Contreras Chose To Reward Teachers Not Students
Dear Editor,
The Guilford County school board superintendent wants a $35 million increase in funding from the county for schools beginning in July this year. Part of her budget calls for an increase in salaries and bonuses for teachers and staff. But you see there is a problem. Late last year Superintendent Contreras found almost $1 million in the school board checkbook, so she gave it away as bonuses to teachers and staff. I know that’s crazy, right?
She didn’t do anything for students – the whole reason we have schools – and she didn’t buy school supplies or food with the money. No, she didn’t do anything for the students. She passed out taxpayer money to teachers and staff like she had just won the lottery. She and the school board are obviously more concerned about passing out bonuses and rewarding staff for not working in the classroom for an entire year than she is for providing learning opportunities, food and other essential services for children.
Then about two months later, she asked for another $3.5 million for the current school year and the Democrat controlled county board of commissioners gave her the money. I guess Ms. Contreras wanted to pass out more bonuses and rewards to teachers and staff.
Let’s see why Contreras wants $35 million more money from Guilford County taxpayers.
She says some of the money would go for tutoring and extending day learning. She could have done some of that with the money she wasted on bonuses last year. But she didn’t.
She wants to raise teacher pay to retain educators. Retain teachers? Are you kidding me? Teachers have not been in the classroom for over a year! Does anybody really believe that a teacher is going to sell their home and move to another city for more money? Selling a house and moving costs tens of thousands of dollars and that teacher would be at the bottom of the seniority list at any new school district. Do you really think anybody would actually do that? Would you? I didn’t think so.
If I were a county commissioner, the very first thing I would do is to chop $1 million from the school budget to make up for the taxpayer money Contreras wasted on bonuses to teachers and staff last year. The second thing I would do is to cut at least $17 million from her obscene and outrageous request. Given her track record and questionable decision making ability, I would find it hard to believe any justification from her for more money. Of course, the Democrat controlled County Board of Commissioners will probably say ‘”It’s for the children” and promptly ignore common sense, ignore facts, ignore basic math, ignore logic and give Contreraswhatever she wants.
Spend more, tax more. Democrats are very good at that. Conservative Republicans exercise good judgment, logic and require accountability. Guilford taxpayers had that when Republicans controlled the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. Now we are stuck with a Democrat controlled school board and county board of commissioners. A school teacher is even on the county board of commissioners! I wonder if she will vote on the school board budget? Don’t let the Democrats waste your hard earned tax money.
It is past time to call your local representatives and demand they stop passing out taxpayer money to the school board or anybody else who thinks like the school board. If you don’t, expect to see your taxes go up every year.
Ken Orms
Dear Mr Orms
Do you have children in school Mr Orms? Well, please excuse me if I take exception to your rant against teachers receiving bonus pay in a pandemic year. My wife is a school teacher who has had to put up with all sorts of difficulties in order to educate the children in Guilford County Schools in these difficult times. She has had to work 16 hour days on a limited salary, and does not get paid for the stress associated with the multitude of changes that have had to be made due to Covid19. Would you work 16 hours a day on your salary and not complain? I think not! And, this does not include time lost with husband, family and children in order to ensure that GCS students receive a quality education regardless of the circumstances. Your hollering about the needs of the children is more Democrat than conservative. Without educators, your children would be ignorant imbeciles. Guilford County Teachers deserve the respect of all parents and taxpayers, not scorn because of imagined needs of the children, and money not spent well. I say you are wrong sir, and teachers getting a few more dollars for their extraordinary efforts is money well spent. Kudos to the School Board for getting it right!
16 hours a day I don’t think so
What so surprising about showing up to school an hour or two early. Staying an hour or two late… and still having grading, emails, admin crap to do into the evening. Also, read a little slower. They didn’t say 16 hours a day, they said 16 hour days. Like it’s happened once or twice.
Hall and Oats, maybe you should read a little slower. I said “wouldn’t work A 16 hour DAY” singular.not plural and I stand by that statement. I know a few teachers and I can guarantee you they would never ever work a 16 hour DAY even during exams. Not even once!
Sincerely, your Captain
Which comment was yours that I was remarking on. It certainly isn’t the one I replied to that says, and this is a direct quote:
“16 hours a day I don’t think so”
Easily taking things personally or just can’t even read your own writing when it is right there in plain sight.
Admir politiboro, that wasn’t me or perhaps you can’t read your own writing or perhaps YOU like lyin joe Biden are cognitive impaired. Sincerely your Captain
Dear Collin, you are so full of it. These whinny teachers wouldn’t work a 16 hr. day if their lives depended on it never mind doing it for free or as you put it, at a reduced salary. All the boo hoping about having to buy school supplies out of pocket went away as well as your fuel and car maintenance. No dry cleaning bill or food to buy in the cafeteria. All we ever hear is how meager your wife and her colleagues salaries are but compared to a police officers salary they seem to be doing well. You say without educators our children would be imbeciles well let me remind you that our children are among the worst educated in the world, the WORLD! As far as your complaint about Mr.Orms’ letterif you had been educated in oh say, Belarus, perhaps you would have understood the context of the letter was a complaint about Sharron Contreras wasting money and a lack of accountability on the part of the school board and the county commissioners not the teachers. He did strike a nerve I suppose by mentioning teachers getting a bonus for phoning it in but facts are facts. Speaking of facts and educators, why did it take sooooo long to get the teachers to come back to the classroom when the SCIENCE had clearly shown it was safe to do so? I guess getting up early to drive to work to teach our stupid kids isn’t nearly as comfortable as sleeping late , staying home all day and teaching our stupid kids from the sofa. What I want to know is, who paid for all those buses at the Biden Harris campaign rally, who said it was okay to post political campaign posters on Guilford County School buses (a violation of policy) who ok’d it and who knew about. That’s what I want to know. One last thing, if your wife and or her colleagues would like a raise or a bonus then do like the rest of us and perform at a level that shows you deserve one. Let the numbers speak for you instead of abandoning the kids(“ it’s all about the children”) taking a day off and marching on Raleigh to whine to Roy Copper who has vetoed teacher raises approved by the Republican controlled NC House of Representatives.
