Give teaching assistants a deserved raise
OURVOICE
Few of us would question the value of getting a good early education. School teachers often step before several dozen children with the responsibility of transferring a wealth of knowledge and a love of learning. Proverbially speaking, teachers stand upon the foundation of our society and at the forefront of an unseen future.
Most of us have stories of exceptional teachers who inspired us and provided us with direction and significance.
But while the public easily acknowledges the prominence of the teaching profession, it is often guilty of neglecting perhaps an equally important responsibility -- the job of the teaching assistant.
These are some of the least appreciated people in public education. And that's tragic.
Teaching assistants step in when teachers are unavailable. They teach classes, they tutor children, they fill a void in a sometimes financially unstable academic atmosphere.
Unfortunately, teaching assistants are often left out of the compensation mix and are thrown the financial scraps after exhaustive bargaining between the teachers union and administrators is completed. School custodians and kitchen staff are often able to make more money than teaching assistants.
Lake County School Board member Bill Mathias would like to cut salaries of top administrators to offset cutbacks elsewhere. He's moving the paradigm of education funding in the right direction. However, we believe we should sharpen the focus on those in public education who truly matter -- and that's both the teachers and the teaching assistants.
We believe salaries of teaching assistants should be attached to the compensation packages teachers are able to negotiate -- on a sliding scale. During bargaining, the teachers' union negotiates, for example, a 3 percent pay hike for teachers. Teaching assistants should at least get the same percentage.
Friday, March 01, 2013 - www.dailycommercial.com/1voices