Today's Wash Post op ed about MCPS

[Anonymous]

Did anyone read the op ed in today's paper about Sup. Starr, budget, teacher pay increases, class size increases. Pretty disheartening, I thought. I love our teachers and wish they could always be paid more, but the realities of the budget and how to pay for it are prohibitive. The post's position is, basically, that by choosing to increase teacher pay across the board when there is no realistic way to pay for it, Starr has given a "goodie" to the teacher's union but hasn't done anything to address class size, the layoffs of specialist teachers etc. Makes me worried both over budget concerns and classroom quality. Anyone else have opinions?

[Anonymous]

Until parents are as well organized as teachers are, misallocation of resources will continue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Until parents are as well organized as teachers are, misallocation of resources will continue.

It is time for parents to organize instead of pickin' on each other.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think it shows that Starr is pretty naive. he's also ubelievably arrogant and so, I fear, not really able to look at his actions and see where he could have done differently. I'm concerned about the future of MCPS.

I have nothing but the highest respect for teachers but a 7% raise in these economic times seems outrageous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I think it shows that Starr is pretty naive. he's also ubelievably arrogant and so, I fear, not really able to look at his actions and see where he could have done differently. I'm concerned about the future of MCPS.

I have nothing but the highest respect for teachers but a 7% raise in these economic times seems outrageous.

There was another paper (maybe the Post yesterday?) that reported teachers were getting 5% raises. Teachers are only getting a 2% raise.

[Anonymous]

OK, well, the OpEd says a total of 7% in two phases during the next 12 months.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, what can parents do? I was disgusted by the facts stated in the Post's editorial. The priority of our tax dollars for "education", should be first to provide the best education possible to the students in our county through the reduction of class size, the opportunity for learning not just the core academic subjects, but also exposure to art, music and P.E. We have seen first hand at our elementary school the effects the budget cut has had on the students - larger classes, art, music and P.E. time reduced, etc. The decisions, Mr. Starr and other administrators make in favor of increasing teachers salaries have and will continue to have negative consequenses in our communities.

As the editorial states, MCPS teachers are already the best compensated teachers as comparted to any other jurisdiction. Mr. Starr's cited comments about morale being a reason for the granting teachers raises during this time of recession and reduced budgets is elementary and a slap in the face of other county, state and private workers whose taxes pay for the education of their children. Like any other worker during this time in particular, teachers should be happy to have a job; and in MCPS because of the strong unions, those teachers are well compensated both in salary and benefits and later in their pensions.

How do we vote Mr. Starrr out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, well, the OpEd says a total of 7% in two phases during the next 12 months.

Wow! Seven percent in 12 months when the unemployment rate is still so high? And when so many in the region are worried about losing their jobs due to the oncoming federal budget cuts? I don't think I've ever had a job where I got a 7 percent raise in one year as a matter of course. I find that outrageous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I think it shows that Starr is pretty naive. he's also ubelievably arrogant and so, I fear, not really able to look at his actions and see where he could have done differently. I'm concerned about the future of MCPS.

I have nothing but the highest respect for teachers but a 7% raise in these economic times seems outrageous.

There was another paper (maybe the Post yesterday?) that reported teachers were getting 5% raises. Teachers are only getting a 2% raise.

That's correct.

They have also gone for over three years (four I think) with no raise at all.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]Seriously, what can parents do? I was disgusted by the facts stated in the Post's editorial. The priority of our tax dollars for "education", should be first to provide the best education possible to the students in our county through the reduction of class size, the opportunity for learning not just the core academic subjects, but also exposure to art, music and P.E. We have seen first hand at our elementary school the effects the budget cut has had on the students - larger classes, art, music and P.E. time reduced, etc. The decisions, Mr. Starr and other administrators make in favor of increasing teachers salaries have and will continue to have negative consequenses in our communities.

As the editorial states,[b] MCPS teachers are already the best compensated teachers as comparted to any other jurisdiction[/b]. Mr. Starr's cited comments about morale being a reason for the granting teachers raises during this time of recession and reduced budgets is elementary and a slap in the face of other county, state and private workers whose taxes pay for the education of their children. Like any other worker during this time in particular, teachers should be happy to have a job; and in MCPS because of the strong unions, those teachers are well compensated both in salary and benefits and later in their pensions.

How do we vote Mr. Starrr out?[/quote]

MCPS pay is comparable to pay in other high COL areas. Sure, they make more than e.g. teachers in Pennsylvania do - but they also pay more for housing and everything else.

[Anonymous]

Its the Washington Post. Their editorial board is traditionally anti-union. They constantly whine about the state of the education received but don't want teachers (or police officer and firefighters) to be compensated fairly.

The Post wants excellent teachers but it does not matter a bit to them that many of the teachers have to live in Jefferson Co, Adams Co, or upper Frederick Co.

That is not their concern as they look down their noses from their $900,000 homes in upper NW.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Seriously, what can parents do? I was disgusted by the facts stated in the Post's editorial. The priority of our tax dollars for "education", should be first to provide the best education possible to the students in our county through the reduction of class size, the opportunity for learning not just the core academic subjects, but also exposure to art, music and P.E. We have seen first hand at our elementary school the effects the budget cut has had on the students - larger classes, art, music and P.E. time reduced, etc. The decisions, Mr. Starr and other administrators make in favor of increasing teachers salaries have and will continue to have negative consequenses in our communities.

As the editorial states,[b] MCPS teachers are already the best compensated teachers as comparted to any other jurisdiction[/b]. Mr. Starr's cited comments about morale being a reason for the granting teachers raises during this time of recession and reduced budgets is elementary and a slap in the face of other county, state and private workers whose taxes pay for the education of their children. Like any other worker during this time in particular, teachers should be happy to have a job; and in MCPS because of the strong unions, those teachers are well compensated both in salary and benefits and later in their pensions.

How do we vote Mr. Starrr out?[/quote]

MCPS pay is comparable to pay in other high COL areas. Sure, they make more than e.g. teachers in Pennsylvania do - but they also pay more for housing and everything else.[/quote]


The editorial today said that MCPS teachers make 20% more than teachers in Fairfax county. That is outrageous. Housing costs, etc. are comparable in VA and MD.

[Anonymous]

What is wrong with teachers getting a 2% raise after a 3-year freeze?

I am tired of fat cats bashing union and government workers. I wish there are unions in professional jobs besides teaching. I can use one.

[Anonymous]

Starr has got to go. He is gutting the curriculum and spending our tax dollars to give extraordinarily high increases to teachers. A 7% increase in a 1 year period is something unheard-of in any industry right now. Many of us, the taxpayers who must pay for these expenditures, have not seen and will not see a 7% raise anytime in the near future.

Does this 7% increase mean that the teachers will work more, will improve the schools, will bring back art, music and PE, will stay after school to meet with parents and/or children. No, this is just a "gimme" to the union. Pay more so that, theoretically, teachers and their union will not complain any more. If MCPS were a private business, there would be a shareholder revolt by now and the board would be out. If only Starr were concerned about improving education for the students and not just about appeasing the union, maybe MCPS would have a chance.

Starr has got to go.

[Anonymous]

You kids go to the tops schools in the country taught by the top teachers in the country. What would you do if you look at the lists that all of you look at and you don't see any Montgomery County Schools on it?

Look at the law firms your absentee husbands work for, what if they said we decided we want to be a 2nd or 3rd tier law firm so we are letting go of all the good lawyers and paying less for mediocre lawyers?

Quality gets quality. Now go ahead and bitch about the teacher your kid has and then go put them in PG County schools and see them thrive.

And I am not a teacher