I am a teacher and I have listened to this BS for decades...pay teachers more.....blah blah...raise your taxes and suddenly teaching is a great job if your husband has the real job. OOPS teaching is a great job if you have a spouse with a job that pays more.

38,000 a year right out of school with no experience? 3 months off and a 2% raise with bonuses? Will they start teaching NOW?

everyone around the country says how important teachers are............but............that being said........... we can't pay them what they are worth.

LOL...how about half what we are worth? The new teachers may get $38K but what about veterans?

I believe veterans are there to not only teach the students, but the new teachers as well. Prove they are worth all their work and time!

When I tutor I make $85 an hour! I make less than half that as a classroom teacher.

I wish I could still teach, and the problem is...those that are dedicated will take the lousy pay because we are so dedicated.

as far as abbott goes: GET OFF YOUR SOAP BOX FOR JUST ONCE! You have done very little to make this board cohesive over the past 10 years. Please, for the children, LEAVE!

Would have been nice if you posted these before voting actually started. Some of us voted last week.

Kathy can't even answer questions? Buh bye

I want to hear what the others have to say more in-depth.

NEWSFLASH: Teachers don't get paid during the summer.

That said, maybe Collier County teachers are one of the highest paid in the state. Collier County is also one of the most expensive in the state (in the US for that matter) to live in. It's all relative when you think about it. But not everyone does, imagine that. Upnorth is a perfect example of that. 2% raise doesn't cover cost of living and a 1% bonus is just absurd. Do the math, 1% of $40,000...hmmm, carry the 1, subtract that, square root of this, ahhh, yes, a whopping $400. WOOOHOOOO!!! Give me a break. Nobody should get a raise until the teachers get a raise, especially the board.

A comprehensive school board candidate survey was completed by many of the school board candidates and is posted on www.colliercitizens4truth.org.

While at the site, also check out the information on the Sheriff's candidates.

Wow. $38,000 a year to start? That sounds great! But what's the catch? What's the maximum one can earn? There's the rub! And to work for public schools were you are paid too little to live in the community you serve is simply disgraceful. No one goes into teaching to retire wealthy, but teachers would like to earn enough to have a nice home for their families too. And wouldn't you like 3 months off. That would be great. Too bad that's just a myth. How people forget. Just because students aren't in a building doesn't mean the teachers aren't working.

Prepare to be astonished, Gatorlover. The best CCPS will do for summer pay is hold a portion of each check until the first week in May. No pay at all during summer months. Right now, we're all starving while working the first three weeks of the new school year without having had a check for over two months.

Teacher ...er...GatorHater07 constantly complains because he thinks teachers are constantly complaining. His arguments have all been rebutted, but he won't admit it.

He does have one good point, though:
Our union is a joke!
Tuttle refuses to comply with the State Statute mandating differentiated pay, and the administration is only too happy to withhold it.
Our country has a critical need to improve Math and Science education in order to compete globally. Our legislators have attempted to address this by mandating higher salaries in order to attract better teachers, and our local union and school board thwarts their intent.
Critically important Math and Science teachers should be paid more. There is a large variety of jobs available to Math and Science majors with salaries much higher than is offered to teachers here. The average overall salary differential for Math majors is roughly 38%.
"So what?" you might ask. If you want more money, go get a different job. Unfortunately, many of the most talented Math and Science majors do just that. We are left with teachers who are either less talented, or those who teach because of a sense of purpose and obligation but are often frustrated at the lack of respect from people like GatorHater07 and the School Boards who deny them fair compensation.

The people starving are the Custodians, bus drivers and food service employees. They do not have the option of a summer check. They are on a 180 day contract and can not file unemployment. All go without income for 2 1/2 months. Yeah its tough trying to find housing in Collier County on 38,000 to start, it is impossible on a support salary of $22,000.

Barak Bro:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newst...

Gator, I know the teachers can spread their pay out over the summer, but they DO NOT get paid for being off during the summer. Spreading out your paychecks and not getting paid are two totally different things. Nice try though.

