Are Wisconsin Teachers Unfair to Skip School for Protests?

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Clearly The teachers are protecting kids and schools in protesting against the malicious legislation the WI Republicans are ramming through - legislation that will just about destroy public education in Wisconsin. Have you heard the details this crook Walker's trying to push through: slashing funding for the state university system, slashing public eduction to the bone. Its disgusting! Good for the teachers to protest these fascists.
We all should be sending out Amber Alerts because Republicans are attacking Wisconsin's kids, stealing their educations and loading these kids up with debt to pay for the corrupt handouts to the Kochs and the rest of the greedy rich unwilling to invest in Wisconsin or America.

Cheryl of OH 6:02PM March 03, 2011

I attended school in full classrooms, PE teachers teaching other classes, I learned algebra from a Spanish teacher, Chemistry taught by the drivers training teacher.....didn't have a school nurse, went to college, have an MBA, and went to public schools with all those scarey union teachers.
But all that shortage of qualified staff was not because of unions - it was because Ronald Reagan told everyone they should not pay taxes - so they voted against taxes to support schools, and the quality dropped. Before Reagan, the public schools were excellent in California, and the budget balanced every year - WITH UNIONS.
The GOP is DEFUNDING SCHOOLS - the unions are trying to keep public schools going. Then the GOP/TP complains about unions because of their desire to have no political opponents.... It's cynical, and terrible for students. So thank Saint Ronald - he started this when he was governor in California....and it has led to a tragic outcome on a national basis now.
Dwight Eisenhower was from Kansas - clearly conservative, and a big supporter of unions..... Oops!

DeeToo of SC 4:12PM February 23, 2011

Hedges - I knew you'd put up a double posting with double nasty about workers.... Walker decided to give a huge tax cut to corporations - THEN said he needed to cut a budget deficit????? Really??????? How did that get there?????? Why did he decide some unions could bargain but not others? Maybe their votes? Why is he still insisting on cutting off collective bargaining when he already has the concessions to balance the budget?????? And you quote FOX????? Oh - that is bound to be an objective view....
So the budget can be balanced on the backs of teachers. They have already agreed.. Why does Walker insist on a non-budget demand?
My sister was a teacher for over 38 years...she earned around $50k/year when she retired. Old car, old house, very modest lifestyle, raised two kids and put them through college....they got scholarships. She was all about the kids. Always.
"...Inaccurate comparisons of national and Wisconsin public employee compensation with private sector compensation are circulating in Wisconsin. These faulty comparisons, showing that public employees in Wisconsin are dramatically overpaid, seem to support legislative efforts to increase benefit contributions by public employees. These increased benefit contributions would subject them to a pay cut greater than 10% and eliminate their collective bargaining rights.
But when we compare apples to apples, we find that Wisconsin public employees earn 4.8% less in total compensation than comparable private sector workers. The comparisons—controlling for education, experience, hours of work, organizational size, gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship, and disability—demonstrate that full-time state and local public employees earn lower wages and receive less in total compensation (including all benefits) than comparable private sector employees.
Why does it appear otherwise? Both nationally and within Wisconsin, public sector workers are significantly more educated than their private sector counterparts. Nationally, 54% of full-time state and local public sector workers hold at least a four-year college degree, compared with 35% of full-time private sector workers. In Wisconsin, the difference is even greater: 59% of full-time Wisconsin public sector workers hold at least a four-year college degree, compared with 30% of full-time private sector workers.
These stark educational differences arise for two reasons. First, many public employees are professionals and teachers in positions that require higher levels of education. Second, the movement to privatize public sector work has been accomplished in great part by moving low-skilled work from the public to private sector, where benefits are often more modest...."
Bottom line is you have to be sure to compare apples to apples.....

