Candidates owe voters straight talk about cutting school spending — and getting better results. -- dailypress.com:
"Real solutions begin by acknowledging the problems. Many officials, from governors and legislators to school board members, don't face that reality. They'd rather brag on schools than face up to or try to fix their shortcomings. Too many concentrate on a few bits of campaign fluff. For example: 'I pledge to work to raise teacher salaries to the national average' — an educational red herring.
That average is a statistical fluke, driven up by a few states, such as California and New York, where the cost of living is high and unions are strong. Their circumstances aren't relevant to Virginia — which is in the middle of states in its teacher pay.
Yes, we should be talking about teacher pay. But we should be looking at how we can use it to accomplish the real need: attracting more high-quality teachers and getting the best out of them."
"Real solutions begin by acknowledging the problems. Many officials, from governors and legislators to school board members, don't face that reality. They'd rather brag on schools than face up to or try to fix their shortcomings. Too many concentrate on a few bits of campaign fluff. For example: 'I pledge to work to raise teacher salaries to the national average' — an educational red herring.
That average is a statistical fluke, driven up by a few states, such as California and New York, where the cost of living is high and unions are strong. Their circumstances aren't relevant to Virginia — which is in the middle of states in its teacher pay.
Yes, we should be talking about teacher pay. But we should be looking at how we can use it to accomplish the real need: attracting more high-quality teachers and getting the best out of them."