Calamity Joe wrote on July 02, 2008 05:56 AM: Remember that cutting the COLA affects University and College Professors as well as CCSD teachers. No one goes to college because they are, by law, required to (unlike K-12). They go because they want an education. If there wasn't a demand for Higher Ed, there would be no College and University Professors. Since there is a huge demand for Higher Ed, hence the increase in enrollment, why wouldn't you want to pay the people educating you a fair and reasonable salary? People pay far more money to their personal trainers than educators get. Where is the logic there?

Someone said that if teachers don't like their pay, they should get a different job.

What people who say things like that don't understand is that teaching is not just a job to those who go into the profession. It is their passion in life.

Maybe there are those of you can jump around from job to job with little regret, but we teachers are far more dedicated to our callings than that.

Being an educator has always been a labor of love. That doesn't mean we don't deserve compensation ~ especially for those of us who teach technology, which is ever-changing, and therefore, we must continually educate ourselves to remain industry current, and we must currently update and revise our curriculum so that our students have bleeding edge educations and are desirable workforce candidates.

Many, many college educators do indeed have a second job. For example, as I said, I teach technology full time, and I also work in the industry as well. Most all of my colleagues do the same.

We work in industry so we can pay for our passion to continue teaching.

CCSD teacher for 18 years wrote on June 16, 2008 10:39 PM: Thank you all for showing, once again, why we live in a second-rate culture, mired in mediocrity and entitlement. Great posts people. Really, you all should join a think tank.

Genius wrote on June 16, 2008 06:55 PM: Gee, I wish they'd give me COLA in the private sector. Private companies don't do that, unless you're overseas in some stinkin' third world country -- but then you wouldn't need it in a stinkin' third world country.

Before any teacher takes it up the a@@, the g-d adminstration must be pared way back. When you have assistants, to assistants, to assistants, you get the picture. And the cost of all that "administration".. offices, supplies, environmentals, etc. I have yet to see an administrator contribute anything directly to the classroom, either teacher support or student learning... oh they may get to play "teacher" once in a while, but that is not like being a real substitute teacher. And speaking of substitutes... most of them are smart (some flunkies), there was one in the district that must have been a genius because he taught virtually any subject and did it better than most regular teachers. The CCSD would fall on it's face without the great sacrifice of subs who get no step pay increase, get no benefits, get no retirement, and have to put up with a lot of little snot-nosed high school and jr. high school morons (eighth graders are ridiculously stupid in this district).

Teachers must quit whinning. It looks bad for the "craft"... professionals never whine. They only work 9 months out of the year, get all their step increases - deserved or not - get their bennies, and it's not bad for a babysitting job. Like I said, you got to start with the administration, start paring the deadwood and getting rid of all the costs associated with them. This district can be run perfectly well from one office at Flamingo Road, if you know how to run a bureaucratic organization.

Brian wrote on June 16, 2008 04:05 PM: I agree with Travis.

d wrote on June 16, 2008 02:28 PM: Instead of COLA, it’s Diet COLA… zero salaries (instead of zero calories).

Travis wrote on June 16, 2008 02:03 PM: Howard and Jack, great posts. I have to agree to the extent that those not in a classroom have lost touch with their priorities. NEA, CCSD, and CCEA all have an agenda. Unfortunately, it's not very often that those agendas are beneficial to the classroom. Keep in mind, this is all coming from a current CCSD teacher.

I will be the first to admit that there are some abysmal teachers in the district. They show up to put in their time and not much more. Trust me when I tell you that it is infuriating to the many dedicated teachers in the district. There would be fewer of these teachers if the district would address retention issues, including support and salary. The lack of retention also results in a higher percentage of inexperienced teachers. I cannot stress enough the importance of experience on becoming an effective teacher. These are all issues leading to poorer student performance.

The district is also extremely top-heavy. I don't have the numbers, but I would love to see the percentage of administrative staff in this district compared to other districts.

There are many problems within the district. Unfortunately, many teachers have no impact on administrative decisions, especially those made at the district level (at the ed shed or Walt's tower). Yet it seems, teachers are the ones constantly railed against for the districts waste. This is also part of the reason why many dedicated teachers leave feeling completely unappreciated. Please, everybody, place the blame directly where it belongs. District Administrators and ineffective school board members.

howard wrote on June 16, 2008 11:55 AM: Great post Jack. Why should we continue to throw more money at a completely ineffective monopoly? Competition is the only thing that will fix the public school system. The NEA could care less about improving the academic achievement of students and is only interested in getting more pay and benefits for it members. If they have their way the public schools will be run with all the efficiency of the post office.

Jack wrote on June 16, 2008 11:21 AM: Taken on the basis of performance, BeepBeep, educators are vastly overpaid. In private industry, which state educators hate, they would be fired for their incompetance.
Talk to these overpaid buffoons abut private school, home school, or actualy hiring people who have worked in the disciplines they teach.
I seriously challenge all who post here telling me to give these people more money, read the NEA mission and ask these people about the threee things I just mentioned. You will find that almost all of them are manic in their hatred for all three of these ideas. We recently had to fight tooth and nail to make the band and sports programs our tax dollars pay for available to homeschooled children. Despite the fact that even home schoolers pay property taxes to the schools. The NEA and our educators hate home school, professionals in their disciplines, home and private school tax credits and private schools so much you cannot even have an intelligent discussion with them about it. Why, because they have an agenda and inferiority complex built in. Very dangerous combination for our kids.

Taco Pedro wrote on June 16, 2008 10:39 AM: U peepol need mur munee to propurlly edukate mi kidz mure uf my famely iz comeng frum MEXICO so figore out how to edukate dem i like amerika becuz yu haf uders pay fur dis stuf fur mee. muu ho grazius

BeepBeep wrote on June 16, 2008 09:34 AM: When the economy is good, education is seriously underfunded. The economy is bad and they still want to solve the budget problem on the back of education. Face it people, educators are not overpaid. Those in Nevada are underpaid and are expected to perform with record growth numbers of students. I don't see any of the people who think educators do nothing signing up to work in education. Hmm? Nevada needs to wake up! We want to be known as an education state but don't want to put our money where our mouths and egos are.

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