United Front: Hundreds Rally in Strongsville to Save Teaching Jobs

Strongsville teachers rallied together to save their jobs. Hundreds of teachers, parents and students staged a rally outside the Strongsville Schools Administration Building Thursday evening.

[Dilbert Unionbuster III]

The time has come for teachers of Strongsville to get off the gravy train and accept reasonable benefits. Pickup on Pickup / VPG / Almost free healthcare / top salary in Ohio!!! etc. etc.

Let's be reasonable teachers!

Don't even get me started about the $365,000 left on the table of Race to the Top funds because the Union President refused to sign the paperwork!! Shame on you Char Bolek!

[Jonboy]

You said it Dilbert! The citizens of S'ville are fed up and not going to take it any more!
Did Teacher Fred Dillon really say that the "Race to the Top" funds were no big deal?
Did Dillon really compare the funds to getting $10 / student over four years?
Is he a Math Teacher? Because that does not add up!
Jon

[justsaying]

I would like to see the teachers band together similar to the auto workers unions of the 70's. Walk out. Make the parents watch/educate/take care of their own kids. Disrupt their lives a little. Then lets see how critical they are.

[Mike]

Why do the tax payers always take it on the chin. Why doesn't management take a pay cut. We tax payers take reduced services while management i.e.. mayors, service directors, principles, superintendents get more? A job where you get summers off, 4 weeks of vacation between Christmas and spring break and multiple 4 day weekends with teacher conferences and "in service days" really needs to be looked at. They will use our kids as bargaining chips/hostages to get their will imposed. It starts with pay for play sports and then moves to reduced busing, finalized by a walk out. I say go!! who needs ya, and join the rest of us without jobs who would love the chance to work. I am home with my kids because I have no job!!

[justsaying]

The real deal is this is not about the kids. It is about the American value system and how little value is placed on education. So many adults bemoan teacher's jobs. Well, send the kiddies home and let the parents take a crack at it. Let's see how long they last with their undisciplined and disrespectful children.

[WhoisRight]

At the same time they want security, we who pay their salaries are without jobs, and must cut back taking less and even eliminating non-essentials. Will both sides take less and eliminate non-essentials?

[chuckie]

Teachers are very well paid for what they do. If they have it so tough, why don't they look for another line of work? If teaching is so bad, why is there a line of people waiting to take their jobs? As the old saying goes: "those who can-do,those who can't-teach".

[tranpsosition]

chuckie wrote:

Teachers are very well paid for what they do. If they have it so tough, why don't they look for another line of work? If teaching is so bad, why is there a line of people waiting to take their jobs? As the old saying goes: "those who can-do,those who can't-teach".

You're kidding, right? American teaching salaries are disgustingly low. I would never work in the states at public school wages. I'm amazed more teachers don't come overseas

[Gordo Hofman]

What is happening in Strongsville is happening across the entire. The need for money is causing budgt contraints. Now is this time to end the ME attitude and think about the students. I have a proposal that could save over 58 million dollars state wide and not jepdardize one teacher or students. But it does require dropping the me attitde. If anyone at Fox 8 is interested I would welcome the opportunity to talk to you.

[ljc]

wake up to the real world. no one is getting raises with the wonderful economy were in! take what they offer and move forward.

[papadork]

I wish I could make around $50,000 and work only 6 months out of the year. Gee, I feel so bad for these teachers, they have it soooooo rough.

[jmm Strongsville]

Strongsville teachers are NOT anywhere near the highest paid in the state of Ohio. No one is asking for more money. You NEVER hear a Strongsville teacher complain about his/her salary. Talk about being underpaid: Ask an aide who works with your children how much they get paid. You will be surprised at how low those salaries are. No one ever mentions that the school board has been willing to pay 4 - that's right - 4 administrators in the board building almost $500,000 a year! On 4 employees! If the situation is so bad, why did the board approve an increase to $103,000 for the treasurer? A treasurer who can't answer when asked a question at a school board meeting. Now that's what the citizens of Strongsville should be MAD about. It's the way we fund our schools, it's not the teachers fault. It's our responsability as taxpayers to find a better way to finance the educatin of our children. Don't just rant, get the facts and do something constructive.

[Strongsville Mom]

The Board of Education has lots of money for what they want- paid junkets for themselves, huge raises for their treasurer, big bucks lawyers to fight the union. Ask them to account for everything they spend, not just teacher salaries

[Taxpayer]

http://buckeyeinstitute.org/teacher-salary

[Pete]

Here's an idea: how about eliminating all those field trips? Seems kids today spend more time out of the classroom than in...and it's not just Strongsville.

[zero]

I have no problem paying taxes for schools to teach 'the 3 Rs' children. My problem is all of the 'extras'. Sports, after school activities, field trips and 'special needs' programs should be considered upgrades and paid for by the user. Teachers should also realize that they are not some kind of gods. A lot of them chose their profession because they love to teach, but a lot of them 'fell into' teaching because they couldn't find anything else to do.

[mac]

I'm assuming all the negative comments about Strongsville teachers are coming from people who don't personally know any teachers... because if you did, you wouldn't feel the need to post your ignorant and negative comments. Instead, you would realize that teachers are some of the hardest working people you will ever meet, with the responsibilty of not only teaching your children, but raising them as well. After all, they do spend more time with them then you. Shame on you for not supporting teachers. They work extremely hard and deserve a fair contract.

[WhoisRight]

The article was not about teachers being paid too much or not, or are they worth what they do or not, but should the board have followed their contract and notify teachers of possible pending lay-offs? Or, should they not follow the contract.

If the board had not followed the contract, and subsequently laid off some teachers, would the teachers object becuase the procedure was not followed--not being notified.

[Educated]

Teachers are the lowest paid profession in the US that requires a Masters Degree.
Nobody trips and 'falls into' teaching. It is now a 6 year program at schools like Ohio State. A teaching degree costs almost $100,000 when you factor in a Masters Degree that is required by the State of Ohio and constant classes that are paid for by the teacher.
Strongsville has some of the best schools in the entire country and are producing graduates that are far smarter and know twice as much as graduates from the 70's or 80's.(A middle school math book in the 1980s had 250 pages, now 900!)
Demands on teachers go up EVERY year. Next year the state will be asking the impossible of our kids. Expect 3 hours a night of homework. Blame the new standards.
Those of you who think teachers have it easy, go get your Masters Degree and sit in the room with 32 kids and give it a crack.
Businessmen work a whole week on a 30 minute presentation. Teachers give 6 hours of presentations a week!

[Educated]

6 hours a day.