The Metrowest Daily News today took a look at how teacher salaries in Southborough compare with the rest of the state. Here’s what they found out:
According to the most recent state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education salary report, Southborough placed 94th out of nearly 400 districts in the 2008-09 school year in terms of average teacher salary.
Southborough paid teachers an average of $68,217 in 2009, about $700 more than the state average of $67,577.
They also found that several towns with a lower median family income than Southborough, like Northborough, spend more than us on teacher salaries. You can read the details in this article.
With the current budget crunch, many in town have called for a tougher negotiating stance with the teachers union and even freezing teacher salaries. Does the data on teacher salaries influence your opinion one way or the other? Share your thoughts in the comments.
I don’t for one second feel the teachers are overpaid, however, under the the current fiscal circumstances, I think it’s time for a freeze. If we want to keep services at the current level and avoid lay-offs, the teachers and the schoold department need to buckle down.
I agree with John Kendall, I have tremendous respect for teachers and what they do for our children but we have to start facing financial reality and the world we live in today not the one that existed for the last 40 years.
The average salary comparison done by the Metrowest Daily News fails to take into account the average tenure of teachers in different systems. Dr. Gobron has in the past cited the relative youth of the Southborough staff as a reason why salaries have been increasing, as a higher than normal percentage of teachers jump “Lanes” due to acquiring their Masters or other certifications. Teachers’ salaries for the most part are determined by seniority and with a younger than average pool of teachers we would expect to see the average salary be depressed vs other systems. A fair analysis would look at a cohort adjusted average salary (eg compare earnings of teachers with 10 years of experience and a Masters Degree).
In the private sector there are 2 fundamental reasons why someone gets a raise. They can get more money by working elsewhere or their productivity increases and they are able to produce more value.
I have difficulty believing in the current economic environment that the competitive market for teachers would lead teachers to leave Southborough (or any other school in Ma) for greener pastures. I believe that in the next 2 years we will have no shortage of applicants for any open positions we might have as other systems will be laying off dedicated well trained teachers. There might be some pressure for some specializations (computer science, math and sciences) but I don’t think there is any fundamental market pressure that would suggest that the uncaring invisible hand of the market is dictating that salaries must be raised to keep existing staff and attract new ones.
I will freely admit that measuring productivity in education can lead to endless argument. But fools jump in where wise men fear to tread. If student populations are declining and the number of teachers is constant or as proposed increasing then is a very real sense a simplistic measure of productivity in declining not increasing.
I am sorry if the above offends some, it is the reality that many of us have to deal with every day. “Unemployment is 9.8% if you don’t like it find another job”. “You have to do more with less.” These are not Dilbertisms they are fundamental economic realities for most of us.
So, I don’t think there is an economic reason for raises. Teachers and other public sector workers have gotten regular raises over the last few years when most of the rest of us have not. Social Security recipients did not get raises, Federal wages have been frozen, the Governor cut the salaries of the Legislature, incomes for families in Mass have fallen for the past 2 years, unemployment and underemployment remain stubbornly high for the second year in a row. John is right the teachers need to step up and show that they are in this with the rest of us not just out for whatever they can get.
If we spend $700,000 on raises for teachers that is $700,000 that we cannot spend on new staff, technology, books, extracurricular activities or instructional materials. That is the real threat to quality education in our community.
Sadly, if Dr. Gobrons comments in the MWDN are accurate it is clear that he does not “Get It” and will negotiate the same old deal we have always done maybe with some minor concessions on health care. It has worked for the last 40 years and he will get his way when the School Committees uncritically apply their rubber stamps to the deal. This will leave Southborough voters with a choice between a fiscally irresponsible budget or damaging our schools.
Mr. Kendall,
Do you feel the same way about the Police and Fire Dept., — that they should take a freeze, as well, including pensions and medical?
First, without getting “suckered in” to an argument, I never mentioned pensions, just pay freezes to avoid layoffs and maintain current services. Second, when the town asked the unions to help with the costs of health insurance, the firefighters were the first to step up to the plate, followed by police and DPW. I’m not so sure the teachers pay the same ratio as the others.
