To the editor:

I am a Lindbergh teacher of 19 years, and my heart is breaking.

This district that I love is crumbling, and all I see from our leadership are efforts to discredit teachers and engage in a public-relations campaign.

The latest lobby from the district came in the form of the front-page article in the Call that discussed the compensation for Lindbergh teachers, listing the top-paid teacher making an unbelievable $111,000 per year. How could anyone not be happy with that compensation?

But in reading the fine print, one might notice that this compensation includes salary, benefits and the 14.5-percent district contribution to the state pension plan. As a way of explanation, teachers do not pay into nor receive Social Security benefits. In lieu of that, each teacher pays 14.5 percent of his or her salary into the state retirement system, and the district pays a matching 14.5 percent.

This is state law, and not some discretionary contribution. These dollars are not part of any teacher’s compensation, but rather the cost to the district of employing teachers. The district including this money into our total compensation is akin to a company in the private sector including the 7.5 percent that they pay into Social Security as part of an employee’s compensation.

It is time that our leadership begin looking for solutions, and stop the misrepresentation of the current situation as greedy teachers expecting too much.

Our leadership has allowed the salary schedule to erode to the point that teachers are receiving increases in salary of up to 30 percent to move to neighboring districts. Our district cannot sustain this salary disparity long term.

The path forward will require thoughtful, creative and respectful planning. But until the tone of the district leadership changes, nothing will happen except the continued exodus of quality teachers to districts that offer higher salaries and more respect.

Sue Lauer

Oakville