Columnist Mike O’Callaghan: Cheap not a good solution for educators

Friday, Sept. 7, 2001 | 4:43 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is executive editor of the Sun and publisher of the Henderson Home News, where this column first appeared.

My nephew Roger, age 9, lives with his grandparents in Las Vegas. Last week, the first day of school, his grandmother went to his room to arouse him for breakfast. Roger's room was neat but he was gone. Looking outside, she saw his bike was gone and so was his lunch bucket. School time was still two hours away but Roger was gone.

Feeling a touch of panic, grandma jumped into her car to search for her missing grandchild. She found him sitting outside of school looking disappointed because the doors were closed and he was the only child on the grounds. He was eager for the first day of school and had packed a pork chop and macaroni with cheese for his lunch. Was he hungry? No, he had prepared and eaten his breakfast cereal before leaving for school.

I had come to believe that youngsters eager for school no longer existed but were only known in past generations. I was wrong, and now realize that it's up to us and other members of past generations to make sure that the fire in youngsters like Roger are given fuel to burn for years to come. This fuel comes in the form of our verbal encouragement, study time at home, good books, computers and good teachers in the classrooms. Our positive attitude about education and the children as students is probably the fuel that burns the brightest.

A week ago, USA Today had an article that zeroed in on the recruiting success of the Clark County School District in getting a teacher for every class. As a local reader the headline "Las Vegas offers low pay, but plenty of sunshine, no income tax" wasn't pleasing. As a former classroom teacher, I know that you can't live and raise a family on sunshine and no income tax.

In 1956, when J. Harold Brinley recruited me to teach at Basic High School, the teacher salaries in Clark County were very competitive when compared with surrounding states. I came with a master's degree plus 16 semester hours. My pay of $4,800 doesn't sound like much today but it was far better than the $3,600 I was offered as a vice principal in Twin Falls, Idaho. Clark County, because of my several years of military experience, also started me at the fifth step on the pay scale.

So what has happened to have Clark County now admitting that its salaries for teachers are no longer competitive? This year's recruits, because of a one-time $2,000 bonus, still start at less than $29,000. The district's top recruiter says she was embarrassed when potential recruits would hang up the phone after being told the starting salary.

Sunshine and the love of teaching have probably brought some excellent new teachers to our schools. But can we keep them, and bring in new qualified teachers, as we grow even bigger? Secondary school teachers are among the largest percentage of American workers in the 45 and older age bracket. Who is going to teach the growing numbers of elementary students now in Clark County schools?

Yes, we have the students like Roger in our lower grades with even more on the way. It's going to take more than sunshine and love to provide good teachers for them. A one time bonus of $2,000 but a basic salary of $26,847 isn't going to provide the answer to our present and future classroom needs. We are only fooling ourselves if we think we can succeed as a society while refusing to pay competitive salaries for teachers this century.