Chaut. Lake Teachers

[confused]

The Chaut. Lake teachers walked out of work at 3:01. The school day was not over. In the real world that is a voluntary quit. They should be replaced now! You can't take and leave those students without supervision. No excuses. They should all be arrested for leaving children unattended. They don't have a contract? Well even more reason to fire stop them from returning. They quit!

[Bacowzoo]

Here's my take on it. They walked...it's a job action...and there should be an immediate suspension of their union. This will not happen. They (the teachers union) owns enough Legislators to insure that will never happen. The Taylor law is a joke. By the way, did you see the raises they turned down? The Teachers asked for raises totalling 28.6 % over 4 years!!!! The Board offered 16.6 % over the same time frame. This is just blatant greed!!! The teachers need to look at he real world, at layoffs and plant closings and the like. Looking at a median wage of $42,000, that raise offered would have been almost $7000. That's a lot of money in anyone's book. As for some teachers being hired without Masters degrees, I could pick at least 4 areas of any school where requiring Masters Degrees is a JOKE!! So could anyone else here. Looking at their retirements and other benefits, this is an obviously out of touch, hugely spoiled group of people.

[woww]

Teachers are greedy and they could care less about a community's ability to pay, plus they don't even work a full year.

[Bacowzoo]

And just to counter the typical teacher's argument on this topic, when some join in, this is NOT about what teachers are worth!!! This is about what tax payers can AFFORD!!!!! Small districts are seeing school taxes rise 50% in just a few years. Most homeowners pay half or more of their taxes for schools. And over 85% of all school budgets are for wages!!!! And because of high taxes and no jobs due to high taxes, schools are servicing smaller groups of students every year! Yet, the taxes continue to rise.

[czur]

3:01????? wHATS THE BIG DEAL? SCHOOL SHOULD HAVE BEEN OVER BY THEN. THEY ONLY HAD A 1/2 DAY IN FREDONIA. I AM NOT SURE OF THE WAGES THEY MAKE BUT I AM SURE IT IS A DECENT WAGE. BACO HAS IT RIGHT IT IS WHAT A COMMUNITY CAN AFFORD. THE WASTE IN ANY SCHOOLS SYSTEM IS CRIMINAL. MANDATES BY THE STATE ARE TOTALLY OUT OF HAND. FORESTVILLE HAS $300,000+ IN ADMINISTRATIVE SALARIES FOR WHAT 600+ STUDENTS. OVER 18 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OUR LITTLE COUNTY ARE YOU KIDDING? OUR KIDS DESERVE A GOOD EDUCATION, NOTHING STATES THAT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE THE BEST OR STATE OF THE ART. COMMON SENSE SHOULD AND MUST BE IMPLEMENTED SOMEWHERE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS. PA. IS STARTING TO LOOK GOOD

[jjjjjj]

They don't have a contract and haven't had one for over 3 years. The school board won't discuss it. The Taylor law is crap. Any union should be able to strike.

Teachers should be paid a fair wage. The result of not doing so is going to be the bottom of the barrel teachers working there.

[Roz]

People here talk like teachers are some kind of tower of wealth. If you think teachers are paid a lot, you should get out of this county once in a while. In most places, that level of income is mid to low.

[wiggles]

Just looked at the Chautauqua Lakes website and it clearly states that students must leave school by 3pm I guess if your contract only is until then why should anyone care...........it's like any other job if you are employer hires you to work 9-5 and you leave at 5:01 are you a bad employee for not staying longer...I guess we don't know what their contract says about the time they are to start and stop. Anytime beyond a teachers work day is a freebie to the district.....any a teacher does not make overtime for staying longer.............they too have families and children to attend to.

[Bacowzoo]

Roz wrote:

People here talk like teachers are some kind of tower of wealth. If you think teachers are paid a lot, you should get out of this county once in a while. In most places, that level of income is mid to low.

But we ARE in this county!!! And what you posted means that the people paying those teachers aren't doing so well either!!! So in THIS county, those teachers are doing pretty well. I didn't say rich, nor refer to them as a "tower of wealth", but forgive me if I don't see them as the working poor either. With benefits and a working schedule most would die for, as well as their overall working conditions, I'd say they are getting their money's worth for their education. Turning down an almost 17% raise (16.6% actually), in this economy, is just stupid. And the major, national collapse may have been more recent, but this county has been going downhill for years, certainly longer than the contract issue has existed. Saying otherwise just shows how out of touch most teachers are with reality when it comes to economics. If those teachers can all make $10,000 more in other districts, simple...leave! Of course, there has to be openings, doesn't there? Just like the statement teachers always make about how much they could make in other professions...then do it. And get set to work 60 hour weeks and take maybe 2 weeks off in the summer, and lose your pension for a 401K, and pay way more for your insurance. And, if any of those teachers do leave, I'll bet the line is around the block for the job opening they create. Sorry, but you'll get little sympathy from anyone else, nor should you.

