High teachers' salaries are driving up taxes

[ClosedCaption]

Out of all the professions for someone to target teachers is pretty shittty

Well, considering the product they are churning out these days, what's not to criticize? Look at how dumb all these "smart" people truly are...

They're teachers not sculptors

 

[DGS49]

Teachers' compensation varies GREATLY from one place to another within the U.S., so any observation about teachers' salaries has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Few professional occupations compensate people for what they DO. We are compensated for what we KNOW, and what we are CAPABLE of doing (or willing to do), if required. Surgeons are compensated handsomely for doing things that require less effort than changing the brakes on a car. But it took that surgeon decades to learn how to do it. Teachers are paid for what they know and what they are willing to do, and a person with a Masters degree (or equivalent) making $80k doesn't give me any heartburn, even if she spends a couple months a year goofing off.

The issue - where there is an issue - is that teachers' unions have been able to exploit the process of collective bargaining in a situation where one party (the union) has vital interests that it is willing to FIGHT for, and other party (management - representing the taxpayers), doesn't really care, since there is no immediate downside to a bad contract, as there would be in private industry. It's not like the "company" is going to go out of business if the contract is too generous.

Teacher compensation is only part of the money problem. Benefits are another major part. Unlike in private industry, teachers' benefits have just gotten more and more gooder over the years, with no re-adjustment as the costs of those benefits have skyrocketed. My wife works for a large bank that used to provide family health insurance at no cost to the employees. Now she pays a couple hundred dollars a month, and we have a $5 thousand/year out of pocket max. My daughter-in-law, a public school teacher, pays $14 a month for full coverage, including prescriptions, optical, and dental. And her union bitched up a storm when they had to make that "concession."

Worst of all is retirement costs. Unionized Public School teachers can typically retire after 30-35 years of service. In most cases, that means they retire in their mid-50's at 2/3 of their highest annual salary. The taxpayers are not only stuck with supporting them for another thirty years (on average), but also paying their full medical insurance until they are old enough to apply for Medicare, and supplemental insurances for the rest of their lives.

It is odd and noteworthy that almost no pundits talk about the huge cost of early retirements of public employees. They are retired and living off the taxpayers for, on average, 10-15 years longer than the majority of people like me who are paying for it. That is HUGE, but rarely mentioned.

And the OP is fretting about an average $50k salary?

Why? That 's just a small part of the problem.

 

[bodecea]

Out of all the professions for someone to target teachers is pretty shittty

Well, considering the product they are churning out these days, what's not to criticize? Look at how dumb all these "smart" people truly are...

So they are "products"? I see your problem.

No, they are people, but they skillset that is delivered is truly a product, and a deeply flawed product at that.

Ok...you aren't a very good product, are you?

 

[bodecea]

Teachers' compensation varies GREATLY from one place to another within the U.S., so any observation about teachers' salaries has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Few professional occupations compensate people for what they DO. We are compensated for what we KNOW, and what we are CAPABLE of doing (or willing to do), if required. Surgeons are compensated handsomely for doing things that require less effort than changing the brakes on a car. But it took that surgeon decades to learn how to do it. Teachers are paid for what they know and what they are willing to do, and a person with a Masters degree (or equivalent) making $80k doesn't give me any heartburn, even if she spends a couple months a year goofing off.

The issue - where there is an issue - is that teachers' unions have been able to exploit the process of collective bargaining in a situation where one party (the union) has vital interests that it is willing to FIGHT for, and other party (management - representing the taxpayers), doesn't really care, since there is no immediate downside to a bad contract, as there would be in private industry. It's not like the "company" is going to go out of business if the contract is too generous.

Teacher compensation is only part of the money problem. Benefits are another major part. Unlike in private industry, teachers' benefits have just gotten more and more gooder over the years, with no re-adjustment as the costs of those benefits have skyrocketed. My wife works for a large bank that used to provide family health insurance at no cost to the employees. Now she pays a couple hundred dollars a month, and we have a $5 thousand/year out of pocket max. My daughter-in-law, a public school teacher, pays $14 a month for full coverage, including prescriptions, optical, and dental. And her union bitched up a storm when they had to make that "concession."

Worst of all is retirement costs. Unionized Public School teachers can typically retire after 30-35 years of service. In most cases, that means they retire in their mid-50's at 2/3 of their highest annual salary. The taxpayers are not only stuck with supporting them for another thirty years (on average), but also paying their full medical insurance until they are old enough to apply for Medicare, and supplemental insurances for the rest of their lives.

It is odd and noteworthy that almost no pundits talk about the huge cost of early retirements of public employees. They are retired and living off the taxpayers for, on average, 10-15 years longer than the majority of people like me who are paying for it. That is HUGE, but rarely mentioned.

And the OP is fretting about an average $50k salary?

Why? That 's just a small part of the problem.

You're not a very good product, are you?

 

[ClosedCaption]

You couldnt apply this logic to anything else.

Do people say Firemen are shitty when one dies?

Do people say the Military is shitty when one dies or doesnt follow orders?

No, we value education so much that we constantly try to find new ways to show our appreciation for teachers like saying they are paid too much, attack their unions, underfund the class rooms etc etc.

