Posted on 09/14/2007 3:30:31 PM PDT by onja
Students are pouring out of Tucson high schools after TUSD had to dismiss some classes because more than 1,400 teachers called in sick...
Altogether, TUSD has sent home students at six high schools. The other schools are Catalina High, Rincon High, University High and Palo Verde High. Classes at all the campuses were let out around 11:15, district spokeswoman Chyrl Hill Lander said. Approximately 1,440 teachers called in sick today, she said. The district employees approximately 3,700 classroom and resource teachers. The normal absentee rate on Fridays is approximately 500 teachers. TUSD officials had planned to staff all classes for high schools in the district, followed by middle schools and then elementary schools; but Lander said the plans were based on the expectation that 700 to 1,000 teachers would call in sick...
The teachers and the district have been involved in a prolonged contract dispute since August. This morning, TUSD officials said they’ve proposed a 3 percent pay increase for new teachers and those in the mid-salary range and a 2.2 percent raise for teachers who make more than $60,000 annually. Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer said that was above the 1.5 percent pay increase previously offered by the district and a 1 percent initial raise. It was a gradual dismissal at Rincon and University highs. Some students who didn’t have teachers were walking around campus, avoiding the study sessions administrators set up in the cafeteria, library and auditorium. One group of students were planning a trip to the mall, but others were upset. One worried about a project that was supposed to be finished today. Parents were pretty easy-going at the schools, which share a campus at 421 N. Arcadia Ave., and said it wasn’t much of an inconvenience. Some were upset, though.
(Excerpt) Read more at azstarnet.com ...
Although I am grateful to the teachers for getting me out of several tests, allowing me to play computer games for three hours during school, and then get out at 11 o'clock, this is outrageous. Our schools were in complete chaos, kids just running about everywhere with the limited support staff and admins trying desperately to create order.
Just a note, I attend the University School mentioned. As the article states, no one went where we were supposed to. I was "good" and checked in at the study hall and ran back to my comp, while others just left school or ran around doing whatever.
It’s all “for the children”...
/sarcasm
Whut? This is normal every Friday?
Yeah, that surprised me too. Apparently 1 in 7 teachers is absent every Friday. And they want a major pay increase...
Correct me if I’m wrong: these people work a little bit more than half the year, right?
So after taxes what are they making? 47k per year?
There are illegal aliens out there making about 40k per year with little or no education.
Our office missed a fairly important deadline this afternoon because two of four team members had to go leave early to care for the kids let out early. I am somewhat annoyed at best.
Holy crap, I make 34k and I’ve been teaching for 3 years. We never get raises and we have to deal with Mississippi kids. 160 kids in total.
Teachers normally work on a 180 day contract.
Apparently as teachers.............
The “normal” Friday absentee rate is over 13% ???
What kind of ship are they running there?
I don’t buy your premise. They get sweet retirement benefits and they work about half the year,who says they deserve more ???
If they are married to an engineer, after taxes (AMT) and day care, they make nothing. De nada. Zip.
Ping... yet another reason. :-)
Several years ago there was an incident where the teachers went on strike and refused to back down. They were out so long that all the kids who were seniors had their chances to go to college jeopardized. The parents and kids were furious and this particular group of teachers was making no small peanuts.
Six 50 minute teaching periods a day equates to five hours a day that they are teaching for 180 days a year. That's 900 hours a year.
Most people put in almost 2,000 for their annual salary.
They're getting paid more than enough for the amount of work they do.
When I was in high school our teachers went on strike. They taught during their classes and did their picketing during their own breaks and before and after school.
If 1400 is 40% of the teachers, the system has 3500 total teachers. Therefore, on a normal Friday, fully one in seven teachers calls in sick.
The Superintendent needs to fire a whole lot of people for poor attendance.
60K for 6 months work and they're on strike?
Fire them. Fire every single one of them.
L
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