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LCPS Furlough Days

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by TeamDonzi, Nov 21, 2010.

  1. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Those numbers also aren't apples to apples comparisons as was pointed out after it was published.
    I also saw a published number for the "average" salary for Loudoun teachers was over $60,000.
     
  2. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    Interesting idea...do you know of a time/place when this has worked in a similar situation? I only ask because Virginia is a right-to-work state, and this confrontation en masse sounds a bit union-y to me...but I could be wrong. We do have the Loudoun Education Association that advocates for the teachers.

    I wish it were so simple, but there are so many more economical, political, and cultural issues that affect the school budget...the continuing housing development in this county, which requires more schools and teachers for the burgeoning student population; the shrinking (non-existent?) business tax base; the perception that while the population of this county expects top-notch schools, they aren't really willing to pay for it; and so on...
     
  3. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    Interesting...I'd love to see where you got that info. And I don't understand what you mean by apples to apples comparison.

    The average teachers salary in Loudoun is just under $60,000. And the point is?
     
  4. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    What was not shown in the article is the benefits package. I believe Loudoun's is the best (most expensive) benefits package in the DC area.
     
  5. latka

    latka Active Member

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    2 months plus Christmas, Thanksgiving and Spring breaks.
     
  6. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    Let's compare...how much vacation do other folks in professional positions get? My point is we don't teach at school for 2 months in summer, but the holidays, plus winter and spring breaks, should be compared to "vacation" time that other people get.

    I know some folks who get 6 weeks of vacation, but I don't go around saying that they get paid for only working 10.5 months of the year.
     
  7. PDILLM

    PDILLM Well-Known Member

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  8. polar8825

    polar8825 Human Propulsion Expert

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    So what? I get four weeks vacation per year. Most folks get at least two or three. Your statement proves it's a wash either way.

    Also, other folks have weighed in with actual salary and wage statistics showing that many teachers work almost as many hours per year as typical 40 hour per week workers for a lot less money. So what's your angle? I'm calling you out -- give us something other than your baseless personal opinion that proves your point. Give us some numbers.
     
  9. teachermom

    teachermom New Member

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    Please realize that the furlough days affected ALL lcps employees. Many jobs such as cafeteria workers, custodians,assistants and the like can ill afford to have days off without pay. I also can tell you that MANY teachers were working over the break..planning, grading papers, etc... IF the school board had come back and said, ok.. we have money now, we are going to add back Monday and Tuesday to the calendar... do you know how much grief they would have gotten??
     
  10. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    I don't understand how anyone can think that teachers are overpaid or close to it. Aside from parents, some of whom are worthless in educating their children, teachers are the most important factor in a child's education and determining their future. A child with a crappy education is going to have to work extra hard (provided they are motivated to do so) to overcome his lacking education. A quality education is key for a child's success. Teachers are not babysitters, they are a tremendous influence on our children and sometimes we forget that.

    I think the value of what they do is worth more than what they are generally paid. I'll pay someone more if they have my life and my future in their hands.

    Just my two cents.
     
  11. latka

    latka Active Member

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    I don't think that teachers are overpaid, I think they are well paid. They have state pensions. Most private companies no longer have pensions. You have to factor the benefit package which is much better than most people get.
     
  12. polar8825

    polar8825 Human Propulsion Expert

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    That's a good point.

    So how much is that worth? I believe that would have to be a heck of a program to make up the gap, but feel free to quantify this and prove me wrong.

    Again, opinion and generalization, but nothing concrete to support your statements.[​IMG]
     
  13. latka

    latka Active Member

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  14. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Nice, but I see you decided to go with an 'extreme' example. I haven't seen too many teachers with 35 years of service with LCPS. If I use your same numbers but bring it down to 25 years of VRS service, the Basic Benefit drops to $1983.33.

    And in my opinion, if a LCPS teacher commits that many years of their life to educating our children, at their current payrate, I'm glad they're getting a pension. They would have to spend 25+ years of their life doing work that is more 'fulfilling' to them as educators, rather than for the money. I have met quite a few LCPS teachers and from the ones I have talked to/know, they love their job, they love their 'kids' and they are dedicated to educating. I have yet to hear one tell me they do it for the 'money' or for the 'benefits'.

    So yes, if you run the numbers the way you did it looks 'high', but in my opinion, you ran the numbers to make your point, rather than reflect reality. Want to prove me wrong? Find the stats that show a breakdown of the number of teachers by year of service and current salary bracket. Show me what the 'average' LCPS teacher gets in regards to a pension. Otherwise, you're just blowing smoke and mirrors in my opinion. You're trying to generalize using an extreme example, which is the same as saying "Car buyers spend $200,000 on cars." Well, yes, some do, but that number is minuscule compared to the average.
     
  15. latka

    latka Active Member

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    That is state retirement. Most teachers work for at least 30 years. You are the one blowing smoke.
     
  16. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Then you should have no problem backing up your numbers from a Virginia State site. You're pretty specific saying that "most teachers work for at least 30 years", so I'm sure you found that number somewhere and didn't just pull it out of thin air...

    Like I said above, I'll be the first to apologize if you can back up your numbers from an official Virginia State source.
     
  17. latka

    latka Active Member

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    Run the numbers in a way you think is reasonable.
     
  18. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Nah, I would rather run the numbers reflecting a 'real life' situation, not something based on 'guessing'... Wouldn't be fair to all the teachers out there to make a baseless generalization.
     
  19. diana5869

    diana5869 Member

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    Thought I would throw this out there as a real world scenario. If my husband wants to retire at 62, he will have 24 years of experience with LCPS. Right now, he makes $59,000 with his bachelor's plus 10 years experience, 3 of them have been with LCPS. I am using $75,000 in the hopes that he will get to that level after 24 years, and he will have his master's next year.

    Birth Date 2/12/1969
    Retirement Date 6/1/2031
    Age at Retirement 62 years 4 months
    VRS Service 24 years
    Average Final Compensation $75,000.00
    Basic Benefit $2,142.00


    You can discuss from here a real world scenario and if it is a large pension or not. I am keeping my opinion to myself as both my husband and I work for LCPS.
     
  20. erica

    erica New Member

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    I've been lurking, but think I'll chime in...

    The teaching profession has one of the highest attrition rates. Half of teachers quit in 5 years.
     

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