Pure fact here, but 19 qualified teachers have left my wife's school (which is a really good one here in the state) in the past seven years.
WV teacher strke
- Thread starter tjebarr
- Start date
The one argument I have yet to hear from the teachers, is that we have not had a cost of living increase for many years and we believe a 5% increase is more than fair.
I would buy this argument before I will buy any of the illogical full of holes ******** arguments I've heard from them. It's a good debate, but the teachers need to make the argument that moves everyone into their corner. The union has done a poor job of communicating on their behalf.
opcorn:
I posted this pic cause I think it's neat, reminds me of the good ole days...
I would buy this argument before I will buy any of the illogical full of holes ******** arguments I've heard from them. It's a good debate, but the teachers need to make the argument that moves everyone into their corner. The union has done a poor job of communicating on their behalf.
opcorn:I posted this pic cause I think it's neat, reminds me of the good ole days...
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I really don't want involved in these conversations since I am not impacted by whats going on...at the risk of stepping in something I don't want to be in....
I think it would be easy to point out that your wife is in a good school, in a part of the state that is actually somewhat growing and <15-25 minutes from the state border making it a lot easier to move out of state. Put those same teachers in Beckley and I bet they arent moving hours away from home for a net increase of $10K (I just made that number up).
::slowly backs out the door::
Edit: I can name atleast 15 college graduates from my high school class that left the state within 5 years of graduating college. That is the real issue but also a different discussion for a different day.
Sure it is, but that's 19 damn good teachers that have left and isn't that the point of this thread?
Not a big difference but middle school average for classroom teachers is $45,300 and a little over $46,000 for high school.
https://wveis.k12.wv.us/schoolfinance/sf000018.cfm
I live just on the border in VA. I know for fact that there are teachers in my daughter's school that live in Beckley, Martinsburg, and Hedgesville. The only reason they make the long commute is for the pay. There is a huge discrepancy, close to $15,000 - $20,000 per year. Not kidding.
Fayette County is turning into a desolate wasteland just because of facilities. Add poor pay on top of that and I expect Woodrow Wilson is about to get an influx of students.
Growth also has nothing to do with teacher's salaries. Property taxes go toward facilities and maintenance. What good is a damn nice school if you can't keep it staffed?
Redrawing the county lines is something we could get the art teacher to do. Save some $$$$.
It's 22k in Pa, apparently. My wife would have to take some additional certification even with a master's degree and right now completing national board but it's something I never thought we'd even discuss.
I'll also add that since the other thread is at 15 pages and I'm avoiding it to keep from wanting to perform rituals to summon lightning strikes toward Boomers who haven't had children in schools in decades, at this juncture, the fault is solely on the Legislature for not getting anything done for this. There is a staunch resistance to these raises and it has everything to do with not increasing the severance taxes to where they really need to be.
i am really impressed with your technological ability to superimpose that gif on a screenshot of the board. Well done.
if someone earns a Masters Degree and then elects to become a public school teacher in WV then you get what you deserve, and what was explained to you before hiring. Good Lord, you want more money, take that degree and go into corporate life. You know there is more money there yet you made a choice. Summers off, every holiday is extended, etc.....I get it.
Remember the old adage: People who can't do....teach.
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14 left my wife's SCHOOL just last year. This is in SC. Most of them left the profession altogether. It's not about the money, it's about the increasing job demands and continued ed they continually have to meet on their own dime.
Maybe they have all their family in WV and dont want to leave....stay and be happy and quiet or stay and fight for what you think you deserve!!!
Define “deserve” and when you do that, please include the measurable performance indices that were used to calculate the proper quantity of “deserve”.
I mean, understand, the ambiguity of such a thing could lead someone to respond with pointing out a ranking of 47th nationally in an extremely low cost of living area commands less “deserve” than you believe it does.
Seriously, that’s freakin ignorant. All teachers have to accumulate hrs towards a Masters degree. It’s the way the field is set up. Following that logic, who the hell would want to do this apparently thankless job for $46,000 a year, before paying for benefits. And seriously get over this bs about having 12 weeks off in the summer because that’s not the way it works out. The teachers usually end up staying a week after the kids get out and they go back at least a week before the kids do in the fall.
You don’t understand how the system is being run here in wv so talk to Someone in the education system before you say uninformed nonsense
So talk to someone who wants a raise?
Sounds like a reasonable way to get an unbiased opinion.
On the other hand, perhaps the cost of living isn’t the 47th lowest in the country and proportionally the teachers are taking it up the poop shoot while working in WV. And maybe it isn’t a matter of what they deserve but more a matter of what the market will bear. The good ones will cross the state lines to make a better salary where they can, and then WV will be stuck with only those that can’t or won’t do anything else.
Haha...now that was a serious knee jerk response. I know at least 14 people that teach in WV, several coaches, professors etc. i know union reps, one of the biggest union spokesman in the state. My brother is a teacher. l also know many teachers in VA and NC....but thanks for your uninformed nonsense.
Pretty sure that’s where it already stands. ...and those left are understandably afraid to be held accountable for results/performance.
I am a teacher. I taught in WV for 11 years and moved to SC where I’ve been teaching for over 2. I didn’t move for the money because frankly it’s not much more here (if any). I can tell you the work required for 200 days of employ outweighs that of most year long jobs. Most teachers take work home, spend extra hours coaching/leading clubs, attend dances and sporting events without pay, etc. Any argument involving the summers off is invalid from the get go.
As far as the pay, the fact is it sucks everywhere. WV cost of living is significantly lower than most states, so it makes sense they don’t get paid in the top half. But a single person right out of college with a child shouldn’t have to qualify for food stamps AND get a job in their chosen field. It just shouldn’t be that way.
Now the PEIA thing is where I differ with my former colleagues. The premiums I was paying were next to nothing in comparison to private health care. They are attempting to raise them significantly from what I hear, and that sucks, but it’s still far lower than what they will get if PEIA folds and they have to venture into the private market. I’m of the firm opinion that they’ve been promised 5%, and as soon as the legislature follows through on the promise they should go back to work.
Oh, and for anyone wanting to argue using the “stats” of how WV kids perform on standardized tests, let me save your time and energy. There are no consequences or incentives whatsoever for students to try on those tests in WV. Other states such as SC use the ACT and foot the bill so that every high school student gets the test paid for and essentially has a shot at college for free. The school systems and rigor here are far lower than they were in WV but you can be darn sure the results from their tests are greater. Make it mean something and watch your kids rise to the occasion.
I want a raise by my employer, but it’s the reneging on a union deal with the government about what was written and signed 30 years ago it’s not complicated they backed out and should be held accountable for it
We need good teachers. Friggin pay them so they stay doing what they want to do.
You mean like my mother who retired from the WV school system 3 years ago? Or my best friend’s father who has been a Superintendent in 4 counties. Someone like that you mean? Refute my points with actual data and not emotional drivel or shut the **** up.
What do they do the week after the kids get out, sit around and tell there/their co-workers what there/their/they’re going to do with there/their 8/10/12 week vacation and come back at least a week before in the fall to share pictures of how it went?
Sorry; just couldn’t resist. You folks just make it to/two/too easy.