Raise teacher pay to boost education

Sheila Morse, Henderson

Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014 | 2 a.m.

Isn’t it ludicrous that on a daily basis there are newspaper articles and television spots explaining the efforts being expended to secure one or more stadiums in this county? The pleas make it sound like we just can’t survive without a stadium and, ultimately, some kind of professional ball team.

In a week, our schools will reopen. Clark County School District is in dire need of about 600 teachers and hundreds of support staff personnel. A society can exist without a stadium or a ball team, but it cannot survive without education.

When are the powers that be going to realize they must pay adequate salaries to get highly qualified teachers?

A beginning teacher in Clark County earns $34,684 a year, and with a doctorate it is increased to $46,008. That is a disgrace. That’s the reason those highly qualified prospective teachers are going into other fields.

An NBA minimum salary is $507,000. Something is very wrong in our society. Don’t you feel sorry for the NFL player who is making $102 million for 10 years? Then there are the poorest of the major league baseball players earning $500,000 a year.

That is why we are short of teachers. That is why Nevada public schools rank last in the country.

Wake up, citizens of Clark County! We must improve our schools, and the best place to start is with the teachers. They must have more encouragement, more support, more recognition and definitely higher salaries.

Forget the stadium and the athletes; negotiate for education. You can attract the best of the lot with decent salaries.