People on the outside complain about teacher’s pensions as if we are somehow stealing from them. They don’t into account that for years teachers traded better pay for better benefits and the pension. That was the deal; the covenant society made with teachers, the same promise that some people insist must be broken.
How about this, eliminate teachers pensions here in Florida completely and just pay our teachers the national average for salary. For me and I am in my eleventh year teaching that would be a fourteen thousand dollar raise, more than enough for me to take care of my own retirement. I will even do you one better, in tough times don’t give me any raises and in good times, I will settle for just cost of living increases.
I would take that and I bet most teachers not within seven or eight years of retirement would too.
The problem is the same people that complain about the occupy Wall Street movement, saying they are mooches and leaches with their hands out also want to pay for education on the cheap, they want something very valuable at bargain basement prices.
You have a sound argument. Another influence out there is the notion from some "study" that teachers are overpaid by about 50%. That argument waves bye-bye to rationality for it is saying that all teachers should have their pay cut in half. Critics are basically saying that brand-new teachers are just fine, so it's pointless to raise salaries to account for experience.
ReplyDeleteI can go with that. Also, pay teachers based on subject area. A math or ela teacher should make more than the health or pe teacher.
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