Emperor’s new clothes,
The police recently took a 25% pay cut because we voted not to fund the Quinn bill. The police on our force will be making the same money in the year 2030 that they were making last year. The police base pay is around $45,000 much less than the $68,000 for our teachers. I feel bad that they took a job knowing they had this benefit and we took it from them. They do a great job! Keep up the good work!
Let’s be clear about this. The Town of Southborough did not cut its funding for the Quinn Bill. The Governor and State Legislature cut the states share of the funding for the Quinn Bill bonuses.
The Town of Southborough has honored the agreement that it negotiated in good faith with the police unions. The agreement said that the town was only responsible for its share and not the states share if the state cut its funding. Some communities did not have this agreement and were required to pay the full amount. If the shoe was on the other foot the police union would have demanded scrupulous adherence to the contract. I am certain this is a topic for the upcoming negotiations.
From what I understand, the largest cut, for an officer with a Masters degree would be 12.5% (the Quinn Bill authorizes up to a 25% bonus with 50-50 state-local funding for an officer with a Masters degree less for other academic achievements). Please correct me if I am wrong.
Yes, police officers in our community saw their wages decline last year dueto the loss of the Commonwealth’s share of the Quinn money. Like many families in Mass. they have felt the the impact of this very sever economic downturn.
It is no secret that I think a public sector wage freeze is appropriate, and economically necessary. However, if we are all to be in this together, I think we do need to recognize that the police officers in our community have taken a pay cut and some modest adjustment should be made. Frankly, before we hand out any raises we should address this issue.
voting to not fund the Quinn bill was horrendous, I understand there were many facets to the argument but this was an enormous benefit to the officers, one they thought they had when they took the job. Taking it from them was not only unfair it kept them in the same position by way of not enabling them to further their education.
That never should have happened.
I agree that there has to be balance, those who protect and serve have to be protected themselves.
I think that every rational person would agree that a well educated police force is an asset to any town. The key question should be how much value does the Quinn Bill bring to the town. Please take a moment to read this article form the 10/18/09 Worcester Telegram about the Quinn Bill at this link: http://www.telegram.com/article/20091018/NEWS/910180449
Interesting statements from that article:
“Some people are walking around with degrees that are useless,” Mr. Tocco said in an interview last week. “They got them because it was a way to get increased pay and pensions.”
William J. McCarthy, a professor and coordinator of the criminal justice program at Quinsigamond Community College and a former Connecticut state trooper, said some schools were routinely granting credit for life experience, for taking police promotion exams, and even for creating “portfolios” containing items such as commendations awarded to officers.
And the BEST quote form the article, which mirrors my opinion: “…However, Mr. Lanoie said he recalls doubts about the wisdom of the Quinn Bill from the beginning. He said he has always believed that, if college degrees are necessary for a professional police force, then they should be required as a condition of employment and pay scales should be adjusted accordingly. ”
Let’s end the charade of the Quinn Bill and stop paying officer for “advanced degrees” which are worthless. Let’s make a degree part of the job requirement and pay them a fair wage and stop all this nonsense.
First let me say I appreciate what our teachers do. I like so many of our teachers and school staff. 70% are good to very good. I dont know any that get the label of outstanding. The rest are poor to fair and in my opinion can go and they would have been gone long ago if there were competition. The rest of you, cut the bull please. Teachers earn on average $70K a year and work 3/4 of a year max.. They work 3/4 of a day compared to the rest of us – if that. Their pentions are incredible – (kind of like the politicians retirement and health care). Their benefits and pay are incredible as well. Yes they are valuable but I tell you their education is inferior to the education I recieved. I can dance circles around any high school kid in physics and calculus and most important history. And there are a ton of people willing to work for half of the pay and benefits and are more qualified than 1/2 the teachers we have now. I work in the private sector and have had no increase (and that is like I know) in pay for five years, pay more for health and dental, and no retirement (401 joke). I think the majority of people are in that group as well. The problem is that parents don’t want a disruption in their “kiddy care” and their hope of Prinseton interupted. And unions do not make consecions. Hence, they hold the keys to the kitty. Inmates are in control of the assylum. I have written two letter to the BOS suggestiong to prepare for a strike and to have a back up plan to hire non-union teachers. But offer to keep the best teachers as there are many as I said. There is a middle aged man and a woman in my neighborhood who would love to take the bennies, retirement and 3/4 year of work for $50K. And they Honestly would make great teachers. They have real world experience. We should use some of our money and the the towns past wasted “laywer dollars” and money used for “studies” from past years to fight this over paid, over compenstaed, and under worked group and hold them accountable. Just like we did with the unfunded mandate that was mentioned for the Police, The Quinn Bill.
