To the editor:
Unfortunately, a recent headline and story titled "Methuen teachers get big raises"¬ùhas fed into readers' confusion about step increases. The story itself states that the salaries in the story are "raises combined with yearly step increases" and then it goes on to feed into the misperception that a raise and a step increase are the same thing. They have never been considered the same thing in past discussions about teacher compensation and basic logic dictates that they would not need to be combined if they were in fact the same thing.
Why not inform readers of the fact that state law requires that teachers earn a master's degree within the first five years of teaching and they are then required to continue taking master's level courses throughout their career for recertification every five years, which actually costs far more than the step increases they receive. These requirements ensure that teachers are highly qualified educators. While local politicians who are trying to combine step increases and raises are most responsible for the public's confusion, the newspaper should try and reduce the confusion and inform its readers rather than characterize teachers as being self-serving.
Teachers' efforts and achievements are their professional responsibilities in providing students with a high quality education. This is expensive, but not maintaining our communities' investments in public education would be even more costly in terms of future dollars and lost opportunities.
Even in these tough economic times, surrounding communities are maintaining their investments in public schools because it makes good economic sense in the long run. Damaging the long-term quality of our schools in response to a short-term economic downturn is penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Donna Gogas
President
Methuen Education Association
