One thing I will say ... happy teachers = better schools. Regardless of how you get there, that's just plain true. Not saying it needs to be a pay raise, but I would not want my child in a classroom with a disgruntled employee of the county.

Anonymous wrote:Here is my response to Dr. Starr

1. MoCo already pays more than other school systems for teachers, why bid 107 for teachers, when 100 will do.

Gotta point out the hypocrisy of this. You're arguing that it's an employer's market, so MoCo should use its unilateral power to set wages. And at the same time you're whining about teacher unions. Nice!

Anonymous wrote:I am for our kids. I support the principle that my taxes support the education of our children in the public system. While the grade assignments work for many kids it doesn't for my kids. Since my kids are required to stay in their assigned grade classrooms even though they are 3 to 4 grade levels above the current MCPS standards and cannot place out or test out, can we get a refund? For the kids for whom MCPS cannot accommodate (e.g., math) can citizens op out? We will gladly invest the refunded $12,000/kid/yr (this is a back of the envelope calculation) for other alternatives. This is a win win situation for both parties.

This is a slightly different question. I agree, MPCS doesn't serve the kids who are in the top 90-95% and something needs to be done. Many, many MoCo kids are 3-4 grade levels above the current MCPS standards. Magnet kids are 7-8 grade levels above MCPS standards, or more. Possible answers include charters (I would support) or refunding your taxes to you so you can go private (I wouldn't support, because only rich families would be able to top up the $12K to afford $35K at private). But these are separate questions from "should we pay MoCo teachers a decent salary to teach the majority of kids" and maybe deserve a different thread.

Here are my answers to you:

Anonymous wrote:

1. MoCo already pays more than other school systems for teachers, why bid 107 for teachers, when 100 will do.

MoCo is one of the most expensive places to live in the nation. Already many teachers are commuting to Bethesda from Columbia. It's not defensible to pay them Iowa wages.

Anonymous wrote:
2. Many MoCo Taxpayers have not seen raises the last 3 years. My company has not given raises, Federal employees haven't received a raise, other county workers haven't received a raise. What makes teachers so special.

Most taxpayers are starting to get raises now the economy is on the rebound. So why can't the teachers join in? Or are you saying they can't participate in the economic recovery the rest of us are enjoying?

Anonymous wrote:
3. Stop taking credit for educating the kids of all of the phds, lawyers, doctors, and other highly educated folks in Potomac, Bethesda, North Bethesda. Bring Einstein and other 'red zone' schools in the top 100 and then I will give you credit.

Fair enough.

Anonymous wrote:
4. Don't generalize parents view because I am not happy.

Fair enough.

Anonymous wrote:This all said, let me point out that I am happy to have MoCo pay teachers more than any other school system in the area. I think our teachers do a great job. I just think the system is going in the wrong direction and this pay raise was the wrong signal to send. It pretty clearly lays out the case that the union is in charge.

Stop with the union bogeyman already. This is about paying a decent salary to attract talented professionals to give our children the best education possible. The children who will be paying for your Social Security when you are old and decrepit.

I am for our kids. I support the principle that my taxes support the education of our children in the public system. While the grade assignments work for many kids it doesn't for my kids. Since my kids are required to stay in their assigned grade classrooms even though they are 3 to 4 grade levels above the current MCPS standards and cannot place out or test out, can we get a refund? For the kids for whom MCPS cannot accommodate (e.g., math) can citizens op out? We will gladly invest the refunded $12,000/kid/yr (this is a back of the envelope calculation) for other alternatives. This is a win win situation for both parties.

Here is my response to Dr. Starr

1. MoCo already pays more than other school systems for teachers, why bid 107 for teachers, when 100 will do.

2. Many MoCo Taxpayers have not seen raises the last 3 years. My company has not given raises, Federal employees haven't received a raise, other county workers haven't received a raise. What makes teachers so special.

3. Stop taking credit for educating the kids of all of the phds, lawyers, doctors, and other highly educated folks in Potomac, Bethesda, North Bethesda. Bring Einstein and other 'red zone' schools in the top 100 and then I will give you credit.

4. Don't generalize parents view because I am not happy.


This all said, let me point out that I am happy to have MoCo pay teachers more than any other school system in the area. I think our teachers do a great job. I just think the system is going in the wrong direction and this pay raise was the wrong signal to send. It pretty clearly lays out the case that the union is in charge.