I find it hard to believe that you would think a teacher works only 3/4 of the day. Teachers are in the building almost two hours BEFORE the children arrive and leave up to 2 hours AFTER the buses leave. By my count that is a nine hour day. Believe me – they are not paid to sit around during the summer either. A 3/4 day. Tell us that after you bring home papers to grade or go shopping for materials that are not in the budget for your class to use. The education of our children is what we need to remember. It’s not ‘kiddy care’ and I doubt whether or not the average person off the street could walk into a classroom filled with children with individual needs and personalities and teach them anything worthwhile. Sure there are a few who don’t meet our standards. There are people in every position in every job that don’t measure up.
Lola,
First off, I believe excellent teachers are by and large underpaid, and I would fully support a system whereby excellence is rewarded, so long as there’s a mechanism to weed underperforming teachers out.
But I did want to respond to your comment about teachers arriving two hours early and leaving two hours late…you are kidding, right? There are noteworthy and laudable exceptions, but you’re off base here. I’m at the schools one hour early five days per week, and there are 3-5 cars in the lots–and I can pretty much tell you who those cars belong to.
On the working late at school side of the house…again, not my experience. Those of us who have kids in Scouts, or RAP programs, can easily observe how many teachers are around an hour after school. On the other hand, when I pick my kids up right after school, I see teachers literally running out the door ahead of the kids. Maybe they’re running home to grade papers…and to that matter, aren’t the teachers afforded time during the day to get that grading done?
Of course, the best teachers work hard, innovate, care deeply about their students, and strive for continuous improvement. We’re lucky to have teachers of this caliber…we just need more of them!
Lola,
Wny is it when I drive by Finn School 2 hours before or 2 hours after school the parking lot is nearly empty? Do most the teachers walk to school?
Unlike the Police and Fire Dept. workers, teachers don’t have the opportunity to get overtime pay, and much of teachers’ work is done at home. In some towns the police are the highest compensated individuals, due to the extra details and overtime. In general, as a teacher, I was personally offended by some of the comments made about teachers. Due to the rules of this blog, I could not defend teachers in a manner specific to an individual whose standards wouldn’t have met mine in primary school.
Yeah Emperor!
Emperor:
In many forums teachers demand to be treated as Professional workers. I agree that they should. One of the definitions of a Professional is that they are not paid by the hour they are paid to accomplish a result Professional Engineers, Accountants, Marketers, Managers and the likes work until the job is done not by the hour. Teachers who deserve to be treated as professionals should and do with this way too.
