More money helps in education and anyone who says otherwise has an agenda to either save money or attack the idea that public schools can work effectively. Air condition and heat a room properly, have the top technological advances such as Whiteboards or projectors or the use of computers, and you will educate better. Smaller class sizes means that each student gets more attention, and that the teacher is able to grade faster, give feedback quicker and have better classroom management. This is not brain science, yet witness the Legislature move to attack our schools as a means of "cutting fat" or making schools become efficient. This year saw pay freezes and cutbacks and school closings, all over the state. Next school year may be worse.
This, as we implement a brand new series of tests in the STAAR, a 400 MILLION plus investment in supposed, new rigor. The Texas Legislature, in their wisdom and goaded on by Tea Partiers, hard right wingers and with the willful compliance of too many administrators and school boards looking for a easy way out, has now placed the fate of veteran teachers the honor and fair treatment of their careers in the hands of principals, as there will be no need to respect experience and longevity will not be considered as a quality, when it comes to contract time. Watch the success and output of our schools become less successful after that, desipite the fevered work of educators, who will deal with a pressure not felt before in decades and less prestige and security, all at once.
I will have a freeze on my pay next year, while health insurance goes up 10%. This may mean I contribute less to retirement, go out to eat less, put off braces for one of the girls for another year, if possible. I can't put a dollar value on what I gain intrinsinctly from doing my job, but I don't think I will be able to hide my monthly anxiety about not feeling that I can see a light at the end of the tunnel where the feeling of financial security awaits.
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