Teacher's Wages

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by egg man

Jammie you're right,

Money doesn't buy happiness. I was just wondering, however, where I've been all these years if I haven't been "out in the real world"? Are you suggesting the people you entrust the education of your children to are in an ivory palace somewhere?

Egg man, since you're an educated man, you know what I mean about the "real world". Many educators are in school since kindergarten and have never been out at different jobs. They have nothing to compare it to. One of the problems that many people face is that they don't have those three extra months to subsidize their income because they already work full time, year-round jobs. Many people have one and a half or two full time jobs.

And I'm not your nemisis. I absolutely agree with many things that you're having a problem with.

No, 30,000 a year is not a decent wage for a teacher with 25 years of experience. That's close to the starting wage where I live. So I know you understand why I don't feel that educators in the larger schools are being terribly underpaid.

Also, I totally agree with you that the incoming teachers shouldn't have their wages raised just so we come off that 51 mark. I also feel that the dedicated, long time teachers are the ones who should see the raises and not the people entering the schools. I'm not one of the people who agree with year-round school even though several in our local district feel that way.

IMHO you have perfectly legitimate complaints. But the fact still remains that most of us in the state are struggling. I don't believe that a police officer or a firemen can start out in my city at the same wage that a teacher can. Yet, they work 12 months a year, many of them have degrees plus have taken several other courses that most teachers haven't been required to take. They constantly have First Aid classes, many have their "lifesaving" in swimming, and are required to stay in top shape in order to perform their duties. They work 12 months per year and not 9 months per year, yet their wages are lower. I don't remember the last time I heard one of them complain.

I guess the problem I have is I just don't understand who we will take that money away from in order to up the teacher's salaries.

[egg man]

Sir,
I thought I've reiterated that from the start, not? I began by saying we don't make bad wages compared to other occupations in our state though we might when taking in consideration the expense we have tied up in our "own" education.
FYI, I have worked construction, been a janitor, worked in the produce business, worked for the city, taught school, farmed, been in the junk business, and I could go on for several more lines.

I currently hold five jobs, two full time and one part time. Add to that two part time jobs I will take in the summer. I am not complaining. I chose this life. God blessed us with a large family and I chose to do it this way so my wife can stay home. We have a small farm and she stays home to run that so it's not like she's doing nothing. In fact it infuriates me when people say to her, "Oh, don't you work?"

I think in many many ways she works harder than I do. She keeps the homefires burning literally, (we burn wood) She tends the livestock, poultry, has a huge garden, cans, butchers, you name it on top of raising seven children.

You and I can discuss this and we are preaching to the choir. I know a lot of people outside the state of South Dakota do not understand what it is like to live here. They come here with lots of money, try to tell us how to do things, run our land prices and hence our taxes up. My taxes are double on my little farm from what they were three years ago. Why? because of out of state investors, though I'm getting off the track.

Did I ever ask for more money? Go back and read my posts. I just don't think some hair brain legislooters idea to get us off the 51st list is right or fair. It's bad legislation and should be killed. We dishonor those who've put in years and years with such a stupid bill.

FYI The only teachers I know who are sitting on their hands 3 mos a year, weekends, and evenings are the ones where the spouse has a good job too. The rest are out there working at the grocery store, convenience store, taking tickets at the theater, doing daycare, painting, running a landscaping business, etc.. These are occupations teachers in our district are up to. Several farm. A couple couples are both teachers and that's about all they do, but I do suppose one can live quite well in SD on 50 to 60 thousand dollars a year. We don't make that with all our enterprises.

Keep your chin up.

[Jammie]

Yea, what are we talking about because we agree on so many things.

But I do need to say that unless you made tremendous improvements on your land in the past three years, your property taxes did not go up. I also get those friendly tax papers for ag land and taxes actually dropped a few dollars this year.

And I'm taking my toys and going home. Many more important projects to work on at the moment.

[egg man]

I have made no improvements at all. The Mil levy has gone down, but the land value has increased so badly that that is where the tax increase has come from. Perhaps you'd like to pay my bill if you think taxes have gone down?

The "value" has gone up because of out of state people with money running up the price on a couple of pieces of ground in the neighborhood. Now all of a sudden all of our places are suppose to be worth more. I don't know where you live that your ag value hasn't increased but in our county it's nuts. Now our school district wants to build a new school (go figure) so we're sure to get socked for that to. As if a new building will give the kids a better education. It seemed folks rec'd a pretty good education in the old one room school. How was it done?

[Jammie]

Well, it was done because people made an effort at it. They didn't need all the buses to run to all the events or a computer for each student, etc. It was just a much simpler time. I know those one room schools well because I went to one through 8th grade.

I know exactly what you mean~the district I pay property taxes in also needed extra school $$. That was a few years ago already. Believe me though, I do empathize with you on the taxes. I have some of my own that are way too high and I'm not talking about house taxes.