Lola, That my dear is exactly the problem. Oh my goodness, you bring home papers to grade, God forbid. That is your attitude, that is your system and union you belong to, and in essence the core of the problem and weather or not you and the rest of the community agree, it has to go. I work 2-3 hours at night and early mornings every day (after a 10 hour day). I don’t make a lot more than you. And I don’t have your bennies and time off. It is part of my job, I chose it, and I am ok with my life choice. And the individual needs thing you mentioned. What bull that is. Yes, we did it different 20,30,40 years ago but you know what? The product the public schools put out was much better (not great because it is public school) and we learned more and the cirriculum was simpler for the teacher to administer (not all the PC’s, paperwork, bowing down to over anxious parents). Your system is not as good as the system was then and it was not great then. But it did do the trick. And your system now is getting worse (quality) and more expensive all the time. The bigger the system, the larger the problem. The further decisioins are removed from the people (unions, state, federal, politicians in bed together), the larger the difficulities. And you and the system are part of the overall problem I believe. The fix is easy. Do away with public school system, implement vouchers for competition, let the cream rise to the top, and those who settle, settle where they may. And you know what, like my Dad siad when I was upset a kid dropped out of High School. Dad in his infamous wisdom said, “someone has to collect the garbage son”. It happens, but you dont put them on the state payroll or food stamps. You make them earn a buck and they will have real self worth. And I know this is your next thought. As for the say the mentally challenged children? My neighbor as a youth, Teddy’s parents, stayed with his family for his life time. Teddy turned out just fine and his family is blessed for all time because Teddy loved life and taught us all how to love life and appreciate all human life (thank God he was not offered the option of abortioin). I was blessed by Teddy as well and Teddy taught us all, including me, how precious human life is in all forms. If Ted was in a home or special school ( or aborted) we would not have had that blessing in the community. He was taught what he could learn at home, not in some system where it costs on average $32,866.00 a year to have in a classroom in public school.
Mypay:
I think you are being a little harsh. I would never argue that a good teacher does not put in a hard days work. My mom was a teacher and she got to school at 7 and was home about 4 and graded papers one or 2 nights a week. I don’t think she worked harder than many in the private sector but I don’t think she worked less during the school year either.
Your other point have more merit, in my opinion, Teachers work 185 or 190 days per year (The state mandates 180 days of instruction and 900 or 990 hours of actual instruction) A typical private sector worker labors for about 235 days (52 weeks X 5 days – 10 holidays -15 days vacation). So, because of summer holidays, teachers work about 80% of the days that a full time private sector employee or other public employee works. If you adjust the Southborough average salary to reflect that it comes to about $84,000 as an average + of course a very good benefits and retirement package, job security, and substantial protection if you are not very good at your job.
Yes, teachers in their early years of their profession pay some substantial “dues” (lesson plan development, taking additional courses to get full certification, learning how to manage a classroom) but that is no different from other professions and trades. Plumbers pay dues in apprenticeship, Doctors pay dues in residency, Accountants pay dues in accounting firms etc.
Teachers are well paid and in the last century it has been a pathway to a very solid middle class lifestyle. The middle class has been under assault for the last 20 years and with relentless raises public school teachers are steadily moving up the economic ladder compared to the rest of us.
If the teachers and their union care about protecting public education (and their long term interest) the will accept a pay freeze like many of the rest of us have over the last few years (if we were lucky) to make sure we have the funds available to provide a quality education for our children.
Honestly mypayfrozen etc, please re-read your post and tell on what level does it make any sense.
Lola:
I think there are nuggets of truth in mypays post even if a bit incendiary. What would you do? We have a $1,100,000 budget gap. From your posts it appears that you favor giving a 4+% raise to the teachers. The corollary is that you favor a very substantial tax increase, asking senior citizens who did not get an increase in social security to pay significantly more, asking families who’s earnings have been cut to pay more, asking people who are unemployed to pay more.
How would you close the budget gap? Taxes or spending restraint?
[redacted]
Second, if you don’t think the teachers can hack working 180 days per year at their current salary levels, I assure you, their replacements are waiting to line up from here to Provincetown in order to work in Southborough, at 2/3rd’s the cost.
If Mr. Gobron is incapable of communicating this to his legions, he needs to gracefully resign.
Third, the Metrowest Daily article about teacher’s salary levels was disingenuous, and takes a complex issue completely out of context for the purposes of pro teacher’s union propaganda. Where is mention of fully-loaded benefits and public-service pensions?? Hellooooooooo . . . . . ???????
Nowhere else in Americana, and I do mean nowhere , does one find automatic pay increases according to how long one warms a seat.
Juxtapose this with the current environment where millions of Americans have lost their jobs, or have had to take pay CUTS (yes, reductions!!) in order to keep their job. If teachers are simply demanding a 4% “cost of living increase”, believe me, that is a poor reason and bill to shove out to taxpayers.
