Poll: Prairie Grove Teachers Vote to Strike, Should They?

McCloud August 28, 2012 at 09:44 pm

Good, nows the time to replace them. No more retirement at age 52, full medical to the grave, $80,000 pensions. I look at this as opportunity.

Melanie Blackburn August 28, 2012 at 11:43 pm

It's a shame when people make comments when they don't even know the facts. Just one question, how do you think Prairie Grove ranks highest in the County with student test scores? It's the excellent teachers at Prairie Grove, that's how!

Louise Reinier August 29, 2012 at 01:09 am

You apparently now NOTHING about our school...unless you have a child in this district you really should stay quiet!!!

Louise Reinier August 29, 2012 at 01:10 am

So true Melanie!!!

Maggie August 29, 2012 at 10:39 am

Whoa, Louise, who the heck do you think pays for those salaries. Everyone in that district not just the people with the children attending. 80,000? retirement at 52 FULL PENSIONS? I don't know what world your living in but that's quite a compensation. Test scores don't mean squat. You must be a teacher or your married to one. Perhaps we should pay on the merit system and then see what they would generate for pay OH I almost forgot two months vacation. Your whining up the wrong tree.

Maggie August 29, 2012 at 10:43 am

Oh and Melanie, that's their job, Again I vote for the merit system of compensation.

Deborah August 29, 2012 at 01:13 pm

Do teachers really want to strike or is it the case once again of the bully, thug union leaders pushing the "little" people around. How about union bosses give back their incredible salaries and benefits & get out of the way of the teachers trying to do what they are hired for. I just checked my real estate tax bill & calculated that this fine school district already costs me $8.44 daily and I DO NOT have any children attending. I'm sure the educated elite will understand that I think I already pay more than my "fair share" & could care less if they are all fired & replaced with common sense, every day concerned citizens who have true love of children, country, & God. How is it that these negotiators don't understand that this economy stinks, my pockets are empty, & their agenda portrays them as grunting, snorting, gluttonous pigs! Go suckle somebody else's teat.

Deborah August 29, 2012 at 01:18 pm

Louise, you apparently do not pay real estate taxes...unless you do pay taxes to this district you really should stay quiet!!!

Deborah August 29, 2012 at 01:19 pm

I'm with you.

Bob Stock August 30, 2012 at 02:21 pm

Merit based pay is the only basis to consider how someone is paid. And in case nobody's been watching, the state of Illinois is flirting with the idea of pushing these retirement progams back to the areas they come from, thus, if property taxes will be the funding source not only of the salaries, it will become the source of the retirement packages as well. While I applaud the stature of the school system, it can be high quality along with fair practices.

Louise Reinier August 30, 2012 at 03:02 pm

If merit based then guess what....95% of our teachers would get a LARGE RAISE EVERY YEAR!!! most of our teachers have gone on to get thier masters degrees in education, even though not required to do thier jobs...including our newer younger teachers......and for Deborah the bully in this case is the negotiating team for the board and the admins...seems it is perfectly acceptable to give themselves a raise and an extended contract...but only take from the teachers...who again are the ones doing ALL THE WORK!!! Can any of you imagine dealing with 25-28 people with varing personalities, levels of intelligence, ability and many of whom cannot sit still for more than 3 minutes. 7 hours a day for 9 months all the while having to MAKE SURE that they all learn a prescribed amount of knowledge. I know even thinking about that task gives me the shivers. Teachers do NOT DESERVE our scorn and ire...they deserve our respect and support...after all what "
Teacher "affected you the most....I know there IS ONE IN EACH OF OUR LIVES....now as adults we all forget how important they were to us and our parents. Are you willing to have someone else "negotiate" what you will be paid or have taken from you, when you know they just gave themselves the moon!!???are you willing to take a cut in pay when you have done your job exceedingly well and benefitted your employer??? As a private sector employee you would have the option to leave...but

Louise Reinier August 30, 2012 at 03:03 pm

teachers do not....they ARE TEACHERS!!! and short of finding employment at a private school there are not "options" for them.
Unless you are a part of the Consolidated District 46 which is Prairie Grove and ARE INFORMED, by other than the "crack" reporting at NW Herald you really do not have the right to speak up on this issue

