Why does the Brainerd School District not observe these holidays? "Outraged American" should direct his or her frustration in the direction it belongs, and not at Dist. 181. The local Chamber of Commerce's members. The Chambers members want the school year to end as close to Memorial Day as possible and not to start until after Labor Day so that student employee's can work through the busiest part of the year!

A few questions, since you seem to have all the facts. How many of those households, without a teaching member, need a college degree to perform their job, or have a college degree? Did the newspaper article take that into consideration? Does the article take into consideration how many years of teaching it took to reach that $75,000 figure? Why should just teachers take a cut "because its for the kids?" What about doctors, lawyers, city workers, county workers etc? Lots of other people are above that $50.000 figure! Why do people, that choose to not spend money on a better education," whine" about people who did and what they earn? Don't we encourage our kids to get a college education to get a better job and earn more money? What about the fact that a high percentage of the most valuable property(lake homes) in crow wing county are exempt from any tax increases from a referendum because the property owners are seasonal!

EiEiO,

You bring up a point that is oft repeated by people who feel the need to defend the salaries teachers earn. The daycare analogy fails when put through the common sense-o-meter. When someone pays a college educated childcare provider $3/hr the cost of food, shelter and utilities are included. Teachers are not solely responsible for building or maintaining schools nor do they feed the students out of their own pocket.

While I am not necessarily opposed to the average teacher making an annualized compensation package of $95,691 (lord knows they work for it) I am wholly opposed to blatant misinformation.

I have two degrees and do not make $50,000 a year for 9 months work. I know some teachers use that time off to improve, but many do not.

Many private businesses, including doctors and lawyers, have taken pay cuts during this bad economy. So don't come whining to me.

Let's see - here are a few fields I know where individuals with degrees are not making anywhere near that teacher salary: reporters (very important yet always underpaid) engineers, graphic artists, computer programmers, child care workers (many daycare centers require a degree to work with young kids), dental assistants, paralegals, accountants, human resource managers, marketing managers - need I go on. In this area $55,000+ is a hefty salary.

So I agree with the original writer - quit whining!

There are a lot of people in the military with and without 4 year degrees. Spending a year in a desert, getting shot at and not seeing your family for a year - definitely underpaid.

Yes those careers you mentioned do require degrees, but not 4 yr degrees. Most of those are associate's or even diplomas, which on average, don't pay as much as a 4 yr or even Master's.
I'm not saying the pay is fair either way. There are jobs where you can make more money without any degree, i.e. construction.
The reason this district's average is so high is that there are so many who have been here for so long that they're near the top pay. The starting pay in this district is around $35,000. However, how far in debt are these new teachers? Did you know that the semester of student teaching they do isn't paid, they have to pay tuition to do it in MN.
I think people are just putting all the blame on teachers. Show me an article that says some professional in the Brainerd area has taken a cut or a freeze WILLINGLY because of the economy.
This whole system is by no means fair. Teachers (some, anyway) are just fighting to stay above ground.
Those of you who are whining, go out and DO something. You're all talk, no action.

jme512: Thank you for an intelligent post.

The writers of the Vox Pop comments about teaching salaries are clueless; and the comments are pretty close as well.

Of all the nosensical banter in the comments i see that most are lost in any ideas of what is truely going on in this community

As a retired teacher of 35 years there is not way that teachers are paid too much. When I look back at the hours I put in, relating to my job, I was lucky to have been paid a little more than minimum wage. The amount of time spent going over lesson plans, correcting tests, preparing tests, meetings, etc., I could go on and on. If you have not been in the classroom, and had to deal with students 180 days a year, trying to get them to want to learn, etc., you have no idea of what teachers have to go through, and put up with every day.