Sincerely, Your Captain
Where are you on Jan 6. This conspiracy is about 101 days late at this point. Keep being a bad loser. Maybe one of the terrible awful teachers will teach your kids to have more emotional intelligence than a Discourteous Captain Whiny Pants. You rant and rave all the time but at the end you just write your brand of stupid where everyone can see. Enjoy your mediocrity.
Numb sterd, I’m guessing english is your second or maybe even third language. Perhaps reading or word comprehendsion isn’t your strongest attributes. Maybe you have no skills. You certainly arent capable of intelligent dialogue. As for your reference to January 6, 2021, I was at work, I mean someone has to pay for the socialist programs the dumbacRATs have created to keep weak minded people dependent on them. Since you brought 01/06/21, I can tell you where Ashli Babbitt was. She was inside a public building owned by the taxpaying citizens of the United States of America. I can also tell you that she was unarmed. I can also tell you that she was shot in the neck at less than 10 feet distance by a capital police officer. I can also tell you that to this day no one knows this A-holes name rank home address number of kids whether he is married where his kids go to school or anything else about this A-hole. I can also tell you that if Ashli Babbitt had been black, not only would we know all of these things and more, the streets would be filled with entitled crybabies pissing and moaning about how unfairly they have been treated by the same country that has put food on their tables, a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs for generations. GENERATIONS!!!!!you have offered nothing to dispute what I have posted only name calling like your libtard comrades out marching and moaning their stupid silly rymes hey hey blow blow!!! Stupid! Anyways, so you also mentioned in your pointless response how I needed to learn to be a better loser( like you’re not the worst loser ever) let’s talk about the FOUR YEARS of non-stop bitching whining and crying that you commies did. So STFU with your be a good sport bs. A-hole. GFY.
Sincerely, your Captain
I agree, but many of our children “graduate” as ignorant imbeciles, having been raised and baby-sitted by dumbphones and the Idiot Box.
If teachers are so stressed with the type of work they do, chose another career! What’s the old lyrics in a song. . . .I never promised you a rose garden? At some point in time, everyone has to make a decision about their careers, even school teachers.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to be a teacher today, primarily due to the lack of control administrators and teachers have over the kids (and a good number of hoodlums) that are in schools. When I misbehaved in school, I was sent home, not to a quiet room, and if it continued I’d be suspended.
There is no amount of money you could pay me to be a teacher in these times, maybe grades 1- 4, but surely not Jr or Sr high. And even colleges and universities are losing their grip over control of their institutions to the new age students who expect all A’s, want college to be free, including dorms, and also expect to get a $50,000 a year job out of college. And they whine and accuse businesses of discrimination. . . .and if they got a liberal arts degree, but can’t spell, or use a computer, or have any courses in business administration, they still want to earn $50,000 a year. God help us!
You’re view about educators is hilarious. Do you or a family member have school age kids. If you do you know exactly what is going on. You think because teachers are working virtually nothing s going Parents who are in tuned to what their child is doing in the virtual classroom would beg to differ
Gail,the parents know what’s going on because the parents are doing the teachers jobs! How about we send the teachers a virtual paycheck and the can go buy some vitual groceries. I stand by my statements.
Sincerely, your Captain
The ignorance of your rant is staggering. Teachers in NC make significantly less than teachers in VA and they do move there all the time to teach and receive a respectable wage. My son’s wife was educated at ECU but they settled in VA where she makes more than the typical elementary teacher her in NC who has been teaching for ten years.
Chris, she forced your son to move to Virginia toget away from you Libtard! Please respond back with the area of Virginia because there are only two districts that are greater than GCS. I may have to call BS. BTW, You may be staggering due to a cognitive disorde(seems right to me) like Lyin Joe Biden. Or perhaps it was a strong breeze. Lmao… sincerely, your Captan.
Chris, do you understand the law of supply and demand? Is it a policy and practice that NC teachers make the same as Virginia, or Tennessee, or any other state? What about the old notion of the national average?
There’s a lot to be said about pay for teachers in NC, but equally important is the lack of controls of administrations in school districts who pander to public pressure to keep all kids in school, even when they are disruptive. Ever wonder why or how athletes get into college, but can’t spell “dog?” It’s money . . . pure and simple. It’s also pressure from families who want to see their child get a high school diploma. When school systems stopped the practice of keeping kids back a grade if they were failing, even with tutoring, they became part of the problem, not the solution.