Shock Should Be At Low Teacher Salaries - And Response (7)

  • Monday, April 20, 2015

In a recent article, Commissioner Tim Boyd is quoted as being shocked at the "high" salaries of central office personnel. While I agree that their salaries are significantly more than what a classroom teacher could ever hope to make, I believe that his shock and disgust are misplaced. 

Those salaries, when compared to private-sector jobs, are hardly out of line. Superintendent Smith is the CEO, if you will, of the largest employer in Hamilton County. Gary Waters, as operations and maintenance director, is in charge of more facilities than almost any other person in Hamilton County. I could make more comparisons, I'm sure. 

Commissioner Boyd should be shocked and disgusted instead at the comparatively low salaries of the classroom teachers. As a husband, father of three and 14-year classroom teacher for HCDE, I have no hopes of ever being able to provide for my family on my own. Thankfully, my wonderful wife is such a hard worker (also a teacher) and happily helps provide financially. 

Jeremy Barrett 

* * * 

Oh my, Commissioner Tim Boyd has discovered that it costs money to pay people. I wonder what the central office cost is at the county courthouse? Maybe, the commissioner should find out. 

All sarcasm aside, this is typical political talk for anyone who doesn't want to support something. Place the blame somewhere else and hammer it home til the issue fades away. These are called "wedge issues" in political circles.  

Place a wedge issue to shift the blame, divert the focus on what's real - whatever it takes to win political points and political capital. 

We have some county commissioners who are quite adept with this tactic. 

David Crane  

* * * 

Mister Boyd is obviously misinformed. The salary for the HCEA president comes from teachers' dues, not from the county. The president is on unpaid leave while she serves in this capacity; the Association pays salary and benefits to the department of education. 

I hope Mister Boyd does better research than this while representing the people of Hamilton County. We depend on his knowledge to make informed votes on important matters. 

I was in Nashville two weeks ago and spoke to several state officials from Hamilton County. Rep. Carter was nice enough to allow me to speak to him.  He felt that administration costs for county schools should be 30 percent or less. Since that time, I've had the opportunity to review the Hamilton County school budget, I figure administration cost to be 10-15 percent at most (and that includes principals' and assistants' salaries). 

Hamilton County school administration is probably one of the leanest in Tennessee. 

Additionally, if he had attended the school board meeting where they voted on the budget, Mr. Boyd would have heard several school board members say they support the budget but it's up to the Commission to fund it how they see fit. 

Our schools are between a rock and a hard place, the County Commission and state legislators. Each points the finger at the other and neither does anything about it. 

Gil Highlander
Hixson

* * * 

All I can say is that judging by the responses, Mr. Boyd must be touching the right nerves. There is always an outcry by people who are benefiting from the system when you start calling attention to that fact. 

Now, let me say that I am all in favor of Mr. Smith's plan for the schools and I actually think that the schools are woefully underfunded. With that said, I am absolutely opposed to the HCDE coming to the taxpayers to fund it when there has been absolutely no attempts by this school board to find ways to cut the ever-growing expenditures within this administration. Mr. Crane, this is not a "wedge issue," as you phrased it. It is a pass the buck issue. The HCDE has done nothing more than come up with a grand plan, but has failed to look internally to find ways to fund these increases. All they have done is simply passed the buck to the County Commission asking them and ultimately us to fund this plan by increasing our taxes. 

HCDE currently spends about $9,500 per student. Now Mr. Smith is asking to increase that by another $800, bring the total to about $10,300 per student. Something is seriously wrong when many of the well regarded private schools in this area can provide a good education, pay their teacher at rates above HCDE, have well maintained facilities, and offer arts and foreign language along with a host of other educational advantages, all at a cost this is at or even below what the HCDE spends per student. This tells me that there is vast opportunities for rooting out waste within the HCDE system and until this school board and Mr. Smith gets serious about doing so, I will continue to voice my objection to any tax increases for the school system. 

For the seven school board members who voted in favor of this budget, I say to you that you wanted this job, now you have it. So, do your job and find ways to fund the budget that you passed without coming to the taxpayers to support your bloated, wasteful spending habits. 

John Holder
Harrison 

* * * 

Commissioner Boyd ran on a platform of lower taxes. Unfortunately the education of our children in Hamilton County costs money, as do prescriptions, medical care, housing, transportation and food. Something worthwhile is not going to always come in at "low bid." 

