Pay freeze a threat to county education
Let me be very clear about what makes many teachers upset. It goes far beyond the COLA pay raise, which much of the public and those outside the educational field perceive as the big upset.
What stands as the most severe threat is the proposed salary freeze. This is a violation of years of negotiated contract standards. Yearly step pay raises for the new teachers and the five-year interval pay raises for the more senior teachers have been cut.
Furthermore, salary increases for those who have earned their Master's degrees and even for those who have earned their Doctorate degrees are also being cut. What gives a child the best education? Is it a program? The newest school buildings? The highest quality textbooks? The best technology?
No! It is the teachers, the dedicated professionals, implementing the programs. I have been a teacher for 19 years at the same school. I work with many interesting, good, and caring people; however, over the past few years, I have seen many new teachers come and go.
Many talk of leaving now. Some talk of going to other counties where the pay scale is better and teachers are treated with more respect. One of the best, most competent teachers that I have ever worked with left Anne Arundel County for the Howard County Public School System.
Recently, Howard County announced it was going to raise taxes in order to fully fund the negotiated teacher contracts, thus proving it places its teachers first over programs.
We, the citizens of this county, those elected officials in the county, the school board, and the superintendent of our county need to fully support the teachers. We need to make dedicated professionals a priority over programs.
Brian Smith
Glen Burnie
Teaching disrespect for county teachers
Teachers often talk about a lack of respect from students in the classroom. Let's examine the facts and see if we can figure out why students might be disrespectful to teachers.
TAAAC (Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County) negotiated a "contract" with the Board of Education of Anne Arundel County that included "step" or "longevity" increases and a 3 percent COLA for next year.
It is unprecedented in Anne Arundel County to not grant step increases.
