$10,000 / year raises

[catjac1975]

Bus drivers are another subject......why would any rational person do that job? Low pay, work day broke up, dealing with bratty children and beyond stupid parents (if there are parents), school administrators who are next to worthless, etc.... I drink coffee with farmers who drive, I always ask myself, WHY?

They used to have bus monitors many years ago to keep the peace while the driver drove. That went the way of budget cuts years ago. Every once in a while there is an event that makes the papers. usually a big fight, once there was some sexual activity going on in the back if the bus. Who's fault is it? The bus driver of course.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Beautifully said, Ridge. Thank you.

In rich, tax burdened, damn expensive place to live, San Jose CA, Hubs and I painted all the rooms of an elementary school. We had a few parents help us, and many wrote checks to pay for the supplies. There was no money in the Elem school budget to refresh the old tired paint in the school rooms. This was in the 90's before homes skyrocketed. Heck we were thrilled to ONLY pay $466K for our 1950s ranch home in 1993, where our kids didn't even go to our suburb's schools, cus they were filled to the max with very very bright immigrants. They went to a different school district so I dropped them off as I went to work. Finally that district offered bussing, but it was expensive. Over $1000 a year to take them to and from school - by this time they were in middle and high school. Two of the Prospect HS teachers slept in their cars (actually vans) four nights a week, because they could not afford to live near San Jose, so they would commute 2+ hours in on Monday and depart on Friday after school.

My point being, is that even in very wealthy areas, the teachers and the districts cannot simply afford life, much less how to fund their commitment to our kids.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Heck ... our neighbor who lives 2 houses from us, has a High School education and drives a garbage truck for our garbage company, earns as much as my wife with a College degree, with annual continuous education in accounting and taxation, and has been on the National board of 5 people charged with writing the course work for new hires to the IRS. She has almost 20 years of service too. Yet she is paid 65% of what a Wa. teacher with similar years of service makes. Hmmm !

You're comparing your wife to the local garbage collector? Hmmmmm... I could do the same. Why oh why didn't I study something different in my Bachelor's and Master's degrees? I coulda, woulda, maybe had a pension now if I did. Local, county, state or federal jobs would have been a much better choice for me for my retirement. Instead, hubs and I are doing what we can in our early 60's to make ends meet comfortably.

You're comparing your wife to the local garbage collector, who most likely is a union employee and most likely younger than her? If I could earn now what my kids are earning, I'd be rich. Oh wait....my career spanned the 80's, 90's and 2000's. Wages were lower and just because kids make more now, cannot be held to any comparison to what I used to make.

My SIL has two Bachelor's degrees (child dev, and speech path) and a Master's degree in speech path. He started in the very low 40K at his district. Overloaded case load. Three schools. No way to pay the monstrous student loans....Thank you Washington Supreme Court for giving his district the money to give him and the teachers and the staff and the janitor raises. He and my DD can now comfortably afford the rent for their apt, and the costs of raising their two kids.

 

[Carol Dee]

They used to have bus monitors many years ago to keep the peace while the driver drove. That went the way of budget cuts years ago. Every once in a while there is an event that makes the papers. usually a big fight, once there was some sexual activity going on in the back if the bus. Who's fault is it? The bus driver of course.

I would LOVE to have a monitor! It is so hard to drive AND watch what is going on behind your back. Yes, blame the driver.

 

[Carol Dee]

Bus drivers are another subject......why would any rational person do that job? Low pay, work day broke up, dealing with bratty children and beyond stupid parents (if there are parents), school administrators who are next to worthless, etc.... I drink coffee with farmers who drive, I always ask myself, WHY?

Well..... apparently I am not rational. I have driven a school bus for 20 years. Most days I love the kids. (And some parents are WONDERFUL ) Yes there are the ones that complain the loudest and are irksome. But anyone that deals with the public has a few of those to deal with.

 

[Nyboy]

Here in Wa., according to published reports, for years the starting salary for teachers was indeed in the $ 35,000 +/_ range depending on the school district. BUT, it increased rapidly as their years of service increased rapidly into $70,000 to $90.000 per year with 15 years of service or more. Now those with the same tenure will be into $100,000 +/_ range. And that folks is much higher than what the higher middle professional people earn that are expected to pay those salaries through one tax form or another. Heck ... our neighbor who lives 2 houses from us, has a High School education and drives a garbage truck for our garbage company, earns as much as my wife with a College degree, with annual continuous education in accounting and taxation, and has been on the National board of 5 people charged with writing the course work for new hires to the IRS. She has almost 20 years of service too. Yet she is paid 65% of what a Wa. teacher with similar years of service makes. Hmmm !

I have a client he throws a ball in to a hoop, he makes millions a year .

 

[Nyboy]

When NY was trying to get the state lottery passed one of there main selling points was lottery money would be used for NY schools. I wonder much money really does end up there.

 

[seedcorn]

@Carol Dee I’m glad there are bus drivers but from stories (unfortunately not made up) I’m told, common sense is very hard to find In administrators decisions. My children had a wonderful driver. I deal with the public but at my advanced age, I chose to not deal with idiots.

Teachers are needed. As always, some are over paid (in my opinion) but here they are woefully underpaid.

As far as fairness in pay for value of their job, never has, never will be fair. Anyone who thinks college will net you a higher paying job is only true IF you go for the higher paying job and get yourself qualified. Financially, I’d have been better off going to work for Kraft out of HS. Or learned mechanics from my Dad-but he was one when they got paid <$5000/year. Kids getting out of college make almost as much as me with 40+ years of experience-so much for fair.