‘Yekaterinburg is to face the educational workers’ salary reform over the next three years. This might lead to some unproductive consequences when budget deficit keeps increasing,’ Head of Municipal Education Administration Evgeniya Umnikova announced at Yekaterinburg Municipal Duma’s third meeting.

‘Sverdlovsk Region Government’s decree makes it obligatory to have no fewer than twenty-five students in every classroom and to make sure the minimum wage comes to at least 4,300 RUR; in addition, the teacher/non-teaching staff salary ratio has to come to 70/30 now, and there has to be set up a motivation fund for money bonuses (10% this year, 20% in 2010, and 30% of the total salaries volume in 2011). What is more, any educational worker whose salary might decrease under the new system must get his or her salary fixed at last year’s level. According to Municipal Education Administration’s data, meeting all these provisos means raising the salary funding by 18% in 2009. This is estimated to come to about 300 million RUR worth of budget deficit,’ Umnikova explained.