Posted on 08/28/2006 9:26:05 PM PDT by letsgonova19087
I apologize if people feel this is a waste of space...this is the first thread I've started here but I have some complaints and some questions.
In my local township, our public school teachers are preparing to strike. Obviously, we, as students, are furious at the prospect of losing our holidays and summer to the greed of our teachers. But it becomes far worse when we look at the numbers.
Best I can tell (from general googling), the average national teachers salary is about $45,000. We live in a very affluent community, with some of the best schools in the state of PA. The MINIMUM starting salary, yes starting salary, at our school is roughly $50,000. Meaning, a first year teacher can walk into our district and make more than the national average of all teachers in the country, regardless of experience. The MAXIMUM salary for a teacher -cash compensation- is just under $100,000 a year. This does not include benefits, andd while I don't have a number for those, it would be at least enough to put that number well into six figures. Needless to say, the teachers in our district are far from deprived.
I've had several of the head union reps as teachers, and I can attest to the fact that many of them are extreme leftists. I generally don't hold it too much against them. Except now, their greed and selfishness is interfering with everybody else's lives.
I have a couple questions. The first are legal, and really more out of my own curiousity than anything else. 1. Can teachers on strike be fired? At the levels we pay these people, we could have those positions filled again overnight. If I were the superintendent, I would have said "show up for work tomorrow, or you're fired". Is that legally possible? 2. are there such things as illegitimate grounds for a strike? I think it would be tough to make a case that a teacher making a hundred grand really has grounds to strike. Is it possible for a judge to throw that out?
Lastly, I would just like some ideas as to how we as students could become involved in the process without damaging ourselves in school. Nobody is in favor of this, but the vast majority I've talked to are fearful of retribution by the teachers once school DOES get started? How can we influence this without becomming targets?
Thanks for your time.
I second metmom's suggestion in post #20 above. :-)
Wouldn't that be rich? If only it was possible, and they could really follow through with it. I realize many parents simply don't have that option.
We're planning on homeschooling when we move to PA, even though I read it is one of the toughest states in the nation for Homeschoolers. She's only 4, so I plan on being prepared for the inevitable fights.
The package in my township is nearly the same except for the paid funeral...I don't know anything about that. The difference is that the average salary in our district is roughly $71,000...plus nearly $20,000 in benefits. You can see why people aren't pleased their striking.
The future plans of a whole grade of graduating seniors depends on this plus the kids behind them.
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I suggest that as many seniors as possible drive right over to the community college and matriculate. They should do this immediately.
Join HSLDA, Home School Legal Defense Association first.
http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1
It's about $100 a year and they'll provide all legal assistance you need for that fee should you need it, provided you join BEFORE you have trouble. It's not a lot of money and great for peace of mind.
The other option, and I don't know how this works for PA, is to connect with a Christian school that has a homeschool program. With those programes, you are under the direction of the school and meet there once a week for classes like art, gym, etc. but do the teaching yourself at home the other days of the week. That way you're officially registered at school and can avoid the paperwork and coming onto their radar. It works for some.
Good idea, if there's one nearby. There should be considering the affulence of the suburb mentioned. Some parts of PA are pretty remote, er,... come to think of it, that should be MOST parts.
We're definitely going to join HSLDA. I haven't finished reading through their site yet, but they seem to be a valuable and necessary resource for homeschoolers, no matter what state you live in.
Right now, I'm researching groups in the area. I'd like to "join" other homeschooling families, for support/advice, fun, teaching, etc. I only found one organization on HSLDA, right in the township we're moving to, the Buxmont Christian Education Institute, which seems to serve as something for grades 9-12 (testing, diplomas, etc), so that won't work for awhile!
I ended up searching over at Yahoo groups, and may have found a less formal group of homeschooling families. I won't know until we make the move, and I can meet them.
My Teachers were ugly.
bump
just a quick update for anyone who's interested...
the teachers organized a "candlelight vigil" outside of one of the schools to support the union. Roughly 75 people attended. Conspiciously absent, however, were students. Remarkably few students attended, and a significant portion of the attendees were actually former teachers. They arranged for local media to show up. Negotiations are to last through the night, with a final decision to be made sometime tomorrow.
The district sent out a mailing that stated that the *average* total compensation for teachers in our district is a little over $88,000. I'm not an expert, but that sounds like a ton. Is that fair?
We're already on that. The story on the local news just aired...not unexpectantly, it was completely one-sided. Me and several others have already sent off e-mails complaining about the blatant bias in the story and called for a followup that points out the grossly inflated salaries. The union clearly won a PR victory, but hopefully we can make it their last. If anyone wants to volunteer to send off a complaint e-mail to the local network, let me know and I'll provide you with some information.
From everything I've found, it looks like our average is almost double the national average. That's just greed.
It's tenure in Pa. It's a stupid state law that prohibits districts from replacing striking teachers. That's why we have some of the worst schools and highest paid teachers.
It' NOT tenure in Pa.
According to district materials, the average takehome salary in the district is approx $71,000.
Check this website (stopteacherstrikes.org)
And be real suspicious of the House Bill pending that will prohibit teacher strikes but give the power to approve raises to state-appointed arbitrators.
Many prayers for your efforts! Don't let the liberals stand in your way! Maybe a petition that can be converted into a giant billboard sign? Live webcam once they do strike? The world is yours, my FRiend! I hope some great FReepers can provide you with better ideas and some assistance!
Good luck!
Many prayers for your efforts! Don't let the liberals stand in your way! Maybe a petition that can be converted into a giant billboard sign? Live webcam once they do strike? The world is yours, my FRiend! I hope some great FReepers can provide you with better ideas and some assistance!
Good luck!
I've already begun sending around a petition...getting good response. Unfortunatley, it seems like the decision will be made within the next 24hours...I don't think it will work in time.
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