NAP- Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket

I think I agree with Big Allan that when the household budget is minus, you need to adjust whether impt or not. Why should teachers be above all the stuff like they can strike and they are not supposed to...they could work 12 months like us and some do great jobs...but some losers are protected by the unions and the kids lose and all of us..they can pay part of the insurance and the copays we all pay for so stop complaining about the sweet deal they had to give up a little of the gravy.

Dear Max and Big Allan,

To use your example:  Taxpayers must ask themselves:  How did the household budget get into the minus category to begin with?  Would horrible School Commitee contracting be a factor?   Okay, let us in theory go along with the 12 month school year.  A base teachers pay, for 15 years experience with a Masters Degree,  in Rhode Island would increase from an average of $70,000 per year to $90,000 per year.  Are taxpayers willing to pay for this increase?  I do not think so.

Want to lower teachers wages?  Demand that the Rhode Island State Department of Education remove the Masters Degree as a teaching requirement.  In 1976, all teachers have to attend six to seven years of graduate school in their fields, per state order. The 21-30 plus extra credits obtained by state law are added to the teachers base pay.  By the way, in 1998, the lifetime certificate was removed as part of the "sweet deal". Therefore, teachers must take Masters credits all their careers.

One could reduce costs of teaching personnel by eliminating the Masters credits requirement.   However, would the quality and knowledge of the teachers be the same?  

By the way, the term "some losers" is interesting.  If not for the teachers unions in the 1940's, all teachers would have been fired every three years by the political whims of new school committees.  

Do not worry gentlemen, by the end of January 2009, the governor will attempt a law that will make the "sweet deal" even more bitter for veteran teachers.      

...Interesting discussion points that all that show the difficulties in balancing needs and dollars and values.

Maybe we can all begin to see or at least better understand the points by walking in anothers' shoes.