Citizen Responds to Bill Richardson’s proposal to boost teacher salaries
Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Mary Myers, a resident of Brentwood about Bill Richardson’s proposal to boost teachers’ salaries. Richardson vowed that if elected president he would move to establish a starting minimum wage of $40,000 for every teacher in America. Presently, the national average salary for all teachers is about $ 48,000. Richardson’s rational is that the implementation of a starting minimum wage would both draw better qualified teachers as well as boost the general morale of existing faculty.
Mike Lenz: Do you support Richardson’s proposal for a minimum starting wage for teachers of $40,000?
Mary Myers: Yes, today teachers starting out are definitely underpaid.
ML: Why should teachers be valued by our society?
MM: Because the profession is very important. My son is a teacher in the Bronx so I can personally relate to all the responsibilities that teachers have.
Unfortunately, teachers have to put up with a lot of things that the parents are unable to do. Not to mention that they have to do these things on top of teaching of course.
ML: In comparison to say the Western European nations where teachers are compensated generously, why are teachers in America paid so little?
MM: I think that in America teaching started out as a woman’s field. And since women have been historically underpaid maybe there has been a lag in wages.
ML: Would you support a presidential candidate who was outspoken on raising teachers’ pay?
MM: I really like Richardson’s proposal, but I haven’t decided whom I’m going to vote for yet.
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