Education Week

from a couple of months back had an article asking the rude question whether teachers are paid enough and even quoted some hacks from an obvious right-wing point of view. Well, of course they are against raising pay for teachers because right-wingers don't believe in public education, period. They think teachers are like all of the other lazy public employees who don't do shit and collect big money to do it.

And the rotten notion of "merit pay" is brought up once again. Well, if nobody can define what a good teacher is, how can a district reward one? It would give administrators a way to hand out raises to their cronies and favorites, and as long as many school districts are plagued with nepotism in hiring, let alone everything else, it won't work.

"Market realities" is utter nonsense when the system of public education is paid for with taxpayer money. It is impossible to use a private sector approach to public employment. Districts cannot raise salaries willy-nilly without having to raise taxes to pay for extra salaries. Either that or they would have to cut the pay of teachers who are allegedly "inferior," which is illegal. THIS factor, more than alleged "low quality" (a bullshit phrase from right-wingers) of teachers and greater opportunities for women to go into other fields which are also experiencing layoffs is the reason teachers AREN'T paid more. Taxpayers simply will not pay more money to hire and keep good teachers. Period.

"Merit pay" is another right-wing scheme that should be flushed down the toilet. The answer is to stop the constant brainwashing of the public about teachers and using anti-tax crap to discourage funding public education and instead make the public see just how important education is in having a productive society.

Here is the Public Agenda study mentioned in the article. There are many other links provided at the site, which one can look at when he or she has the time.