In the interest of sparing folks a speech about this being an inaugural blog post (I'm sure my lack of blog experience will be readily apparent without an announcement), I offer this story I read today on MinnPost.
Wage freezes are, indeed, sweeping the state. In this area, teachers in Waseca have already accepted a soft freeze to help the district alleviate a $1.3 million budget cut. Ed Waltman (Mankato) and Harold Remme (New Ulm) are only two area superintendents who have already accepted pay reductions.
This spring alone, more than 100 jobs and $10 million were cut from area school budgets. Those are significant numbers in any industry, especially in education where officials are continuing to adjust to rising achievement standards and evolving demands from a workforce that is waiting to replace a generation of baby-boomers with today's learners.
During Monday's meeting of the Mankato Area School Board, officials closed the meeting to the public and began discussing bargaining terms for the upcoming negotiation session with teachers. And while it's too early to tell what the next round of contracts will look like, odds are good that freezes will be a topic of discussion.
I'd be curious to know what people think about wage freezes for teachers. Some would argue that unions have worked against themselves by driving districts into a corner financially and that freezes are not only appropriate, but responsible, in this economy. Others would argue that teachers are already underpaid and undervalued and that further wage loss is too much to ask.
Given the fact that Gov. Tim Pawlenty has proposed frozen education funding through the biennium - and knowing that a district's expenditures rise 2-3 percent each year due to salary raises and increased operating costs - this does not appear to be an issue that will go away soon.
Monday, June 1, 2009
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What a handsome young lad..you are holding.
ReplyDeleteOk, here's my 2 cents and keep in mind that I am minimally college educated.
So in one breath, we wonder why we can't get our students more involved in math and sciences; then in the other breath we cut teacher wages, programs and eliminate educational positions and in some instances, complete schools. The costs of college education is on an all time rise.
Gee makes perfect sense to me. We wonder why we are so behind other countries in certan categories and then we step aside and say, ah gosh Mr/Ms Student, we'd like to see you get an education and make your mark on our world, but we just don't have room and frankly, you can't afford it.
Frankly..."WE" can't afford it any longer. Teachers are now just another expendable commodity and I for one am saddened that we have come this far in that we jeopardize our children and our contries future by beeing so short sded and political. I can't wait for someone to actually "reach across the aisle."
But hey, what do I know, I'm just that cutre kids grandpa.