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps Mr. Starr can tell us where the money will come from. Will we just keep raising taxes on the people of MD until they can't live here anymore. Should we go to OUR employers and demand more money and explain that we NEED a raise in order to pay for our kids' teacher's raises. Can't get blood from a stone.

Two questions that you need to answer before we take anything you say seriously: do you have kids, and do you send your kids to public or private school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on, our MoCo taxes aren't that high, especially compared to DC and PG county. The benefits of a rich tax base (tax base is not the same as tax rates).

MoCo teachers haven't even gotten COLAs for the past few years, which means that in real terms they've had PAY CUTS for the past few years.

At the same time, your own income presumably rose with wage inflation in recent years. No, you don't have to ask your boss for a raise, because most employers increase wages automatically each year to keep up with inflation. As a *presumably* educated person, I'm surprised you don't understand this.

You're comparing Montgomery Country to two of the most fucked up and mismanaged places on earth. You have ZERO credibility.

18:11 has ZERO credibility?

really?

We live in one of the richest counties IN THE USA - 13th, I believe - and people are angry that they are asked to pay taxes TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN?

really?

When I worked in private industry before I made the switch to teaching, I was guaranteed a raise each year. I have not received anything in the past 3 years. So if you think we don't have families to feed or TAXES to PAY b/c we are ALSO TAXPAYERS, you are indeed a fool.

And when I use fool, I am being kind b/c I can think of so many other words to call you that would not be as kind.

I'm 18:11. And I'm an economist at a place OP has heard of and probably wishes she could work at. OP is the fool, because she clearly doesn't understand the basics of (a) labor supply and demand, or (b) salary COLAs.

18:11 again: ooops! should have checked, the "fool" comment needs to be directed at 17:00, not OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on, our MoCo taxes aren't that high, especially compared to DC and PG county. The benefits of a rich tax base (tax base is not the same as tax rates).

MoCo teachers haven't even gotten COLAs for the past few years, which means that in real terms they've had PAY CUTS for the past few years.

At the same time, your own income presumably rose with wage inflation in recent years. No, you don't have to ask your boss for a raise, because most employers increase wages automatically each year to keep up with inflation. As a *presumably* educated person, I'm surprised you don't understand this.

You're comparing Montgomery Country to two of the most fucked up and mismanaged places on earth. You have ZERO credibility.

18:11 has ZERO credibility?

really?

We live in one of the richest counties IN THE USA - 13th, I believe - and people are angry that they are asked to pay taxes TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN?

really?

When I worked in private industry before I made the switch to teaching, I was guaranteed a raise each year. I have not received anything in the past 3 years. So if you think we don't have families to feed or TAXES to PAY b/c we are ALSO TAXPAYERS, you are indeed a fool.

And when I use fool, I am being kind b/c I can think of so many other words to call you that would not be as kind.

I'm 18:11. And I'm an economist at a place OP has heard of and probably wishes she could work at. OP is the fool, because she clearly doesn't understand the basics of (a) labor supply and demand, or (b) salary COLAs.

It's really quite simple as far as the Post's Editorial Board is concerned. If a union is involved, it has to be bad. Especially a public school union.

It's a fact that the Washington Post Corporation is being kept afloat by its Kaplan subsidiary. You know Kaplan, the company that the US Justice Department had to investigate regarding student loans. The Post is vehemently anti-public school and pro voucher because that means more $$ for Kaplan!

Dr. Starr made some very valid points in his letter, especially the quote that the original poster pulled from it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on, our MoCo taxes aren't that high, especially compared to DC and PG county. The benefits of a rich tax base (tax base is not the same as tax rates).

MoCo teachers haven't even gotten COLAs for the past few years, which means that in real terms they've had PAY CUTS for the past few years.

At the same time, your own income presumably rose with wage inflation in recent years. No, you don't have to ask your boss for a raise, because most employers increase wages automatically each year to keep up with inflation. As a *presumably* educated person, I'm surprised you don't understand this.

You're comparing Montgomery Country to two of the most fucked up and mismanaged places on earth. You have ZERO credibility.

18:11 has ZERO credibility?

really?

