TEACHERS: Question of fair pay

Every so often we have negotiations for new teachers’ contracts. It always causes me to wonder what is really a reasonable salary for a teacher. Those who negotiate for the district know that they can justify more money if the teachers are paid more so it does not give them much incentive to push for lower salaries.

Teachers say they just want a livable wage, but they have no idea what that should be. (We lived among people in Mexico who lived on $3/day. Is that what they want?) When I ran for office and talked to the teachers union, the one thing that was clear was that they just wanted “more.”

Those who teach in private schools often do a better job for much less money. So what makes the difference? I once asked a teacher how many teachers could live with a 5 percent cut in pay. He said that he could not and doubted if any other could.

Every person ought to be living on 90 percent of their income and putting the rest away for a rainy day. (Teachers especially must set the example in training young people.)

The two biggest things that affect teacher quality are the unions and teacher certification. Look at it this way: If the most qualified teachers are not certified then you cannot hire them. Numerous studies have demonstrated that certification adds little if anything to the quality of the professional hired.

We must keep asking ourselves if we want a better education, or do we just want to keep building the unions. Look at California! If every principal was free to hire the best teacher, certified or uncertified, then we would have better education. Plus, even with union contracts, teachers need to be paid what they are worth to the community, not what they think may be fair. Comments: [email protected]

JAMES HOLLINGSWORTH

Coeur d’Alene