[Roz]

I am always amazed that people think it's an ideal job and point out the time off and pension. Maybe the problem is that non-union pay and working conditions aren't good at all. Instead of condeming those that have it, why not work for it yourself. Also, if it's such a great job, more people would be in the field. The people who tend to complain about how well off teachers are didn't plan a very good career for themselves. I would never want to be a teacher and have all of those laws and rules and brats to follow. I am glad to pay a fair wage and support good working conditions for those that teach our children. This district will wind up with the worst workforce if this is how they treat them.

[old]

Weekends off Summers off Holidays off Out at 3pm Retirement packages Medical benefits An aide for almost every teacher. My teachers never had aides and we all seemed to turn out fine. Many people work w/o a contract. Get over it. Its the waste in the districts that pisses people off. And no I do not want to be a teacher, yes I am a college graduate and quite frequently work w/o a contract. The Taylor law may not be perfect but it does work

[localresident]

Roz wrote:

People here talk like teachers are some kind of tower of wealth. If you think teachers are paid a lot, you should get out of this county once in a while. In most places, that level of income is mid to low.

Hey guess what? There are a boatload of teachers that were just let go in California. I bet they'd take whatever job they could get. Without a union contract (which, by the way, is how most people work).

[Roz]

In NYS, teachers have contracts. Judging by the comments, they apparantly need them. Get over it.

[knows]

Roz wrote:

In NYS, teachers have contracts. Judging by the comments, they apparantly need them. Get over it.

They only have contracts because the state teachers union bullies all teachers to be members, and almost every business or profession has some sort of contract or agreement, and a union is not required to have one.

[Roz]

knows wrote:

<quoted text>They only have contracts because the state teachers union bullies all teachers to be members, and almost every business or profession has some sort of contract or agreement, and a union is not required to have one.

The unions are a response to bullies, not the cause of the situation. NYS is known nationally for its bully culture and politics. Sounds like you fit well into that mold.

[Bacowzoo]

I told you the argument would get twisted once the teachers entered the fray. The whole point is teachers CAN NOT MAKE MORE THAN THE TAXPAYERS CAN AFFORD!!!!!! Hoow stupid are you people that you can't understand that simple fact? We are hemorrhaging people from this state and county. Taxes and lack of jobs are the biggest reason. Taxes are the biggest reason for loss of jobs. The largest and fastest rising tax any home owner pays is the SCHOOL TAX!!!!! At least 85% of any school budget is salaries and benefits! Yes, there are too many administrators, yes there are too many ridiculous "support" positions, but the largest expenditure is the total salaries and benefits of the teachers. This subject has nothing to do with job skills, nothing to do with worth, it's simply what people can afford!!! We are not, as a state, far from California's situation...layoffs, increased class sizes, 3 day furloughs of state workers resulting in 3% cuts in pay. Keep it up teachers, you'll be there soon.

[wiggles]

Boy the worm sure has turned now the teachers are the reason for all the tax issues....seems funny that when the steel mills were up and running and BIG FAT checks were being cashed that was ok......Why don't you get after the guys from the utilitiy companies for your high bills why because techers are easy targets.... look out anyone making a good buck today .......you could be the blame next......and generally it's the people blaming that once made the big bucks...they just have a short term memory

[Bacowzoo]

The big fat checks from the steel companies weren't being paid for by taxes. I also think almost any CEO of most companies in this copuntry are as greedy as they come. I do think that many unions contibuted to the demise of their companies. None of this has anything to do with current issues of teacher raises and taxes going up to pay for those raises by people who are no longer making big money, if they are working at all. Again, teachers are very good at turning the issue to soemthing else every time this subject comes up. The teachers should have taken the 16.6% raises offered, and not expected raises over 20%, or the original demand of 28.8%.

[nothing b ut the facts]

I have worked in the school system for 18 years... most teachers, not all, are greedy, lazy and don't care what they are doing to the taxpayers let alone the children. They just want more and more. Some of these districts can't afford to give them what they want. What is wrong with them. Greed!!! Let's step back and think of other people, most importantly the children. For goodness sake, you are teachers... some more than others; you are not God!

[knows]

Roz wrote:

<quoted text>
The unions are a response to bullies, not the cause of the situation. NYS is known nationally for its bully culture and politics. Sounds like you fit well into that mold.

Yea, but who is the Bully now...the UNIONS