A Teacher’s Perspective
Ken Spiegelman
Beginning June 3 and ending on June 5, the district is cancelling two half days and one full day of work for teachers and is not paying them for those days. This is called a furlough. The district assures the teachers that they will be paid for these days by next December. As a teacher who has been promised since three years ago both a raise and a step increase that have both not been paid, I feel it is with great trepidation that we must handle this situation. We, as teachers, do not have a great deal of confidence that we will be paid this money.
The money is being promised from something called a tax anticipation note. But what happens if tax revenues do not meet expectations? Also as a teacher, I feel that the union has negotiated us into a box from which there is no negotiating room.
Unfortunately, the first casualty of budget problems in a school district is always the teacher. The second casualty is the student. What happens next year when the budget has not been fixed? I hear horror stories from friends who tell me how school budgets are being dramatically lowered. What will be cut? Arts? Music? Drama? I am the product of a public school education and was blessed to take part in one of the finest music programs with one of the finest music teachers in the history of Dade Public Schools. Where will the money come from to fund these programs?
You cannot fund public education without property taxes. You cannot fund public education without a state legislature brave enough to tax alcohol and cigarettes at a higher level. Unfortunately, the halls of government in Tallahassee are not crowded with people of such courage. Rather than do that courageous thing that will in the long term, help create majestic halls of learning in this state, they do the easy, cowardly thing and leave teachers to swallow the bitter pill of less pay. It is not medicine we are forced to swallow, it is poison.