DeeToo of SC 4:05PM February 23, 2011

Collective bargaining stops outside expects coming into classroom giving real life experience or even be teacher. I assume WI has that limitation. Not all collective bargaining is pro student. Job protection and financial benefit big portion.
In my previous comment, private schools seems better plan for our kids. Teacher union supported barry shut down…

Bill Hedges of MO 9:28PM February 20, 2011

Teachers pay little towards their pension & health care plans now. Walker is not asking parity with normal non-government workers. Much less. Walker was elected on platform of solving WI financial woes.
For the most part reasoning rules the Walker group side comments. Government financial shortfall necessitates cutting cost. Jealousy has no role. Nor “bad experiences”. Financial responsibility does. Claiming jealousy or bad school experience is cynical speculation. Take a debate class, such unfounded remarks should shatter your case.
Teachers broke their contract by their actions at capitol. Fox has video proof of Doctors on street corners handing out sick slip. No examination. Just here is slip & told how to fill out. Teachers taking students with. Not professional behavior.
Head of teacher union has told them to go back to work Monday or Tuesday. Not all are scheduled to work the holiday. A very wise decision by union. Reagan did fire Air traffic Controllers.
People other than teachers can teach. My bother did using his work experience.
One last point. In D.C. there was a experimental private school. Cost per student was cheaper, scores higher on State wide test, safer, and had long list of student wanting to enroll. Voucher system took money from public schools, and barry, with heavy teacher union campaign support, ended it. Better results and cheaper should be continued and expanded…

Bill Hedges of MO 9:03PM February 20, 2011

Collective Bargaining is more than just a salary schedule and pension. This works for the kids too. Do you want your 5 year old child in a kindergarten class with 45 other kids without a teacher assistant? Collective bargaining protects this. Would you like your high school daughter in advanced algebra class taught by the social studies teacher? Collective bargaining protects this. Wold you like your son's teacher to come to school with swine flu or strep throat and spread the infection among her students? Collective bargaining protects this. Would you like a nurse or or social worker available if your child hit his head on the playground or had a crisis? Collective bargaining protects this. Would you like your child to sit in a desk or sit on the floor all year due to no cap size? Collective bargaining protects this. Would you like your child to be well rounded and have the experience to have a foreign language, art class, music PE or choir/band? Collective bargaining protects this. Would you like services to be available if your child has special needs such as a learning disability or ADHD? Collective bargaining protects this. Would you like a new hire teacher to have a criminal background check before hire? Collective bargaining includes this. Would you like your child to have 5 different teachers during the first 4 months of school because there is no contract or districts can move teachers whenever they want? Collective bargaining protects this. Do I need to say anymore. This is not just about the teachers. It is also what is best for your child. The general public should be wanting what best for the child and be behind collective bargaining. Not against it. These are Americas kids and they are our future.

For the kids of IN 8:39PM February 20, 2011

Teachers are held accountable for what they teach. Not any one can walk off the street and teach. Try it. I know people who were "let go " from teaching. They can be fired. They are evaluated and must make improvements to keep their job. As someone earlier said teachers are just middle class citizens. But they are paid by years of experience as well as by years of education. I would not want a physician to misdiagnose my cancer because he has less experience and not the training of an oncologist and is only a general practitioner. I would not want my lawyer to miss some evidence or not have the experience of speaking with a trial jury if I needed one due to lack of education or experience. You pay for what you get. To Paul, you will not get people who just want to teach if you get rid of their average salary and benefits. You will not have teachers. To Cory as for vacations... teachers do not get vacations. They are contracted for so many days and that is it. They usually work for 9 1/2 months . Some work summer school if they can or find another job. I have never meant a selfish teacher, not willing to give. All of them have been hard working individuals. No I am not a teacher, but I am a student. But I do believe in what they are standing up for. I would not want to have their job Because in reality they can be fired just like that for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. It seems all you people who are against this are either jealous or had very bad school experiences in your past.

