Teachers Soon to Strike

[Хahar 🤔]

Right now, they're only working exactly as much as their contract stipulates. This means that all extracurricular activities, like Student Council, get canceled, since the teachers don't get paid. A strike is heavy in the air, and everyone can feel it.

If they strike, they're justified in doing it. They haven't gotten a cost of living increase in two years, and now their health benefits are being cut into. They've been wearing pins that loudly proclaim it for weeks, and I reckon they'll strike when a bunch of teachers who don't have tenure get it on the 15th.

I really don't know what to think of the guy responsible. One day he thinks up a great idea, like suing the EPA, and the next he looks at our state's huge deficit and announces, [cue thick Austrian accent] "We do not have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem." So, he has to cut spending. What does he choose to cut? Well, he didn't get to be Governor through getting an education, so why not slash that 10%! Forget this would be below the legal minimum, just suspend that proposition! Forget California is already 46th in per-pupil spending, those other 4 states are doing fine!

Oh joy.

[dead0man]

Super California is 46th in per pupil spending?  How?  With all that high priced property?  I don't get it.

[Person Man]

These teachers should shut up and quit bitching and get to class.  Here in North Carolina, our teachers get their asses kicked on a daily basis just to make sure they don't put a toe out of line.

I really feel sorry for the Californians that they have to suffer the menstrual tyrannies of these lazy slackasses.

Ehhh...you get what you pay for. You can obviously attest to that.

[Nym90]

Overall teachers are greatly underpaid given the amount of talent and education that is required to be a good teacher. When you set the salary far below what other jobs that require a college degree pay....well, as was mentioned already, you get what you pay for.

The biggest impediments to good education are lack of incentive for potentially great teachers to go into the profession through low salaries, and also large class sizes that lead to teachers not being able to give students the attention they need and deserve.

[Person Man]

Sure, school choice should be looked at- but the point is that there is no way around paying for good education.

[Sam Spade]

Super California is 46th in per pupil spending?  How?  With all that high priced property?  I don't get it.

California has a weird property tax system that doesn't help tax revenue through those means.

Anyway for this thread:  Memories of Albert Shanker...

[MODU]

Overall teachers are greatly underpaid given the amount of talent and education that is required to be a good teacher. When you set the salary far below what other jobs that require a college degree pay....well, as was mentioned already, you get what you pay for.

The biggest impediments to good education are lack of incentive for potentially great teachers to go into the profession through low salaries, and also large class sizes that lead to teachers not being able to give students the attention they need and deserve.

Simple answer is to increase the budget by 4% each year to cover teacher payraises in-line with most other jobs, and get rid of the union domination of the schools so teachers are able to compete and perform like in any other profession.

[Hash]

Hopefully they won't do like the lazy Communist asses do in France and shut down everything nationwide.

[Tender Branson]

For gods sake, the Governor wants you to lead, not to read !

[Person Man]

Overall teachers are greatly underpaid given the amount of talent and education that is required to be a good teacher. When you set the salary far below what other jobs that require a college degree pay....well, as was mentioned already, you get what you pay for.

The biggest impediments to good education are lack of incentive for potentially great teachers to go into the profession through low salaries, and also large class sizes that lead to teachers not being able to give students the attention they need and deserve.

Simple answer is to increase the budget by 4% each year to cover teacher payraises in-line with most other jobs, and get rid of the union domination of the schools so teachers are able to compete and perform like in any other profession.

Is that neccesiarily so? It could just be the case that unions allow for workers to actually be noticed because they level the playing field.

[MODU]

Is that neccesiarily so? It could just be the case that unions allow for workers to actually be noticed because they level the playing field.

It's kinda hard not to be noticed as a teacher.  And why level the playing field?  If you have an overly-gifted teacher who has been in the field for years, they should be thumping all other teachers in salary without some anonymous union head saying "well you know... you should really sign a contract saying that your pay will not be too greater than your peers, since we're all in this together."  Screw that.  That's part of the reasons why you don't have the high-calibre instructors in public schools these days.  They can get better pay and recognition at private schools, universities, or in the workforce elsewhere. 

[Verily]

Super California is 46th in per pupil spending?  How?  With all that high priced property?  I don't get it.

Proposition 13 means property taxes are extraordinarily undervalued in California. Basically, your property taxes can't rise above 1%, so property that's appreciated 500% in the past ten years does nothing for the state's finances.

It's actually responsible for a lot of California's urban planning messes, too, as it makes it artificially much cheaper to develop new land in the exurbs than to purchase property in or near the cities.

[Person Man]

Is that neccesiarily so? It could just be the case that unions allow for workers to actually be noticed because they level the playing field.

