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Monday, August 4, 2008
Teachers are casualties in budget plans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The slumping economy has state legislators looking for places they can trim the budget and one of the areas is teacher pay raises. This comes a week after an Atlanta Hawks player signed a deal to play in Greece for $20 million over three years.
Something is out whack in the universe.
I don’t begrudge a pro athlete taking what the market will offer, but where is the tipping point where we start making is economically desirable to be a teacher? We have all this poetic talk about how no one teaches for the money, and what a noble calling it is to teach. Some times I think we do that so we don’t have to state the obvious - they are going to work long hours and short pay.
Once a child toddles off to kindergarten they begin a 13-year odyssey where their teachers will see them more during a weekday than their parents will nine months out of the year. We expect them to establish the foundation of our kids’ academic careers and then nurture it.
Our two kids went to public school from K through 12 and they had some great teachers. They had teachers that pulled great work out of them, inspired them and made them want to learn. Of course there were some along the way that were less than wonderful, but that does not diminish those who were good.
When do we start to place a greater value on these people than those who put a ball through a hoop, or hit a ball with a stick, or drive a car over 200 mph. When do we realize that teachers deserve every penny they can get. When, at very least, do we call our state representatives and tell them to leave the teachers’ pay raises alone.
And where do they make up the money? Starting with the governor they could cut their salaries, benefits and perks. They could stop taking fact-finding trips to exotic locales, or attending seminars in places that just happen to be near beaches and golf courses. Maybe a few less receptions funded by tax dollars. The money is there - they just have to look for it and be willing to eliminate some pork from their legislative diet.
And if they claim they can’t I know a few math and civic teachers who would be happy to help.
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