StopTeacherStrikes.org Dispels the Myth of Underpaid Teachers

What happens when a concerned parent becomes appalled at the potential of a teachers strike? He fights back. Simon Campbell, a parent of a public school student has done just that. Taking on the teachers union in a grass roots effort to display that they are not underpaid, he is attempting to show that striking teachers violate a public trust. His website StopTeacherStrikes.org takes on the teachers union by promoting "strike free" legislation. It posts the salaries of state teachers in PA. Currently there are 37 states that prohibit public school teachers from striking. Mr. Campbell would like to see Pennsylvania become the 38^th state with such legislation. There is a bill in front of the Pennsylvania Lawmakers. However, this bill faces heavy opposition from the teachers union. The popularity of this website is apparent as the amount of traffic it is receiving has temporarily shut it down.

The first question many people ask is does StopTeacherStrikes.org have the right to publish teachers salaries? The answer is yes. Public school teachers are paid through the collection of property taxes. They are public employees and as such their salaries should not be protected under privacy laws. The public has a right to know how their money is spent and teachers and administrators of public schools are accountable to the public. Everyone hears how low teachers' salaries are and how they struggle to make ends meet. According to StopTeacherStrikes.org, the average teacher in Millcreek Township, PA makes $50,415.00. This is hardly what one would consider poverty. The teachers union wanted a 4% raise over 5 year contract. Let's break this down to real numbers. A 4% raise based on the average salary amounts to $2016.60 over 5 years. That equates to a $403.32 a year increase in salary. After 5 years, the average teacher will be making $52,431.00. This is not a bad salary considering the amount of time a teacher has off, and that their jobs are protected against outsourcing unlike other industries.

Another point to make is that we are taking about $403.32 per year, or $1.15 per day. Is this really enough of an issue to deny the students of Millcreek Township PA their constitutional right of access to free public education? A public employee is different than one in the private sector. Our tax dollars pay their salaries and we, the public, have every right to full disclosure. Does a website like StopTeacherStrikes.org have the right to post the salaries of these teachers? Yes, it does. Even if this website was not listing these numbers, this information is available to anyone under the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act). Whether or not the individual teachers like it, this is a fact. Their salaries are not entitled to be included under privacy laws.

Will posting of the teachers salaries avert or help avert teacher strikes? This remains to be seen. It is hard to justify raising their salaries when you look at what they do. Unlike any other vocation, a teacher has a tremendous amount of time off. Job protection is guaranteed, especially once they are tenured. They are unaffected by outsourcing and plant closings. The union demands that they have medical benefits. Overall, they do not have it so bad. Should teachers and other public employees have the right to strike? Not when striking affects the public in a negative way.

Will StopTeacherStrikes.org prevent teacher strikes? Right now, probably not as the site is almost impossible to access. When it does get up and running again maybe it will help prevent a strike. It certainly will change public opinion about those poor underpaid teachers who can barley scrape out a living for themselves. Teachers make a decent living. Perhaps they should look at how to better manage their time and money. In this author's opinion, striking teachers are depriving our children of their constitutional right to have access to free public education. There are ways to negotiate a new contract without using our children as pawns.