Letter to the Editor
Raises needed
Published Saturday, October 4, 2008
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To the editor:
I teach ninth and 11th grade English at Ben Eielson Junior/Senior High School. Under my expired contract, under which I — and every other Fairbanks North Star Borough School District teacher — am currently working, I am paid for seven hours a day, or 35 hours a week.
However, in the past week — weekends included — I clocked 68 hours of job-related activities such as preparatory work for my classes, conferencing with students, conferencing with parents, responding to parent e-mails, volunteering to help with or chaperone extra-curriculars, attending extra-curricular events simply as a spectator, attending Individualized Educational Plan meetings, attending behavioral intervention meetings, attending staff meetings, further researching my content area, soliciting the help of guest speakers, finding materials for my classroom, purchasing materials for my classroom with the budget I’m allowed, purchasing materials for my classroom with my own money, raising awareness of student achievement and, of course, grading assignments and entering grades into PowerSchool on the Web.
We’re paid for seven hours a day, and five of those seven hours are spent teaching classes. Therefore, we have two hours to accomplish all of those other tasks each day. I — and I think that I speak for most teachers — love my job, and, thankfully, teachers recognize that even though the tasks above do not take place during the class periods, these tasks are integral to student achievement; therefore, most teachers take time away from their personal lives and are willing to accomplish many of those tasks on their own time if they feel supported by their district. However, 1.25 percent, 1.5 percent and 1.5 percent raises throughout three years do not do much to encourage that sense of support among educators.
The district’s teachers need a new contract. If the district does not spend the money on the hundreds of dedicated teachers working in their schools, our community will not be able to attract and retain quality teachers, and will pay the price with its children.
Community Discussion
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Ms Dyer -- this was your choice. Threatening the public with poor quality education belies the supposed dedication and commitment of our public educators.
You should try running your own business. A 68-hour work week with three month summer vacation sounds very nice to me. I've had one two- week summer vacation in 20 years of operating my business and easily put in more than 70 hours ever week, all year. But, of course, my business is my choice and my passion. I could never be you. I could never threaten my clients' children by promising to work more poorly unless they pay me more.
I'm quite certain that is not what she said. She stated a fact - I work VERY hard as a teacher, and always will. My work ethic will not allow for less. I believe what she is trying to say is that in the future, you will get what you pay for, and teaching will not be a profession to attract people with the same work ethic and desire to help these kids that some of us do possess. Didn't sound like a threat, just reality. Why (generally speaking) are there very few over-zealous, highly motivated, eager-to-please workers beating the doors down to scrub urinals in public restrooms? Not the most appreciated and compensated job in the country. But, of course, I chose this profession - as you say. Only, I chose it when I thought it was one that people valued and meant something in this country. No matter; I'll teach because these kids need teachers who care whether or not they can succeed. I'll do my part.
I have posted this before . . . it bears repeating (the "facts" from above need to be put in context--here's some context):
The teachers' pay scale maxes out with many years of experience and a lot more education than many of you could even imagine (if a teacher gets that far, it’s around $70,000—but it takes that “raise” a long time to pay for itself because teachers pay for the education needed to get there out of pocket). Also, as of 1997, I believe, teachers need 25 years to even try getting a good stab at a good retirement--and Tier 3 is no paid holiday.
Additionally, MANY teachers put in MORE hours in their 9 months than your so-called work all year long folks. Teachers often work late, work weekends, attend functions/create functions for kids--for FREE. Teachers who care about their kids are entertaining everyone else's kids with their own free time and money. And what about all of the money teachers spend on other people's kids? Giving kids money for breakfast/lunch and supplying their classrooms with things they need, too. What about just maintaining their teaching certificates/continuing their own education? This is all very costly. It often requires loans.
FNSBSD does not pay enough to attract teachers here anymore--the pay has not kept up with inflation since the '80s. This is why FNSBSD teachers' pay is number 40-something (out of 50) in pay compared to the rest of the US after the cost of living is considered.
Oh yeah--don't forget the sheer numbers of kids teachers see. Elementary school teachers have close to 30 kids a day. When's the last time you managed 30 young human beings? Or look at the middle/high school teachers who can have about 150 kids a day. Can you imagine? Think about it. Do you think it's EASY to get all of those kids to perform at the same rate? It takes a lot of effort--from teachers and parents. And don't forget all of the grading and contacting of parents that comes with working with kids as a teacher (and most parents are working hard for their kids, too).
Also, for those of you who think we have a high dropout rate, remember that the number does not take into account transient students who start out here and end up somewhere else (like military kids). Besides, don't parents bear a responsibility in keeping kids in school?
