An open letter to Gov. Heineman

Keep up the good work Governor! You have the majority support on this issue!

When private businesses were forced to cut back (i.e.; cutting jobs, freezing pay, etc.) what makes the teachers union think they are above all of this? Who do they think are paying their salaries? It's the people who are being layed off or benefits decreased...WE ALL HAVE TO CUT so that WE ALL CAN BENEFIT IN THE LONG RUN! Tell me what makes them so special that they can continue to receive their beautiful benefits and raises each year when other's are struggling?

I believe that every good American should do as I have done, am doing, and probably will do, in future years, refuse to take a COLA increase in my Retirement income.

I have now been refusing any increase, for two years, and will probably do so again this year, even though I do not see any improvement in the National debt problem, in accord with my sacrifice.

I do not, at this time, intend to take a COLA increase next year, either, but may have to rethink my position, should the Congress determine to not be willing to cooperate with my resolve, and vote to increase my retirement, contrary to my silent wishes.

So, as not to hurt the feelings of our hard working Representatives, in Congress, I may have to relent, and accept a COLA that fourth year, so I am not tempted to think that should the Economy strengthen, I could presume/assume my sacrifice accomplished more of the recovery than be my due.

I do, however, reserve the right to remain negotiable, and considerate, of the Will of the People, about future COLA increases. Far be it from me to save the nation, solo, and generate ill-will. (^8 AMEN

(Name withheld, to maintain anonymity)

Arley

Rural

Before you "fly off the handle" again, understand that Nebraska is in the bottom five in the entire country (that would be out of 50 states) in teacher compensation. The reason I say bottom five is because I don't know the exact number and am not going to take the time to look it up right now. One way or another, teacher compensation is already embarrassing. We expect these people to turn out the highest quality individuals as they wade through the beaurocratic red tape wrapped around them and then blame them as graduation rates and literacy and math skills continue to decline. All the while, none of the focus or "blame" is on the parent for how that child turned out. You know in Singapore, whose students are blowing ours (US's) out of the water in math scores, teachers starting salaries are that of a beginning physician! Teachers there have mentors for the first months/years of their teaching. ONLY the brightest and best are allowed to teach in their schools and the product of that system seems to demonstrate that it is successful. Meanwhile here in the US, we continue to cut salaries, add more students to classrooms, and lower standards for teaching certificates. Go figure.

speak-e-z, could you please provide a link or some other source that shows the U.S. is cutting teacher salaries. I would be interested in having that link the next time someone says teachers are making too much money.

It doesn't matter whether or not Nebraska is in the bottom five for teacher's salaries. Some people in the private sector have been doing without raises, bonuses, cutting back benefits, etc. for a few years now. Several people in the private sector have degrees that are higher than teachers and are being paid less. Why? Because they are doing everything they can for their families with what is dealt to them. They are sacrificing for the sake of others. Maybe teachers ought to try to do the same instead of whining all the time? What example does this leave their students when their parents are suffering and their teachers is reaping benefits? By the way, I don't blame any teacher for how a child turns out especially mine. It starts with the parent at the home teaching responsibility and keeping track of them. Everyone (including teachers) need to learn the art of sacrifice. If you don't like the payscale in Nebraska, then go elsewhere. Our cost of living isn't that high compared to other states. Maybe that's why they are getting paid higher.

First and foremost, this is an opinion and only an opinion and I recognize that. Rural, I do not see mine as more important or more informed than yours so let me share that.

That said, understand too that I see myself as someone who follows along the lines of a free market system and agrees with capitalism. I think there may have been a time and a place for unions and maybe there still is, but I am not going to go further into that for the moment. What I DO want to reiterate though is that I feel our society's focus ought to be on education. That doesn't just mean the teachers though. That means parenting, teachers, administrators, and more. I really feel that if we had a stronger educational system we would turn out individuals better able to cope with money, with social life, with jobs, and with families. Heck, I can extrapolate that OPINION (I can't figure out how to underline) to say that we would even have a stronger military with better educated students.

I realize we all make sacrifices at this point given the different politial ideologies. I believe some laws have made it harder on the small business owner. I don't understand how Big Brother doesn't see that small business owners are the only "creators" of jobs. To imply that the government "creates" jobs is an outright lie. To give you a better understanding of my views, here is one of my favorite quotes:

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea tha they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." --the late Dr. Adrian Rogers

That said, we have no choice at this point but to fund education with tax dollars. No choice. Shouldn't we push for the best we can get instead of taking away from it?

Should we push for the best for others when the people paying for those increases can barely make it as it stands? How fair is that?

Truth be told Nebraska teacher salaries rank 42 in the nation at $40382.00 http ://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank20.html. BUT we should compare apples to apples. Average personal income for Nebraska is $36471.00 Ranked 24th in Nation

http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank29.html

Nebraska also enjoys a low cost of living ranked 5th lowest.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/37516040/

More Taxes? On who? The weathy average person making $36471 a year? We should pay our teachers well, they are teaching our future.But increasing taxes is not the answer

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-10-2011/crisis-in-dairyland---apocal...

made me laugh

"We should pay our teachers well, they are teaching our future?" This is scary and to think that alot of the seniors graduating can't write complete sentences, spell properly or punctuate. What exactly are they teaching?

If they want raises, then maybe the teachers should take final exams or the standardized tests they administer to the students each year to prove they know what they are doing?

