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Page 4 · column 3 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
To the editor:
The school budget is one of the most important decisions the School Board and the Board of Supervisors make each year. I see two key reasons for this: first, it has a tremendous effect on employee morale; second, the budget sets the capabilities for the coming year. This county has ah excellent record of maximizing the effectiveness of its tax dollars.
In the schools this indicates hard work and sacrifices on everyone’s part-School Board, Administration, teachers, cafeteria workers, and so on. We have a great deal to be proud of and thankful for.
I am concerned most about the double standard for recommended salary increases. I compare this to Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde--the scientist who underwent transformation depending upon which cup of elixir he drank from. In Mr. Estabrook’s proposed budget his two cups seem to be educational responsibility and fiscal responsibility. The cup of fisqal responsibility belongs to the Supervisors alone, and that it is none of our jobs to second guess what they might or might not be willing to appropriate.
I find it commendable for the Superintendent to seek a relative value approach to Administrative salaries, assuming this is done fairly. I ask the School Board to take the same step for other positions.
Specifically I ask the School Board to consider our teachers at least as good as the average of the surrounding counties, and second to state your intention to bring them to such a pay level within two years. Accordingly, I recommend that this year’s increase to base salary be 14 percent.
I arrive at this figure thus: our base ($12,540) is now about eight percent below the average of the sur
96.2%