AND, home school is "successful" because the parents only have a few kids to educate. If teachers had a lower PTR, they would certainly be just as successful (see the numbers above).
Lastly, why shouldn't teachers want a decent pay? They don't want to be paid handsomely; they want to be paid fairly. They want to continue doing what they love for a REASONABLE living. Nobody who is a teacher is expecting to be a millionaire for it, or even close to it.
Here's some more:
I would love to see some of you spend a day or more with a teacher.
I would also like to know what kinds of jobs the anti-teacher folks have. I would like to put in my two cents about whether or not they should have pay that keeps up with inflation. I would also like to know what kind of job they have that allows them to blog on the News-Miner's website while they are supposed to be working. A teacher would never have time to do so during the working day. Not even at lunch, as most teachers are helping kids during their "duty free" lunches.
Couldn't some of the teachers' raise come from the state (not local taxes)?
Also, if YOUR current pay is not enough money to satisfy you, don't throw in the towel and behave bitterly toward those who strove to be a professional: put the time, effort, money, sacrifice, and brain power into a trade school or university. There are opportunities available to you. It will eventually pay off, monetarily. However, understand that the jobs many people get with the above education are jobs that require many more hours than 7 or 8 hours a day, with no opportunity for overtime and/or the overtime comes at a cost of family and/or friend time. Think about the many tradesmen and women who work away from home for weeks and months at a time. And don't our taxes pay for many of those projects--pay the over $100,000 salaries and benefit packages? WHERE'S THE COMMUNITY'S TWO CENTS ON THIS?
Life is full of choices. Teachers shouldn't take this abuse for choosing this career (do other professionals take this kind of public abuse?). Again, try spending some time in a school or a classroom. However, even then, many of you won't get it because many teachers make their jobs LOOK easy, when they are not--that's part of the being a skillful teacher. And you'll never fully appreciate the hours spent at home or at school on the weekends.
It's time teachers' pay attempts to catch up with inflation . . . again, it's been since the '80s that teacher pay has come up short. Perhaps, if salaries did improve, the quality of ALL teacher performance/service will improve. Though, MANY teachers are already doing a top notch job--it's just that they don't wear their jobs on their sleeves, so you don't know how many hours they are putting into their kids--YOUR KIDS.
And a little more . . .
The FNSBSD is NOT attracting teachers because the pay is not commensurate to the cost of living, not to mention all of the other teacher expenses. Most of the teachers who are here WANT to be here because they like/LOVE this community. They SHOULD be paid a decent salary that keeps up with inflation and that allows them to keep up with their other monetary requirements for being a teacher, comfortably. No teacher expects to become rich from this job!
Here's some other things teachers are fighting for: The union wants more medical because, for the last 10 years, at least, teachers have LOST medical benefits with each new contract. AND the small percentage of a "raise" didn't make up for the lost medical benefits. TEACHER PAY HAS BEEN GOING DOWN SINCE THE '80s IN RELATION TO INFLATION AND LOST BENEFITS, INCLUDING RETIREMENT PACKAGES (tier 3).
AND, again, MOST teachers work between 50-80 hours per week. That is above and beyond what the pay stub calls for. In those 50-80 hours per week, MOST teachers will work more than their 12 month counterparts.
Don't forget all the education that they pay for OUT OF POCKET just to be a teacher (to keep being a teacher). And don't forget the supplies, food, etc. for their classrooms/kids. Also, most teachers still work in the summer, whether it be a second job or summer school (or both!); summers are not "off."
I, too, was a manager in a small family business and know well the endless hours, weeks and months of small business enterprise. But I seriously doubt that a successful business owner would deprive himself of an occasional respite to view and enjoy his efforts and successes. No doubt you own the toys (deservedly so I might add) that offer you those much needed respites to carry on. No one works continuously without some reward, whether it be material or emotional, hopefully both. That is the way of the world and human nature.
Ms. Dyer is not stating that she resents the many hours she commits to her students. That is not the real issue here. Educators have paid dearly for their educations, and continue to do so each summer in order to maintain their certifications and their expertise in the classroom. It is an expectation, and they accept the responsibility. Why shouldn’t they be allowed that much deserved time in summer to re-energize their own personal and educational resources and come back to the class room in August ready for another challenging year?
