So are our teachers really overpaid?

Star Newspapers (Chicago) ^ | Sunday, February 8, 2004 | Tom Houlihan

[Porterville]

In the area I live they closed down two elementary school increased the class sizes from 20-34, laid-off teachers, and have gave the admin raises. Where is the illness??

[eccl1212]

"The simple answer, of course, is that we all are paid according to what the market will bear."

---

In other words. Blackmail.

[stormer]

Whenever I hear this often posed question, I ask the questioner to define EDUCATION in 25 words or less!

I can do it in one: Everything.

[azcap]

OldEagle is right. The money problem in education is not in tecaher salaries. If a state is spending $9000 per pupil than an average classroom is averaging $225,000. If the teacher is one of those at the top of the scale making a $100K that still leaves the bulk of school funding be squandered.

[Husker24]

The vast majority of teachers obviously dont make $100,000 a year, but most of these "administrators" do. If we would fire half of these administrators and lower the salary on the other half, it would be a good start. That would free up alot of money to give to good teachers that might not be getting what they deserve.

[Old Professer]

Most teachers get paid whatever their union bosses can extort regardless of their skills or performance.

[Old Professer]

I've been teaching kids morals and values all my life for no pay whatsoever.

[Polybius]

Taxpayers who earn over $125,000 are in the top ten percent of taxpayers in the country and are considered the wealthy.

They sure are......... By Democrats like John F. Kerry that married into a $550 million fortune.

[Polybius]

$100 000 for teaching kids morals and values, respect is too much?

No.

However, there is little evidence that most public school teachers teach such things.

[Porterville]

You should volunteer your time at a local school, you'd be surprised how hard the teachers try and are boxed in by the admin. Voulunteer, your point of view will change.

[Salvation]

**So are our teachers really overpaid?**

Yes!

[PattonReincarnated]

>> EDUCATION in 25 words or less!

Ain't that when you get learned to read, write and cypher?

[Leroy S. Mort]

My wife, who teaches high school Advanced Placement History and Social Studies and has a Masters Degree and makes a fraction of what this article states would beg to disagree. She's at school from 7 am til usually 5:30 pm, then comes home and grades papers and makes tests 'til she goes to bed around 10 pm. She sponsors two student teams (one of them Scholar's Bowl) that take up many of her weekends. She doesn't complain - she loves the kids and her job and she's damned good at it.

[Polybius]

You should volunteer your time at a local school, you'd be surprised how hard the teachers try and are boxed in by the admin. Voulunteer, your point of view will change.

I do more than that.

We have a private non-denominational Christian school in the third floor of our house, taught by one of the best teachers in our County, that gives ten children (including two of our own) a private 7th - 8th Grade education that would otherwise not be available to those kids in our County. I personally finance over half of that teacher's salary, thereby subsidizing the education of the other eight kids.

The kids at our school routinely score in the 90th percentile and above in the Stanford Achievement Test.

In the mean time, our local public schools are teaching to the lowest common denominator.

Whether that is the teacher's fault or the administration's fault, I could care less. The end result is the same and my kids are not spending one day in this County's public schools.

Whatever the reason for their failures, the fact remains that most public schools fail to give their students a decent education. Throwing more money at a flawed system will not change that.

[KC_for_Freedom]

Vouchers.

Of course this is a good idea, but I would prefer to see teachers dump the union and negotiate directly with administration for their salaries. Of course support from the community would help, as would successful scores on standard tests. (Which I am also in favor of.)

The best thing about vouchers is that they might break the teachers union. (Which is the most evil institution in our country today.) Former teacher.

[Porterville]

That's great; why don't you volunteer your time or money to the public schools?? Oh, I forgot, you "could care less." That's very big of you....(((Squeak!!!)))

[genghis]

LOL!!
I teach high school, and without giving too many details away, how often does the government under pay for anything?

[ntnychik]

Depends on where you are. Here in my upstate NY community starting pay is in mid 30's, highest paid teacher in mid 60's and average in the mid 40's. Gotta watch statistics. Our average was higher before a few years in which there were many retirees. If beginners are hired, your "average" drops like a rock. More instructive to look at median salaries.

The admins (other than Superintendent) are paid between mid 50's and mid 80's. It's tough to get rid of the admins. if there is no reduction in regulation. You don't want your teachers dealing with Board of Ed. requirements, asbestos removal, defibrillation device regulations, state aid reports, school buses and food service, public budget votes, building construction and maintenance, compliance issues, labor-management issues and excessive regulations instead of teaching the students.

[Polybius]

That's great; why don't you volunteer your time or money to the public schools?? Oh, I forgot, you "could care less." That's very big of you....(((Squeak!!!)))

I said that I could care less "whether the failure of the public school system is the teacher's fault or the administration's fault". Failure is failure and excuses won't change that.

That is what I don't care about: Your excuses for the failure of public schools.

As I said, I am now subsidizing a top-notch education for 8 kids that are not even my own kids.

I'm producing results. What are you doing now to show your "caring" besides making excuses for the failure of the public school sysatem?

As for "donating time", I have a medical practice where I am at work before public schools open and I come home long after public schools close. I am at the hospital six days out of seven.

By your profile, I see that you are currently unemployed.

If I were unemployed as you are, I would have time to "volunteer" too. However, any such volunteering would be for our school and not the Government-run school that you admit fail because of being "boxed in by their Administration".

As it is, I volunteer money to a private school that produces results. Time is money and money is time. (Unless you are unemployed in which case time and money are not correlated with each other at all.)

As to "volunteering my money" to public schools, I pay over $100,000 per year in taxes, year after year, so I am quite certain that I have contributed more money to Government-run schools than you will ever contribute in your entire life and your next two or three lifetimes even if the Almighty decides to re-incarnate you.

You claim that public schools fail "because of the Adminstration" and then you want the rest of us to sacrifice our kids, our time and our money left over after taxes to that failed system.

No thanks.

I already finance the Government-run schools at a level you will never equal. With whatever money the Government does not tax, I prefer to finance an educational system that actually delivers a quality education.