In my lifetime, politicians have had basically two mantras: schools should be run like a business and there are two many highly paid people in school administration. 

But businesses pay their executives high salaries to get the best people, often giving large bonuses and even moving expenses. However when this is pointed out, those same politicians suddenly don't want to apply the business model to school operations. 

But seriously, do these politicians question their surgeons' salaries when facing medical treatment, or do they ask what the CEO of our local grocers get in their paychecks when the cost of food rises? If they do, it never reaches the news media. 

I agree with Jeremy Barrett's concern that Commissioner Boyd should be upset about how our local teacher's salaries compare with other systems. 

So instead of playing the class warfare game to divide teachers and administrators, Commissioner Boyd and others should be looking for ways to work with our local board and administration. 

Let's find ways to adequately fund the needs of our students within the funding ability of our tax paying citizens. And let's stop applying the "low bid" mentality to our children's education. 

Ralph Miller 

* * * 

The school superintendent and others in the school system need to get off their "show me the money" high horse and mindset and glance in the taxpayer's direction. 

Show me an acceptable level of education that should be evident in every student in this county and state that will take us off the top five list of the worst educated state in this country.  That tells me that waste is what keeps governments operating and always crying that they never have enough of the taxpayers' money to keep wasting.....somewhat like the city and its need for a college for babies and all of the other potholes of waste under its leadership and cozy relationship with RiverCity and all those Chambers of Commerce, but must plead for the sympathy of the public to find a way to address the long-time foreseeable need for housing for our returning veterans.  That, of course, may be his buildup to a request for a tax increase if the public doesn't come through voluntarily, but he continues to have in place what he needs to know the council will continue to give him the majority vote if he asks. 

Get politicians out of our schools, throw out Common Core, and put our hands-on educators in charge of the learning needs of their students as well as what curriculum will best fill those needs and the best method(s) for delivery.  That should eliminate the need for an overpaid politician as a school superintendent to whine and a school board as a cheering section to beat the drum for more money to spend. 

The populations of each district in this county are far from universal.  Budgeting to provide for the needs that exist to guarantee a good education in top-of-the-line facilities, equipment, and services in each district should be the responsibility of the county mayor and his office rather than gerrymandering to serve politicians.  The people need stability.  It has been missing for a long time. 

Charlotte Parton
Chattanooga  

* * * 

I too, think that our teachers' salaries are too low and while there may certainly be some excessive salaries for positions listed, I think that many are probably a bargain as compared to the private sector, like the superintendent, Assistant Superintendent Gary Waters, architects and many others.  

It costs money to attract and keep experienced and talented people and run a school system the size of Hamilton County. We will never be able to bring the level of our schools up as long as we have those who are trying to do it on the cheap. We should be investing more. 

John Fricke

* * * 

 Nearly all Southern school systems pay on average less then $10,000 per student for education purposes. That figure may sound high but it is woefully low and the outcome is often commensurate with the money spent.  

That said, Mr. Holder suggested that there are many private school that will provide an excellent education for less money. I don't know of any in this town. Maybe Mr. Holder knows who they might be. To pay an additional $800 per student or $1,000 per student might improve the success of the school system to educate the whole child . That includes art, music, P.E. and adequately supported high school sports plus the ever important quotient in education, the teacher.

We have all heard the old adage, "you get what you pay for."   In my home state the money spent per child is double plus. Does the spending of dollars for school mean better outcomes? The answer to that is another article and lengthy one but to add art, music, and some other wonderful additions to the school day enhances all and is a well-spent outlay. 

Robert Brooks
Chattanooga 

* * * 

I am totally in agreement that a property tax increase is the last thing we all need.   The HCDE, just like several government agencies should look inward before using a tax increase to fund the budget.  It is not fair, yet again, and I am certain my husband and myself are not the only couple without children in Hamilton County Schools, that all taxpayers are being asked for more and more money for a woefully inefficient public school system.    

When I graduated in 1995, it was about the same time that the city got out of the school business.  My education was far better than what we are seeing coming out of Hamilton County schools, in my opinion. I was fortunate to have amazing teachers that actually cared and helped students succeed. Plus, our parents were highly involved as were their wallets.  From what I hear, a major percentage of parents have little to no involvement in their kid's schools.  

How about instead of charging all of us without kids, maybe these parents should help more.  We did fundraisers of all types and raised what we needed.  Again, please look inward before expecting us all to foot more of the bill. 

Richard Smith

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