Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/09/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ken Gawd! I wish that I had a pension like that! After 50 years in Aerospace, I get about HALF that! Jerry Ken Wilcox wrote: > Well Larry, I didn't quibble about the pay amount you mentioned > because this varies widely from state to state. The national average > is about $43,000. When I retired two years ago my pay was nowhere > near what you mentioned, and Michigan is one of the higher paid > states. As far as that generous pension, mine is a whole $24,000. > > Ken Wilcox > > At 3:10 PM -0400 9/15/03, LRZeitlin@aol.com wrote: > >In a message dated 9/15/03 12:44:31 PM, klw.51@comcast.net writes: > > > ><< In my state (Michigan) schools are paid per student enrolled, and > >most of the money comes from the state. Therefore students lost to > >vouchers or private schools by any means takes money directly from > >the public school. As you said the private schools do cheery pick and > >often they are only K-6 or K-8 schools, leaving the the more > >expensive 9-12 students to the public schools. > > > >Your statement about teacher salaries is VERY misleading. Most > >teachers I know spend a great dceal more than 6 hours on the job. > >Grading papers, planning lessons, filling out misc. paperwork and > >dealing with parents takes many more hours. Most teachers that I know > >also spend The 2 summer months working on curriculum committees and > >attending school to enhance their skills. >> > > > >You have made part of my point. It is the State and local communities that > >decide how funds are allocated to public education, not the Federal > >government. > >The funds generally come from three sources, property taxes, the state general > >revenue fund raised by income and use taxes, and, recently, statewide > >lotteries. Michigan is to be complimented on funding public > >education largely out of > >general revenues since the tax load is spread more evenly. Still, those taxes > >are paid for life by parents whose children attend both public and private > >schools. Other states, including my own, New York, rely on property > >taxes as the > >primary source of revenue. The state suppliments these taxes on a per pupil > >basis to equalize expenditure between richer and poorer communities, but these > >state payments amount to less than 25% of the budget of even the poorer > >districts. Some affluent districts receive no state aid at all. > > > >I have never heard of a state or school district authorizing a voucher of > >more than $1000 per pupil to assist private education. There may > >well be one, but > >not near my district. The per pupil cost of education in my district is close > >to $12,000 a year, the majority paid for by property taxes. This is half the > >cost of tuition in an Ivy League university and a good deal more than the > >tuition in most state colleges. It is also more than the tuition at > >most private > >secondary schools and about triple that of tuition in parochial schools. Logic > >says that it would be more economical to close the public education system > >down and sell off the properties, using education funding to pay the > >tuition of > >all students in the private school of their choice. But of course the NEA and > >the AFT would condemn the practice as leading to the collapse of Western > >civilization. > > > >As far as teacher's salaries, I notice you didn't quibble about the amount, > >just the working hours. Teacher's pay and benefits have escalated dramatically > >since the dark days of the '50s. In addition to long paid vacations, teachers > >get full medical benefits and very generous state secured retirement programs. > >Most also have job tenure, essentially meaning that they cannot get fired > >unless they sexually assault their colleagues at high noon in the town square. > >Removing a tenured teacher for cause in my state takes an average of > >three years > >of litigation and costs a school district an average of $500,000 in fees and > >settlements. Admittedly some teachers work more than six hours a day and some > >get drunk at lunch. There are good and bad eggs in every profession. Summer > >training is laudable but additional educational degrees are usually > >compensated > >by salary increases. > > > >I spent 32 years in the bowels of the education system, both secondary and > >university level and know whereof I speak. But I used a Leica to > >photograph all > >school events so that makes me a good person. > > > >Larry Z > >-- > >To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > -- > __________________________________________________________________________________ > Ken Wilcox > Rescue a Greyound! Call 1.800.GO HOUND > klw.51 at comcast.net or > visit www.rescuegrayhounds.com > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html