tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post979027987418729033..comments2024-03-27T02:16:08.906-07:00Comments on The Naked Dollar: The Myth of the Underpaid TeacherScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02142855830798306100noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-29605997291511346162017-04-22T13:39:07.253-07:002017-04-22T13:39:07.253-07:00Wow, great post. Can't wait till I get my hand...Wow, great post. Can't wait till I get my hands on the contracts for Ossining teachers AND the police. This taxpayer abuse has to stop.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06633237606456731835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-22306982949254306442016-05-12T13:19:38.395-07:002016-05-12T13:19:38.395-07:00The other point I would add is that teachers' ...The other point I would add is that teachers' pensions are funded by taxpayers who have little say in the matter - once you've moved into a town you essentially must pay whatever the tax man tells you. Private sector pensions are funded by consumers who can choose which products and brands (and by connection, compensation structures) they support.Bretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11094579354565486061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-59408349684730880552016-02-24T14:51:03.946-08:002016-02-24T14:51:03.946-08:00If you know me you should have the guts to post wi...If you know me you should have the guts to post with your name. We're done.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02142855830798306100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-39346885396774286552016-02-24T14:10:28.804-08:002016-02-24T14:10:28.804-08:00I have more of an idea about what you were and are...I have more of an idea about what you were and are up to than you think.<br /><br />Not a big Sanders fan, but not naive enough to think that anything close to free markets can be achieved. There are plenty of CEOs pulling down millions as their companies are failing. $100k for a retired teacher with long tenure in Westchester? Sounds about right to me. Is there lots of low income housing where you live?<br /><br />Enjoy the Trump campaign. Guy who made what he did by gambling with house money, like you thinks everyone else is incompetent, and is a sexist racist bully. But he'll be running against Hillary and he'll lose.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-86659398422146094432016-02-24T12:04:36.368-08:002016-02-24T12:04:36.368-08:00You have absolutely no idea what I'm paid or w...You have absolutely no idea what I'm paid or what risks I'm taking to achieve that or how hard I work to get it. No one in a truly free market is overpaid because all transactions are voluntary. You make money because you create value for someone else. Do we really need to go over this? The problem with teachers is that their unions circumvent the free market mechanism by greasing the political system. It's what you might call crony capitalism, but in this case it's crony unionism.<br /><br />As for getting good teachers, there are some, of course, but many become demotivated by an absurd system of guaranteed tenure.<br /><br />Enjoy the Sanders campaign.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02142855830798306100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-88798023074725099312016-02-24T11:34:51.054-08:002016-02-24T11:34:51.054-08:00I will take that as a "no" to the ridicu...I will take that as a "no" to the ridiculous question. All jobs are not equal. Are you as a finance/tech guy also overpaid, or are you creating more value for society and enjoying the just rewards for that? If the latter, again, great, but perhaps better to keep it to yourself, and be grateful and humble (some people think we have a wealth inequality issue, no need to add fuel to the fire).<br /><br />On the thousands of resumes you can't have it both ways. Is everyone on to the fact that teaching is an easy, lucrative gig, or d'u have thousands of people who are clueless about the economics of the profession? Either way, with that many applicants hopefully they are getting some good teachers, and good teachers should be well paid, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-90343908662124392192016-02-24T10:41:08.369-08:002016-02-24T10:41:08.369-08:00What a ridiculous question. Are you equating teach...What a ridiculous question. Are you equating teaching with all other jobs? Teachers should be paid a market rate like anyone else, and the problem is they are not. Whenever our high school has an opening, they literally get thousands of resumes. That's how good the pay is. And no, many don't even know just how good. When the head of the school board proposed showing teachers a statement with the present value of their future benefits, the union shut him down.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02142855830798306100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-42201075249103979642016-02-24T10:31:02.700-08:002016-02-24T10:31:02.700-08:00As I am not hearing you, you are not hearing me .....As I am not hearing you, you are not hearing me ...<br /><br />The degree of obliviousness has nothing to do with the point I am making (though I would guess the teachers might know more than the taxpayers do about their retirement benefits, which I agree is not good). Here's a simple question:<br /><br />Would you trade your savings/nest egg for one of these "rich" teacher packages?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-66271039238158750752016-02-24T09:19:36.060-08:002016-02-24T09:19:36.060-08:00What I said, and I'll say it again, is that no...What I said, and I'll say it again, is that no one realizes just how rich these packages are, and that includes the teachers themselves. The taxpayers are just now discovering the math and how unsustainable it is. My own town is facing a whopping $8 million deficit this year. A hole like that can only be plugged by cutting programs everyone cares about. We, and many other towns, have caught up to the can that has been kicked down the road for so long.