Web site to reveal salaries (teachers' salaries)

Times Leader ^ | 1/22/2005 | BONNIE ADAMS

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Excellant point. Let's support great teachers yet keep vigilant about the idiocy of the teacher unions.

[Loyal Buckeye]

"Oh no, lets not hold teachers accountable."

I know what you mean. However, accountability should run in tandem with authority. Teachers, for example, do not have the authority to do what is necessary to force discipline. Further, the Boards of Education fold at the first sign that a parent is going to sue because the parent's precious thug of a child is going to be disciplined.

Until the teachers have both the repsonsibility and authority, it will be difficult, realistically, to hold them accountable.

[paulat]

My wife pays for many of her school supplies out of her own pocket.

In addition, the schools are requiring her to pay several thousand dollars for additional classes that do nothing to improve the quality of teaching. The money, however, does enrich the local state universities.

Good teachers are held back by lousy administrators and stupid union leaders. Granted, there are some rotten teachers who don't deserve any of the pay they get, but one must be careful about lumping them all public school teachers into the same group.

SOOO FRIGGGIN' WHAT????!!!! I work in the computer industry. NO ONE pays for our time to keep current on the latest languages, programs, etc. That amounts to THOUSANDS of dollars a year.

If I need manuals, supplies, etc., I PAY FOR THEM MYSELF!!!

...I am SOOO TIRED of you WHINERS!!!!

[Balding_Eagle]

but one must be careful about lumping them all public school teachers into the same group.

Their union absolutely INSISTS that we lump them together.

If the teachers can't control their oun union, don't blames us poor saps who are forced, almost at gunpoint, to send them money.

[Texas_Jarhead]

you said it

[unbalanced but fair]

This is true at the college level too, only much worse. The excuse is that the sports teams bring in lots of money to the school. But since a good chunk of that is spent on the sports program, that doesn't wash.

[kitty_wilson_esquire]

Let's put all teachers on the same "All Hours Worked" timekeeping system that the Department of Defense uses for their contractors and pay the teachers for the hours that they put-in as professionals.

The teachers that I know leave home at 7:15AM and return at 6:30PM (with a one way 15-20 minute commute). Most work 1-2 hours in the evening grading papers and setting up for the next day.

These teachers are on the go all day long dealing with behaviors of students who are not prepared for public school by parents that don't realize what behaviors are necessary for their child to be successful in school.

Also, lets place next to the all hours worked totals the amount of "Intervention" money per classroom for those students who can't make it at their grade level and cannot be "left behind" by Federal mandate.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Git yer kids out of publik skools.

[paulat]

Teddy Kennedy wrote the "No Child Left Behind" bill, honey.

[paulat]

The scary thing is the health benefit thing. What if you had a child with a disability that drove up your health care cost to the county. Now that is public knowledge it may be hard for you or your spouse to get another job with health benefits. The health care cost might be a violation of the new medical privacy laws by itself.

...well...I guess you'd be in the same boat as the rest of us. I had breast cancer at 26....I have managed to stay employed.

[weshess]

Exactly, ever government employee, except for teachers, salaries are public knowledge. Look at the GS schedules or huorly rates tables.

[Luke]

It is public law names, salaries and benefits should be common knowledge. Maybe that way we can stop wasting tax dollars.

[digger48]

If public money is used, it would have to be fully disclosed. I don't see how they get around it. As for Band Teachers, mine was second in salary, with the Superintendent only, above him.

Can/do teachers deduct their expenses? Many jobs require some expenditure by the employee. Uniforms, tools, etc. Do you think that kid that was paid $8/hr to help build your new house was furnished a hammer by his employer? Probably not.

If $9,000/child/year doesn't teach 'em, they're going in the wrong direction. In Indiana, Mitch Daniels put a freeze on building to re-examine the bloated cost/sq. ft.(thank you unions).

[Pappy Smear]

In Iowa, cities and school districts are required to publish the salaries of their employees in their official newspaper. Interesting reading. All state employee salaries are public information also. The Des Moines Rag put every state employee's pay on a searchable file on the net. Good reading.

Of course, the University coaches were at the top, then all the docs at U of I hospital. Many of my neighbors work for the nearby state DOT headquarters, and at Iowa State University. Kinda interesting to know what the neighbors are bringing home......

[VIDADDICT]

Holland said school board President Bill Jones and the "other clowns" on the board need to stop playing political games.

Yes, let's resort to name calling. You forgot to use the classic adjectives hateful and phobic.

[RandDisciple]

In Illinois, where public school teacher salaries are exceptionally high, there was a study showing that nearly 85% of every increase in school spending goes straight to existing teacher and administrator salaries. Their pension plans are amazingly generous also. All for a job with very little accountability. There has also been a study that showed education majors have the lowest entering SAT scores of any other majors at most colleges. We are paying a lot and getting very little in return.

[Amelia]

I've been a CPA for 18 years; certified in two states, and have an MBA; can be fired tomorrow, have taken less than half of the meager time off that I've been 'permitted' to have off. I've gotten a check for three weeks accrued vacation from both of my last two employers when I departed...in other words ZERO DAYS OFF...and I have yet to get $96,000...not close yet.

Well, become a teacher then.

In Georgia they have a fast-track program for people who already have at least a bachelors degree but haven't taken any education courses.

[k2blader]

One reason I don't much respect public school teachers.

[Amelia]

If I need manuals, supplies, etc., I PAY FOR THEM MYSELF!!!

Seriously? When I worked in industry, the company supplied all that.

[Amelia]

Let's put all teachers on the same "All Hours Worked" timekeeping system that the Department of Defense uses for their contractors and pay the teachers for the hours that they put-in as professionals.

At our school, we have to sign in. One year the board decided to make us sign out as well.

That lasted maybe 3 days, until someone pointed out to them that by law, if they made us sign in and out, they had to pay us for any overtime worked.