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Teacher Strike
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T O P I C
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Discussion Started: 04-25-2006, 7:47 AM
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Teachers in several Susquehanna Valley school districts have gone on strike in recent years. Disputes over pay and healthcare have been at the center of most. Tell us what you think about teacher strikes in this WGAL.com discussion?
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View Messages: [newest first] | [oldest first]
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scadaman
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09-09-2008, 9:59 PM
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I was starting to get worried earlier this year wondering if Pennsylvania would keep the title of "Teachers Strike Capital of the USA". After reading the news reports of numerous strikes lately, I can breathe a sigh of relief. Phew!
One district was demanding something like a 8% raise, along with the other usual goodies. Another local district has a ambitious plan to update their athletic field because it is facing "the wrong way", whatever that is supposed to mean. Also included in the plan is building a press box that rivals the cost of a new family home.
School choice is sorely needed, but don't count on King Edward and his court to do anything about it and the teachers love him for it.
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Aristotle
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08-28-2008, 11:50 AM
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Saw an article in the Sunday paper a few weeks ago and they laid out what teachers in certain districts pay for insurance and it was pretty steep! I say we do away with frivolous lawsuits, high prices for meds and then we will see the prices decrease!
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penngate86
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08-26-2008, 8:57 AM
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'Bout time for another teachers strike, I'd say. After all, last year's 4 or 5 percent raise won't go too far with all these higher expenses. Come on teachers, time to start whining!
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penngate86
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06-09-2008, 2:54 PM
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cor b: Point taken... Sorry for my rant but I am disgusted with today's grammar and standards. "Ain't" is considered a bad word in my household.
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cor b
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05-28-2008, 12:37 PM
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penngate86...I apologize for my lack of proper grammar in my post. I do not feel as though grammar is trivial, I spend the bulk of my day trying to teach students how to write. But as Samuel Clemens once stated, "Once you fully understand the rules, then you can ignore them." I know that you cannot end a sentence in a prepostion, however I did so for effect. Something you might want to consider is not placing your period outside of your quotation marks. Just some advice for the next time you post one of your very well constructed responses.
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Robo0425
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05-27-2008, 2:20 PM
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Now, Mccrain, my 2 cents on strikes.
I have said on here before that I blame local School Districts far more than I do teachers unions. that said, I do believe that teachers need to get more realistic about demands and compare their wants to private sector occupations.(most people now pay more for thier health insurance, and don't know what a pension is.)
My beef with School Districts is simply that they waste huge sums of money on nonsense like turf for football fields, and 8 lane all weather tracks. Bands go to the Barbados Independence Day Parade, and the list goes on. Then when the contract comes up for renewal we suddenly are cash poor.
Of course most of that will raise the ire of the red blooded Pensyltukians who all dream of their little boy one day playing a game for Joe Paterno (don't get me started on the huge sums of public money we waste in that dump).
Actually, if we could get our red neck out of the clouds and realize that public school is meant for children to learn, and not to play games, flutes or puck in "midsummer nights dream", perhaps we could find "school tax reform", without having to depend on my gambling compulsion or that Philthydelphia liberal we elected king.
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Robo0425
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05-27-2008, 2:07 PM
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McCrain, First of all, I am a transplant to Central PA from the Lehigh Valley. If ANY of you had ANY idea what high property tax look like you would understand that I do a little dance when I get my tax bill. I live in about a 2000 sq ft house in a nice, older development, my total taxes are about $2300.
In any Lehigh Valley school district they would be AT LEAST twice that, more like 3-3.5 times that in the Bethlehem SD.
My issue is not with taxes or even strikes(although I do not believe any professionals should unionize or strike,) it is whith this hands off, you owe us respect,attitude that teachers have when they get criticised.
All I said was that if you choose to live on the public payroll you must accept that people will be critical of you, it is just a natural result of the source of your payroll.
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penngate86
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05-27-2008, 1:32 PM
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mccrain - I agree with you, although I think unions should be abolished. All govt workers are overpaid and all pensions and perks should cease. And I am actually benefitting from a pension from the state. Through my husband, I will continue to get retirement which if one or both of us lives until 85, will be paid to us for another 44 years!! Think how many other state employees are getting that deal. As much as I think state police deserve pensions and good health care, is it fair that taxpayers provide it, when many cannot save any money for their own retirement? Also, I think if we stop building the school palaces, swimming pools, and top-notch sports standiums and fields, taxpayers could keep more money and teachers would still get good pay.
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penngate86
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05-27-2008, 8:57 AM
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With all due respect, Robo - if a teacher does not know grammar - he should not be teaching. Corb could not find the error. Grammar is very important and completely overlooked these days. I predict in about 100 years, everyone will be back to "GRUNTING" as they did in caveman times. And this country will most likely be a third world country. The fact is, I work with many people from different countries and they comment on how "dumb" Americans sound when they speak. If any of you want to sound dumb, that's up to you. However, I want my family to be well educated and I expect nothing less than perfect grammar in our schools.
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mcrain5477
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05-25-2008, 1:53 AM
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Do you honestly believe that teachers want to go on strike? Do you truly believe that the teachers do not realize what an effect a strike has on the students and their families? Instead of griping and slinging mud, we should be working together to try to find a solution to the problem. Teachers (and the union) do not go on strick for fun, it is always a last resort. In many recent cases when the unions and school boards have gone to arbitration, the recomendations of the arbitrator would be closer to that of the teachers union, and not the school district.
When you call your representatives to complain about teachers salaries and taxes you might want to include the following:
- House Bill 1600 and the changes made by Rep. John Perzel (R-Philadelphia) that would take ALL gambling proceeds and give the property tax relief only to to senior citizens earning less than $40,000 that was passed on January 29, 2008.
- House Bill 1275 that they cannot seem to pass to eliminate property taxes.
- The 76K+ that state representatives make.
Many salaries are linked to taxes. Firefighters, congressional aides, soldiers, police, prison guards, mail carriers (A stamp is nothing more than a tax), state and federal representatitives, state museum staff, and the thousands of staet employees, all have their salaries paid for by tax monies.
If one were to stop and think about it, virtually thousands of jobs are dependant upon taxpayer money. The bill for a government employee goes out to lunch, pays for parking in a parking garage, or stays in a hotel, the bill is paid by tax payer money. When the state puts up a billboard to try to draw in tourism, the bill is paid by with collected tax money, and the benefit is the hospitality industry.
Every time these individuals get a raise, it results in the need to raise more taxes. So either programs get cut, or taxes go up.
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