What should be cut first?

[dsny1mom]

That was uncalled for. The work ethic in the south is no different than it is in the rest of the country. The people in this area know what its like to work and to work hard for every dime earned.


Teachers are some of the lowest paid professionals and yet everyone thinks that they should be expected to work even longer hours and not be compensated. Many teachers spend the summers going to classes, attending training seminars, preparing their classroom for the next year, etc. They are not compensated for this. Many teachers attend meeting after school hours, take home huge amounts of papers to grade and take home lesson plans or stay after hours to complete them; again they are not compensated for this. Do other professions take work home? of course. That doesn't take away from the fact that teachers are not paid enough as it is and certainly are not paid enough to have hours extended in any way.

I am from and live in the north. I not only disagree that people from the south have a lower work ethic but I am ashamed that another northener would say such a thing.

I can only speak for teachers in my area. At $32 an hour, for an entry level teaching position, teachers in this area are far from being the lowest paid professionals.

IMHO it matters not what the rate of pay is. Bottom line is if you are in a salaried position you should be prepared to do whatever it takes to get the job done and done right. That is the way of the business world and I don't feel teachers or anyone else should be exempt from that.

dsny1mom

 

[golfgal]

I am from and live in the north. I not only disagree that people from the south have a lower work ethic but I am ashamed that another northener would say such a thing.

I can only speak for teachers in my area. At $32 an hour, for an entry level teaching position, teachers in this area are far from being the lowest paid professionals.

IMHO it matters not what the rate of pay is. Bottom line is if you are in a salaried position you should be prepared to do whatever it takes to get the job done and done right. That is the way of the business world and I don't feel teachers or anyone else should be exempt from that.

dsny1mom

Well, if they are making $32/hour they are not salaried are they? And, where do you live that starting teachers make $66K/year? I better tell my teacher friends to go apply there.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Um, teachers have ALWAYS had to take pay cuts and pick up extra slack even in good times. Teacher raises don't even keep up with cost of living increases most of the time. Our teachers last contract they got a WHOPPING 1 % raise (before the market tanked).

Teacher WHAT? You just read a post, two above the one I'm quoting, that described a company where many people took a pay CUT last year and where there are NO raises currently planned. Teacher raises may not keep up with the cost of living, but when you get NO raise yet the cost of living continues to rise, that's a, what do to call it? Travesty? No, that's not it... exactly...

We have sales tax just not on food and clothing.

I don't know where dsny1mom is, but I can tell you DawnCt1 is taxed on everything. I'm surprised Connecticut hasn't figured out a way to squeeze out some kind of tax on breathing...

 

[dsny1mom]

We have sales tax just not on food and clothing. It's 54 degrees right now so I don't know about the bitter temps. The high 90s and humid in the summer is what gets me.

I just searched one of the larger hospital/clinic systems and across the metro there were 61 postings for LPN/RN positions ranging from casual to 40 hours/week. These did not include the openings that were internal only, just those available to the 'public". There are about 3.5 million people in the metro area so I don't know if this constitutes a shortage or not. There are 3 major health systems, and some smaller ones, so I suspect there are about the same number of postings for the other systems as well. There are over 40 locations for this one system.

I was refering to the lack of sales tax on clothing. The nurse is question is 26 yrs old so buying clothing is her hobby. LOL

Yes, it is spring time here in the midwest. The bitter cold I was refering to was the past several months of bone chliing temps. Not even MN hatred of the Packers can warm up their temps in the winter months.

dsny1mom

 

[golfgal]

Teacher WHAT? You just read a post, two above the one I'm quoting, that described a company where many people took a pay CUT last year and where there are NO raises currently planned. Teacher raises may not keep up with the cost of living, but when you get NO raise yet the cost of living continues to rise, that's a, what do to call it? Travesty? No, that's not it... exactly...

I don't know where dsny1mom is, but I can tell you DawnCt1 is taxed on everything. I'm surprised Connecticut hasn't figured out a way to squeeze out some kind of tax on breathing...

If you read my entire post you would have seen that I said 'before the market tanked" so that raise was back in 2008, they haven't gotten anything since and took a 5% cut for next year with their latest contract they just ratified a couple weeks ago. Given that their total raises in the past 10 years have amounted to about a total of 7% and now are taking a 5% cut, they have netted out a 2% increase in the past 10 years. With inflation averaging over 3%/year they are taking an effective pay cut of 28%. Minnesota has a higher overall tax burden then CT.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, if they are making $32/hour they are not salaried are they? And, where do you live that starting teachers make $66K/year? I better tell my teacher friends to go apply there.

Oh, so she broke it down to hourly average for easier understanding. So what? And since teachers only work about 180 days a year*, it's actually only about $46,000 annually.


*Often - but not always - they can choose to get smaller checks but get paid 52 weeks a year.

 

[dsny1mom]

Teacher WHAT? You just read a post, two above the one I'm quoting, that described a company where many people took a pay CUT last year and where there are NO raises currently planned. Teacher raises may not keep up with the cost of living, but when you get NO raise yet the cost of living continues to rise, that's a, what do to call it? Travesty? No, that's not it... exactly...

I don't know where dsny1mom is, but I can tell you DawnCt1 is taxed on everything. I'm surprised Connecticut hasn't figured out a way to squeeze out some kind of tax on breathing...

I'm in Illinois. I think the City of Chicago has a plan in the works to actually tax any air inhaled. Pay it or the Daily family will send their goons after you. LOL

The sales tax in Chicago is 10.25%. Gald I don't live there and refuse to shop there.

dsny1mom

 

[golfgal]

I'm in Illinois. I think the City of Chicago has a plan in the works to actually tax any air inhaled. Pay it or the Daily family will send their goons after you. LOL

The sales tax in Chicago is 10.25%. Gald I don't live there and refuse to shop there.

dsny1mom

Illinois ranks 14th, Minnesota ranks 5th, Connecticut 9th. This includes income, property, sales and other state/local taxes.

