Ode to Teachers

After the public hearing on the Hamden town budget on March 24, I kept thinking about a conversation Melissa Stasiak and I had with a gentleman about the "return on investment" for the BOE.

Our discussion centered around teachers' salaries. He thought that they were overpaid and not doing enough considering that Hamden's CMT scores, that is, the average for the district, were not very good.

BTW - there is no way to make a correlation between test scores and money spent because you're comparing last year's fourth grade to this year's fourth grade (apples to oranges), rather than last year's third grade to this year's fourth grade (a.k.a. a growth model).

He tried to convince me that teachers had a cushy job, that they only worked 180 days a year and that we should just say, "Enough is enough, here's what we're paying you; get the job done or else." (That's what prompted me to ask if he had kids. What a way to inspire people to do better. Not. BTW - the primary failing of NCLB.)

You know this already, but it bears repeating: teachers teach because they want and need to teach. They don't get rich and often have to supplement their incomes during the summer months. A teacher's day doesn't start with the first bell or end with the last. Days off for kids are most likely professional development days for teachers and staff. And at the end of 35 years of giving nearly 1000 kids the best of themselves, teaching each one how to read, write, add, subtract, think, debate, create, sing, share, dream and innovate, teachers deserve to be rewarded for their service with a pension and benefits.

As for the actual wage and benefits...if you want to see test scores go down, freeze the wages and benefits. Just like any other business, HPS needs to keep its compensation competitive in order to get the best skilled and most effective team members.

Many folks at the hearing were so myopic in their comments, picking on the Board of Education's budget request. Yes, we need accountability and more money doesn't solve the problem (of lower than desired test scores – see above). However, the BOE is not asking for more money, just enough to cover the increased fixed expenses. In doing so, we maintain our excellent teaching team and acknowledge the value they bring to our school system and therefore our town.

If you're reading this, you obviously care, at least a little, how this all comes out. So why not make sure it's a happy ending?


Join me on Wednesday, April 9, 7PM at Memorial Town Hall.


Kids are more than welcome to state their own case for their current education and their future Hamden. The town coucil has an open ear for ways to save money and energy, so bring your ideas. It's not enough that we say "more, more, more" we have to be part of the solution as well.

And don't forget to put in a good word for your teachers.