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writist2

RefNV (Re Freeman): Please know that I am not complaining about how much money I make as a teacher. That has never been my concern. I know that I am truly blessed to be paid a fair salary for honest work, and I really do work very hard for the people of Nevada. I am not lazy, and I do much more than sit at my desk all day. I invite you to visit my school and talk with me, my supervisor, my principal, and the students and teachers whom I serve proudly each and every day. I have been honored multiple times as a distinguished educator, which means that I have effected meaningful student achievement through my hard work. I am grateful to the school district and the taxpayers it represents for the opportunity to do what I love and truly excel at--teaching. I share your frustrations with the economy, which has fueled much of the debate over education in Nevada, but the measure of our success as a state, as a people, and as a nation, will forever be our integrity, and my confidence in such as it relates to our local governance has been shaken by these recent events. I fulfilled my commitments to district officials, the trustees, the students, and the people of Nevada by working ever harder to become the best, most efficient educator that I can be. I'm only asking that the school district keeps its word as well. If honesty and integrity are as important to you as they are to me, then I am certain you can understand my concerns.

Hi everyone. This is Andy, the subject of the article. Thank you all for your comments. Just a few things that I would like to clarify for those who seem to be misunderstanding my concerns.

I'm not angry about how much money I make, and I'm not crying poverty. I'm angry because I was led to believe that if I invested $10,000 in classes that CCSD encouraged me to take, that I would be fairly compensated. This is clearly indicated in Article 26-23 of my contract, which can be viewed online by anyone. The school district did not give any indication that that it would not be able to honor this agreement, and those of us who participated did not find out until it was too late. I invested my time and money in training that was only relevant to my job as a Clark County teacher because I love living and teaching here. It seems entirely implausible to me that the school district had no idea that they wouldn't be able to uphold their end of the bargain, especially at a time when they are investing a tremendous amount of money on things that actually have much less impact on the quality of a student's education. Respected studies referenced by district officials have shown beyond a doubt that nothing has a greater impact on the quality of a student's education than a quality teacher. I can assure you that I am a high achieving teacher who earns student achievement results year after year, and I accomplish none of this by sitting on my ass all day. Please visit my school or ask my supervisors for more clarification on my contribution to my school before you accuse me of being lazy. I work my ass off, so there isn't anything left to sit on. However, the district continues to bankroll a lot of initiatives such as the new school performance framework, area service centers, the common core state standards, and superfluous levels of administration, at the same time that they claim they do not have enough money to pay the people who make the actual difference. I'm not mad about how much money I make; I'm mad that the district is seemingly wasting precious taxpayer dollars on initiatives that have very little impact on the overall quality of a student's education. Quality teachers equal a quality education. Five stars and ipads won't do it.

The deal was, if I committed to increasing my performance and effectiveness, and was willing to front the cost of the program, that the district would reward me for being a high-achieving teacher. That didn't happen, and I'd like a better answer than, "We don't have the money because we spent it on a five-star rating system and some ipads."

I pay the same taxes that every other home owner does. I just don't like seeing our tax dollars wasted on things that don't make a difference.