Fourth, good teachers should be paid more. Bad teachers should be fired. This is the American way. Unfortunately, it’s counterintuitive to the [redacted]-backward and exclusive province of teaching and public service unions.
to mypayfrozenetc. you really have never met an outstanding teacher? how is it that my kids currently have 2 of them? are my standards that poor? i do not think so–on the contrary seeing as i get both Time and Newsweek and read them and then tweet about the articles i would have to say I am game on with what is going on both here and abroad. Your line “the product the public school put out 20 years ago was better and simpler for the teacher to administer” The teachers do not use PC’s anymore, they use MAC’s and so do the kids and mine teach me at this point and they learn it all at school. One school system is looking to rid themselves of books entirely and go to I-Pads. The ENO boards (welcome to technology) are the most incredible learning tool —the kind that creates an amazing product for the public school to put out. How is that for garbage? it’s almost as if you have absolutely no grasp of the subject matter.
Have you been in any of the schools? Do any of you who consistently put down the teachers and the curriculum ever go in and talk to the principals or anyone? even look at the hallways or see what is going on? At Woodward right now is the Read-A-Thon and the theme is “March of the Penguins” and guess what? it is totally amazing how the entire school is tied into it–the whole school is reading the book chapter by chapter and the walls are covered with the kids art and the kids are learning facts about penguins and wait! there is more! Someone came in from the New England Aquarium came in to chat about penguins. The cafeteria tables are decked out with facts etc.
sounds totally low rate, that the teachers and administration are just collecting their checks and doing nothing and that the kids are taking up space wasting everyone’s tax dollars and the education is sub par.
oh, sorry! i forgot to mention that the 2nd graders just had “Heritage Day” and they all made floats and this required them to research information, yes research.
Yes, i agree that teachers that there is a problem with the structure of how teachers are paid due to how long they have been in the system and as a parent i do wish i had more say in that on both ends of the spectrum–for those teachers who i think are failing and for those teachers who i feel have made such an enormous difference in my kids lives. At this point my kids are in 5th and 2nd and each of their teachers have made enormous contributions–my daughter keeps saying “i am not sure who is my most favorite so far?
as a parent that is all i need to hear.
if you are not going to move forward then just stay where you are, stop trying to push us backwards cause we are not going in reverse when it comes to our kids education.
i absolutely vote for a spending restraint. what i do not vote for is what seems to be a sense of eroding feeling that the teachers and children need to do more with less. Less is not more, less is less unless you are talking about increasing class size–then it is more.
Carrie: while I appreciate your passion for education, the fact is that other schools do just as much as ours with less. One example: charters have incredibly passionate teachers, fewer perks facilities/technology-wise, and do a fantastic job. Students from both Northborough and Southborough have left the district for charters for one reason or another. And for privates, of course, even with the economy the way it is. Your seeming amazement at what goes on in schools surprises me. This happens everywhere in the country, not just in our town.
My feeling about the current technology craze is that on the one hand, we voice concern about kids becoming more isolated because they use so much technology, and on the other, we rave about the fact that using technology in the classroom works like “magic” to keep students engaged. I really wonder whether in the years to come we’ll look back and regret the fact that we’re keeping kids “plugged-in” all day long. Remember, technology is not infalliable (as Advisory & the BOS discovered at the recent meeting when the Director of Technology was unable to access files). Reports that computers fail in the high school all the time come home regularly. Inexpensive white boards are still available, remember, and they don’t break down! The argument seems to be that you can keep multiple students engaged at one time using one big screen. If that’s indeed the case, then maybe we’ll find we don’t need so many teachers in the future. After all, the district is a big proponent of Virtual High School for many students.
Innovation:
In spite of magic boards and all the technology spending we have done, creative thinking about how we deliver education is really lacking in our system (this is not unique to Southborough).
Let me give you an example. One of my children is serving in the military and is finishing his degree while serving. He takes college level math courses (advanced calculus, non linear systems, analytic geometry, non euclidean systems, etc). These courses are delivered on line by ecorded lectures, very regular homework and proctored exams. There is on line or telephone help available if a student has questions. As near as I can tell the materials and content and standards are comparable to traditional math courses.
