to note that Vallas� predecessor John Ramos received a sweetheart health insurance extension to age 65. However that was part of a complex deal to buy out Ramos� contract.
But what may be the most bizarre aspect of this entire situation is that despite collecting half a million dollars from the taxpayers of Bridgeport and Connecticut, Paul Vallas is now pushing to work until March 1, 2014.
Vallas was chosen by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to serve has Lt. Governor running mate.
The 2014 Illinois Democratic Convention is set for March 17, 2014.
Instead of accepting the agreement to leave February 7 and joining Governor Quinn on the campaign trail, Vallas is making it clear that he doesn�t intend to join Quinn until March 1.
If Vallas gets away with extending his time in Bridgeport, he will have less than three weeks before he must face the Democratic delegates at their nominating convention.
As the Chicago Sun Times noted in a story yesterday, rather than return to Illinois and campaign with Governor Pat Quinn, Vallas� attempt to stay in Bridgeport till March 1st means that Quinn�s running-mate will have missed 16 weeks of campaigning since it was announced that he was Quinn�s choice.
And rather during that time, Vallas will have collected in excess of $72,000 from the Bridgeport School System.
The Bridgeport Board of Education has yet to respond to Vallas� new demand for more money but considering that Bridgeport is one of the poorest cities in Connecticut and the City is facing a particularly challenging budget year, it is absolutely breath-taking that Mayor Bill Finch, Governor Malloy or Stefan Pryor haven�t picked up the phone to urge their buddy to forgo the attempt to stick-up Bridgeport voters and go back to Illinois.
