One of the most discouraging things about government and politics in the U.S. is the low priority placed on quality and affordable education.

Education should be at the top of the priority list from elementary school through college, but it's not.

Teachers from elementary school to community college in many parts of the nation are shamefully underpaid, often having to work side jobs just to make ends meet.

And, since tax cuts and low priority on school funding is a reality, many dedicated teachers have to pay for classroom supplies out of their own pockets just to ensure kids have up-to-date and accurate books and sufficient learning supplies.

It ain't right and we'll continue to suffer for it from generation to generation if things don't change, in my opinion.

Last month, teachers in West Virginia went on strike for nearly two weeks and were able to secure a long-overdue pay raise.

Today, over 30,000 teachers in Oklahoma and Kentucky walked out, with the support of the majority of students and parents.



The demonstrations came just days after Republican lawmakers in Kentucky attached a revised pension plan to a local sewage bill in a move that angered many throughout the state.

If signed into law, the legislation would raise the lifetime work years for Kentucky teachers and put them into a new cash-balance plan instead of a traditional pension.

“For too long it’s been where we kind of sat back and let things happen — and our kids are suffering,” a speaker said Monday at a teacher rally in the Bluegrass State. “So for that so we need to stand up for them.”

While Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin did sign legislation last week — granting teachers pay raises of more than $6,000, or roughly 15 to 18 percent — many felt it wasn’t enough since they were making so little and often working more than two jobs.

I hope the teachers' reasonable demands get met and the country starts putting a very high priority on affordable high-quality education for all.

Fuck you and your pensions.

They shouldn't have to buy their own supplies. They shouldn't have to have a second job and they sure as shit shouldn't have to sell their blood.

I don't see much changing. A lot of people don't make education a priority, not only people in positions of power who could do something but many parents don't either. They are usually the ones who aren't educated themselves.

We should prioritize the education system as mentioned upthread, however, I also believe the quality of education in the US is severely lacking. There are far too many teachers in the system that show up to babysit.

(04-03-2018, 09:23 AM)Blindgreed1 Wrote: There are far too many teachers in the system that show up to babysit.

That may be true.

The percentage of college students seeking education majors and teaching credentials is half of what it was in the 70s, down to only 4.6%.

Meanwhile, the demand for teachers has increased as have class sizes. There's an especially severe shortage of teachers for math, science, and special education.

So, many states lowered the qualifications for teachers several years back.

In most states, teachers make very little in salary. If they have a pension and that gets slashed for new teachers, it makes it even more difficult to attract new people to the profession -- which is even more concerning coupled with the fact that 8% of U.S. teachers have left the field over the last decade. That's massive.

Fewer and fewer young adults with a passion for education are willing or able to rack up thousands of dollars in student loans to pursue teaching degrees/credentials......and then make very little in salary, take second and third jobs, and work more classroom hours + teach larger classes to compensate for the teacher shortage.

Ref:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post...607a494bff
https://nypost.com/2018/02/14/why-americ...get-worse/

School administrators make more than the teachers do. Pensions are state funded and take a big chunk of the budget pie also. Another thing that is fairly recent is kids with disabilities get put into mainframe classes. I've noticed that newer teachers pay a portion of their pensions. It's a start. Unions like to say that teachers have to supply the kids pencils that is just a talking point thrown out there. If the budgetary monies were used in a more discretionary manner geared towards the education aspect of school and not the administrative, retirement or care of kids that are just getting watched, it would be better. Each State and district is different. Because one district or state is having a rough time of it doesn't mean they all are.

Regulations for school budget's and teaching credentials are way to restrictive to get enough people hired. Regulations help strangle any forward progress made.

Teachers having to buy supplies is not just a 'talking point' Maggot. It's a reality for a lot of teachers who really care about educating. It's been a known problem in a lot of states for a long time.

Listen objectively to the teachers being interviewed across the country; not some biased political rhetoric if you're interested in the truth.

Maybe your wife doesn't have to dip into her own pocket on the reg in order to do her job (I hope that's the case). But, two of the teachers in my family (AZ and CA) have been doing it for years. And, in states with even less priority being given to school funding, it seems more the rule than the exception.

If the budget was divided up better it wouldn't happen. priority number one should be students not administrative flunkies. I remember a time when kids actually had school books. your interpretation is not correct. It is a talking point. At least for quite a few people.

Throwing money at a situation is a Democrat's way of solving problems no matter the good or bad they tend to just send more money which as usually happens in a few years more money is needed and the cycle continues.

Taking the money that is there and spending it wisely would be a better solution. That would be a conservative way to address the situation.