So think about the AP classes we offer. The interesting thing about this model is that it can lead to “canned” courses the lectures and materials could be done by the best in the business (think Princeton or Stanford) and then administered locally by one of our teachers. This would greatly increase the productivity of our local resources and would in some cases afford the opportunity to outsource (homework grading could be done in India) of the support services.
If a student is sufficiently advanced to take an AP class then they should have the discipline to be able to “self instruct”. If not then they are not ready for the future. Local support is still important but this could lower the cost of delivering AP courses and improve the quality.
I am sure that the teachers union will resist this and other innovations tooth and nail.
Here is a link to an interesting study done on the impact (or lack thereof) of class size on learning outcomes. Everything I’ve read seems to indicate that the benefits of having a smaller class are most significant in the lowest grades, particularly for minority or ELL students, but that as children get older, the difference in outcomes for students in larger as opposed to smaller classes is insignificant. I realize that community members may respond with anecdotal evidence to the contrary, which is why it’s good to look at as many objective studies as possible.
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/news/press-releases/pr-pepg-research-may10
If you step back for a moment and imagine the $1,100,000 budget gap as your household budget gap (but on a smaller scale)…………you know, kid going to college, gas and food prices rising, you (and perhaps spouse) have had pay freeze or no bonus in a few years, no added revenue as anything you have in the stock market or 401K has taken a serious hit and/or you are nervous about being laid off, etc…..what do you then do?
You certainly don’t look your spouse in the eye and tell him/her you think you guys really deserve that new addition or perhaps that kitchen rennovation you’ve been waiting to do because you have been looking at a dated kitchen for so long now. You don’t replace the car just yet and you certainly don’t plan a trip or vacation …..you cut back and you cut things out. You put a halt to spending and you look for deals when you do have to spend. You get creative and resourceful.
If I had a budget gap in my household like that AND I was pushing for a new kitchen or car upgrade…….my husband would laugh me out of the house.
One last point, whether I DESERVE that new kitchen, vacation or car upgrade has nothing to do with it.
Pat-
I really enjoy reading your posts and I appreciate your ability to “nail the issues” and also your wit!
It seems like the town departments, other than schools, are sailing under the radar this year. How in the world can the Library submit a budget request that has an 8.1% increase in it? Same goes for the Police Department wanting 2 new cars and the fire chief wanting to spend more than $50,000 on a new “command” vehicle.
Hasn’t the word gotten to these folks that there is no pot of gold?
Interesting point, but step back for a minute and consider the public library as a community resource rather than a community expense. The library provides quiet places to work, internet connectivity, as well as resources for professional development and entertainment. Many people might not appreciate these resources since they have home internet, a netflix account, etc. But consider the value of a strong library to a family that has lost a large portion of its income and is trying to make ends meet.
It seems to me that a library is likely to be underused in times of prosperity, while in times of financial stress its value is most likely to be realized. That makes the question of whether to fund the library at any given time tricky at best.
I am indeed passionate about education, it is perhaps why i just gave so much of my time and energy to run Neary Noodle Night and while running it I am running the Read-A-Thon. With that said I do not have my head in the clouds when it comes to finances–if i did then i would not be running fundraisers along with my contemporaries. And i do know that the fundraisers do not even scratch the surface of the budget gap. What i do know is that it is SOS money, our money for us to use for educational things like field trips and educational enrichment programs and bullying seminars–
For the past few years it is the same people in the schools with me and for the past few months it is the same people trashing the teachers and the entity that it our schools. Do something positive–if your idea of something positive is offering AP courses online then *make it happen because my son could have benefited from them this year. I only have so much time in my day.
The reason I am so discouraged and is that while there can be discourse posting that our educational system is failing what continues to be truly enraging to those of us parents who actually feel as though we are trying to make a positive change is that those of you who complain about it do just that: complain without necessary effective action. As far as the technology is concerned there is no robotics being taught–the kids are not being hyper educated, the Eno boards and the mac’s are tools for learning. My 2nd grader did her own research via the web for her heritage project without any assistance and that is the point of what the teaching is all about for the kids to learn the tools and springboard from those tools. When my daughter and her classmates use the Eno board to order their school lunch it is a *process they are learning math while also learning the computer which is a very necessary skill,–the wheel keeps turning and moving and the technology keeps changing and they need it in order to compete. Textbooks will be one of those words kids hear in 5 years and say, “what’s a textbook?”
