To the Editor:
Are teachers entitled to $60,000 the first year? Granted, they have completed six to eight years in college to become a teacher. It is a mentally demanding job. But many jobs in public service are as hard and much more dangerous.
Police officers and corrections officers deal with 12-hour rotating shifts with an often-uncooperative public element. Other public employees are tasked with physical jobs that physically leave their bodies broken, people like our trash collectors and heavy equipment operators. Many times, they must retire early due to health problems from their work.
Teachers work in air conditioned and heated environments. They are entitled to breaks, lunch breaks, a short seven-hour shift in the daytime, weekends off, and summers off. Sounds like a good gig if you are qualified.
One has to explain how the public is going to pay first-year teachers $60,000 in the first year. By raising property taxes? Sorry, taxpayers are paying the highest property taxes in the nation. And now we are dealing with high inflation and escalating prices. Everyone has to bite the bullet, including public servants.
School boards traditionally deal with union contracts, including working conditions and salaries. Board members know what their district can afford to pay without overburdening taxpayers.
Some districts pay teachers more because they have a robust tax base. Nothing keeps teachers from applying to these districts. These districts can select the cream of the crop.
Let’s not forget first-year schoolteachers are “green around the ears” and still learning. Now it is on-the-job training.
And teachers in this state already have very competitive pay, vacation, holidays, robust health care and very generous pensions that they contribute to for a lucrative retirement. How many in the private sector get these benefits?
Public sector employees cannot expect to accept employment and grow wealthy on the public dime. Taxpayers can no longer afford this generosity.
The only way to substantially raise salaries is to cut costs, consolidating all county districts into one. One school district superintendent for the county is the way to raise salaries and cut costs.
If teachers expect $60,000 the first year, what are they being paid in year 10? Year 20?
Teachers knew the pay scale, benefits, and upside and downside of teaching before entering college. Hopefully, it was for educating our kids.
Entrepreneurs go into business and create the next best thing. Some succeed and earn riches and accolades. Most fail and try again.
Teachers, in year five, are guaranteed tenure and a job for life.
As a retired public servant, I am enjoying my generous pension and paid health benefits for life.
“Nice contract,” I remarked to our union negotiator who settled a very tenuous contract to our members benefit.