(04-03-2018, 11:56 AM)Maggot Wrote: If the budget was divided up better it wouldn't happen. priority number one should be students not administrative flunkies. I remember a time when kids actually had school books. your interpretation is not correct. It is a talking point. At least for quite a few people.

Bullshit.

It's not my "intrepretation", it's a fact. I'm pretty sure you know the real definition of the word "interpretation". If not, look it up in the DICTIONARY!! "). There's no interpreting to be done in this case.

It doesn't have to be true for every single teacher to be a fact, rather than just some "talking point".

So, basically since it's not a matter of interpretation or opinion.......you're calling me and thousands of teachers (including my family members) liars. That doesn't bother me, but you're dead wrong.

You appear to believe what President Trump tells you. He talked about the issue himself prior to the finalization of the recent tax cuts. Why would the government decide not to take away the tax deduction for teachers who have to reach into their own pockets for supplies if teachers didn't have to reach into their pockets for supplies?

(04-03-2018, 04:06 PM)Maggot Wrote: Throwing money at a situation is a Democrat's way of solving problems no matter the good or bad they tend to just send more money which as usually happens in a few years more money is needed and the cycle continues.

Taking the money that is there and spending it wisely would be a better solution. That would be a conservative way to address the situation.

Jesus Christ Maggot.

We're talking about teachers leaving the profession, moving across states, and spending some of their own limited income on supplies because of insufficient education budgeting and prioritization. All of that has led to a serious crisis in attracting new teachers.

"Throwing money at things" isn't always the solution, I agree with you there. But, sometimes insufficient pay and funding IS the main problem, as in this case.

If some efficiency could be gained by re-allocation of existing funds, that's great. It's been done before. But, that is not going to solve the education problem we're now facing, in my opinon.

OK here's the solution: Pay the teachers and the teachers unions whatever they ask every year and just raise State taxes to pay for it. Or...........rethink the way education is applied throughout the land. Including any teachers that are getting a better paycheck. Either way local residents will be the ones to pay for it.

I support continuous improvement and looking at new ways of doing things that benefit everyone.

The way education is applied throughout the land has been rethunk and reapplied over and over, usually resulting in budget cuts which have negative impacts even way down the line, more national standardization (which some like and some hate), funding based on students' performance, etc...

The bottom line is the same however. When the low pay hasn't increased in many years, the number of new high quality teachers entering the market will continue to decline.

At the same time, the number of experienced high quality teachers leaving the market will continue to increase. Meanwhile, the number of students is increasing.

I don't see that there's anywhere near enough excess administrators in schools to make a significant dent in that problem if the administrators were axed and their salaries were reallocated to teachers and classrooms. But, I haven't seen any specific numbers in that regard.

Teachers should be able to make a decent living and pay their basic bills. When that's not happening, the quality of education and priority on education declines.

To me, that's evident when looking at how (un)well American students perform academically when compared to other advanced developed nations in which education is a high societal/governmental priority and teachers are valued and well paid.

The median annual Teacher Elementary School salary in Upland, CA is $60,039, as of March 01, 2018, with a range usually between $49,181-$71,212 NOT including bonus and benefits.

(04-04-2018, 12:13 AM)BigMark Wrote: The median annual Teacher Elementary School salary in Upland, CA is $60,039, as of March 01, 2018, with a range usually between $49,181-$71,212 NOT including bonus and benefits.

Yes it is, and that's a lot better than most states pay. Of course, our cost of living is higher than a lot of states too.

The teachers on strike in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky weren't making nearly that much, even when factoring in the lower cost of living.

On average nationally, teacher salaries have slipped 1.3% since 2000. Teachers' real salaries aren't just staying stagnant on a national level, they've been going downward for over 15 years.

But, that national average hides wide state-by-state variances. While teacher salaries in Arizona, Indiana, and North Carolina have fallen at least 12%...... teachers in a few states (Massachusetts, North Dakota, and Wyoming) have seen double-digit increases. Lots of inconsistency when it comes to education in this country.

Anyway, there is a 17% national pay differential between teachers and other college-educated professionals, with the teachers making less of course. Why? Twenty-five years ago, the gap was just 1.8%.

Stat ref:
http://time.com/money/4900091/teachers-a...paid-poll/

Bunch of fucking liberals brainwashing our kids anyway.

(04-04-2018, 01:04 AM)BigMark Wrote: Bunch of fucking liberals brainwashing our kids anyway.

I don't think you're going to find a whole bunch of those brainwashing liberal teachers in Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, Arizona...

(04-04-2018, 01:04 AM)BigMark Wrote: Bunch of fucking liberals brainwashing our kids anyway.

I never knew the political leanings of my teachers in school nor those of my professors in college. Weird that your kid's teachers would share theirs with your kids.