Posted on 08/18/2015 12:57:04 PM PDT by MichCapCon
A Michigan teacher is receiving national media attention for going public with her resignation, claiming that “Gov. Rick Snyder and his Republican goons took over Michigan and declared war on teachers.”
Plymouth-Canton teacher Stephanie Keiles penned her resignation “Why I Can No Longer Teach In Public Education,” which was picked up by MLive, The Washington Post and Huffington Post.
She claims there has been a “chronic, purposeful underfunding of public schools” and that she barely scrapes by on a $63,000-plus salary.
However, her district has received $5.3 million more in state funding spread over the last four budgets approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature than what it received in Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s last budget in 2010-11, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
The Plymouth-Canton school district received that extra $5.3 million (or an average of an additional $1.3 million each year) despite seeing an enrollment decline of 1,366 students in those four years. In Michigan, school funding is allocated largely on a per-pupil basis. Based on Plymouth-Canton's $7,201 per-pupil foundation allowance, a loss of 1,366 students in 2014-15 would equate to a loss of $9.9 million. But instead, the state pumped an extra $5.3 million into the district over those four years — a swing to the good of $15.2 million over the baseline of the last Granholm budget.
Also, Keiles claims “my take-home pay has been frozen or decreased for the past five years.” However, the school district said teachers received a pay raise in 2014-15. Keiles made a salary of $63,171 in 2013-14, according to a Freedom of Information Act request put in to the state. A Plymouth-Canton official confirmed all teachers received some sort of raise in 2014-15. In Keiles’ case, that would have been a half-step raise, which amounts to about $1,300. Keiles’ starting salary in 2006 would have been $39,954. In her nine years, Keiles’ pay would have increased by an estimated $24,500.
MLive, The Washington Post and Huffington Post all carried the op-ed. But none checked to see if the claims made by Keiles were accurate, or listed her teaching salary.
While Keiles claims that Republicans have underfunded schools, the state of Michigan has increased state dollars to K-12 education overall during Snyder's four budgets. And Keiles' district has been a benefactor.
Plymouth-Canton received $118.0 million in state funds in 2010-11 and had 18,873 students enrolled. The 2010-11 budget was the last under Granholm. It was a GOP controlled Legislature that increased state funds to Plymouth-Canton. The district received $118.5 million in 2011-12, $118.4 million in 2012-13, $119.3 million in 2013-14 and $121.5 million in 2014-15. The district’s enrollment had dropped to 17,507 in 2014-15.
Keiles also suffered from the rigid pay scale in the union-negotiated teachers contract, which starts all first-year teachers at the bottom regardless of their teaching prowess.
So Keiles, who started her first teaching job at age 40, had to start at the bottom of the scale. In Michigan, almost all teachers compensation is based on years of service and level of education attained.
[decline to pay me 50% more than private sector] == [you want to kill me]
I bet the governor does not control local district teachers’ salaries. He does not in Texas. It is up to the school board what they pay.
For 180 work days to boot!
This is the same mentality as that teacher who told Christie that she “deserves” $90,000 per year to be a middle school teacher because she has a Master’s Degree in Education. Its self-importance and arrogance that is not remotely grounded in reality. Ask her what she and the school deserve and her only answer will be “more” and you are a “goon” if you don’t give it to her. Correction, you are a goon if you don’t force the taxpayer to give it to her.
Sounds like she just didn’t like her job. I wonder if she was a low performer and was on a progress and improvement plan? Maybe she had an attendance problem?
Well, bye.
its a good thing she quit
Buh bye.
It is good to have these leeches out of the system. May there be more of them leaving.
Liars lie and Liberals lie more.
Just breaks my heart. I own my own business and work at least 70 hours a week plus pay all my own taxes and insurance plus taxes and benefits for my few employees. If I could make $60,000 a year for a few years, I could maybe retire when I’m 90.
Wow....another slimy, lying liberal dirtbag. No different than the lying black citizens about police brutality or the lying homosexuals about harassment or the lying women about rape.
Radical liberals are the lowest form of human debris.
In the minds of the liberals ‘underfunded’ simply means they are not getting as much as they want. Need or annual increases have nothing to do with it.
Stupidity is hard to overcome. Students are better off without this individual.
We manage on waaaay less than that.
We had a state rep recalled a few years back because the union claimed he had cut funding and caused the school district to lose teachers.
The fact is that the school district got more money and hired something like 7 more teachers.
Who ever said liberals had to tell the truth???
yes it is, otherwise she would be teaching that same mentality to the kids.
Just shows to go (a little Dorkbama the Muslim supporter language there) that an “eddikashun” degree is worth just about as much as a used Yugo.
Teacher, my *ss.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.