No, in Collier County you *can not* spread your pay during the summer (which is not the same as being *paid* for the summer - which we are not -!!), but even if I asked them to space out my paycheck over 26 pay periods, they would not. They refuse, saying it's "too hard" to get stubs to people over the summer (really! that's the best they've got!!). If you want, they will hold part of your paycheck during the school year, without giving you any interest, and then give it back to you in May. Woo-hoo. I sure love being lazy and working 60 hours a week competing for summer work with college kids home on vacation (I have a Master's degree!) to pay my bills during the summer.

One solution to teachers not receiving a paycheck during the summertime would be to change to the school system to a different schedule.

The Japanese and many European countries, who routinely kick our collective butts in the educational arena, have a school year that starts in April and consists of three terms, separated by short holidays in spring and winter, and a one month long summer break. Under this system, it would be much easier to pay (and justify paying) teachers over 12 months instead of just 9. And, if they still got paid only for the time they were teaching, the most that they would ever be without a paycheck would be 30 days.

It might be worth looking into.

It will never be enough! What were those F-CAT scores again?

We all know there is a budget shortfall and not enough to go around. Even if the administrators did not take their 6% raise it wouldn't be enough to increase teacher pay, but it sure would go a long way to increase moral!

And those benefits you speak of gator? Why is a teacher expected to shell out ~$300 per month for spousal health insurance when a cop only has to pay $65 per month for FAMILY coverage? I'm not sure the exact amount for family coverage through the school board, but I'm sure its a lot higher than the 300/month spousal coverage.

It seems to me that both are working for the county and if cops can get family health coverage for $65/month, teachers should too!

Teachers, how about a summer job?

The biggest concern that I have in all of this salary/benefit turmoil is that many administrators and teachers are simply losing sight of their primary goal - to educate the children!!

I really do not look forward to hearing my elementary aged child come home this school year informing us that teachers are not being paid enough and the administration is working against them!

Please, if the adults who are employed through the District School Board of Collier County cannot keep their focus on their own mission statement, they need to find employment elsewhere. I have copied #1 from their own Mission Statement Web Page:

SHARED BELIEFS

STUDENTS ARE OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY AND THEIR NEEDS ARE THE FOCUS OF ALL DISTRICT DECISIONS.

Bottom line, the students need to be educated in an environment free from the politics.

Year round schooling and change how budget funds are you used!

#14.....my point is, all we hear on the blogs is the state of the teachers finances. I think we all know that most support staff in this country only work when school is in. Condition of employment...yes...andthat group deals with it. My blog was simply, if the teachers have it bad, look at the support people

Gator - You hit it right on the head. Being paid $38,000 per year, and receiving checks for nine and a half months tells me new teachers gross ABOUT $4,000 per month (38,000 / 9.5). With 4.3 weeks per month, that means teachers make a weekly WORKING salary of $930 (By the way, this means you are getting paid for all of the holiday breaks). $930/week doesn't sound too bad to me for someone *fresh out of college*.

As far as the second part - TEACHERS - if you make $38,000 per year, and you want to distribute that over the entire year, take $193/week and put it away (maybe an interest bearing account??), and at the end of the school year, you will have almost $7,900 plus interest to get you through the two and a half months that you're not working. The second option, get a summer job. Talk to some bus drivers for the County; several of them have summer jobs to make it through. If you question my math, (trust me, you shouldn't) I can explain it.

upnorthhater...my new nn :)

I did some more research after my post, and discovered some interesting facts. According to the CCPS schedule, teachers work 99 days during the school year.(http://www.collier.k12.fl.us/0809Cale...). That means (new) teachers are making $383.84 per day (38,000 / 99). Teachers have stated that they will not come in early or stay later than required by contract. Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm sure someone will), that means teachers work approximately 7-1/2 hours per day. Even at eight hours per day, that is still $47.98/hour. Again, not bad for just out of college!

As long as steps are built into the salary schedule, the district will need to budget the yearly increases. That is the 2% right now. The system currently works against new and veteran teachers because they are not on the steps. The union can vote to forgo steps in lieu of an across the board raise, which may happen or may not. So unless the union is willing to give up steps altogether, this is going to continue to be an issue.

#32...the manner in which steps are alocated is subject to bargaining. Perhaps the union should calculated what step costs and spread it around to all employees. Although it would be a lesser amount, everyone would be included

Oooops, sorry. PLEEEEEEEEASE forgive me. Teachers work 190 days during the school year. I know, 99 didn't even make sense. Still, for a seven and a half hour day, that's $26.67/hour. Still, not bad for a college grad.

