TEACHERS: Pay-raise reservations

Teachers say they need an additional 5 percent increase in salary. I wonder what the rest in our communities will make this next year? Will they all make an additional 5 percent? I sincerely doubt it. Maybe even 1 percent would be more than many are going to make.

If educators were paid based on the quality of the product, in some cases they would have to take a cut in pay. Often charter schools, private schools and even home schools rate better than our government schools.

Our education system has been studied many times and even billions of public and private money have been invested, but the result has been poor at best. Few seem to be interested in looking back 100 years to see why education was better at that time than it is today.

Some of our teachers actually need a raise: There are positions hard to fill, but certainly not all of them. Most teachers are well paid for what they do. What would they make with the same education if they worked in the private sector?

Maybe we need to rethink our whole educational system before we even think about giving a raise. I don’t know about you, but my taxes just keep on going up. Maybe it is time to stop raising wages and taxes.

JIM HOLLINGSWORTH

Coeur d’Alene