Maggie August 30, 2012 at 04:40 pm

Well alrighty then. First have you totally forgotten about the freedom of speech? Yes I believe it is taught in the lower grades also. FREEDOM of SPEECH! But you still think you can dictate who can and cannot use this freedom. error one. If your teachers would desire a raise on merit then so be it. Applause to them. And so it should be if deseved. But not all teachers fall into that catagory. Masters? Although an added expense attainment is not that difficult and often not sought after for the added knowledge but for the added pay which is retroactive on that particular sheepskin. Do all your teachers refresh their knowledge with yearly refresher courses? I wouldn't be the one to argue that the administration gets sufficient compensation but you are comparing apples to oranges and a different arguement. People in Cook county get paid more then people in Lake or Mchenry county doing like jobs. Again not relevent. And to tell the truth I am really tired of people such as yourself refering to TEACHERS as if they were EQUAL TO OR more significant than JC almighty. Most of us deal with varing personalities and the job of instructing or appeasing them every day. It's called business.

Maggie August 30, 2012 at 04:50 pm

And again not understanding what world you come from but we have all, (when teachers weren't necessarily included) taken gigantic hits in this past eccomonic catastrophe. So please get off the high horse and come down to earth. That negotiating team you speak of represents the feelings of the general public on the position of tax increases. I would be the first in line to object. And why do you keep making this a matter of our scorn and ire...they deserve our respect and support? This is about money plain and simple, not disrespect or (scorn, I mean really?)

Maggie August 30, 2012 at 04:53 pm

Balances and checks. Merit and application. Broadcasted union compensations. Strike? What against those dear children that these people sacrifice so much for? Take a long deep breath Louise and come back with solid factual comparisons as to why 60,000 is a disgraceful compensation for 9 months worth of work. That is just about what $300.00/ $360.00 per day of actual work? PLEASE make a good arguement to that.

Louise Reinier August 30, 2012 at 05:56 pm

1st teacher DO OT get 3 months off!! Our summer break this year was 10 weeks of that teachers were in the school at least a week after the kids are dismissed breaking down thier classrooms, and back and back in school 2 weeks before the kids doing lesson plans, setting up thier rooms and atteending state mandated training...most teachers spend out of pocket between $350-$600 to equip thier classrooms with books and other learniung enrichment tools as well as supplies for satudents who either cannot afford them or have parents who just dont care......
i am a parent in this district and am in the school ALOT volunteering, I also have the unique perspective of having been an employee of the district.I havesen how the admin works, so in this case and for THESE teachers I know what I am talking about. Do you Maggie know anything aboutour district or teachers. I have been without a FT job for 4 yrs and my husband is just going back to FT work after 15 months, we lost our home to foreclosure and now rent in the same district...part of my rent pays PROPERTY TAXES so I am still a vested member of this community.

Louise Reinier August 30, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Free speech is fine as long as you KNOW what you are speaking about, if you have not been to school borard meetings or followed out teachers union site and are NOT informed about this group of teachers issues and what they are asking for then as stated before please don't comment.

Louise Reinier August 30, 2012 at 06:02 pm

oh and YES 95% of our teachers take refresher or continuing education yearly!

Maggie August 30, 2012 at 06:20 pm

Thank you Louise for the conversation. If these aren't the issues "The two sides are stuck on the issues of salary, insurance, retirement and extra duty payments" Then I appologize for these are the issues I was commenting on. Try as I might, I still can't seem to convince you that anyone can comment on any issue they seem important enough to comment on. As long as it is presented in a respectful manner; and I so hope your teachers are teaching just that. So I am not going to try to sway you any longer. You keep making this issue personal, directed at you as some personal vendetta. May I reitterate it is not. It is about everyone elses pocket books; and you haven't made any convincing case that one persons should become lighter so that another's can become fatter. Your teachers are compensated handsomely. Yes I have associations with a large group of teachers and if they were to take up this issue my response would be the same. I'm sorry.

Maggie August 30, 2012 at 06:36 pm

Best of luck to your husband and yourself. These are hard times.