Letter: Salaries for new teachers must be priority

Thursday, June 12, 2003 | 8:54 a.m.

Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate the perennial topic of teachers' salaries. For many of us, a quick check of the wallet, the checking account and our savings reveals one apparent reality: Even if we are not broke, we are not feeling very well off lately. With that as a background, let's look at teachers' salaries.

One can easily become suspicious, when teachers are most vocal and political about "money for education." The obvious questions are, "Where is the money being spent?" and "Where is the money supposed to come from?" It doesn't require a doctorate in education to note that senior education employees are rewarded generously, while new teachers are making service industry wages, the kind of wages I may add, that many of us make.

With the reality of needing to attract new teachers, and facing severe budgetary restrictions, perhaps some new thinking, "outside of the box," is needed. Facing potential howls of protest from senior educators and administrators, it may be appropriate to get beyond the days when "a rising tide floats all boats" and reserve salary money to increase the starting pay for new teachers, while allowing those who already make in excess of $50,000 to tough it out on their current salaries.

For years, the fat cats of education have quietly waited in the wings, pressing for increasing the starting pay for teachers, and knowing all along there was even more money, in such actions, for themselves.

ERIC STEFIK