South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

Idea teachers not respected or underpaid an insult to taxpayers

To the editor:

What a disgusting and disrespectful display of arrogance by a handful of entitled students and alumni thinking that they can bully the Board of Education into another tax increase on the hard-working taxpayers of Lindbergh Schools.

This so-called “Lindbergh Cares” movement demands a “tax increase for teachers’ salaries and budget these higher salaries before anything else.” This is nothing more than a phony publicity stunt supported by teacher union supporters — or perhaps the union itself. Let’s analyze how “poorly” we treat our teachers. The Call reported that total compensation for a starting teacher is a generous $54,372 and for a teacher at the top of the pay scale a whopping $108,028.

Let’s put that into perspective: Our teachers are off on spring break, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break and many other holidays that the average person does not get. But here’s the biggest revelation of all: Our teachers are off for three months to enjoy their summer. How many taxpayers have a generous and flexible schedule to enjoy their family and free time?

Here’s a novel idea: Get a summer job if you need more money. You don’t like your career at Lindbergh Schools? You’re free to leave. Plenty more teachers graduating from our universities will jump at the opportunity to work in this district.

Every school year we have a new group of zealots and activists who continue to demand more and more taxes from residents. Your child goes to school here for only 12 years, but these tax increases last forever, and many of us have paid for 20, 30 or 40 years. It’s time to be grateful to this district, which has provided your child with such a generous education.

Superintendent Jim Simpson and his staff have done a fantastic job of keeping Lindbergh Schools one of the highest ranked in the state for many years, and it is the taxpayer who has funded this success. The idea that our teachers are not respected or are underpaid is an insult to these taxpayers.

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