SCHOOLS: The real pay for teachers

When choosing to respond to the few letters ripping on teachers, police, and other public employees, I must remind myself that it is not personal. Instead, it comes down to money and a few folks wanting their own private Idaho.

Therefore, some must be sure to use whatever justification necessary to keep every penny (despite the fact that they don’t have any real knowledge of the work they are criticizing) nor can they acknowledge anything positive about their chosen adversaries. For example, Coeur d’Alene Public Schools have some of the highest achievement in the state, and is competitive at a national level despite Idaho having the lowest per capita teacher/student expenditure in the nation. What a bargain! How is that for merit?

This high student achievement is good news for the few protecting their own private Idaho. Higher achieving students will mean fewer desperate criminals in the future that those “overpaid” police officers protect you from. As a teacher I’ve never cared much about pay, but how about a little respect?

BRAD SONNTAG

Hayden