[Vision2020] Letter to the Editor: Teacher salary article was incomplete

[Dale Courtney]

> I think teachers are treated horriblely, and I would fight to 
> have them keep the pay they have. 

And this is exactly what is *factually* incorrect. Because of the shorter
work year and workday, teachers earn more on an hourly basis. See:
http://www.educationnext.org/20033/71.html

> Tim, I think having teachers agree to a pay cut is a BAD 
> idea. This is saying that they can afford a pay cut and will 
> be used in the future as a way to save money. I think members 
> of the community need to agree to pay our teachers more pay, 
> not have the teachers agree to take less pay.

I'm going to have a coronary on the table. It's like talking to a rock. 

Did you not hear *anything* that has been said? 76% of MSD teachers are
already earning between $65,000 and $90,000 per year
(http://courtneys.us/msd/Teacher_Salaries.htm). Compare this to the fact
that the per capita personal income for Idaho was $25,057; for Latah County
it was $21,716 (in 1991).  Teachers are *well* paid; *overpaid*. 

One last thing -- non-parochial schools pay 80-85% for comparable teachers
in comparable schools (see Podgursky's research on these numbers:
http://www.educationnext.org/20033/71.html), and 65% on average because
private schools employ a much less top-heavy mix of teachers.

No, the union will *never* agree to right-size government education. So the
only other option is to out-source it. 

Best,
Dale Courtney