SCHOOLS: Benefits exceed most taxpayers'

A levy will pay for the higher health insurance premiums; that is, in addition to the recent emergency levy. Coeur d’Alene School District employees have a high rate of medical insurance use that has raised the premiums. Medical, dental and vision care is paid by the people for the district employees and their families with a modest employee contribution. Most taxpayers have no such insurance.

In addition to take home pay, almost 30 percent of district employee wages are put tax-free into SSI and retirement accounts managed by paid investment managers. Their neighbors can’t afford investment managers and struggle to put after tax savings and sweat equity into their homes only to be “levied” yearly. This adds up to thousands of dollars of taxes over just a few years, while the district employees’ retirement funds are growing tax free.

Our teachers need to be appreciated and paid well, but why are they picketing their neighbors instead of Boise? Why, with such generous health and retirement benefits, are they yearly insisting on taxing their neighbors’ only retirement fund — their homes? Why can’t teachers “teach” five hours out of their 7.5 required daily working hours, nine months per year? Why do we need more than 50 percent of the employees to be “support” staff when other rural districts need only 30 percent? The Best Teachers with Performance-based Pay!

JOHN RUBERT

Coeur d’Alene