I really cannot believe that the Kent teachers want to strike. Just a couple of months ago they were all worried about keeping their jobs. Please I didn't get a raise this year. Why should they. Just be happy you have a job and do the best you can do to keep it! Stop WHINING!!!

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how much someone who has a masters and 15+ years of experience would make in other professions? I am wondering how the example of the 2nd grade teacher salary above would compare to a similar situation in the corporate world.

Remember to divide that $75K by 182 work days to get a per diem rate. $412 per day. Then, you can convert it to a regular work year - let's say 225 work days. The salary would be $92,700.

Teachers have really dropped in quality and risen in price. To me $39000 a year to work 182 days when I'm making that to work 260 days would be a good bargain. Every year teachers cry more and more about what thet DON'T want, what are they actually giving our children? Apparently nothing judging from the test scores and news reports of teachers helping the students to cheat to even get those terrible scores. This is an area where unions are really doing a dis-service to the community. Keep these horrible, crying and whining teachers at the expense of everyone's children.

Ok, say that teachers only work 182 days, which isn't really true. Those 182 days are 12 hour days, at least. Good teachers, such as my partner, work far more days, grading and planning on weekends, AND a significant portion of summer break. It works out to having about 3 weeks of real vacaion. Also, what other job requires you to be continuing your education and certification at your own expense?

Teachers pay goes up based on their experience and education year after year. For me on the other hand any additional education and training I have to pay for and I will not see an increase in my pay year after year because of experience or training (like teachers). The best I can hope for is to look for a higher paying job.

Please note: I admire anyone who can go into the teaching profession because let's be honest - in today's world you are not just a teacher.

There's no topic that will bring everyone to a boil faster than the subject of salaries- what does someone else make compared to my or my spouse's salary. First, teachers don't go out one day and "chose" to strike. District contracts expire on the 31st of August. Most districts are on a 3 year contract cycle-therefore not all districts will be renewing their contracts at the same time. Why don't teachers do the negotiate the contract before the school year begins? Because you can't negotiate a contract before it expires.

As to WASL performance, the No Child Left Behind Act has 37 different categories. You can pass almost all the categories and still fail the WASL. You can pass, say 14 categories, show improvement in another 16 and still fail by not showing improvement in just one category. Look at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo. One of the top high schools in the state of Washington, it failed to make annual yearly progress (AYP) by not making progress in students receiving free or reduced lunches category. (those students can't be identified to the district). On the other hand, some districts will pass, not because of progress, but because they don't have enough students in a particular category and therefore pass it.

Teacher salaries, before you compare them, have a base salary, TRI pay and a third category for basic supplies. So comparing salaries between districts only makes sense when you define what pay or total recompensation you are comparing.

You can also "max out" on salaries, even though the pay scale shows higher steps. A Bachelor's degree plus 120 credits will never go above the 90 credits mark. I have been back to college for the past 3 years, but it has had no effect on my salary. I have made the out-of-pocket expenses for tuition, travel and meals simply because I know it will improve what I teach to my students and give them a competitive edge.

It is obvious that the majority of those commenting here are not teachers, have no idea what a teacher is or does, and would rather complain about how teachers make too much as it is for too little work instead of actually getting involved in their own child's learning.

At least in the school district I am familiar with, a teacher gets paid once a month at a rate of $32,000 +/- per year with a BA fresh out of college. Take a single 12 month year (Jan-Dec). Of those 12 months, the teachers are scheduled to work a little over 8 months of that if you take out holidays, Spring Break and Summer Vacation. Sure, they get paid each of the 12 months though only work around 8. That still is only $32,000 per year. Take taxes, dues, benefits, etc out and you are left with around $25,000 a year.

Now, then we take the extra 3-4 hours a night for new teachers to plan and prepare lessons (we aren't talking veterans who have everything they need and know the lessons by heart). Throw in for the elementary school teachers the fact that so many parents don't give a rip about their kids and send them to school to get rid of them. That leaves the teachers now playing babysitter to 30 or more kids (some of them total monsters) every day for those 8+ months of the year.

That raise every year you guys talks about? It's maybe $500 a year unless you also put out the money to take classes at the local community college WHILE STILL TEACHING AND PLANNING and then you may get a little more (um, classes cost money so the raise then goes into paying for classes and books). $500 per year comes to just over $60 a month for 8 months so figure $45 after taxes. Wow, those teachers are rich huh? Oh, and the new ones have to pay for a Masters Degree within 7 years or their credentials are no longer valid.

