Consider teacher raises
Regarding “Editorial: School choice? Give teachers a raise, not a punch in the gut,” (Feb. 6): The Houston Chronicle editorial board proffered that Texas should invest its surplus into teacher raises.
As a former public school teacher and teacher’s union salary negotiator, I do believe good teachers need a raise. As a parent who attended public school and had one child graduate from Catholic school and another child graduate from a public school, I can say many parents, like myself, realize “one size shoe doesn’t fit all” when it comes to finding the best education and socialization fit for your child.
While I was a Diocesan school board president, I saw merit in cases where some of a parents’ tax money goes to the best school choice for a child. I encourage the readers to watch the movie “Miss Virginia” for a stark example of a failing public school allowing a parent to have her tax money go to a school better suited for her child. Watching a horribly failing school be taken over by the state made this issue personal for me.
I believe public school teachers in Texas should be compensated at least comparably to those in other top-paying states, while factoring in our state’s unique living expenses. Raises should be done responsibly, taking into account future funding and maintenance of the teacher retirement system and health insurance.
Mike Fuljenz, Beaumont
Regarding “Teacher pay,” (Feb. 8): When I read Mr. Kelly’s comments and the claim that his wife, a teacher, earns under $3 per hour, it made me scratch my head and pull out the calculator. Let’s say she works 60 hours a week for 52 weeks and earns $3 per hour; she would be making less than $10,000 per year. Hmm? Looks like the teachers in Spring ISD are off for about 10 weeks during the summer as well as two more over the holidays. If you base the calculations on a 40-week work year, it’s now about $7,000 per year. Time to check the math!
Jerry McMorrow, Houston
Mr. Kelly says in his letter that, counting her actual hours, his wife earns less than $3 per hour as a teacher. Let’s do the math.
The starting teacher salary in Spring ISD is a bit above $60,000 but I will use that nice round number. $60,000 divided by $3/hr equals 20,000 hours of work per year. 20,000 hours of work per year divided by 50 weeks per year (I believe teachers actually work fewer weeks) equals 400 hours of work per week. 400 hours of work per week divided by 7 days equals around 57 hours of work per day.
No doubt teachers deserve adequate pay and more than they currently earn, but claiming a teacher makes $3 per hour is not a valid argument. Mrs. Kelly needs to give her husband a math class.
Ann Harryman, Katy