[Vision2020] Wenders' Diatribe
Donovan Arnold
donovanarnold@hotmail.com
Thu, 31 Jul 2003 22:13:35 -0700
Well said Mr. Moffett :). Most people with higher degree make well beyond
what a teacher would ever make. They compare the wages to a HS graduate,
which should make less than a person that spend 6-8 years in school and
suffered for it. It is trading opportunity for security. Something most
government workers consider.
Donovan J Arnold
>From: "Ted Moffett" <ted_moffett@hotmail.com>
>To: dale@courtneys.us
>CC: vision2020@moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Wenders' Diatribe
>Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2003 01:56:42 +0000
>
>All:
>
>Jack Wenders makes an obvious error that shows a surprising lack of
>accuracy when he writes: "Not bad for a 180 day work year, while those who
>pay for it work 240 days."
>
>In fact the number of days in a year worked by people who pay taxes to
>support the salaries of public school teachers varies considerably, from
>the self sufficient wealthy individual (wealthy by whatever means,
>inheritance, success in business etc.) who pays property taxes but works
>only when they choose, to the self employed hard working individual who
>might claim to really "work" nearly every day of the year, not being tied
>to an hourly or salaried pay check. In fact many public school teachers
>themselves pay part of their salary when they pay their property taxes.
>
>Such a glaring misstatement of fact, written as though to imply public
>school teachers loaf through an easy work year with lots of days off, while
>the harder working pay their salary, weakens the credibility of the rest of
>Jack Wenders diatribe.
>
>It has already been established that the length of this so called "work
>year," as Dale Courtney and Jack Wenders define it in their obviously
>biased attempt to make public school teachers appear to be free-loading off
>the taxpayers, is not as padded with vacation time as they claim, with the
>demands of course work requiring summer school courses, and other related
>academic work teachers need to complete during so called "vacation"
>periods.
>
>Mr. Courtney and Mr. Wenders case would be much more compelling if they
>would state their case more fairly and accurately. If the facts they
>present are so persuasive, they should present the facts considering all
>variables. Slanting facts to fit a bias just weakens the proselytizing
>power of their argument.
>
>Again, the salaries of public school teachers are presented with out
>comparison to what the best and brightest can earn being a doctor, lawyer,
>statistician, computer scientist, engineer or architect, etc. when they
>climb the ladder of success in these fields The potential earnings are so
>high in these other professions they compel many of the best and brightest
>to not even give a career as a K-12 public school teacher serious
>consideration. As they say, "there's no money in it." I don't need to
>burden this point with listing facts we all know to be true regarding what
>a top doctor, lawyer, statistician, computer scientist, architect or
>engineer can earn
>
>But then it appears Mr. Courtney and Mr. Wenders think that being a public
>school teacher does not require the intelligence or education or dedication
>or hard work to render it deserving of a high salary. Or if they do, they
>certainly do not make this clear.
>
>Jack Wenders also states a comparison between MSD and "comparable private
>schools" in terms of salary costs, yet does not give one example of a
>private school that offers all the programs and services MSD does for
>grades K-12, which would render it truly a "comparable private school."
>This same question was posed to Mr. Courtney long ago on V2020 and I do not
>recall an answer was ever given.
>
>Well?
>
>Also, Mr. Wenders statement that "No private enterprise has such an
>unproductive, bloated, top heavy compensation structure." seems an odd
>exaggeration in this age of corporate waste, fraud and corruption. We have
>all heard the stories of 7 figure compensation for the CEOs of some of the
>largest US corporations that have recently gone into bankruptcy after
>bilking people out of billions of dollars: Enron, Worldcom, Global
>Crossing, Adelphia, etc.
>
>What world is Mr. Wenders living in? A capitalist fantasy world, it
>appears, where the noble free enterprise system renders it impossible for a
>private enterprise to be "unproductive, bloated or top heavy." The
>fantastic compensation packages for top executive management in some US
>corporations compared to what the people at the bottom make defines what
>the word "top heavy" means!
>
>Ted
>
>
>>From: "Dale Courtney" <dale@courtneys.us>
>>To: <vision2020@moscow.com>
>>Subject: [Vision2020] LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
>>Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2003 16:58:39 -0700
>>
>>In today's Daily News from Jack Wenders -- to the point as always.
>> _____
>>
>> Your knee-jerk haste to defend Moscow's teachers' pay neglects some
>>facts.
>> Research shows that only 4-5 years of teacher experience
>>contributes
>>to student learning. Experience beyond that has no payoff except in pay.
>> Pedagogy credits don't contribute to learning. Advanced degrees are
>>productive only at the secondary level and in the subject being taught.
>>Credits are used mostly to climb the salary grid.
>> Moscow's teachers receive $380.76 per month in current benefits.
>>That's
>>an additional $4569.12 annually you never hear about.
>> Moscow's teachers receive at least an additional 18.45% of salary in
>>deferred retirement benefits.
>> The total compensation of the average Moscow teacher is not the
>>$42,000 you suggest, but $55,892. Not bad for a 180 day work year, while
>>those who pay for it work 240 days.
>> Starting compensation is $34,391 per year, a long way from the $25k
>>salary you quote. How much does the DN pay starting reporters with the
>>same
>>education? Half?
>> 74 (45%) of Moscow's teachers are in the single top cell of the
>>salary grid where total compensation is $62,358 per year. 123 (75%) are in
>>the top five highest paying longevity cells. No private enterprise has
>>such
>>an unproductive, bloated, top heavy compensation structure.
>> Twelve MSD administrators make over $80,000 in annual compensation;
>>three make over $100,000.
>> Comparable private schools have an average teachers' salary of 60-65%
>>of
>>those in public schools. About half of this differential is because
>>comparable public school teachers are paid about 20-25% more, and the rest
>>is because private schools operate with a much more efficient mix of
>>teachers. This is why US public schools have a per pupil cost of about 50%
>>greater than comparable private and foreign schools. Compared to the
>>latter,
>>about one-third of US public school expenditures is simply waste.
>>
>> Jack Wenders
>> Moscow
>> _____
>>
>>
>>Best,
>>Dale
>>----------
>>We must also read the poets, acquaint ourselves with histories, study and
>>peruse the masters and authors in every excellent art, and by way of
>>practice, praise, expound, emend, criticize and confute them; we must
>>argue
>>every question on both sides, and bring out on every topic whatever points
>>can be deemed plausible. Cicero, The Making of an Orator
>>
>>Dale M. Courtney
>>Lecturer in Information Systems
>>Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
>>MCSE/MCDBA, Information Architect
>>phone:(831)214-4353; dmcourtn@moscow.com
>>
>> <http://courtneys.us/images/MCDBA_SE.jpg>
>>
>>
>
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