Those striking Downingtown School District teachers sure are a testy bunch.Not only have they inconvenienced 12,000 students and their families by walking out on their jobs, but the teachers' union is on the warpath over an editorial in The West Chester Daily Local News.
A day after the newspaper published an editorial questioning why a contract offer with pay increases of 4.4, 4.5, 4.5 and 4.6 percent over the next four years is not a sign of respect for the teachers, the union leadership responded with a letter accusing the newspaper of disrespecting the teachers by not siding with the teachers demand for more money.
The average salary of a teacher in the Downingtown School District is $59,000 a year. The top salary in the district is $82,000.
The teachers union says that's not enough and Downingtown teachers are forced to leave for jobs in neighboring school districts that pay more.
Find out more about why Pennsylvania leads the nation in teacher strikes at Stop Teacher Strikes in Pennsylvania.
4 comments:
Let them GO they will find out how hard it is to get another job in neighboring school districts. In Neshaminy where they pay nothing for healthcare,get longevity pay, and have some of the top paid teachers there are more people applying then there are jobs. How anyone who has a job that won't go away and is guaranteed pay raises even if we go into a recession can go on strike is mind boogling. I don't know anyone who gets raises over 3% without taking on more responsibility or more hours.
That being said How about showing parents some respect most of us do everything that you ask. Please show me respect so I can pay your salary and not take my vacation hours away by striking. I also work very hard all year for my two weeks off only to have them taken away by YOU and your need to demand more. I am tired of teachers union being able to Hold MY SCHOOL Hostage. As far as I am concerned we in Pa need to look at the Teachers union and people who support them as terrorists. We can also look at strikes as WMDs. Since we all know that children need to have consistency. Strikes only disrupt and since school is one of the most imporant things for children then School should not be allowed to strike. Back in the day teachers were not paid well. Not now they have some of the best paying jobs around where else could a person with an teaching degree in gym(pc is phyical education) get 95,000. plus longevity pay, 2000 to help out in a play after school hours for 2 months, and pay very little in healthcare, can be a soccer coach for another 2500.. Come on, Teachers are well paid now. We all know it. Now please show me some respect and admit it.
Obviously, this is an emotional issue because the teachers' action is affecting people on a personal level (unexpected daycare expenses, lost vacation time. . .) but please let's look at this situation rationally. I am not a teacher. Nor am I a doctor or a lawyer or a construction worker or a circus performer. Therefore, I cannot compare my situation to that of anyone in any of these professions. I determine what my job is worth based on the pay of others in my same line of work. If I fix widgets, I want to be compensated in line with the widget fixer down the road. How can anyone have a problem with this? The facts are quite clearly in favor of the teachers on this one. The fact that the board refused binding arbitration speaks volumes. What are they afraid of?
Binding Arbitration is a forced decision by someone NOT elected by the public. The public, who is the employer, elects representatives to negotiate for them with the employees,(teachers). As a tax payer, I want who I elected to speak for me. I don't want a third party to do it. An additional lesson for our kids in all of this...pick a career, know what it pays and don't complain about having three months off!!
FACT: MOST teachers take on additional jobs and tutoring during the summer holiday to help their families budgets.
FACT: MOST teachers supplement their classroom by taking several hundred dollars or more of their own money to make their classroom a more enjoyable atmosphere and encourage learning.
FACT: While there are WONDERFUL parents who go above and beyond, there are probably three times as many that could be described as "trouble makers," who seems to want to make a teachers job more difficult than it is already!
FACT: Teachers are required to, essentially, go to school for their entire careers. I am not speaking about the fact that they actually work in schools, but the fact that they must continually take college level courses to keep their certifications up to date.
FACT: Once a teacher retires they are no longer entitled to raises in their retirement pay, even for the traditional cost of living increases.
FACT: Teachers do not take going on strike lightly. They use it when they have to so that they will be taken seriously. Remember that they will have to make up as many days they are on the picket line at the end of the year!
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