Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 23:09:46 -0400
From: Karen Crowell
Subject: teacher bonuses
Gene shared part of a recent story with us that appeared in the N&O about Pittsboro County offering incentives to public school teachers and teacher based on their school’s test scores. And on criteria established by the state government. And paid for by an increase in our county sales taxes.
Surprisingly, no mention was made of how much that increase might be. Because an increase in taxes is something we ALL feel, especially those of us with low incomes.
But when you stop and think about it, it makes sense. People who raise taxes are never popular. So, during election years, if politicians DO plan on raising taxes, they do so QUIETLY. Hoping that you won’t connect the dots and realize suddenly that YOU are the one paying for this.
Another reason this is significant has to do with sustainability. As pointed out in the article, “the state had an incentive program that gave teachers bonuses up to $1,500 when a school’s test scores improved, but the program ended in 2009 when the money ran out during the recession.” Hmmmm. In other words we’ve already tried this before and
it didn’t last.
Read more here:
http://www.newsobserver.com/
If you read the “rest of the story” you’ll discover that it consists of a quote from someone who also has some doubts that this will last.
“Mark Jewell, the N.C. Association of Educators vice president, wonders whether Chatham County will be able to sustain its program. ‘When you do set growth measures like that, teachers will rise to the occasion,’ Jewell said. ‘When you tie that to dollars, you have to be able to sustain that. The money runs out. The county will need to ensure long-term funding to make the program sustainable,’ he said. ‘I think it’s a win-win for both parties, but I think they have to commit to it.’ ”
Bottom line?
A bonus is not a pay raise. People who never get a pay raise are living on a fixed income. Fixed incomes are unsustainable. As long as the cost of living keeps going up, what you earn pays for a smaller and smaller portion of what you can afford to buy. There is no way you will ever get ahead on a fixed income.
This is an election year. People running for re-election tend to come up with all sorts of solutions to problems they pay no attention to the rest of the year.
Be skeptical of quick fixes. Real solutions to serious problems are rarely simple.
Karen Crowell
Yet another taxpayer making sacrifices for the sake of austerity when there is NO evidence that austerity measures ever create jobs, boost the economy or improve the quality of life of anyone who actually works for a living.