Wow, the juxtaposition of two articles in the May 14 Columbian: “Legislature pay hike of 11% approved” and “Teachers rally for funding.”
Anyone who has known or worked with a teacher knows how incredibly challenging and too often discouraging being a teacher can be. The only people who remain teachers for very long do so because of their dedication and commitment, not only to kids but to our community. There is a statewide substitute teacher shortage because teachers are leaving education in droves. Professionals that earn master’s degrees, as many teachers do, can earn more respect and far more money in other fields.
But please retain some sympathy for our state legislators and the challenges they face. They have to find money in the budget to cover the huge budget shortfall created by giving corporations tax breaks estimated to cost taxpayers $6.5 billion a year. Boeing Corporation recently received an $8.7 billion tax break over decades after threatening to ship employees out of state. After their demands were met, they announced they would ship 2,000 jobs to Oklahoma, then Boeing management gave themselves massive bonuses. What will teachers get, another pat on the head?
Mike Selig
VANCOUVER
