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Teachers’ union rep unhappy about pay freeze proposal

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abathar
Wednesday, December 23, 2009: 4:55 pm
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Everyone I know is doing more with less these days, it's a fact of life. Deal with it or find a job in the private sector.

When times were good the teachers got their raises, they can do like the rest of us and suffer through the hard times also.

The union is complaining about pay freezes, or rollbacks of recent small raises when the State is hurting this bad? Now that I think about it I have never heard a union rep talk when he wasn't complaining about how things are.

I am watching you
Wednesday, December 23, 2009: 9:08 pm
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I have a suggestion for all the school districts. If the teachers are stuck with no pay raises, than the administrative officals, superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals....ect, should not receive pay raises. If a teaching position is cut, an administrative position should also be cut. After reading the article in last Sunday's Indianapolis Star, what some of the superintendents are receiving is way over the top! Salaries in excess of $180,000 along with cars for their use with a gas card, and maintance being footed by the school districts. Plus lavish contributions to retirement funds, and health insurance policies that are paid 100% by the school district. Some superintendents have clauses in their contracts where they cannot even be fired unless they are convicted of a crime. I believe the administration should be well paid, but not to the extent that was reported in last Sunday's Star. Some of the administrations salaries are equal to what 3 or more teachers make in a year. I have not investigated into what our administrative staff for Martinsville school district is paid, but I bet it would raise some eyebrows. If you are going to cut the pay of teachers or lay any off there should also be pay cuts and layoffs in some of the administrative positions.

Lassiter
Thursday, December 24, 2009: 12:47 am
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I agree with both posts.

Mr. Oakley is wrong about not batting an eye for a jail. As unemployment grows so will the number of people who have the time on their hands to raise cain and no money for any increases or patience for complaining. Until people are working again its gonna be rough for all.

Liberty
Monday, December 28, 2009: 12:12 am
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Oakley said teachers would accept a pay freeze if they had to, but they were being called on to sacrifice for the political expediency of not having a modest sales tax increase.

This is about the sickest of socialist statements I've heard of late. And from one of the worst performing socialist groups infecting our country and the minds of our young. They have so completely dumbed down the minds of our young they cannot even tell you how government works but even worst, they can't even tell you what form of government we have. Just ask around.

These lowlife leaches on American society and the teaching profession have been stripping young teachers of their income for decades only to use it to lobby the lawmakers to fund things like abortion, homosexual ed in the sex molesters classes in our middle schools and just about every other leftist anti-American endeavor you can come up with. I know, here's the nut ....well for those who know me you know I will just say go see for yourselves. Visit websites like the NEA's and look at their policy efforts the fund and lobby. Like the elimination of accountability for the lack of student achievements resulting in community dumbing. The are like any other union,they only bring the lowest quality of product and services, but the problem is, they have destroyed our nations moral and educational fabric. Just spend sometime researching the teacher unions. The have had complete mind and educational control over 4 generations of America and just look around. Their product just sold our national souls because they are so unprepared to make it through life without the government over-site. Now is the time for the teachers to quit the scum unions and form private schools. Establish charter educational coops and proposition local governments to take over the responsibility for community education on a contractual basis. " Charter Schools " Also offer a private education for area students without the perversion and rewritten science and history.

For the teacher unions.

Release the vacuum of your bloodsucking socialist lips from the already over taxed family budgets of our community teachers and take this challenge. If you care about teachers then instead of stealing money from us taxpayers through your childishly stated " political expediency of not having a modest sales tax increase " just for-go all teacher union dues till the economy improves. If ever, as 10% unemployment, anarchy and a government dependent poverty class of non-functional dependents is the norm in all socialist Europe."

The six teachers in my family agrees with this.

Just think, they let these young twerps have mind control over your children in the local classrooms who now probably believes it's just political expediency for not having a modest sales tax increase.

I'm sure you have parents who loves you young man but the citizens of this community don't need your union and it's economic destroying ideas. Things around here are bad enough now. And if you cared half as much about the children that I pay you to teach as you do your little union, you would spend your time finding ways to undo the dumbing your union has caused instead of complaining that you can't get your hands on our wallets.

Good teachers quit the union.

Good parents get your children out of the government ed compounds.

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Hope all had a nice Christmas. Next year people will be asking and giving food for gift. Thanks to the socialism this young man supports.

Lassiter
Monday, December 28, 2009: 12:20 am
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Good to see ya back Liberdood :)
They just don't get it do they?

Liberty
Monday, December 28, 2009: 1:04 am
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Hey Lass, Merry Christmas. Been traveling of late.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Looks like thing are slow on here. Looks like the votes in congress has taken the breath of freedom out of the once free lungs of America. Humm.. to poetic?

Keep the faith. Hopefully 2010 will be a year of liberation. Can't stand the thought of my Grandchildren being a citizens of The A.S.S. ツ

.

nobodyimportant
Monday, December 28, 2009: 10:53 am
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It has been over 40 years since I taught, so I don't know how things are none now, but when I taught, we were encouraged but not required to join the ISEA and NEA. We had a local "teacher's association" that, among other things, represented teachers at the budget table with the administration and Board.

Neither the ISEA or NEA ever contributed anything to the discussions around curriculum. We had textbook adoption committees composed of teachers and parents who reviewed the texbook options and recommended adoption. Beyond that, teachers had great latitude on subject matter and teaching approaches.

Now I understand that a lot has changed in this world, but then again, I am friends with a number of teachers who remind me that little has changed with respect to the latitude that teachers have in teaching. What I admire most about them is the creative way they manuever around the issue of religion and the classroom. Some of the stories warm my heart, and I have to admit that some of them make me giggle with a bit of "gotcha" to those who demand no references in the classroom to religions in general and Christianity in particular.

If the ISEA and NEA are the unions referenced in this discussion and they are meddling in what is or is not taught in schools, then I agree they are out of bounds. As far as I can tell, teachers are not bound to join, and if they disagree with enough positions taken by the unions, they should leave them. Sometimes, however, it is better to work within than to stand on the outside. For example, if a teacher declines to participate and the school district acknowleges the union as the "official" teacher representative at the table, the teacher who leaves has no standing and will still be subject to the decisions made in his or her absence.

These are difficult times. It is hard to find something more important to the future well-being of our nation than the education of our youth. I frequently mention that none of it is really important in the big picture, but I do believe in making the best of what we have for as long as we have it. Like most, I had some great teachers and some who never should have been allowed to teach. That's the way life is. We can't always get the best of everything.

Recently, I attended a grandparent's day at two schools. One was a public school and one was at a Catholic school. I did not see anything thast caused me concern. On the contrary, I was most encouraged. The teachers were bright, motivated, and highly organized. What I saw in the eyes of my grandchildren was pride in their school, respect (even love) for their teachers, and excitement. I came away feeling all is well.

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