If I was the Head Honcho: administrator pay might be one thing into which I would seriously look just as a start. I realize they need for an increased pay scale in some of the areas due to job requirements, but I think if we look at the pay of administrators versus those of a teacher coming in with a master's degree, the discrepancy is astonishing. I think I would also try to stop "good ole boy" systems (this is an unsubstantiated fact, just an opinion, may not even happen) where people are promoted into administrative positions and are paid administrative salaries without having to lift a finger to do more than they were doing before. A friend of mine teaches in eastern Nebraska in a small school district that serves a relatively large number of children. Their administrators continue to take cost of living bonuses etc.

Rural: the way you state that, it makes my statement look like I am saying "some pigs are more equal than others." I still support education based on what I said. Much like everything else, there is no magic pill that will fix things, it will take a number of well-thought, drastic, and likely painful changes to "fix" what we are arguing is a broken system.

doodle bug: A though I had this AM--> what is the difference between RIF or Early Retirement and cutting salaries?

I just wonder how many public school teachers would make it in the private schools, where competition for quality counts.

CIR reform has less to do with the merits of individual teachers, per se; but rather more to the point is whether local governments--and the voters they supposedly represent--should have control over the salaries and benefits we taxpayers provide to OUR EMPLOYEES.

Presently in Nebraska, an unelected board of state bureaucrats is riding roughshod over our local municipal governments--and the taxpayers whom elect the officers thereof. This board, known as the "CIR," is undermining local authority and local control. The CIR is thus no less then a circle of oligarchs, whom dictate their will over that expressed by the voters.

Under the present arrangement the CIR has unlimited power to effectively saddle our municipalities with debt and drag local communities towards bankruptcy.

Under the present arrangement, the CIR may legally compel a local government to impose untenable tax burdens upon its community. The result of this ill-considered public policy is an exodus of the population, and thus a further decline in a community's tax base.

Pay scales and benefit packages paid to our public sector employees are not referenced to their private-sector equivalents. Often compensation is not even referenced to public-sector benefits in similar-sized municipalities; as for example: McCopok compared with Omaha or Grand Island. However, a far worse situation arises when the CIR searches a point of reference beyond Nebraska's borders, using the compensation received in other states as their standard for determining "appropriate" public-employee compensation here!

In this instance the CIR may compare Nebraska's public employee compensation with that received in Denver, CO, or Saint Paul, MN, etc.

In each example, Nebraska's taxpayers are forced to pay salaries and benefits, not in accordance with our local tax base and its funding abilities, but rather by the measure of larger and more affluent cities within Nebraska--and other states! This practice is absurd, and such public policy cannot be sustained without affecting either large increases in property taxes, local sales taxes, municipal fees, or else by running deficits to the detriment of the local governments and communities.

The cycle will only end when a legal obstacle is placed between the career politician and the public-sector union influence peddling that ensures a constant supply of fat to keep the status quo skids well-greased.

So let's not make this a personal battle against teachers, it is purely a fiscal reality that must be dealt with. We are on the fast track to financial insolvency, and the leadership of the public-sector unions could care less. True to their calling as pernicious leeches, and on the occurrence of a municipality's fiscal collapse, the union leadership will simply sink its fangs elsewhere, so to bleed some other community to death... all in the name of "fairness" and "social justice" of course.

One other point, and this concerning the quality of education provided in Nebraska's public schools ...

Perhaps if we placed a more solid foundation and a consistent focus on true ACADEMICS--that is: reading, writing, math, geography, US history--and a lot less on ATHLETICS, then we might receive more "bang for the buck."

For as the arrangements now stand, the students spend more time in the arena of sports than in arena of ideas. Athletics has its place, but here, in Big Red territory, the balance is lopsided... and it shows, people. Believe me... it shows for all the real world to see and hear.

The proof is in the pudding--and the results obtained after 12 years of public education, under the present system, is woefully inadequate to meet the realities of this world.

Hard to argue much with either post Bruce, but the second one resonates most. Wouldn't it be unique if we saw a young man being groomed for outstanding skills in mathematics or even English versus being held back a year in school so he'll be bigger come time to play football? Wouldn't it be something if a given place prided itself on having students with perfect scores on the ACT or SAT versus students who sought only to get a scholarship to play college athletics? I know there are still teachers right here in McCook that go in every day and try to prepare students for, how do we say it, "the real world." A world where it does not matter how many yards were gained or receptions completed. A world where it DOES matter whether or not you can form a coherent sentence (even in a blog), write a resume, or interview for a job. A world where you somehow have to overcome your need for instant gratification and manage your money wisely or on another topic, understand how many states there are in the United States (this was asked of a recent graduate, answer: 53). There ARE still teachers to try to overcome this every day and I know this to be true. Its an uphill battle though when the administration leading by example demonstrates that athletics are more important than academics.

speak-e-z, I could agree with your "RIF". However, in my little world, "early retirement" is voluntary. I could be incorrect in that assumption. I also agree with one of the earlier posts that stated we are spending more and more for education and getting less and less. That is my "opinion".

I agree with you doodle bug. Early retirement IS voluntary. However, it is still a method of cost saving. Administration believes that if they discontinue the costs of paying a bachelor or masters plus 10, etc (you understand salary scales at schools I assume, where they pay based on your level of education plus the number of years worked), and "buy them out", then they can start over by paying a new graduate a much lower salary with fewer benefits. The fewer benefits thing is only an assumption. I am not disagreeing with you, only attempting to show how I see this as a way of cutting salaries.

agreed speak-e-z. I may have interpreted your original premise incorrectly. I thought that you were stating that currently working teachers were taking a "cut in pay". The other points you have made, I agree with.