Oh, it gets better. Now, because of a combination of the last president, our crap governor and the p.o.s. superintendent of public instruction we used to have, teachers are forced to teach to the tests (WASL) and must cut out things such as art, story-time, and all those things that used to make school somewhat fun for us kids back in the day. Throw into the fact that all kids, even the special ed, must meet the same standards and if they don't, it comes down to the teachers who could lose their jobs. Did I mention its all on those teachers who take home maybe 25k a year?

You all seem to want to use those damn test scores to sum up everything about schools and teachers and then whine when you think they aren't good enough. How many of you take the time to see what is going on in your child's classroom? Hell, how many of you actually have children or know anything about what goes on in a school save for what you read or watch on TV? How many of you are actually involved with your child's schooling and take an interest in cooperating with the teachers to better your child's education overall? Honestly, I bet very few.

So in the future, before you go spouting off on things that you have no personal knowledge of or experience with, why not actually go to your child's school, see what is going on. Ask questions and show some interest in your child's learning. Then, when you have a clue, come back and engage in an informed discussion.

Except for Allen's seemingly pointless rantings, this seems like an intelligent discussion so far. For my two cents here are my observations...
There are many parents who are involved with their schools. Be it through the PTSA, after school activities, whatever. Allen, believe it or not, some of us do not send our kids to school to have the teachers there babysit. We send them there to learn. It burns my biscuits to hear people like Allen blame parents for a few bad apples in the perverbial barrel.
I've always supported the district and the teachers in good times. Raise my taxes for this or that, my kid spends more time with her teacher a day than with me. It's worth it. Now the economic times are hard. People are taking paycuts, employers are implementing furlough days (without pay) and businesses are folding. Why do teachers deserve more in terms of pay increases and benefits when the rest of us are wondering where our next paycheck is coming from? Maybe they should take a hard look at their situation and realize it's not all that bad. Salary, benefits, time off during the summer to persue other interests...
I think the time is just not right for the teachers to demand more when everyone else is hurting. Sign a one year extension and then when I get my cost of living back and don't have to take 10 furlough days off next year, come talk to me about how hard you have it.

First, I have an issue with the tone taken when the writer pointed out that a 2nd grade teacher earns $74,000 a year. It definitely comes across that the writer does not feel a second grade teacher with over 15 years of experience and a Master's Degree deserves that much pay. Most district salary scales top out at 15 years, so she could have 30+ years experience. Also, statistics show the average graduate with a Master's Degree starts out in the career world making $65,000. A new teacher with a Master's degree is lucky to start out making $40,000 and it is only after 10-15 years of work that the salary reaches that national average of $65,000. So, the 2nd grade teacher with 15+ years of experience deserves her pay. Secondly, for a senior editor, there should not be errors (then vs. than). Also, when I did the math, I only worked 2 weeks less in hours than a person who works a regular 9 to 5 job, 40 hours a week, with one week of vacation a year, during the first 3 years of my teaching career, yet I made a significant amount less than somebody else with a Master's degree. Let's just say, about $20,000 a year less. Is a difference of 80 hours worth $20,000? Now of course there will always be those people who say, "You don't go into teaching to become rich." True, but it is that shared mentality in our society that seems to excuse underpaying qualified teachers across this country. And this is why so many young, qualified, motivated teachers end up leaving the profession for better paying jobs in the first 5 years of teaching. Teachers are expected to work 10-12 hour days if needed to meet standards; however, they are only paid for 7.5 hours a day. With the growing lack of resources, including teacher aides, collaboration time, materials, along with the growing class sizes, the days do get longer and that hourly rate seems to get smaller.

