Hold on to your hats; here come the cuts "... the State Police Association of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association endorsed Mr. Romney in last fall's campaign. Now, he turns a blind eye to a program that was described in one state study as a "cash cow" because it allows police officers to get pay boosts of up to 25 percent for college credits, including credits from diploma mills."
From Article. "Now, he turns a blind eye to a program that was described in one state study as a "cash cow" because it allows police officers to get pay boosts of up to 25 percent for college credits, including credits from diploma mills. Springfield's Western New England College, for example, spews out master's degrees in criminal justice so steadily that it accounted for 11 percent of the national total in 2001 with 304." New definition of diploma mill? Tony
I've described this program, known as the "Quinn Bill", on this board many times. For an officer to get the raises, his/her degree has to come from a school accredited by the New England Association, or approved by the MA Board of Higher Education. One of my co-workers had to jump through hoops to get his Florida State degree approved for the program. These articles are nothing more than cheap shots at police officers. We're heroes when we get killed, save a life, stop a crime, or just generally help people, yet some whiners think that we shouldn't make a decent wage. I make no claims of being underpaid, but I'm sure as hell not overpaid. Incidentally, one of the things that opponents of this program are focusing on is the granting of credit for life experience. If you didn't know any better and read these articles, you would think that this is an obscure practice, used only in MA colleges for cops. I think we all know the truth of that. Bruce
More on the Quinn Law in a Boston Globe editorial: http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/116/editorials/A_better_budget+.shtml Quote: When it comes to the so-called Quinn Law, which gives premium salaries to police officers who amass sometimes dubious higher education credits, the House does not go far enough, reducing the state's appropriation by $9 million. Depending on collective bargaining agreements, some communities may simply be forced to take on the costs themselves. That would not be progress. As John Rogers, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said Wednesday, ''There is a need to shut down diploma mills.'' The best way to do that is to starve them of taxpayer funds.