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02142855830798306100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-86159648439986580062016-02-24T08:56:37.947-08:002016-02-24T08:56:37.947-08:00@Scott: So do you think private sector employees v...@Scott: So do you think private sector employees view their pensions and any other retirement benefits as a "gift?" At the upper levels they probably should, but I don't think they do, and neither do the auditors, it goes in the compensation section of the 10Ks. Where the money comes from doesn't really matter, you are saying that a $1.6 million package is too much, while you have extracted (much?) more than $1.6 million from the "system?" Your point on omitting performance from the math is on point, and is a problem in both the public and private sectors. But when a wealthy person starts complaining that someone is paid too much, focusing mainly on the numbers and not the value created and what the market looks like, it can sound like you think you are better/smarter than other people. If that is indeed what you think that is fine, but it is probably better to just keep it to yourself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-27412677743208380312016-02-23T10:49:22.831-08:002016-02-23T10:49:22.831-08:00@Anonymous: You are entirely missing the point. An...@Anonymous: You are entirely missing the point. Anything I save, or anyone else in the private sector, for that matter, I save myself. It's not handed to me as a gift. Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02142855830798306100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-61339992897754561182016-02-23T09:54:00.494-08:002016-02-23T09:54:00.494-08:00How much did you have set aside for retirement fro...How much did you have set aside for retirement from wealth you created by the time you were 55? More than $1.6 million? If so, is your view that teachers are not "worth" as much as you are?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-53265352757757972882016-02-21T15:58:08.211-08:002016-02-21T15:58:08.211-08:00I wouldn't go that far. Teachers in a lot of p...I wouldn't go that far. Teachers in a lot of places are very underpaid and unqualified as a result. Still profound shortages in some areas. They have highly-paid teachers in Westchester County, New York, USA??? You don't say.Wells Fargo Must Diehttp://wellsfargomustdie.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-49299136560732965432016-02-21T15:16:12.027-08:002016-02-21T15:16:12.027-08:00Sunshine is a wonderful disinfectant. If taxpayer...Sunshine is a wonderful disinfectant. If taxpayers in high performing school districts don't care, then unions and Wells Fargo should not object to disclosure of the numbers and the present value of retirement benefits. I believe that the point here is that teachers are no longer underpaid--and they aren't.JPRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-6335613850411237672016-02-21T12:57:49.558-08:002016-02-21T12:57:49.558-08:00They don't know and they don't care. You a...They don't know and they don't care. You are dealing with people that worry about whether or not they are going to get their kid in the best nursery school and holding their kids back for success ala Malcolm Gladwell. <br /><br />No unions in Texas. Superintendents making $300K with a total of 3,000 students. High school ootball stadiums with JUMBOTRONS. Artificial turf football fields for tiny little spot in the road towns that play 6-man football.<br /><br />I doubt teacher pay there is particularly high compared to the average pay of the county. As they note, they pay higher elsewhere. <br /><br />Look to Nassau county and its finances. They want all the services that can be provided. It's a population that demands the best for themselves.Wells Fargo Must Diehttp://wellsfargomustdie.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-7602871705246829092016-02-21T12:26:46.809-08:002016-02-21T12:26:46.809-08:00@Wells Residents in these school districts have ab...@Wells Residents in these school districts have absolutely no idea their teachers are getting paid like this. The teachers themselves don't even know how well they're paid, as so much of it is on the back end and buried in the fine print. A friend of mine who ran a nearby school board proposed that a present value estimate of the package that each teacher was getting be calculated and made known. The union kicked up holy hell and the idea went nowhere.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02142855830798306100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-22390019689039883912016-02-21T08:10:24.993-08:002016-02-21T08:10:24.993-08:00You are going to have to learn. People will pay to...You are going to have to learn. People will pay top dollar to have their kids educated and especially so in rich school districts. That's why rich folks are even willing to fund private school on top of paying taxes for the public school. Try to find any school district in the country with a decent level of income and find one that pays average wages. You will be looking a long time. It's market driven.Wells Fargo Must Diehttp://wellsfargomustdie.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-70660841962376631502016-02-17T12:21:07.569-08:002016-02-17T12:21:07.569-08:00@Jeff Indeed, NY State is the only state in the co...@Jeff Indeed, NY State is the only state in the country with such a law.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02142855830798306100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438222975913037031.post-7572640820005350812016-02-17T12:01:26.946-08:002016-02-17T12:01:26.946-08:00School Boards have a difficult time negotiating be...School Boards have a difficult time negotiating better terms due to the so-called "Triborough Amendment" that protects automatic step and lane increases during periods after a contract has expired. There is little incentive for unions to "bargain" when they have that extraordinary protection.Jeff Diamondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05866474456975366044noreply@blogger.com