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Teacher’s Broken Hearts
Photo Courtesy of Aviana2 at Flickr.com
Written by Leah Berkowitz, Op-Ed Editor
Red is becoming a popular color for people to wear, especially among teachers, but for them, it represents more than just the designer label. They claim these shirts express their “broken hearts.” They’re teaching the future generations of America, and in return they get zilch. Teachers, especially in Palm Beach County, are one of the most hardworking and deserving groups of people in this country, but they don’t get anything in return for their dedication. They put up with obnoxious students almost every day, and, in a way, they’re a second set of parents. It’s not a job to these people, it’s a way of life.
It’s been six years since teachers employed in Palm Beach County received a raise in their salary. The economy has changed drastically, and the cost of living in not only Florida, but across the nation, has gone up. That, however, didn’t stop our school from installing almost a dozen new palm trees in the courtyard. They’re beautiful plants, and they do enhance the look of the school, but that could have been money given to the teachers. They may have been a gift from the school board, because back in 2006, all of the school’s trees were destroyed due to Hurricane Wilma, but the school doesn’t necessarily need palm trees as much as teachers need to live. Another expense that the school board paid for was the March SAT accompanied by The Official SAT Study Guide for all of the juniors taking it. For most juniors this is an unexpected gift from the school board, and they’re happily taking advantage of this opportunity, but most would have paid for the test anyway. The school board could have chosen to pay for only those students who are in a financial predicament, because most people who live in Boca can afford to pay for their own SAT. What’s got most people unhinged is the school board saying there is not enough in the budget to accommodate teacher’s salary raises, but then have plenty of money for planting trees and the SAT.
According to Marc Freeman of the Sun Sentinel, “Records show the average [Palm Beach] county teacher salary is $50,023, below the U.S. average of $54,319. About 7,745 of the district’s 12,291 teachers are paid below the county average, including about 4,570 teachers with salaries under $40,000.” Most teachers are stuck with an outdated salary, as prices go up, their salaries don’t. Because the cost of living in Boca Raton is also a lot higher than its neighboring cities, most teachers are forced to live 15 to 30 minutes away. A first time teacher can’t even afford to live independently in an apartment in Boca. Although, instead of a raise, the school board did offer a $500 bonus to teachers, but most of them instantly declined it. They saw it as an incentive, the school board just want them to “quiet down” for the time being.
The School Board of Palm Beach County needs to redistribute their budget, so that teachers are at the top of their priority list. They’re the fundamental building blocks to education, without them, you have no future.
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March 8th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Thank you for your support. Luckily, most of us enjoy the wonderful students and staff that we work with here. I won’t tell you that more money wouldn’t make me happy, but I WILL tell you that seeing my students being successful and kind to one another makes me just as happy!
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