Letter: Plight of valley teachers becomes worse and worse

Friday, Feb. 8, 2002 | 4:26 a.m.

Recently the teachers in this county have suffered a tremendous decrease in their employment benefits that has not adequately been described in the media. I feel the citizens of Clark County need to be made aware of the mounting adversity facing their teachers. As you read, remember this: your teachers' working conditions are your children's learning environments.

This is my fourth year of teaching fourth grade for the Clark County School District. In that time, I have seen my benefits whittled away, while the premiums I'm charged have continued to increase. In all that time, I have received a 1 percent raise ($280), while the cost of living has increased 3 percent each year. Last November the teachers in this county were informed that the insurance benefits were increasing as of Jan. 1. At that time, I paid $108 per paycheck to insure my family. As of January, I began paying $233 per paycheck. Last year we lost our disability coverage and now have to cover it ourselves. So all in all, I now pay about $500 a month to insure my family.

In last Sunday's paper, there was an employment advertisement for the city of Las Vegas. They are looking to hire a locksmith and they will pay him considerably more than I am paid. When I showed the ad to my husband, he said, "I know you enjoy teaching and find it rewarding, but the school district is not good for our family. You need to find a different job." Maybe I should become a locksmith apprentice, since it seems the citizens of Las Vegas are more concerned with safeguarding their office equipment than safeguarding their children's future.

KATHERINE BUTLER