Monday, October 10, 2011

A Teacher Stands up for Issue 2/SB5

This guy better change is name and address. He is in deep trouble. However, he has chosen to speak up. I know quite a few teachers that privately will tell me they are in favor of and see the logic in Issue2/sb5, but don't speak up due to fear of union reprisals. That should show you who is the more virtuous. Those holding court with fear or those speaking real truth to power. But, here is what this retired teacher says, and I think we all should listen:
I taught in a district that had 85 percent reduced-price lunches. We were one of the poorest districts in the state, which means that for every dollar I was paid as a teacher, the state of Ohio paid 85 percent and the local residents paid 15 percent.

But herein lies the problem.

We had an administrator who retired at $80,000 a year, was rehired at the same salary he had just left behind, and then got another $40,000 a year from the State Teachers Retirement System, making him $120,000 a year.

So, when he was rehired, 85 percent of his $80,000 was paid by the taxpayers of Ohio. In this one simple action by the local school board, every taxpayer in our state was held liable for his salary.

A new principal was denied a chance to become an educational leader, new educational ideas were lost and the school system became an example of cronyism. And the state once more was scheduled to pay 85 percent of a salary that could have been a lot less if a new and younger person full of creative ideas had been hired.

We shouldn't be so willing to spend the public money of hard-working Ohioans.

Members of the public should have some say in the matter, since it's their money.

I believe Ohio Senate Bill 5 would put the power of spending their hard-earned dollars back in the hands of the taxpayers, just where it should be.

DAVID A. KUNKLER

Rushville