State Representative, Dennis Richardson (R-Central Point) focuses his May 4, 2012 newsletter on stalemated negotiations between a teachers' union and the Eagle Point School District. He writes,
- I cannot remain silent when surrogates for a teachers’ union encourage 100 Eagle Point High School (EPHS) students to break school rules, march off campus and stage a protest to “respect the teachers.” Such a stunt, implicitly intended to pressure the school district to accept the union’s final offer and avoid the strike that the union called, is despicable. Notwithstanding the misinformation given to the students, the impasse in collective bargaining has everything to do with money and power, and nothing to do with respecting the good teachers of EPHS.
Photo courtesy of the Medford Mail Tribune—May 4, 2012
1 comments:
Representative Richardson,
It seems pretty obvious to me that teachers and other public sector workers are being targeted in order to save wealthy Americans from a tax increase in what amounts to a tax increase on teachers in the form of a pay cut. Let's save the top 1% of income earners in our country from paying a higher percentage on any amount they make over $1 million per year and pass that tax burden on to teachers... because teachers shouldn't be in it for the money, right? That makes perfect sense! NOT! Let's talk about YOUR benefits package and add that to your salary to muddle the numbers for most people who aren't paying attention... oh and how many hours do you work? Oh yeah, you probably went to college for that, like we did. Oregon teachers have Master's degrees, FYI. And I bet you make more now than you did when you were 25... that's extortion from tax payers!
Moreover, if health care were seen as a basic human right available to everyone, paid for by taxes, what would our salary be then? The reason our "salaries" are so "high" is that our school districts are being gouged by insurance companies, something that is beyond our control, but within yours perhaps...? Furthermore, I don't know any teachers who only work 7.5 hours a day; that's just all the school district is willing to pay us for!
Perhaps your solution is to further denigrate teachers to the point that they/we are all living in apartments, or under a bridge, unable to afford a mortgage, taking the bus to work. Then you will surely attract the best and brightest college graduates to the profession to teach our children. Let's see; I can join the private sector where what I earn is my business and I get rewarded for working hard and changing lives (maybe on the changing lives part), or I can be a teacher where I can have a positive impact but I'm sure not to receive anything for my trouble but a pat on the back and a big thumbs up for being such a GREAT PERSON!
Save the wealthy; cut pay and benefits to the middle class! Great message! So far, the only thing I see "trickling down" are tax cuts to the top marginal income earners being paid for by parents, teachers, and students.
Sincerely,
Someone who cares about schools
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