The Privileges Of Teaching

To the Editor:

Did you know:

That our teachers are not employed by the state, but by our town.

That they contribute six percent of their salary to their pension fund, but the balance is paid by the state (by law) even though they are not employees of the state.

That according to the State Teacher Pension Administration formula, the average teacher starting at age 30 and retiring at age 60 (not 65) can expect a lifetime pension of about $60,000 per year based on an average salary of $83,500 for the last three years.

That since they are not state employees, they were not affected by the concessions made by other state employees to Governor Malloy. So much for sharing the pain of our state workers.

That the working year consists of 187 days. Any additional days are paid extra at a rate which goes up by 15 percent over the next three years.

From those working days of 187, deduct three weeks (15 days) allowable per year for sick leave, minus another week or five days for personal reasons for a total of four weeks, deducting from those 26.7 weeks and you arrive at a grand total of 22.7 weeks of actual work per year. Not bad, I think I will apply. Any unused sick leave may be accrued up to 100 days.

That only teachers are entitled by law to tenure in office. Since the same protection is denied to all other workers in the state, this is a flagrant violation of the XIV amendment of our Constitution’s Section 1 which reads… “nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws.” Is everybody protected by tenure? Ask the unemployed.

That each teacher automatically receives a raise every year since he moves up one notch on the salary scale no matter how much the suffering of others. Never mind other public employees. That is for the peons.

Teachers cannot ask for special privileges others have not. Must I remind the teachers that the struggle for equality was the basis for our struggle for freedom. It seems greed comes first. I ask the town selectmen to instruct our attorney to file for an injunction in federal court to stay any further use of tenure for the above reason.

Oscar Berendsohn

34 Apple Blossom Lane, Newtown                     September 27, 2011