Teacher exodus

Published April 19, 2014

by Gary Pearce, Talking About Politics, April 18, 2014.

When hundreds of teachers leave in the middle of the school year – in one of the nation’s best places to live and one of its best school systems – we have a crisis. But Republicans are in denial, and Democrats have a winning issue for this fall.

 

About one out of every 15 teachers in the Wake County schools has resigned this year. That’s up 41 percent from last year.

 

Republican leader Skip Stam sees no problem. His response was essentially, “Nothing to see here. Move along.”

 

You begin to think that Republicans’ callousness toward public schools and teachers has blinded them to the political consequences here. If your child loses a teacher, you want action and answers – not denial and evasion.

 

Underwood School Principal Jackie Jordan said she’ll lose five teachers, or 25 percent of the school’s total, by the end of this school year. The N&O said, “She noted that two of her teachers have had their houses foreclosed on this year and that one teacher is receiving food stamps.”

 

“If we’re losing teachers at this rate, what’s happening in other schools around the state that may not have as much support from the community, that may not have a beautiful facility?” Jordan said.

 

Amen.

http://www.talkingaboutpolitics.com

Read More NC SPIN >>

April 20, 2014 at 11:42 am
Norm Kellly says:

Two of her teachers had their houses foreclosed on is a meaningless statement. What does it prove?

We have no clue about the financial intelligence of these 2 teachers! Do we know if they earned $50,000 but continuously spent $60,000 per year on credit cards, bank loans, car loans, etc? Do we know if they lived a lifestyle commensurate with a combined household income in excess of $100,000, including house, car, vacations, restaurants, etc, but then the spous's company laid off a bunch of employees and a job was lost? This would make more of a statement than the fact that she is a teacher and her house was foreclosed on. Since we have no idea as to why this happened, nor should we have any idea, then it is meaningless information!

What was the school system supposed to do, step in and buy these 2 houses so they wouldn't be foreclosed on? Regardless of how reckless the employee or the family was with their own finances? Has NO ONE anywhere else, in ANY OTHER job had their home foreclosed on? Is it a teacher epidemic that all across the state and Wake County are being indiscriminately foreclosed on? Purposely singled out? No? Then don't bother mentioning it. It's pointless information that has NO BEARING on the issue of teacher pay!

But, the source is a lib, so he simply wants to tug at heart strings, not provide useful, meaningful information.

One teacher is receiving food stamps? Also useless, meaningless information. It is completely out of context, so has no meaning. What is the family situation? How many kids do they have? How many are adopted? Does it matter? No, of course not. But then neither does the statement that the teacher is on food stamps. That IS my point. There are perhaps a thousand reasons that a person could end up on food stamps, the majority of which probably have nothing to do with the fact that this person is a teacher. Once again, since the source is a lib, the fact that this is meaningless information should come as a surprise to NO ONE.

When Gary starts writing posts that have meaning, perhaps people will start paying attention. The only ones who pay attention to posts like this are those who are already predisposed to take meaningless information as having some merit. I know. That describes the typical lib voter. But eventually thinkers have got to win out over feelers. It's way past time to put feelers out to pasture and let thinkers, who will ask the obvious questions, take control.