You state that “they knew what they were signing up for.” I am not so sure they did, which is probably why that statistically so many new teachers leave the profession within the first five years. It simply becomes too difficult to cope with all the added responsibilities of teaching, the repayment of college loans and living expenses - the career suddenly becomes tainted with a harsher reality. This is not a threat. We are educators. We are the first essential cog that students encounter before embarking on those higher levels of education to become doctors, engineers, and yes, even business owners. Before you can peruse the manual, you need to know how to read.
We are the most valuable asset in an educational setting. The infrastructure of the building and the technology may depreciate, but teachers do not. It’s time to align our true value with a respectful and deserved contract.
How about we give all public school teachers a healthy raise. But we also approve vouchers for school choice. Allow parents to determine which school is best for their children, and not have to pay both through taxes and private tuition. And the whole world gets to be happy, except for a few teachers who might have to switch employment.
I agree with glacierles..it is long past the time to start using vouchers. Schools should compete. Homeschooling is another excellent option. The private sector has long proven they can deliver better quality education for a lot less. Who could possibly lose by this method except the teacher's unions and their mouthpieces. We all see the benefits and improvements the NEA and their minions have bestowed on the taxpayers...right? I love their little booths at the fair.
Also, try sitting outside a local high school when the final bell rings. You will see some great fashions and makeup. Granted, the fine fashion sense the students have probably/hopefully does not come from the teachers but is allowed by the administrators. These kids are screaming "LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME". My guess is it would be difficult to learn with all that "noise" in the classroom.
NoDemoncraps: What about the parents who let their kids dress and look the way they do? (Keep reading; I defend parents later.) But, besides that, as long as the fashions are not offensive/obscene, what you are seeing is a normal way of participating in adolescence. Maybe you didn't deviate from the adult norm as an adolescent, or maybe you found another way to do it, but many adolescents do it with their appearance. Also, where do you think they get those fashion ideas? They get them from the TV and the media, which is supported by a vast majority of our society (most people watch TV, movies, etc.). Additionally, those fashions are sold in stores--attack the stores, too, while we are trying to find someone to blame for the way the adolescents look today.
This is a problem that is not simply solved by our schools' administrators and/or teachers. Many administrators/teachers ask students to change, fix the wardrobe malfunction, etc., only to have the kid revert back to "normal" when that administrator/teacher is not looking. (And I DO know that many parents will not "allow" their kids to look a certain way, but same story--once the parents is out of sight, the kid changes to the unacceptable clothing/look.)
BUT this is totally off topic! Give teachers a raise! :)
Dogg..disturbing you think looking like a hooker or a corpse is normal. I stand by what I said. Let's go to a voucher system and give the free market a chance. Thanks for the input, however.
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I must admit that I am a teacher. I don't make a fortune and its tough as I am a single income earner(last year I made 51K). However, what the district needs to channel are the views and opportunities of the new teachers in tier 3.
Many had two years of retirement savings that were decimated this week.
I teach because I feel that I can make people think and be better. I believe that I create a good product and the students that I have had the privilege to work with seem to glow and succeed.
Many of the critics of teachers don't get the little things. I don't have much opportunity to go hunting; and I am involved in the school year around because I have a vested interest in making sure the students do well.
My typical day goes from 7AM to 6PM and I work 1 hour a day at home and four hours a day during one of my days off during the weekend. I feel that I am a normal teacher. I run the school weight room and that means that I spend more time with many young people than their parents do.
I have no toys(boats, sportscars, fourwheelers, or etc). I can say that I do feel that I make the young people I work with into better workers and thinkers.
The laborers and operators received increases because the cost of living in Fairbanks has increased. We only seek to receive a margin return for what we think is fair.
Many of those who are upset that the teachers might be wanting increases may not know that our local legislators(both Republican and Democrat) have worked to make sure that the district has the money for the pay increases. It is written into the school's operating budget. However, the District believes that the teachers really do not merit an increase in pay.
A starting teacher with a BA and zero years of experience makes 38K in FNSBSD. This makes their salary 26K in 1996 dollars with adjustments of the CPI and inflation. A non-union laborer can make much more than this.
Students seek to optimize their earnings. You won't find as many students headed off to college if they know they will make less as teachers than as laborers. This may seem fine to you.
Workers with higher levels of education generally are more productive workers. This means if you want a return into your retirement as a laborer(The local laborers are some our best supporters if you want to know the truth) you probably would support an emphasis on making and paying teachers an adequate salary as it is an incentive for all FNSBSD students to go to college and become more enlightened and productive.
The states with the highest teacher salaries generally have the best educational performance and their workers are more productive and well paid. Alaska needs to follow this example. It is also true that the states with the lowest teacher pay have the lowest student performance and per capita worker income. Mississippi comes to mind.