 

[HsvTeacher]

Illinois ranks 14th, Minnesota ranks 5th, Connecticut 9th. This includes income, property, sales and other state/local taxes.

Mind posting a link to this information?

 

[golfgal]

Mind posting a link to this information?

Actually I posted it a couple pages back but here it is again:

http://www.e50plus.com/public/202.cfm

 

[dsny1mom]

Well, if they are making $32/hour they are not salaried are they? And, where do you live that starting teachers make $66K/year? I better tell my teacher friends to go apply there.

LOL Do the teachers in MN work 40 hours a week 50 weeks a year, with a paid 2 week vacation? In order to earn 66K at $32 an hour that is what they would need to work. Teachers here have the children in the class 185 days a year and I generously threw in an additional 15 days (three weeks) to include inservice and classroom set up days. So $32 X 200 days a year X 7 hours a day = $44,800. The $32 an hour rate is what they earn when you break down their salary by actual hours spent in building.

Please don't send any teachers our way from MN. Between the talent our schools produce and the hard working teachers coming up from the south we're pretty much full up.

dsny1mom

 

[golfgal]

LOL Do the teachers in MN work 40 hours a week 50 weeks a year, with a paid 2 week vacation? In order to earn 66K at $32 an hour that is what they would need to work. Teachers here have the children in the class 185 days a year and I generously threw in an additional 15 days (three weeks) to include inservice and classroom set up days. So $32 X 200 days a year X 7 hours a day = $44,800. The $32 an hour rate is what they earn when you break down their salary by actual hours spent in building.

Please don't send any teachers our way from MN. Between the talent our schools produce and the hard working teachers coming up from the south we're pretty much full up.

dsny1mom

You can just go on thinking that--there isn't a state in the south that even cracks the top 20 in quality of education. I figured the hourly wage by the number of hours teachers actually worked in our district. I am sure our teachers would LOVE to only have to be in school 7 hours/day.

 

[HsvTeacher]

Actually I posted it a couple pages back but here it is again:

http://www.e50plus.com/public/202.cfm

The reason I asked was that TaxFoundation.org, a not-for-profit research agency, has different numbers for state/local tax burdens:

Connecticut - 11.1% (3rd highest in nation)
Minnesota - 10.2% (12th in nation)
Illinois - 9.3% (30th in nation)

 

[golfgal]

The reason I asked was that TaxFoundation.org, a not-for-profit research agency, has different numbers for state/local tax burdens:

Connecticut - 11.1% (3rd highest in nation)
Minnesota - 10.2% (12th in nation)
Illinois - 9.3% (30th in nation)

If I am looking at the right survey on that site it says it excludes local taxes like property taxes. Which one exactly are you looking at (your link takes you to the home page).

 

[DawnCt1]

Teacher WHAT? You just read a post, two above the one I'm quoting, that described a company where many people took a pay CUT last year and where there are NO raises currently planned. Teacher raises may not keep up with the cost of living, but when you get NO raise yet the cost of living continues to rise, that's a, what do to call it? Travesty? No, that's not it... exactly...

I don't know where dsny1mom is, but I can tell you DawnCt1 is taxed on everything. I'm surprised Connecticut hasn't figured out a way to squeeze out some kind of tax on breathing...

That will be the "carbon" tax.

 

[OceanAnnie]

You can just go on thinking that--there isn't a state in the south that even cracks the top 20 in quality of education. I figured the hourly wage by the number of hours teachers actually worked in our district. I am sure our teachers would LOVE to only have to be in school 7 hours/day.

Where are you getting this information? And the work ethic is sub par in the south, in your estimation too. Interesting.

 

[HsvTeacher]

You can just go on thinking that--there isn't a state in the south that even cracks the top 20 in quality of education. I figured the hourly wage by the number of hours teachers actually worked in our district. I am sure our teachers would LOVE to only have to be in school 7 hours/day.

Again, do you have proof?

I have proof that disagrees with your statement:

America's Best High Schools 2010 (US News and World Report)

(Looks like there are 11 southern states in the top 20. I don't see any Minnesota schools in the top 100.)

America's Best High Schools

(Minnesota ranks 31st. There are five southern states in the top 20.)

 

[iwrbnd]

I live in the midwest and our school district is cutting everything from janitors to administration. (However, in administration it's meant a couple non-paid days off) I work for Parents as Teachers and have had my hours cut. Next year I may or may not have a job. It's tough to be in education right now! The thing I wish they wouldn't cut are teacher positions because I feel smaller class sizes are essential!

 

[dsny1mom]

Oh, so she broke it down to hourly average for easier understanding. So what? And since teachers only work about 180 days a year*, it's actually only about $46,000 annually.


*Often - but not always - they can choose to get smaller checks but get paid 52 weeks a year.

Thank You.

To be honest, I had an additional reason for breaking down the teacher's salary, in my area, to the hourly rate. I think people should know what the hourly rate is that our teachers are paid. It's deceptive to say one *only* earns 46K a year with a teachers schedule, since they are actually earning $32 an hour. Some teachers, not all mind you, want the public to perceive them as being grossly underpaid for doing such noble work. But when you look at what they actually earn for the hours they actually work in the classroom that grossly underpaid facade fades quickly. Most teachers are off cummatively 23 weeks a year. There is nothing stopping them from gaining additional employment, to boost their income, during those 165 that they are not teaching.

dsny1mom

 

[taylor3297]

What I said was not directed at the OP. Therefore what I did say about the comment stands.

dsny1mom

I know exactly to whom you were speaking. It was a backhanded insult directed at me.