[Les Pharis]

Really? Which states were those? I would like to research that.

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by Les Pharis

Back to their benies~there are many people who could only dream of getting many of the benefits that teachers receive. That means a lot, too.

My guess is that the teachers who are living in the high-wage states don't come out any further ahead then the ones in OK or SD. Their high cost of living eats up the difference.

Did you know that teachers pay more for health insurance than most other
people in private industry in spite of the fact that they tend to be healthier? Could it be stress or just corruption? I would disagree with your assessment about living costs versus salaries. Unfortunately for the state, the teachers with the best critical thinking skills who are not tied down by family commitments, etc. see the disparity all too well and head for
greener pastures. Oklahoma's universities used to produce a surplus of
teachers but few are entering the profession today simply because they
can make more money doing other things. A midcareer teacher can make
$40,000 a year in Broken Arrow or $65,000 a year in Bentonville. The
cost of living is about the same.
Oh yeah, when are teachers going to get stock options, or company
owned cabins on Lake Tenkiller to rent, or child care, or paid parking,
disability plans, cancer insurance, thrift plan, paid tuition, etc. ?
What few benefits they get, they get overcharged for.[/quote]

Actually, some of your post isn't factual. Right now a teacher pays $68 per month for their health insurance. Family, of course is much higher. If both spouses work for the school district, their health insurance used to be free. Now I believe they have to pay 40 or 50 per month. Our school district offers a disability plan. The premium is paid in full by the employee so there would be no tax owed should it ever need to be drawn on. The cost is about 10 per month. Dental is also very cheap~about 12 per month. Our local district offers a free 20,000 life insurance plan and it doesn't cost much to increase that. As far as stock options~the district matches up to 6% if the teacher chooses to be in the SDRS or a plan of their own.

I'm not saying that teachers shouldn't be paid more. I just don't think that it's affordable. How can we increase the tax on the guy making 8 per hour with no benies in order to pay our teachers more? How many employers give you two weeks off at Christmastime, every holiday off, sick leave, personal leave, 3 months of summer vacation? And please don't tell me that they work during those months or always take classes or further their education all summer long. It's simply not true even though I've heard that argument before.

[riverbottomkidok]

I am from Sequoyah County and I happen to work at a small country school with a high poverty rate. I do not believe these ladies and gentlemen receive the pay that they so highly deserve. But as in any school, there are teachers here that don't deserve the pay they receive now because they are strictly there for a paycheck. They are burned out and tired. I believe that if you work in a school system, then a love for the children and their futures should be number one priority!!!

I would do anything for my school kids and our teachers. I would accept minimum wage if I could afford it or if our school had to make cuts. Would most of our teachers????? I don't know. I can't speak for them but the line is clearly drawn. 50% would and 50% would seek jobs at the local casino.

They also just found out recently, by e-mail, that their insurance would soon change. Double co-pays and double prescription costs. How fair is that? Look at our state elected officials changes and compare them to our educators changes and tell me what has gone wrong.

I am not an educator. I am not privy to all of the faculty's information. But I see decline in our school systems. It is gradual but nevertheless it is there. Educators are almost beat down. I work in the child nutrition program so I see every man, woman, and child everyday. I am fortunate enough to have befriended almost the entire faculty and that is the only support I myself can give them.

Change needs to happen because we have a great school. Caring faculty helps but it isn't enough. Money talks and bs walks is the common attitude of most. I have pride in my school and our educators but when is enough enough. It hurts to watch great people walked on everyday.

Our district pays year round contracts and that's great. But the great teachers give half of it back to the kids. What can we do?

[Les Pharis]

[

Actually, some of your post isn't factual. Right now a teacher pays $68 per month for their health insurance. Family, of course is much higher. If both spouses work for the school district, their health insurance used to be free. Now I believe they have to pay 40 or 50 per month. Our school district offers a disability plan. The premium is paid in full by the employee so there would be no tax owed should it ever need to be drawn on. The cost is about 10 per month. Dental is also very cheap~about 12 per month. Our local district offers a free 20,000 life insurance plan and it doesn't cost much to increase that. As far as stock options~the district matches up to 6% if the teacher chooses to be in the SDRS or a plan of their own.

There are some differences between districts. I think health insurance
is consistently a royal screwing for teachers though. Last time I checked,
teachers paid $68/mo. for their own insurance. A married couple, both
teachers paid $68/mo. each. but most people who are married have kids
and that's where it gets really expensive. One couple of educators that
I know were paying about $700 a month to insure themselves and their
two kids. Another couple, one of which worked for a city government
and was using the very same HMO was paying about $450 per month.
Your point that someone earning $8 an hour suffers a lot more from
taxes is well taken but my point is that there seems to be a lot of corruption in the system. Who's pocketing the $250 per month difference?
I don't think I've ever known a teacher that was "just there for a paycheck" but you have to admit that there are a lot of people out there
that have only a bachelor's degree in other fields that make a lot more
money than a teacher with a master's or doctorate degree especially after
20 years even adjusting for the number of months or days worked per
year. Teachers are not in the profession to get rich but at the same time
they are not blind to inequities or the lack of respect they receive.

[Crosstimbers Okie]

Okies love to beat themselves up over how backward, ignorant, and dumb they are.

Correction: Okies who rarely leave Oklahoma love to beat themselves up over how backward, ignorant, and dumb they are. Once they see the rest of the world they start to wonder about what they always knew was true.

[okcpulse]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

Then why is the state so reluctant to pay teachers more? Because they don't work during the summer?

Perhaps you should do some more research on this. Teachers pay in Oklahoma has increased substantially over the last 5 years. It is part of Gov. Henry's goal to bring teacher pay up to the regional average. What remains a challenge is that you're chasing a moving target because other states are raising their pay rates as well.

[okcpulse]

Originally Posted by Crosstimbers Okie

Okies love to beat themselves up over how backward, ignorant, and dumb they are.

Correction: Okies who rarely leave Oklahoma love to beat themselves up over how backward, ignorant, and dumb they are. Once they see the rest of the world they start to wonder about what they always knew was true.

Can you explain? I'm educated, I've seen the rest of the world, and I still love Oklahoma.