Reader comments
Schools told to rewrite merit-based pay plans

Why don't they first look at the difference between what they pay their principals versus what they pay their teachers. Utahsrighttoknow.com In california the difference is $10,0000 between top paid teacher and principal, While here in Utah the difference is between $40,0000 to $50,000 dollars.

What?????

Check your numbers again. You may be comparing the starting salary of a beginning teacher in Utah with a highly experienced high school principal in Utah who has years of education, advanced degrees and responsibilities for more than 2,000 students as well as a faculty and staff.

Principals are very loosely responsible for the students of the school. On the other hand, jr./sr. high teachers are DIRECTLY responsible for up to 300+ teenagers. When properly done, I'd say that's deserving of a higher salary than the principal who sits in his office all day playing computer solitaire. Teacher's salaries are still woefully inadequate, especially here in Utah. We want better teachers and hence better students? Pay them accordingly, this will attract a better quality of person to teach in the classroom.

When teachers start doing their jobs that is when they need to be paid better. Kids can't read, do math, and science is a joke. You don't fix a problem by throwing money at it. Teachers get paid to do nothing, they don't teach, standardized testing is a joke, and the kids don't learn.

Teacher's do teach the children. It is the parents fault for not being involved in their child's education. They send their children to school to be babysat. Children are not learning because parents are not getting involved and helping their child learn. Parents are reling solely on the teacher to do ALL the teaching.

I am a teacher who works my butt off. I teach what the state core tells me to teach and by the end of the year, 95% of my students are passing the end of level test (and I am still not satisfied). I set aside classroom time, after school, and before school to help those students who are struggling.

Just a side note: principals are highly involved in their school! They are not sitting around playing solitaire all day.

If people REALLY knew what educators do to help their child learn, maybe they would stop complaining and get involved in their child's educaiton.

Do you sit in a classroom and watch teachers instruct? I highly doubt it. If you had a quality level of understanding what goes on you wouldn't make that comment. Ignorance is a lot of the problem. (Not by the student - get the drift)Many students today are lazy and have no desire to learn. Teachers can't force a student to learn long division or anything else. It's up to the student to be motivated. Teachers can help with motivation to only a certain extent. Extrinsic motivation only lasts for a short period of time.
Get educated and ask yourself why students aren't learning. Sit in a classroom for a couple of days - I challenge you. Oh - you can sit in mine if you'd like.

Difficult students today are children of people like James J., not even coming to kindergarten with the ability to identify letters, numbers and sounds. When they get home, the parent won't listen to the child read or see to it that any homework gets done. Is it any wonder why that child doesn't achieve?

The nice thing is the majority of our parents in Utah aren't like James. They realize that it is their primary responsibility to ensure that the child learns, not the school. They look to the educational establishment and teachers as resources to assist in meeting their goals. If only James could catch the vision.

A very sad excuse

Your comment is money!! Principals roles are very loose and their pay is out of this world. It is the teacher that is on the frontlines...everyday, pay them more by eliminating some or cutting administrative salaries! Thomas, I checked and your numbers are correct across the entire salary schedule. Teachers make far less then their so called administrative counterparts here in Utah; 40-50K is indeed accurate. Middle School Teacher "principals are highly involved" WHAT??? I have seen mine three times this year (yes, this year)! They are former teachers that could not hack it in the classroom. Their bullying type of attitude fuels the major lack of support dynamic found in public schools today but we keep paying and hiring new ones amid one of the greatest teacher shortages in history, just keep them there teachers down or we administrators may have to work and change things for the greater good of all involved in the education process...Go figure!!

More time out of the classroom, before school/after or during a prep chasing a measley $500.00 bucks (don't forget taxes)instead of building a quality curriculum. How does that help the students or the teacher? Teaching is not set up for merit pay...now the powers that be will say if you want a raise go for the merit pay. The simpleton teachers will chase it; pathetic. What they are really saying here is that teachers cannot teach, more hoop jumping here. This has been done in the past and was a bust. Having substitutes take teachers classes while observing other teachers do a dog and pony show is ridiculous. It costs money to get a substitute, give it to the teachers. What if the administrators do not like the teacher which happens, trust me. All that work for nothing! Proud Mary got it right just give teachers a raise. Sadly, the focus now is on the new teachers, what about your veterans. Teach ten years give them a bonus, go fifteen give them another one and so on. Young teachers are now staying on average for three to five years, MMMMMMMMMM. They won't take this type of garbage! Smart kids!!!