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Post by coolcajun on Apr 25, 2006 21:39:29 GMT -6
very good points you brought up TBEAR. i do believe a teacher needs to be paid a better yearly income. but i don't feel a tax is in need for this to happen. i think the school board should not be paid, make it a volunteer board, do the job on the school board for the good of the community, donate the time for the children.
next stop paying those ridiculous salaries for all the directors at the school board system. i think the last transportation director is a good example of this. over paid for a poor job, and still have to deal with a law suit with him.
i think school board systems could cut cost and give the teachers a raise with a little effort. most of the land the schools are built on were donated.
just like govt. they spend money foolishly and without much repercussion.
if you or anyone else on this board spent money like these people(meaning govt. and school boards) we would have a great new home with bars and it would be called PRISON!
as for emergency services. they should all be bitching about a raise after all they have been through with the two hurricanes, and yet you don't hear a peep from them, most don't ever ask for a thank you. what do they have to look forward to, another hurricane season and people getting mad because crime rates going up, or they took to long getting to their house when an emergency arises(burglary, medical emergency, or fire)
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layne
New Member
Posts: 15
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Post by layne on Apr 26, 2006 12:07:11 GMT -6
Cajun and T-Bear, I couldn't agree with you more that firemen, policemen, and armed services are ridiculously underpaid and I think it's a disgrace that we don't do better for them. But this doesn't keep me from seeing that teachers are underpaid also. I think all these groups suffer from some kind of blindness that we have, where we think people who give the most should be content to receive the least.
If this world was a just and fair place, those we trust to take care of the most precious things we have -- our homes, our safety, our freedom, and our children -- would be the highest-paid, because these positions are among the most noble and essential and because we want the most capable and talented people to sign up for them.
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Post by TBEAR on Apr 26, 2006 14:32:55 GMT -6
I agree.
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Post by zoe10850 on May 5, 2006 12:07:22 GMT -6
And yet our school board can find money for teacher "bonus"
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Post by coolboy on May 14, 2006 23:02:25 GMT -6
I once knew someone that was on the Lafayette Police force and I was a waiter in a restaurant. I made more than he did while working less hours. Bringing food from the kitchen to a table is nowhere near as dangerous as trying to arrest a drug dealer. Quite a shame.
Yesterday, the TV show, 20/20, had a report on the myth of whether or not teachers aren't paid enough. The average U.S. salary is $37,000/year. They then showed teachers picketing for higher wages. When asked, the teachers would say that they made $55,000/year. Now if they lived in Lafayette, surely that's a decent living. If they were living in New York City or Boston, that isn't too much. However, when you figure in that they only work nine months out of the year, the hourly pay is high.
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Post by zoe10850 on May 17, 2006 0:35:13 GMT -6
I see Governess Blankstare has found money for a teacher raise this year, as has our local school board. I don't suppose this has anything to do with elections ? By the way, will that money be there to maintain those raises ?
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Post by ronnief on May 19, 2006 15:46:42 GMT -6
Next thing you know, someone will accuse BBBBBBlanco of putting politics first !
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Post by zoe10850 on Jul 24, 2006 12:49:37 GMT -6
Headline in paper today; "Teachers raise did not close regional gap". Did you know that Maryland, Delaware, & West Virginia were in our REGION ? Does anyone know if other states pay teachers directly ie. are they state employees, or employees of the local school board like in Louisiana ? A lot of the disparity in La is because many parishes are "poor" and do not supplement minimum foundation funding. Poor parishes offer (IMO) lower levels of education as reflected in school testing. This is similar to Texas where each district decides how much tax they wish to pay and some schools are good, some not so.
I think all public employees should receive fair compensation. I do not think The superintendent of schools is worth $142,000 per year for a 40 hour work week when for example the Mayor gets $75,000 or the Sheriff $115,000 for a lot of responsibility.
How. for example does Florida or texas with NO income tax, and comparable sales tax operate and we cannot ? The taxpayer well is only so deep.
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Post by April on Jul 24, 2006 21:25:45 GMT -6
I read these comments, and I make this observation; The more common a position is, the more difficult it is to create a raise for this segment of workers. I do not use the term professional simply because I was raised to believe "professionals" were those who were educated in the law, as physicians, as architects, as college professors etc. We are talking about advanced training and education, not just a BS in education. This is not to put down teachers, but to realize that today, everyone is a "professional" in their chosen field. Janitors are custodians, trash man are sanitary engineers, police are law enforcement professionals, and, well, you get the picture.
The sheer magnitude of raising salaries for 70,000 people at one time is mind boggling. The cost for a raise of say $300.00 per month is $21,000,000. That does not count Medicare tax, unemployment tax, retirement contributions that go with the raise.
Public school teacher pay will always be an issue because of the cost to the taxpayer. I am glad that the teachers got a $1500/year raise, but to issue rubbish like "regional average" is stupid. Teachers in Louisiana make substantially more than the "average" worker, that is what is relevant. Anything else is not important. I realize that some people will move elsewhere, but really, how many teachers will move to Maryland to be at the top pay of region. Probably none.
I would however like to see the teachers have a say in the salary of the school board superintendent, that would be interesting.
The issue about governor Blanco raising minimum wage (normally an act of Congress) is easy for her, she is taking a group of people at the bottom of the economic totem pole and giving them an increase at no cost to the state. My, how generous. Is she trying to buy votes again ? Who does this actually help ?
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