PA public school teacher salaries available online

[HiredGoon]

Found this interesting.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08087/868425-100.stm

PA public school teacher salaries available online
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An organization opposed to teacher strikes in Pennsylvania today announced that residents can now see the names and salaries of every public school teacher in the state.

StopTeacherStrikes, Inc., based in eastern Pennsylvania, is publicizing a Web site featuring a database created by the Asbury Park Press of New Jersey. http://php.app.com/PAteachers0607/search.php

In a news release, the group's founder, Simon Campbell, said: "Freedom of information has combined with freedom of the press to shatter the union-promoted myth of the underpaid teacher in Pennsylvania."

He said 82 of the nation's 137 teacher strikes occurred in Pennsylvania over the past five school years.

The group is backing legislation that would outlaw such strikes.

[DemonOfTheFall]

Full disclosure: Both of my parents were teachers, and they were damn good at it. Because of the strong teachers union, they were able to provide me with a great childhood.

So although I'm probably biased, I don't think ANY group should be prohibited from striking...teachers, doctors, police, factory workers. The formation of organized labor, while it has its problems, was essentially responsible for the formation of the "American Middle Class" in the good 'ol days, which we'd all like to be part of (2 cars in the garage, 2.5 kids, food on the table every night, and a little extra cash to take a family vacation once in a while...). I get tired of the argument that certain professions don't have the right to strike, like teachers, doctors, and cops...it would take one day of no service from those fields for the average Joe bitching about his taxes to realize how much he needs them, and would realize how hard those jobs were.

I guess I'm a bit of a commie on this issue haha. Spread the wealth, dammit.

[LittleRedToyota]

Full disclosure: Both of my parents were teachers, and they were damn good at it. Because of the strong teachers union, they were able to provide me with a great childhood.

on the other hand, my mom is a principal and has had to lay off good teachers and keep horrible ones because the horrible ones had been around longer...

she also cannot maximize her teachers strengths by placing them at the grade level where they fit best because the teachers get to choose what grade level they are going to teach based on seniority rather than merit. so, she sometimes ends up with her best teachers essentially being reduced to babysitters in kindergarden while her worst teachers are teaching gifted 8th graders.

unions are great, but, imho, they should start demanding collective bargaining agreements that emphasize merit rather than seniority.

in any case, though, no labor group should be prohibited by law from striking. that's called rigging the (labor) market (extremely in favor of "management"). free markets are good...rigged markets are bad, mmmmmmkkkkaaaay.

[Roscoe]

COOL...............

Thanks for the link.........

[jerkin]

Link... http://php.app.com/PAteachers0607/search.php

[spabula]

I always get a kick out of people who always lump all labor unions together. Most are very different from each other in how they operate. It isn't always about money either, rising healthcare, working conditions, ect are things just as good to stand up for. Just like everything else, once you give it up you usually dont get it back.
I looked through what the teachers in my school district make. I dont think they make soooo much money that they shouldn't be able to do what they feel is needed for them to receive amble compensation for their work.
Personally I feel that teachers should be paid very well.

[Atomic Dog]

Ups and downs. Not an easy profession to get into now either, requires good grades, background checks, long unpaid student teaching and field experiences so you can start off at the bottom with thousands of dollars of school loans and nothing to work with. Unlike experienced teachers noobs don't have years of lesson plans to fall back on and have to create each lesson from scratch.



Or because there too many teachers in this state you could move and get hired down south or vegas working with mexican kids. Or perhaps work in an alternative building and have to handle kids who don't want to go to school and have emotional problems and (to quote a recent experience) refuse to do any work, flip a desk and throw a chair at the blackboard before punching the fire extinguisher cover and kicking open the door to walk the 6 miles home.


My goal at this point is to bust my hump, learn everything I can so I can eventually move into a good district to provide my family with a standard quality of living. If the union is there to support me, so be it. I will not use it as a crutch; when I get to the point that I am not successful in helping the students to learn it's time to move on.

[jerkin]

I don't know, they deserve to make a decent buck like everyone else. But on the other hand I just looked up my daughters 3rd grade teacher, and I don't see 65k for 9 months work as anything to strike over. If she worked a full 12 months thats 85-90k a year. Pretty good money for my area.

What I find interesting, if it's true, is that in the last 5 years PA had 82 teachers strikes while the other 49 states had 55 combined. If those statistics are true I would really like to know the reasoning behind an 8000% increase in teachers strikes from the avg. of all the other states.

[Mrs. Pa Patriot]

Ups and downs. Not an easy profession to get into now either, requires good grades, background checks, long unpaid student teaching and field experiences so you can start off at the bottom with thousands of dollars of school loans and nothing to work with. Unlike experienced teachers noobs don't have years of lesson plans to fall back on and have to create each lesson from scratch.



Or because there too many teachers in this state you could move and get hired down south or vegas working with mexican kids. Or perhaps work in an alternative building and have to handle kids who don't want to go to school and have emotional problems and (to quote a recent experience) refuse to do any work, flip a desk and throw a chair at the blackboard before punching the fire extinguisher cover and kicking open the door to walk the 6 miles home.


My goal at this point is to bust my hump, learn everything I can so I can eventually move into a good district to provide my family with a standard quality of living. If the union is there to support me, so be it. I will not use it as a crutch; when I get to the point that I am not successful in helping the students to learn it's time to move on.

My disclaimer is we homeschool....and plan to continue for the entire time the boys are of school age.

I totally feel for you as a teacher. You want to do what is right for the kids but these days it totally seems (to me of course) that there is too many politics involved with it.

I am torn with the salary teachers are paid only because we have come across many teachers before we homeschooled that were paid to do nothing...or demolish what the children already knew in order to "encourage them to do it the right way". What we really need these days is for the school to teach what the kids NEED to learn and not how to be a "cool". It seems to me that it is on both ends though too. The kids are a total nightmare anymore, so the teachers give up. And I think there is still teachers out there that are great teachers and in it for the right reason....the problem is....I think the good teachers all get fed up and leave after awhile...leaving the school systems with less than mediocre.

You seem like you care about what is important....the kids...they are what it is all about. I wish you luck, I really do. And hey, I've been doing this for quite a few years....I have a million different sites of lesson plans...so you know where you could come for help. lol

[Mxyzptlk]

I don't know, they deserve to make a decent buck like everyone else. But on the other hand I just looked up my daughters 3rd grade teacher, and I don't see 65k for 9 months work as anything to strike over. If she worked a full 12 months thats 85-90k a year. Pretty good money for my area.

What I find interesting, if it's true, is that in the last 5 years PA had 82 teachers strikes while the other 49 states had 55 combined. If those statistics are true I would really like to know the reasoning behind an 8000% increase in teachers strikes from the avg. of all the other states.

You look at it and see "9 months" but you forget that on top of working during the day, their work goes home with them and takes up most of their night as well.