Post #30. I am not sure what you are looking at. Teachers work 190 days and are paid for 6 federal holidays. Students attend school for 180 days. You are looking at only one half of the school year.

knight:
If teachers only work 99 days a school year, who is watching the students the other 81 days they are in school? Students are in school 180, teachers contract is 196 days. You only looked at half the calander.

It's ok knight...
Forgiven...

But I will not forgive Coach MClugaDUH for his circular answer to the raise question.

Typical political answer...talk in circles like Mr. Kerry did a few years back, and see if you win this race.

The "incoming funding" was my all-time fave, b.s. spouting at the end of his commentary.

Yoooooohoooo Mr. McClugaDUH, there's limited funding in Florida right now for any government entity, so are you going to go shake the Governor's money tree up in Tal. to make this happen?

Mr. Charlie will gladly give U a loan to provide teacher's raises as he negotiates the privatization of Alligator Alley.

Ignorance is bliss, but there's no room for errors in these candidate's answers as they run for CCPS school board.

With McClugaDUH. it's always DUH way...use b.s. 2 win.

Stop talking about teachers who work 7.5 hours a day.......those who really teach far exceed those hours....and those who do not teach have no idea the amount of time which is spent trying to improve student's lives. $38,000/year is not enough when you factor in the TOTAL amount spent planning, grading and teaching. Not to mention continuing education credits expected to continue teaching. AND THEN, you have the public criticizing a profession that once was considered the most respectable. It is certainly no wonder many students lack respect within the classroom. Those who think teachers have such a cush job....get your degree and join us in the ranks.....life is but a dream.....

GatorHater07, I really DON'T think you know. You claim to have relatives who are teachers, yet constantly bash teachers on this blog.

Most teachers are in the profession because they want to, not because they have to. We knew the salary wasn't the best when we went into this, but it's getting worse all the time. The vaunted 2% step that you always call a "raise" doesn't even keep up with inflation. Sure, $38,000 isn't too bad coming out of college, I did MUCH better 30 years ago when the dollar was worth MUCH more, but pity the poor veteran teachers. We have invested years in our profession, only to watch our salaries decline in real terms. At the same time, our duties have increased, and we have to take CRAP from people like ...

Don't pity me, pay me a decent wage! This is not "special treatment."

This steady decline in teacher salary, in real terms, is not just in the last couple of years. It's been going on for decades. How can you blame us for complaining? Maybe you are getting a little taste yourself, now. Taste good?

The only reason I blog here is that I care about your children's education. I can't understand how people in this county can stand by and watch as the administration in this school district gives itself high salaries and huge raises, squanders millions on hare-brained schemes like the new thin clients they purchased, but cries poor when it's time to take care of the personnel who really make this school system tick. I can only think that they don't know, so I do my best to inform.

From the Florida Statutes:
1001.395 District school board members; compensation.--Each member of the district school board shall receive a base salary, the amounts indicated in this section, based on the population of the county the district school board member serves. In addition, compensation shall be made for population increments over the minimum for each population group, which shall be determined by multiplying the population in excess of the minimum for the group times the group rate. The product of such calculation shall be added to the base salary to determine the adjusted base salary. The adjusted base salaries of district school board members shall be increased annually as provided for in s. 145.19.
County Pop.Range Base Salary Group Rate
Minimum Maximum
I -0- 9,999 $5,000 $0.08330
II 10,000 49,999 5,833 0.020830
III 50,000 99,999 6,666 0.016680
IV 100,000 199,999 7,500 0.008330
V 200,000 399,999 8,333 0.004165
VI 400,000 999,999 9,166 0.001390
VII 1,000,000 10,000 0.000000

District school board member salaries negotiated on or after November of 2006 shall remain in effect up to the date of the 2007-2008 calculation provided pursuant to s. 145.19.

History.--s. 52, ch. 2002-387; s. 4, ch. 2007-234; s. 175, ch. 2008-4.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Collier County's population as of 2006 was estimated to be 314,649. By State Statute, we are required to pay our school board members $8,810.52 per year. We pay almost 4 times that.

Sweet!

By the way, did you notice that the law gives board members an annual increase in salary? Kind of like a step? Look it up. (Hint: It's more than they give teachers!)