We live in one of the richest counties IN THE USA - 13th, I believe - and people are angry that they are asked to pay taxes TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN?

really?

When I worked in private industry before I made the switch to teaching, I was guaranteed a raise each year. I have not received anything in the past 3 years. So if you think we don't have families to feed or TAXES to PAY b/c we are ALSO TAXPAYERS, you are indeed a fool.

And when I use fool, I am being kind b/c I can think of so many other words to call you that would not be as kind.

Anonymous wrote:Come on, our MoCo taxes aren't that high, especially compared to DC and PG county. The benefits of a rich tax base (tax base is not the same as tax rates).

MoCo teachers haven't even gotten COLAs for the past few years, which means that in real terms they've had PAY CUTS for the past few years.

At the same time, your own income presumably rose with wage inflation in recent years. No, you don't have to ask your boss for a raise, because most employers increase wages automatically each year to keep up with inflation. As a *presumably* educated person, I'm surprised you don't understand this.

You're comparing Montgomery Country to two of the most fucked up and mismanaged places on earth. You have ZERO credibility.

Come on, our MoCo taxes aren't that high, especially compared to DC and PG county. The benefits of a rich tax base (tax base is not the same as tax rates).

MoCo teachers haven't even gotten COLAs for the past few years, which means that in real terms they've had PAY CUTS for the past few years.

At the same time, your own income presumably rose with wage inflation in recent years. No, you don't have to ask your boss for a raise, because most employers increase wages automatically each year to keep up with inflation. As a *presumably* educated person, I'm surprised you don't understand this.

Perhaps Mr. Starr can tell us where the money will come from. Will we just keep raising taxes on the people of MD until they can't live here anymore. Should we go to OUR employers and demand more money and explain that we NEED a raise in order to pay for our kids' teacher's raises. Can't get blood from a stone.

This is the heart of the matter: "What The Post doesn’t understand is that an investment in our employees is an investment in our students."

You cannot expect to get blood from a stone. If you don't treat your employees well, don't expect successful results.

***********

Published: May 27

The Post made the wrongheaded claim that by giving our employees well-deserved compensation increases, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is choosing “teachers over students” [editorial, May 25]. What The Post doesn’t understand is that an investment in our employees is an investment in our students.

Smaller class sizes, technology and new resources are important, but anyone who has worked in or around public education knows that it’s the people who make a difference. A well-trained, motivated teacher makes the biggest impact on the quality of education a student receives. An outstanding building leader can turn around a struggling school and make a good school great. An engaged and committed support staff bolsters instruction and makes sure that nothing distracts us from our mission.

Our parents understand the direct connection between the quality of our people and the quality of our school system. During public hearings on the budget, our parents repeatedly asked county leaders to recognize our employees by giving them their first pay increase in two or three years.

In its editorial, The Post ignored some important facts about MCPS.

The piece focused on the size of the salary increase that most of our teachers will receive over two years, yet the average increase for all district employees in that time will be below 5 percent. The Post didn’t mention that a large number of our employees work in supporting services. The hours of thousands of these hardworking people have been cut the past few years, and they earn significantly less than the county’s median income. Consider that our bus operators earn about $30,000 a year, on average. Even with their raises — which for many will be no more than 2 percent — they are far from catching up.

The Post clearly considers the relationship between MCPS, the Board of Education and its employee associations something that hurts our taxpayers and our schools. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Our Professional Growth System, administered by our associations, is held up as a national model for improving performance and eliminating mediocrity. It is our employees that gave up their cost-of-living and step increases in recent years, saving taxpayers more than $140 million. And it is our employees, with our parents, who have helped make difficult budgetary decisions over the past several years. And even as they have had to do more with less, it is our employees — many of them Montgomery County residents and taxpayers — who have still helped our students achieve unprecedented results.

In fact, that achievement was highlighted in The Post itself this month as MCPS placed five schools in the top 100 of the newspaper’s High School Challenge.

You can’t get these types of returns without making investments.

Ultimately, the investment in our employees is about sustaining the future of the county. If you ask people why they moved to Montgomery County, most will tell you it’s because of the high-quality schools. To sustain this national reputation, we must retain the very people who make our schools the signature element of Montgomery County: our teachers, staff and administrators.

Joshua P. Starr, Rockville