Carrie,
Very well said, I couldn’t agree more. Times have changed from 20 years ago and if we want to give our kids the best chance at being the best in the world than we need to do exactly what we are doing. When I went to school 30 kids in the class was acceptable.
But now with the new technology and having integrated classrooms with our most vulnerable kids that number would be a travesty. As I have said many times on these boards to those that have nothing but negative to say, then volunteer and see if you can make positive changes. Look at what Mr. Rooney has done just by stepping up to the plate. We all have the chance and opportunity to make a difference in our Schools and Community, too bad more don’t fill the 20 empty volunteer positions within the Town.
And lastly Carrie, I commend you for your continued “Spirit of Giving Back” to our schools.
Lisa & Carrie: many thanks to you both for all that you do in our schools. Having said that, I’m curious as to how you know that posters don’t volunteer in our schools? I’ve been a room parent many times, led a girl scout troop, coached soccer teams, coordinated the Understanding Our Differences program in Neary for a number of years, have been involved in the PAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) for the past seven years, and attend as many School Committee/town meetings as I can to keep myself apprised of what’s going on in town. And I do all of this because I too am passionate about education and enjoy being involved. However, at the same time I recognize that others contribute too, to whatever extent that they can, and if their efforts are not as visible as some individuals’, this doesn’t make their contributions any less significant.
In my opinion, it’s exciting to see so many community members taking an interest in what’s happening in the schools. I’d expect that there will always be negative comments along with the positive ones.
Carrie:
First, thank you for your service to our children, volunteers are critical to supplementing and enriching our education system.
I am sorry if you think some of us are bashing teachers and the system. Like you I care deeply about being able to provide the next generation a quality education. My fear is that lack of productivity improvements and spiraling labor costs are the most fundamental threat to our ability to provide that education to the children and young adults in our community. That is why I rant on here.
We have a real problem when long standing supporters of school budgets like Mark Ford make comments like he did about the hours our teachers work. We have a real problem when John Butler, who has always been a strong school supporter, tells the Superintendent that he must control labor costs or it will threaten the quality of our school system.
I know that many of you think I am a fiscal crank or crackpot but I voted in favor of every school budget, and often made the motion in support of the School Committees numbers as opposed to the Selectmen’s. I think there is a huge problem, we can continue to offer upward economic mobility to our staff or provide additional resources to educate our children but not both. I know which I prefer.
Yes, I believe textbooks will go the way of the encyclopedia in the next few years. I also believe that we will see the continued expansion of charter schools which today are out-competing traditional schools. My question is that will all the resources we provide your schools why are we not seeing more innovation and productivity.
OMG can we please move on and stop trying to outdo eachother. Points were made both positive and negative. Enough already.
That is what I say with every tax hike I get: State, Fed and Local
Enough already.
Al,
I have no real way of knowing how many hours the teachers work, since I imagine some of that takes place off-site. What I was commenting on specifically was the post that said teachers arrive two hours early and leave two hours late…which is simply not true, by and large. This morning, for example, there were no cars at Neary at 6:55, and four at Trottier.
My kids have been the beneficiary of some great teaching, and I continue to believe investment in education is one of the most important investments a town makes. I’m also a strong believer in meritocracy, and we just don’t have that in place. How do we reward excellence, and weed out mediocrity? Again, I wrestle with that throughout the entire Municipal system–but 70% of our resources are in the schools, so that’s where the problem looms largest.
Thanks to all the volunteers! Like many on these boards, I do as much as I can, in several venues, to help.
My apologies if I have misrepresented your position. I found your description less than flattering and harsher than my own assessment but I appear to have misinterpreted your intent. Sorry.
As a member of Advisory how do you believe that we can continue to fund 4-6% labor cost increases for the foreseeable future?