Teachers deserve better pay

Published 1:44 pm Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Regarding: Liv Finne’s guest commentary (“More spending in schools doesn’t necessarily improve learning”, Reporter, July 31):

Teachers have not received a pay raise for five years. The cost of living has increased 10 percent in five years. Teachers are getting a 1½ percent raise this year. Thus teachers have received an 8 percent pay cut in the past five years.

Research has clearly shown that small class size improves learning for students.

Forty-five percent of new teachers leave the profession after two years. The job is too hard and the pay is too little.

Teachers are required to pay for the expenses of the union negotiating team only.

If you want to improve teacher quality, do what you would do in your business: increase the pay of your workers to attract more able workers.

The providing of funds for supplies means that teachers do not have to use their own funds to provide supplies for your students.

I believe the legislators got a 12 percent raise this year.

– Harold B. Valentin, retired teacher