It's kinda hard not to be noticed as a teacher.  And why level the playing field?  If you have an overly-gifted teacher who has been in the field for years, they should be thumping all other teachers in salary without some anonymous union head saying "well you know... you should really sign a contract saying that your pay will not be too greater than your peers, since we're all in this together."  Screw that.  That's part of the reasons why you don't have the high-calibre instructors in public schools these days.  They can get better pay and recognition at private schools, universities, or in the workforce elsewhere. 

That's not how union contracts work. They usually work like a football team where there is a floor and indivudual merit pay and critereon for wage increases.

[MODU]

That's not how union contracts work. They usually work like a football team where there is a floor and indivudual merit pay and critereon for wage increases.

That I know (had to suffer with unions at one sad point in my life).  I was just using an over-the-top example to highlight how there is no real incentive for the truly qualified individual to actual want to work as a teacher, especially since their potential job and income growth is limited by others who are on "the team."

[Franzl]

These teachers should shut up and quit bitching and get to class.  Here in North Carolina, our teachers get their asses kicked on a daily basis just to make sure they don't put a toe out of line.

that doesn't make it right.

[dead0man]

Super California is 46th in per pupil spending?  How?  With all that high priced property?  I don't get it.

Proposition 13 means property taxes are extraordinarily undervalued in California. Basically, your property taxes can't rise above 1%, so property that's appreciated 500% in the past ten years does nothing for the state's finances.

It's actually responsible for a lot of California's urban planning messes, too, as it makes it artificially much cheaper to develop new land in the exurbs than to purchase property in or near the cities.

Well that's pretty farking stupid isn't it?  Why don't they fix it? Californians love getting overly taxed don't they?

[Хahar 🤔]

Super California is 46th in per pupil spending?  How?  With all that high priced property?  I don't get it.

Proposition 13 means property taxes are extraordinarily undervalued in California. Basically, your property taxes can't rise above 1%, so property that's appreciated 500% in the past ten years does nothing for the state's finances.

It's actually responsible for a lot of California's urban planning messes, too, as it makes it artificially much cheaper to develop new land in the exurbs than to purchase property in or near the cities.

Well that's pretty farking stupid isn't it?  Why don't they fix it? Californians love getting overly taxed don't they?

That's what you think, but our state's voters can be infuriatingly ass-backwards when it comes to the state level. There's a reason California went Republican every year from 1948 to 1988, except for one.

[Person Man]

That's not how union contracts work. They usually work like a football team where there is a floor and indivudual merit pay and critereon for wage increases.

That I know (had to suffer with unions at one sad point in my life).  I was just using an over-the-top example to highlight how there is no real incentive for the truly qualified individual to actual want to work as a teacher, especially since their potential job and income growth is limited by others who are on "the team."

Not really. My mom climbed through the ranks of unionized teaching, starting at 24000 in 1983, got her Master's plus 45 and now makes 80000 as a Principal.

[Verily]

Super California is 46th in per pupil spending?  How?  With all that high priced property?  I don't get it.

Proposition 13 means property taxes are extraordinarily undervalued in California. Basically, your property taxes can't rise above 1%, so property that's appreciated 500% in the past ten years does nothing for the state's finances.

It's actually responsible for a lot of California's urban planning messes, too, as it makes it artificially much cheaper to develop new land in the exurbs than to purchase property in or near the cities.

Well that's pretty farking stupid isn't it?  Why don't they fix it? Californians love getting overly taxed don't they?

That's what you think, but our state's voters can be infuriatingly ass-backwards when it comes to the state level. There's a reason California went Republican every year from 1948 to 1988, except for one.

Xahar has it (sort of) right. In fact, as a Libertarian, you'd almost certainly support Proposition 13 if you lived there. It's viewed as something of a point of pride for anti-tax activists (who, as in places like Massachusetts and Connecticut, are always more common than you give them credit for, or at least better at making people think lower taxes are always a good thing, no matter the cost). Its many detrimental effects are completely glossed over. Wikipedia describes repealing it as a "third rail" of California politics.

[dead0man]

Xahar has it (sort of) right. In fact, as a Libertarian, you'd almost certainly support Proposition 13 if you lived there.

No doubt.  Which is why it was so shocking   I'd expect California to have HIGH property taxes (like, oddly enough, my state.  Nebraska is 3rd highest! cite with state rankings).

[MODU]

Not really. My mom climbed through the ranks of unionized teaching, starting at 24000 in 1983, got her Master's plus 45 and now makes 80000 as a Principal.

That's great!  Very uncommon, but good for her!