mhsdad says

Natti Light:

First let me thank you for being a teacher, its a hard job.  As for advising after school activites I am glad you put in the extra time, but im guessing you are compensated for that.  If your not thats not cool but thank you for your dedication to the students.

All that said there is something that needs cleared up.  Teachers are not paid by year they are paid by contract.  Your pay may be spread out over a year,  but your contract is for approx 184 days depending on the district wording.  You have 9 years experience and a bachelors degree. You make 66,000, that is not bad for only 9 years experience.  You say starting pay is laughable, lets say you started at 30k you doubled your pay in less than 10 years.  Every business has a low starting pay, it is to see if you can actually do the job.  If you can then you merit a raise.  Unfortunately,  without performace based raises everyone gets a raise under a blanket contract. 

You said "I also don't think it's unreal for a 30 year teacher with a master's to make 75K.", no I don't either but based on average starting pay and your example of 9yr and 66k, you should be making almost 100k in 10 more years.  Will this happen I have no idea, but this is what people see.  School says they need more money to operate, then contracts come up and raises are handed out, then the school comes back and says they need even more money.  The cycle never ends.  As for your pensions being slashed, just be glad that you get one.  The only pension I get is whatever I can save, my employer does not off any type of retirement benefit.

You also say you are at the school til 6 or 7 at night.  So we will assume 11 to 12 hrs a day, by your choice to be involved in after school activties.  I work 11 hrs a day, 5 days a week all year long.  So please remember that when your on spring, christmas or summer break, or inservice day or school is cancelled because of  weather.  The rest of us do not get all that time off.

As for Japanese teachers dominating those students, our teachers used to be able to discipline our children and some how we got away from that.  I believe we need to get back to that if parents are not going to be responsible for raising them correctly.

corky says

Why does the teacher's union refuse to allow proficiency exams linked to reviews and raises?  Why do teachers continually refer to 'starting' salaries and hide how fast they increase their pay?  Why are we told that 'all' teachers immediately obtain master's degrees?  I thought they were at work til dark, grading students' papers, etc.  What a farce!  Just more proof that socialism has crept into our country and infested the education system.  From now on, all teachers' salaries will be posted on signs next to each school levy sign.  That will 'level' the playing field and expose the shell game for what it is!

coldcreek70 says

Our taxes went WAY UP this year in Margaretta for no reason..This is CRAZY!!   WE CAN'T AFFORD ANY MORE OR OUR KIDS WILL BE UNDERFED!     TRIM THE FAT AND BUDGET!!!!!!!!

tiredofthecrap says

re: natti light..

 " Here, it's darned near impossible to throw kids out who are criminals, let alone underperform".

OMG!! What planet are you from. I would say its freaking impossible to THROW OUT TEACHERS WHO UNDERPERFORM!! Vote NO!

publicsafety says

 The Huron River Joint Fire District LEVY needs turned down!   They are way to rich and seem to not be using money wisely!!!   The board is constantly spending money on things that don't need repaired or replaced.   I just don't understand this levy.   All they ever do is want want want from us in the district, but they will NOT let anyone use the building we built for them to be used by the community.  They haven't even finished the upstrairs or use it at all.   They don't try to better the service or run as first responders like the rest of the area departments.  Heck even North Fairfield who has worse equipment and building seems to offer more than the Huron River Joint Fire District.   They don't keep a website updated, they dont publish their meeting minutes, nothing.  There is no communication with HRJFD!   All they seem to be able to do well is cook Chili!   VOTE NO ON HRJFD!

Natti Light says

 mhsdad:

Keep in mind that most starting teachers start with their bachelor's degrees, and obtain a masters soon after they start teaching.  That is a significant bump in pay.  It's not just years of experience.  That website has been quoted way too often around the state, and it does leave out many many facts.

I'll be very up front.  I'm currently a teacher, 9 years of experience and a master's degree.  I advise several very in depth after school activities (meaning I'm usually at school until 6 or 7 at night).  I currently make 66,000 a year.  I'm comfortable here, and would be more than happy making this for the next 10 years.  However, starting teacher pay is laughable.  I'd like to see more middle ground.  I also don't think it's unreal for a 30 year teacher with a master's to make 75K.  Especially when our penions are getting slashed at the state level.  The problem is that the older teachers won't budge.  it is what it is.  Voting no is not going to change the system, it's just going to screw those of us at the bottom.  And the school system in general.

I've seen the products of Japanese schools first hand.  They don't educate everyone.  They don't have "inclusion".  But their very best students will smoke our very best students any day of the week.  It has very little to do with teaching, and much to do with what their society will allow.  We are soft.  Our parents are soft, and teachers have thus become soft.  In Japan, those teachers DOMINATE those kids.  You do what you're told, or you are out on your rear.  Here, it's darned near impossible to throw kids out who are criminals, let alone underperform.  Who is doing it correctly?  I don't know.  But I'm tired of being compared to places where we aren't on a level playing field.

mhsdad says

Natti Light, yes it does make a difference.  Just look back at all those years when teacher pay keeps going up, and the school needs more money to operate.  No concessions were given by the teachers they just want more money.  And rightly so they do a hard job. But sometimes you have to realize that you can't ask for more year after year and not experience some kind of backlash. 

As for the japanese schools, I don't think that every kid gets an education past 8th grade, but they also realize that without hard work you can not get anywhere.  This is the reason they push their kids so hard.  It's amazing their students can fluently speak multiple languages, but our students can barely speak english.

mhsdad says

Pundit:  It would be great if the teacher was working for 30 years and made $75k, but if you really look you can see that this is not the case.  For example at teacher in 2004 made $38,500 6 years later that same teacher was making $60,000.  That is an average raise of almost $3600 per year.  In 5 more years that teacher will be making $75k.  This number does not include benefits.  Now this website does not go back past 2004, but the avg starting salary for a teacher is about $25k, so assuming that an avg raise of $3600 this teacher started teaching in '99.  So in 16 years this teacher tripled their salary, who wouldn't love that. 

Unfortunately, people earning their way to the top anymore just doesn't happen when you write blanket raises into your contract.  These same teachers also earn their pay in 6 months not a year. 

Natti Light says

 So, how much a teacher makes is paramount to a yes/no vote?  Really?  Maybe it's time we all stop voting with the chip on our shoulders and start doing what's right.  You like to compare our educational system with Japan's....take a look at how much a teacher in Japan makes.  Maybe I'll start learning to speak Japanese.  Are their teachers any better?  No.  But when you can work the kids as hard as you want, and the parents work them just as hard at home, you find success.

Pundit says

 Dosen't tell you how many years the teacher has worked. Providing that information would undercut the goal of that conservative website. If a teacher makes 75k but has worked 30 years it seems pretty fair to me. If you believe experience is worth anything... as I do.

Finn Finn says

Go to buckeyeinstitute.org

Click Teacher's Salary

Type in name of teacher / choose school district

Doesn't hurt to have this information before voting on ANY school levies.