Pay Satisfaction & Teacher's Jobs

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/more-americans-are-completely-satisfied-with-their-pay/?emc=eta1

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/business/economy/18teachers.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

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"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever the cost." (Arthur Ashe)

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Based on Cathrine Rampell's 8/19 "Economix" post, just about a third of U.S. workers are "completely satisfied" with the amount of money they earn (Gallup poll). That's as high as it's been over the last 20 years. Looking at the trend line, that same data was as low as 13% in 1992.

Obviously, these numbers correlate with the difficulty of finding alternative employment (or, in many cases, "any" employment) today.

Which brings us to "teachers." Great teachers are a wonderful experience and a gift to us. But all teachers are there to help and we're loosing them to "pink slips" being handed out in cities and towns because of a loss of tax receipts from those who are now unemployed. The "stimulus" money that Warren Buffet and Paul Krugman said was not enough was, indeed, NOT ENOUGH.

As Motoko Rich says in the Times article we've attached, the states pleaded for money from Washington and the federal government has come thru with $10 billion. But, some of the biggest U.S. school districts are "balking" at using their share of the money to hire teachers right away - teachers that have been laid off.

Why?

Well, the arguement goes like this: with the economic outlook weakening (or, as our Fed chairman put it recently, "unusually uncertain"), big deficits are looming for the next academic year and they need to preserve the funds to prevent future layoffs. Los Angeles is projecting a $280 million budget shortfall next year that could threaten more jobs.

The Los Angeles Unified School District laid off 682 teachers and counselors plus 2,000 support workers this spring and was not sure it could hire any of them back with the stimulus money. The district says it could be forced to cut 4,500 more people next year.

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg committed to no teacher layoffs this year in exchange for not offering raises. This, based on already taking federal aid into account.

The $26 billion federal aid package, signed by President Obama on 8/10, allocates $10 billion for school districts to retain or rehire teachers and all support personnel. The rest is for health care for the poor, emergency personnel and other state purposes.

State and local governments have let go 102,000 more employees than they've added in the last three months. It doesn't look like the $10 billion allocated to help rehire teachers is reversing the tide.

Teachers who spent the summer in limbo are painfully aware that at best, the new federal aid may be a temporary lifeline. What's going to happen next year?

We have worried for years about the quality of America's educational system - now we don't even have enough teachers.