As a teacher, I would gladly sacrifice a day a month to help keep jobs in my district. The problem with not allowing furlogh days is that now the districts will have to cut in other ways, which typically means custodial, bus drivers, kitchen staff, office personnel, as well as teachers will lose their jobs. If I have to adjust my monthly spending habits so that others can provide for their families, so be it.

It is in times like these that we need to be more willing to act as a whole concerned community instead of picking fights and playing the blame game. At this point, who cares who's fault it is... it's done! Who cares what district did with money in the past... it's gone! Who cares about something that didn't happen (BobRC, Apple laptops) get over it!

By the way BobRC, what other college educated professional career do you know of that manages a large group of people (from 30 in elementary to 150 in middle and high) that changes every year, keeps constant documentation, collaborates with other professionals, communicates with a wide variety of individuals about problems and social issues, attends continuous training sessions, and works at least 9 hours a day with a 15 minute lunch break (not including work that is done at home), and after 30 years of doing it earns a maximum of $66,318 a year if they have their Master's (and that is in Cobb, the largest employer in the county.) You can check the Cobb County School District's website if you want to know about teacher salaries.

This does not protect teachers, this sacrifices them. Systems have to responsible and conservative with their reserves and they should be. Furloughs save jobs. State workers - dont you get it? Yes, you will have furlough days and it will save some of your jobs. In the name of protection, the legislature has just made teachers more vulnerable. Good grief...This teacher wishes legislators had to pass the same math tests we give our students. Cant they do a two or three step equation - just enough reasoning to realize this is a BAD idea for teachers and school systems.

Keep complaining....here's the solution. Keep your kid home, teach them yourself.....And by the way, how many times have you said that you can't wait to send them back to us after two days of vacation!!!!

Teacher's spend more time with your kid than you do! We prepare them to take care of you when you're old and can't do it yourself. We prepare them to become responsible and capable of contributing to society. Oh, that's right, professional athletes are worth more than teachers in our society. We need to get our priorities straight. Teachers are raising these kids, but society says they are not worth being paid for their work. What a great country we live in!

No, teachers are not required to have master's degrees in Georgia. I don't think any states require it to start, but NY, Massachusetts and some others do require it within a certain amount of time (5 years in NY) or you lose your license.

To Teach This - it does not seem right for anyone to be furloughed right now - teachers or anyone else. And it's affecting the public as well as the private sector. What makes me sad is that these situations tend to foster a sense of pitting people against each other rather than working together to find solutions. Not all teachers are whining - I know many who are grateful to have a job at all, and who would much rather take furlough days to save other jobs - of teachers and others. I just wish there was an end in sight!

A special "thank you" to our GA legislative body for once again taking care of the needs of teachers while continuing to screw other state employees! Personally, I am a state employee with a MS degree, and I will be furloughing ALL my days this year. I will also not be getting a raise, and neither myself nor my co-workers will have the help of the legislators to do diddly squat about it! So, to all the teachers out there, I hope you appreciate the fact that you have dodged a bullet yet again, while other state employees took it in the chest for you. I want just one teacher to stop whining about furloughs and just how busy they are in the classroom. It's called WORK,that's what you get paid to do, and it's your chosen profession! I'm not even getting into the fact that most teachers only work 180-190 days a year. What an AWESOME state- I work 50 hours a week, 5 days a week, ALL YEAR LONG, serve the public, get paid much less than a teacher, and NOBODY thinks twice about furloughing ME (or my co-workers). Apparently these teachers have all taught too long, because they've picked up WAY too much whining from their classroom kids!!!

I had heard higher, but that might have included benefits.

FYI, let's not forget this is not for 12 month employment (9 months per year?). I believe teachers also qualify for a state paid pension.

I hope the police officers and fire fighters that put their life on the line get this much. That would be $88,424 by my math.

teachers are not required to have masters degrees.

It looks like a teacher with 30 years (it tops out there) and a Masters Degree makes 66,318 in Cobb. Not sure about other districts around here - will research later.

So "To BobRC",

You seem to be very knowledgeable about this subject. Would you like to share with the readers what a Kindergarten Teacher with 30 years experience and a Masters degree gets paid?

Maybe I heard wrong. Set it straight.

I agree with your point about the laptops. There are other options that would have been more fiscally responsible. That does not address whether or not teacher salaries are unreasonable.

As far as the millage rates, Cobb is lower than many surrounding areas in suburban Atlanta.

It's a shame you feel the need to be insulting, as it can cast doubt on the points you make.



I don't mind discussing things in a civil manner -

So lets talk about wasteful spending. You have a school system that would have put a $1,000 Apple laptop in every students hands. They wouldn't settle for a Dell at $500 using DeepFreeze or SteadyState. No way, let's spend over $1,000 each

It's time for the school system to join the rest of the business world and be accountable for their spending and salaries.

It was meant to be insulting, the same way the school system insults the homeowner with their frivolous spending and high millage rate.

Have you compared salaries across a variety of professions that require a masters degree? Although Georgia doesn't require that educators have that degree, may states do. You'll find that the states who do require it have much higher test scores - and they pay much higher salaries.

Also, have you spent a few days in a Kindergarten classroom? Your comment is insulting. Although I don't teach Kindergarten, I admire those who do. The incredible learning - academic, social, emotional - that occurs in Kindergarten is exciting to see, and the teachers at this level have a tough job.

I just found out what a Kindergarten Teacher with 30 years experience and a Masters degree gets paid. I hope the school system chokes on their lack of funds because of the way they waste money.

to love it;

PLEASE TELL ME YOU ARE NOT A TEACHER!!!

Your spelling is awful!! No wonder why these children are failing tests huh!!

I love the new law if it works. No salries can or should be decreased and no furloughs would be a success. On the high school level. we have 32 in a class now, so what else can they do to us? Also, I am a firm believer in seniority--last come is first to go!!! Sorry, this sytem works and is fair. Any teachers now in the clasroom three years can go!!!

It would be helpful if all those that bashed teachers knew how our 'contracts' really work.

1) We HAVE to sign before we know what we are going to be paid.

2) If we don't like the salary that comes out, we cannot leave until the end of the year.

3) Should we decide to leave based on the pay, we would likely face losing our certificates and never work as a teacher again.

4) At anytime, our employers many lower our pay (furloughs).

5) We cannot bargain, barter, or haggle for better pay as a group. It is illegal to do so. There is no 'union,' only an 'association' which provides insurance discounts and has less political clout than Oprah's book of the month club.

6) There is no such thing as 'tenure,' only fair dismissal, which is still subject to the opinions and whims of supervisors.

7) Our job performance does not effect our salary, but those who want it to, do not want to spend the time, money, or effort figuring out a fair and accurate way of measuring it.

I am from the opposite end of Chip's spectrum, but this is a good piece of legislation. There is nothing worse than listening to our board argue about the color of the wallpaper while the house burns down around them.

How is it that teachers get protection and the rest of everyone else gets laid off and their taxes raised???

The state budgets are messed up and NEED to be cut! Teachers should forward and be willing to work with their employers budget so as to not hurt the entire county out of their greed during this time of distress. Raising taxes does hurt the county... not help it.

No furlough days...just salary cuts. It's all the same in the end. If the state wants to protect salaries, just write out a check for $130,000,000 to CCSD. That'll save the teachers salaries. Truly, it's that simple.

School systems such as MCS are constantly releasing budget news about the financial trouble they are facing. They never talk about doubling the size of their administrative central office staff with many salaries over $100,000. If taxpayers are really concerned about the waste in education they should investigate the growth of MCS's central office over the last 10 years.

Teacher furlough's are just an easy fix to a problem created by the greed of a few.