[Vision2020] Paper on the Teachers' Salary Grid

[Dale Courtney]

Debbie wrote: 
> First, I am not attacking his argument. However, I am not 
> blindly accepting it, either. Why should we believe his study 
> when there are similar studies which refute his argument? 

Would you please cite those "similar studies" that refute his argument? I'd
*really* love to go read them. I'm looking for an _academic_ study, not a
book of anecdotes (that was previously posted). 

> how do private schools base their pay rates? How do 
> you rate job satisfaction?  I just read an article at: 
> http://www.edweek.org/ew/newstory.cfm?slug=30aera.h21 about 
> how private schools seem to have higher 
> rates of teachers leaving their jobs due to dissatisfacction. 

I haven't read this article, but I will. However, is satisfaction the *sine
qua non* of schools?

> And another article at: 
> http://www.aft.org/research/survey99/figures.html which 
> discusses a variety of topics such as 'the share 
> of teachers salary as a percentage of school budgets is the 
> lowest in 30 years'. What does that throw into the debate?

That's a *huge* issue. What that means is that the cost of all of the
"other" things that we provide (e.g., school nurses to dispense drugs in our
drug-free environments; the ever-increasing administrative requirements for
the litigious requirements of the schools; the guidance counselors who have
to provide more than just educational recommendations; etc) takes its cut
out of the pie. 

*However*, teacher inflation-adjusted salaries have more than kept up with
the times. Note that they say that the "teachers salary as a percentage of
school budget..." If the budget triples and the teachers salaries double,
does that mean that they are underpaid? Or that they got a raw deal? 

You cannot make decisions based on percentages. 

> Must go, 10 month old liberal is screaming her head off for a 
> share of her cradle to grave security provided by this member 
> of her household government...

And *that* is the government that should provide for her!  :)

Best,
Dale