This is how serious Americans take education...Pay out the nose for college, fuck teachers and display work envy "They work 10 months!!! Waaaaa!" but none of you fuckers would attempt to stand in a room full of 3rd graders if someone threatened to blow off your toe. You'd be thinking "Do I really need 10 WHOLE toes?"

 

[LordBrownTrout]

This is what you get with govt education. A bunch of dumbness.

 

[Mac1958]

I've never understood why teachers are held apart, assumed to be above and beyond reproach.

There are good teachers, there are bad teachers, there are in-between teachers, just as with any other profession.

Because they spend so much time with our children, they need to be monitored carefully. They are not special.

.

 

[ClosedCaption]

This is what you get with govt education. A bunch of dumbness.

Yeah, because before we were #1....never

 

[bodecea]

This is what you get with govt education. A bunch of dumbness.

You mean the dumbness that comes from thinking students are "products"?

 

[initforme]

As conservatives always say don't be envious of what others have... go out and work for it. So, go out and be a teacher and surrender your financial earning potential and be a teacher that fixes all the ills of America that kids bring into the classroom. ANd make sure all your kids score really high on the standardized tests and also don't teach to the test. What a non winnable situation. Impossible.

 

[SuperDemocrat]

.

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work nine or ten months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do -- babysit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage.

That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and planning -- that equals 6-1/2 hours).

So each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585 a day.However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET'S SEE....That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries). What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6-1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here!

There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nationwide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77 per day / 30 students = $9.25 / 6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student -- a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!

<snip>

Meredith Menden


If you have a facebook acct, post this to show appreciation for all educators.
,

The problem with public education isn't spending is a lack of serious pay for the job. Honestly, it should be doubled just so more people can be attracted to the job.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Out of all the professions for someone to target teachers is pretty shittty

Well, considering the product they are churning out these days, what's not to criticize? Look at how dumb all these "smart" people truly are...

They're teachers not sculptors

I didn't say that they are... my point is they are paid to educate and that they are doing a poor job in many instances.

 

[initforme]

Those that teach in large cities should receive triple pay just for showing up. Gangs, violence, etc. Who would want to do that for that pittance of a salary?

 

[hazlnut]

.

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work nine or ten months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do -- babysit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage.

That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and planning -- that equals 6-1/2 hours).

So each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585 a day.However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET'S SEE....That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries). What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6-1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here!

There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nationwide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77 per day / 30 students = $9.25 / 6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student -- a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!

<snip>

Meredith Menden


If you have a facebook acct, post this to show appreciation for all educators.
,

Teachers don't get paid during the summer.


And only ignorant people think they are overpaid babysitters.

Perhaps if we adopted the Finland model of education, we'd be the country we claim to be.

 

[Stephanie]

lol, dailyKooks site

good grief that was stupid

What does Janet Napolitano do where she deserves A SIX figure salary, a car and house paid for her?

snip:
And she gets a six figure Salary, a car and house PAID for this. Parents you need to teach your children before they hit these commie camps

snip;
THIS WEEK IN PROGRESSIVE LUNACY: UC Faculty Trained to Banish Microaggressions
Janet Napolitano wants her professors to stop saying, "America is the land of opportunity."

all of it here:
THIS WEEK IN PROGRESSIVE LUNACY UC Faculty Trained to Banish Microaggressions Truth Revolt

 

[LordBrownTrout]

This is what you get with govt education. A bunch of dumbness.

Yeah, because before we were #1....never

We used to be #1 before govt entangled its poison tentacles into education.

 

[ClosedCaption]

Out of all the professions for someone to target teachers is pretty shittty

Well, considering the product they are churning out these days, what's not to criticize? Look at how dumb all these "smart" people truly are...

They're teachers not sculptors

I didn't say that they are... my point is they are paid to educate and that they are doing a poor job in many instances.

So? Did you know that humans are not perfect? And thats why treating the failures as indicative of the entire group is stupid?

Maybe your teacher failed you

 

[LordBrownTrout]

.

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work nine or ten months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do -- babysit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage.

That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and planning -- that equals 6-1/2 hours).

So each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585 a day.However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET'S SEE....That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries). What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6-1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here!

There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nationwide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77 per day / 30 students = $9.25 / 6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student -- a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!

<snip>

Meredith Menden


If you have a facebook acct, post this to show appreciation for all educators.
,

Teachers don't get paid during the summer.


And only ignorant people think they are overpaid babysitters.

Perhaps if we adopted the Finland model of education, we'd be the country we claim to be.

That's strange since I know two high school teachers that do get paid during the summer.

 

[ClosedCaption]

This is what you get with govt education. A bunch of dumbness.

Yeah, because before we were #1....never

We used to be #1 before govt entangled its poison tentacles into education.

Sure we did!!!!! And I'm a Pretty Butterfly

 

[Stephanie]

one of the comments with the article posted above

snip:
She gets paid $600,000 a year plus the use of a Mansion and cars. The liberal college students are going into debt with college loans to pay her salary.

from:
THIS WEEK IN PROGRESSIVE LUNACY UC Faculty Trained to Banish Microaggressions Truth Revolt