High School Senior of MI 7:20PM February 20, 2011

deal with it or quit. its as simple as that. lets get some teachers that want to teach not just go through the motions to reap the benefits of what the union has agreed to. There are plenty of them. I hope they bust the union and make teachers liable and responsible. Pay them for performance, not just for showing up. This is direct opposition to the union. this is why unions cant be tolerated in something as important as education. Maybe tolerable for a button pusher, or a cashier, but not a teacher.

paul of IL 6:50PM February 20, 2011

"Wisconsin Teaching Salaries and Benefits
People often believe that teachers don't make a lot of money. Those in the know, though, are aware that compensation in the education industry can be quite generous, especially when you factor in the great vacation schedule and the comprehensive benefits packages that usually go along with teaching. In Wisconsin, teaching salaries averaged $52,644 in 2009-10, according to the National Education Association, with most school districts offering benefits that range from health insurance to retirement plans." (1)
"The average Wisconsin teacher salary does vary, however. One major source of salary variation is what grade level you teach. In May 2009, preschool teachers in Wisconsin earned an average salary of $23,460, elementary school teachers earned $51,240, and secondary school teachers earned $49,400. (2) Education and experience level also make a difference in teacher salaries: secondary school teachers in the 90th wage percentile earned $69,550, while the entry-level teacher salary is generally in the $30,000s." (3)
"Geographic location is another significant reason for variation in Wisconsin teaching salaries. Areas that have a higher cost of living often pay correspondingly higher salaries. Below are average annual earnings for secondary school teachers in five of the largest metropolitan areas in the state": (4)
•"Green Bay: $55,110"
•"Kenosha: $68,400"
•"Madison: $50,770"
•"Milwaukee: $54,620"
•"Racine: $49,710"
"However, the greatest benefit to becoming an educator has nothing to do with Wisconsin teaching salaries. At the end of the day, the intrinsic rewards of helping children learn and shaping their knowledge for the future are arguably far more satisfying."
http://www.teacher-world.com/teacher-salary/wisconsin.html

Bill Hedges of MO 6:28PM February 20, 2011

I am not sure where some people get their information. An average teacher may make 45,000 a year. Yes that is better than some people. But have you ever hear of the bell shape curve. You will always the majority in the average range and less in the below average and the above average. That is the way life is. Unless you want to live in a non democratic country. The poor and the rich. A lot of people work 2 jobs to make ends meet. Even those that make minimum wage. They are thankful to get 2 jobs. Maybe they are not lazy. It is very sad to see to see people on welfare and I cannot help wonder how they can afford fancy electronics and fancy games for their kids. While an average working person cannot afford these items. The teachers I know put a lot of hard work into what they do. Working on the weekends and evenings. Using their own money to buy school supplies for their classrooms, because the budget is so limited. Buying clothing, glasses, backpacks, crayons pencils, paying for field trips cause some kids cannot afford to go. How many people out there would spend between 2,000 dollars or more of their personal income to help children disadvantage children who come into their life for a season. This happens year after year after. Teachers wear many hats in their classroom. They have to deal with children who are on the verge of suicide, parents getting divorce, kids with parents in jail, foster kids, students that have been sexually or physically abused,raped or parents that have addictions, mentally ill kids, angry parents, kids that come to school with weapons ready to kill. But with all this going on , teachers still have to come to work and have a positive attitude to teach kids. How many other people deal with those issues on a daily basis? Not very many. I would say the majority of American workers are able to go home do not have to think about the above. There are many teachers that face these issues daily. The world is not a perfect place. Teachers deal with all kinds of people. Wake up and see what it is like to walk in their shoes. I a lot of people cannot do what they do every day. That is why so many people leave the teaching field in the first 3 years. Give them credit for what they do. Give them the respect they deserve. Every person has had a at least 1 teacher in their life. yes this is all about collective bargaining rights. If you take the little perks the teachers do have away... who in their right mind is going to go into education? Who do you want to teach your kids? o your grand kids? Do we want the US to continue to be behind other nations for their academics because the cream of the crop college students who may have a natural gift for teaching along with strong desire to work with children will choose another area of study because who wants to waste a 60, 000 college education on a field with no benefits and very low pay. where is America going to be then?

Jenna of IL 4:53PM February 20, 2011