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School districts mull faculty salary scales
To give a step increase or not to give a step increase: That is the question East Texas school districts are facing during this summer’s budget season as it pertains to teacher salaries.
A step is a increase based on a teacher’s years of experience before additional stipends for such areas as being bilingual certified or having a doctorate. Districts award steps annually, but a bill approved by the Legislature has left school officials contemplating whether they can afford to give the pay raises this year.
House Bill 3646 requires school districts to give teachers the greater of $800 or $60 per the district’s weighted average daily attendance divided among its educators.
The uncertainty among most school districts is whether they’ll be able to afford to give the state-mandated raise in addition to the teachers’ regular step increase, officials said.
The Longview Independent School District expects to give teachers an $896 annual raise under the new bill, Assistant Superintendent Lynn Marshall said.
What do you think of the step increase?
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Comments
By RWS
July 1, 2009 7:16 PM | Link to this
As an employee of a local ISD, I can say that we have GREAT teachers out there, and they deserve credit. Our whole society does not want to hold people accountable for their actions. If you drive drunk, it’s the bartender’s fault. Smoking is the tobacco companies fault. Kids refusing to pay attention in class, or worse yet, disrupting the WHOLE class, then they graduate and read or write at a 3rd grade level. How can that be the teachers fault. The way the laws and the poli-ticks work, “No child left behind”, education doesn’t work like it did 40 years ago when I was in school. Teachers actually have much more pressure, as well as frustration, than they did back in the old days. And, for some reason, all 400 in my graduating class could read and write just fine. Hmmm …..
By Patti
July 1, 2009 12:02 PM | Link to this
Sorry but half of my lines were left out, just now, I have a friend that is a teacher and she always has sad stories to tell regarding the lives of her students..and then they have standards to meet in school on top of that..I work for the City of Longview-Partners in Prevention we have special funding to mentor children of parents that are in prison/long term jail sentenance. If you have any students to refer to us call 903-237-1019. ask for Patti or LaRaslum, we are already pre-approved in the local districts…Thanks teacher for the job you do!
By Bill
June 30, 2009 9:09 PM | Link to this
Kim I want teachers to make more money, it’s more or less a thankless job that is overlooked when it comes to salary increases. So I sympathize with your plight, I can also see why you are divorced.
By Kim
June 30, 2009 6:22 PM | Link to this
Dear Tamy,
I am a teacher, divorced, a parent, and a homeowner. My taxes go up just like yours. The recent increase is due to the bond proposals that were voted in favor of. I’m hurting financially from that.
I don’t know where your kids go to school, but where I work we all teach our tails off. We work long after school is out and come up to school on weekends. If you think your kids aren’t given a well rounded education, then blame it on TAKS and the state.
By Kim
June 30, 2009 6:15 PM | Link to this
Bill,
My property taxes have gone up just like yours due to bond approvals. I am a teacher, divorced, a parent, and a homeowner, and I’m hurting financially because of this increase. My pay does NOT come out of that increase. Get educated on where your tax increases come from.
By Meghan
June 30, 2009 12:56 PM | Link to this
Actually, standards for our kids are going up, not down. With NCLB, students are being held to a much higher standard than ever before. This means teachers doing more work for less pay. We did not go into this profession because of the great pay, for sure. For me it was for the love of children. Too many people are quick to point fingers at the school system when in all actuality, if teachers could spend more time TEACHING and not doing other things we would all be in a better position. Some (most) days before I can teach I have to listen to the sad stories of their home life, feed them because they are hungry, console them because mom/dad is going/went to jail, and various other situations that so many more fortunate people are blind to. I make it my duty to not only help my children be better students, but better people. Please don’t play the blame game. If parents and society as a whole did more, everyone involved would benefit. I would suggest if you don’t like the way things are being done in your school district, do something about it - volunteer at your local school… or come to mine, I love visitors!!
By Tamy
June 30, 2009 9:58 AM | Link to this
It would sit better with me if education standards went up in the same porportion. Our kids are being less and less educated while teacher pay is growing. There is something wrong with that to me.
By Bill
June 30, 2009 7:41 AM | Link to this
I think that teachers should get this. My property taxes go up every year anyway for some unknown reason. At least I wouldn’t be so irritated if I knew part of it was a teacher’s raise.