I think what some people are trying to point out is that the entire system of teacher salaries is flawed. Unfortunately right now that is a reality, but that doesn't make it right. Teachers in this state just recently went several years without a cost of living salary increase, and this is before the rest of us were tightening our belts. I believe it was somewhere around 5 or 7 years that teachers didn't receive COS increases, when the rest of us were receiving promotions, hourly rate increases, receiving overtime etc. And then poor timing on Gregoire's part gave teachers back their COS increase right when the economy crashed. I am sure teachers are feeling the pinch just like the rest of us, I don't hear the teachers on here demanding immediate pay raises. I hear them criticizing the entire system of how teachers are paid and how that system is extremely flawed and not current with what many of us have been fortunate enough to have in our careers, well, until recently of course with the many cutbacks. But as for Wonder Wart Hog's comment about furloughs and COS, you are completely wrong. Teachers have had their amount of paid time extremely cut back, in terms of paid inservice days, training time etc. Many districts are not paying their teachers any time to prepare before this upcoming school year, like they used to, instead they are just showing up the day school starts. And also, Wonder Wart Hog, have you not been paying attention to the huge amount of teacher layoffs in this state this year? So teachers have definitely had to cut back and tighten their belts too. What many of us have failed to see though is that they have been making sacrifices longer than we have...schools in this state started going downhill about 10 years ago. As for the Kent School District, this has probably been years in the making and involves more than pay. While I do believe it is poor timing for them, who knows all of the details surrounding it.

It saddens me to read the first few comments written here, as well as the obviously biased opinion of Cynthia.

I have taught in Kent School District for 16 years. I used to love my job and feel somewhat respected as a professional. In the last 10 years, my respect for the educational system has declined rapidly. Not all the factors are district based. State and Federal decisions have effected the change as well. Cuts in funding to schools has resulted in the simplest of materials being unavailable, like copy paper and pencils. Being denied cost of living raises year after year has forced many qualified teachers to seek other professions. Support staff that ease class size a bit and help needier students have also been cut dramatically.

In a district like Kent, where 92 different languages are spoken and many families are broken, poverty stricken, or homeless teaching is very hard work. On a daily basis I am asked to be a mother, referee, nurse, recreation coordinator, mediator, counselor, behavior interventionist, advocate and much more. All of these, of course, require teaching students, parents, or other educators but often, academics come last. Kids don't learn when they are hurting, lonely, hungry, or angry.

I have both regular elementary and special education endorsements, as well as, a Masters degree plus well over 100 credits. I have taught 16 years, worked as an instructional assistant for 4 years prior to teaching and have taught all elementary grades. I am more educated than many lawyers, dentists, and other professionals that are paid twice my salary. It confuses me why I am the one who might be OVER paid?

What the community does not understand, perhaps, is that teachers PAY for their raises. I make 20,000 more than a new teacher. I have paid well over 30,000 dollars to get that increase. I continually pay out and go to classes to keep my certificate, but am not entitled to anymore pay increases. I have hit the maximum.

I think it is sadder yet that anyone is asking if teachers are worth paying a fair salary for their time, dedication, and education. This is asking "are the children worth it"? Remember these kids now are your future doctors, nurses, lawyers, grocery clerks, police officers, employees, in-laws, neighbors...

Sarah, I am wondering what you do that you receive only 39,000 dollars a year? I am wondering from your blog above, if you have spent any amount of time attending PTA meetings, education association meetings, or working in your child's classrooms?

In any profession, there are bound to be those who don't represent the profession well. It is going to be true of educators as well. However, for ever mediocre teacher, there are thousands of quality, over worked, compassionate teachers who donate many weeks of their own time, thousands of their own dollars, and part of their own soul to their students, school, and district each school year.

Please take some time to research your thoughts a bit before sharing them on a blog. It hurts kids, and doesn't represent the intelligent person that you most likely are.

One item that is never mentioned, with respect to teacher strikes. Public School Teachers are the only group that can strike w/o having to sacrifice a penny. When the strike is over, the entire school year will happen, they will get paid their full contract salary. If the strike is over before the end of sept. paycheck there isn't even any delayed pay. It is a luxury no other union employees enjoy in this world. Other union workers must put their money on the line to strike, teachers merely have to commnit to moving work days from the beginning of the year to elsewhere, still fully compensated. Not much of a sacrice.

Not necessarily, ksd taxpayer,

When the Boeing Macninists settles their strike last year, there was a hefty bonus paid to them tha offset the time they were on strike. I seem to recall it was in excess of $10,000.

Taxpayer,

Could your family afford to wait 10 months to recoup loss of wages from a strike? Many of these teachers who voted to strike tonight in Kent have husbands and wives who are currently laid-off. Many, like me, have children in the Kent School District. If you knew anything about Kent teachers, you would know that 1300 teachers would never agree to strike over money alone. These teachers want a change in the way the district views its obligations toward children and their learning. It is a big risk to us financially and professionally, but we believe our kids are worth it. YOUR child is worth it!