03/28/12
What a Difference a Republican School Board Makes
By Lloyd the Idiot
Remember last year when, after going to far as to close school for a few days because it was short on funding, the Loudoun County School Board came up with a $8.5 million surplus and didn’t know what to do with it? Instead of simply giving it back to the County, it decided, over heated disagreement with the Board of Supervisors, to spend $4 million of it on electronic blackboards.
Well, this Board has found $11.6 million between the cushions. This time, though, instead of spending it on something like espresso makers in the classroom or Ipads for custodians, it’s turning it all over to the County.
Isn’t that the way things are supposed to work?
Larry, please provide some proof of your claim that Don’s Johns starting salaries for unskilled workers are higher than LCPS teacher salaries.
Hillsboro
It was a want-ad in the Bull Run Observer a month or two ago. Starting salary was $38.5-78,000. They were looking for drivers to pick up porta-johns. Teachers start at 42.5.
Also, Fairfax County has a financial education project for 8th-graders. The students are given an identity with bills to pay. The students who have the low-income assignments art given just under $40K to “scrape by” on. Again, teachers start at 43.1. in Loudoun. 44.44 in Fairfax
So it would appear that you were wrong right out of the gate both in terms of skill requirements and salary.
According to the WABE report, Loudoun teachers start at $43,715 and max out at $99,100 plus benefits for 197 workdays.
I’d bet that the Don’s John driver will be working 240-250 days. The position also requires a CDL, so it certainly can’t be called a unskilled.
I would love to see effective teachers make much more money. But you certainly don’t help their case by making stuff up.
This board seems to be doing everything they can to get teachers the money they deserve. Unfortunately Supt. Hatrick (and the prior board) would rather waste money on gadgets and terrible land purchases.
If you want to compare a CDL to a Bachelor’s degree, go ahead. I have made nothing up. Yes, at first, I was thinking of last year’s teacher salary, before the COLA. Looking at all of the facts: It is not unrealistic to think that a person applying for a job at Don’s John’s with a bacheolor’s degree will make more money than if they started at LCPS as a teacher. There is a $5K difference to the entry level position. Also, they may well work more days through the year, but I bet they don’t spend countless hours after work entering data, or planning routes to drive the following day.
Also, Fairfax County has a financial education project for 8th-graders. The students are given an identity with bills to pay. The students who have the low-income assignments art given just under $40K to “scrape by” on. Again, teachers start at 43.1. in Loudoun. 44.44 in Fairfax
they are given $38K (last I checked that is just under $40K)
THe child in the program winced while being interviewed on the news, as did the newscaster.
Larry, you probably should go back and take a refresher course in logic.
I made absolutely no comparison between a CDL and Bachelor+Teacher Cert. I was simply correcting your erroneous assertion that the Don’s John position was unskilled.
I also corrected your erroneous assertion that the starting pay was lower for LCPS teachers. The beginning LCPS teacher earns 152% of what the beginning Don’s John employee earns, not including the fully funded retirement and excellent benefits.
Shall we move on to your other claims?
“I made absolutely no comparison between a CDL and Bachelor+Teacher Cert. I was simply correcting your erroneous assertion that the Don’s John position was unskilled.”
FWIW, I would consider a CDL to meet the unskilled category.
But you fail to understand the argument (apparently intentionally). You are now legitimately comparing Dons Johns workers to LCPS teachers on a salary scale. There should be no comparison it is sad that there is and it plainly explains why the LCPS teacher is focussed on his/her benefit package as this is what makes up the difference to most of them.
Anyone else see this below the radar McDonnell initiative to push more unfunded mandates onto our school system. What a half backed idea.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-schools-insider/post/virginias-new-high-school-graduation-requirement-one-online-course/2012/04/06/gIQAaz7E0S_blog.html
Eric, you fail to understand (apparently intentionally) my comment above where I stated … “I would love to see effective teachers make much more money. But you certainly don’t help their case by making stuff up.”