OK, so a teacher makes 35k a year (9 months in class). Let use that number moving forward for the sake of simplicity.
A person gets a job as a teacher at the age of 30, making 35k a year. That teacher will be eligible to retire at age 50, after 20 years of service (15 years in class). If that teacher, now retired lives to 80, about the average life expectancy, then that person will effectively be paid 50 years of salary for 20 years of service(15 years in class).
(20+30)$35,000=$1,750,000 is what the taxpayer is on the hook for.
$1,750,000/20years=$87500 per year of service($116,000 per year of class)
The above does not take into account many variables such as raises, health care benefits or the ability to hold another teaching job after retirement from the first etc.
If $87,500 per year of service ($116,000 per year of class) is not enough for you then
It maybe different where you live with regard to years on the job, retirement age etc. But you get the general idea. Now if you could keep that teacher around longer, pay them more and defer the need to hire a replacement it would ultimately be a win/win for everyone.
My solutions:
1. Abolish the Department of Education, a terribly inefficient behemoth even by government standards. Give that money to the states based on student performance to pay for public or private schools.
2. Let parents choose which school to send their kids to, public or private, state pays. States are required to reimburse schools based on students academic performance.
3. Public school Teachers are not eligible to retire with full benefits before the age of 65, after 20 years of service. If you become a teacher at age 60, great, but you only get 25% pension if you retire at 65.
Starting salary and all other benefits remain the same with no cap on top salary. Pay rate increases determined by student performance. We would have better, more experienced teachers making a higher salary with less cost for the taxpayer since your getting value for all of those years of compensation. You could have a great 60 year old teacher making as much Department of Education bureaucrat in Washington, imagine that!
4. Parents, well you always derelicts who expect others to take care of their occupier spawn. But you also have many good parents who are frustrated and hindered by the current system. And at least getting them involved in school selection is start.
5. Union membership is optional. The NEA doesn't exist for the betterment of students, and that's what this about correct? If you want belong to one well that's fine but your salary and befits have already been established, see #3. Not automatic payroll deductions either you want to join, you stoke the check.
6. Since my plan is performance driven and the temptation to falsify testing scores will be great, it needs to be felony.
7. The students. Well as a teacher/administrator you’re going to have great ones, good ones and occupiers. That’s just the way of world, if you don’t like, don’t become an educator.
Not perfect by any means but it is without a doubt better thane the failing model we have now. It reduces government waste, reduces the influence of corrupt self serving unions, increases teacher pay, rewards great teachers and keeps them on the job longer. It weeds out the under performing teachers as well, what administrator wants keep idiot teacher who affects everybody else’s pay.
In world education rankings our system is the equivalent of the USPS/DMV. An education system that performance based is the only solution.
Edit: Sorry for the long post and poor grammar but I was on a roll and went to public schools
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