To the editor:

This is an open letter to all Lindbergh work-to-contract teachers: When did money become more important than the education of young minds?

Most teachers I’ve worked with entered the profession for altruistic reasons. We knew about the low salaries and late days.

Teachers I know are motivated by things money can’t buy.

Most of us chose this occupation for these intrinsic rewards over higher-paying jobs.

Lindbergh’s salary structure may not be the highest for public schools in St. Louis County, however work-to-contract is simply a pressure tactic on the administration.

I worked 15 years as an Archdiocese teacher at a pay scale approximately 30-percent lower than Lindbergh’s.

All of the teachers I’ve worked with accepted the salaries, and signed their contracts.

These teachers are never guaranteed yearly increases. They have been through pay freezes, threats of mergers, school closings and will never receive a pension. These truly dedicated teachers run after-school clubs, coach sports teams, attend weekend events for students, perform charity work and never get extra pay.

I believe all teachers are underpaid. I also believe work-to-contract is a passive-aggressive act that young minds absorb.

Maybe the Lindbergh administration should contact the St. Louis Archdiocese website to fill future vacancies.

R. D. Goldkuhl

Sunset Hills