The free market system works. The community can decide to support pay increases and a decent education system or it can deal with the alternative. Award winning teachers leaving Fairbanks for Wyoming. This last year, one of our talented music teachers left Fairbanks for Wyoming because he made 20K more per year. He had a family and was a single income earner. I think what Ms. Dyer is saying is that if you pay us well you will get the best product out there and can expect your children to do better in school, on tests and in life after school either in the workforce or in post-secondary study.
We would like to thank all of the parents, workers, students and community members that support us and make our job respected and appreciated. We couldn't do what we do without you.
Sincerely,
Thomas
Thomas -- you make $51 Grand a year? That's pretty good money, more than I pay myself in the business that I own. I work more hours than you do, too and I don't have any toys either. So, why do we do this?
The problem that I have with Dyer's plea is that I think she has the public's priorities reversed. The public will pay more if they feel like they're getting something in return. I like glacierlies proposal. What's wrong with vouchers and competition? This is how the rest of the world excels.
Look, I don't envy teachers. Many of my friends are teachers and they have horror stories. They work hard, too. But I do notice that they do a lot of traveling in the summertime and tend to retire early. Okay, I'm in favor of giving you a raise, but on the condition that student performance rises correspondingly or better. Otherwise, you refund the raise. Deal?
"The public will pay more if they feel like they're getting something in return." ...Aren't we getting educated kids in return? That sounds like a GOOD return to me.
I am in favor of giving teachers a raise. As a high school student myself, I see them constantly working and perfecting their teaching styles and methods in order to influence and guide kids in the best, most efficient way possible. They dedicate their LIVES to us, ensuring we get quality education and guidance. In my opinion, teachers deserve to be looked upon with respect, not criticism for requesting a raise!
By the way, I am posting this anonymous. I am in the process of getting confirmation, however, I could not resist any longer; I had to post.
Tomas/Kaboku68
What you fail to mention is that you are paid an additional contract to run the weight room, correct. You made a choice to do it, its not required duty, and you are compensated for it.
What is the average teachers salary in dollars per hour? Somewhere in the high $40 range, correct. How many other jobs have that?
How many other jobs provide a paid 2 week holdiday at christmas, 1 week in the spring and several days intermingeled?
Those of you who bring up Tier III... Welcome to the real world. I lost more than an annual years salary (less than $51,000) in the last two weeks. Very few of the working class have defined benefit retirement programs.
I dont disagree with any of you that Teachers work very hard, I just think the FEA has got all of you convienced that you are the red headed step child and no one loves you
First off, Prospector quit using '--', this isn't Microsoft Word. It isn't going to change into what it's compensated to be. Second, it's absolute ludicrous that people believe our teachers do not deserve a raise of EQUAL value. Referring to Mrs. Dyer's previous post, it is not just a handful of teachers who put in the extra effort for the betterment of the student body. As a student who arrives at school at 6:30/7:00 in the morning, (Ha don't ask why.. because i can't answer that) I see almost all of my teachers at the school, working, an hour before they're even paid to do so. It isn't merely that either, I personally know most of the teachers at my school, and just about all of them are involved in some variety of extra-curricular activity as well. Yet, they're still paid their measly base salary of 7:30 - 3:00? My school stresses and complains about students not being involved with the school, but still teachers are not compensated for their extra unneeded efforts?
Currently I'm writing a paper for my English 11 class. In the past, I felt so much more comfortable with my writing because I was able to go in before school or after school to get help; whether it be with my Thesis, a Conclusion, my Thought-Provoking statement, or even just simple Grammatical errors I hadn't caught. However, this is the first paper I've had to write in the midst of this controversy. Being my paper is due on Monday, I've been in complete <b>trepidation</b> this time. I've had to source back to having my parents and friends edit my paper; which I feel for most students, isn't the best scenario.
However, this 'scenario' is becoming more of a reality for more than just English 11. As a proud student at Ben Eielson High, I honestly believe our teachers deserve a raise of <b>proportionate</b> value. The current policy the District is trying to uphold is completely inequitable for what the teachers place forward for the student body. There has been such an erratic shift in our schools well-being compared to previous years. As I watch firsthand how my teachers put forth their best efforts for the student body, I see the School District disrespect their efforts with minimal raises. The controversy we have upon us now, is no only affecting the students of today, but as tomorrow as well. The hiring of teachers will be immensely scarce because no one wants to be in an highly underpaid position. I believe if this is to continue, the District has voiced to me personally, they do not care about our education - which is ultimately what school is about.
Sincerely,
Kevin Barnicle