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Rob,

I accept the truce . I don't think teachers at their base salary are underpaid and for the most part most of them think they are getting compensated fairly.I will say that when my wife first started she made squat and only really started to make a decent and fair salary about 7 years into her teaching career and up to that point she had a second job until that time. We were not married at the time when she was first employed as a teacher.However, I just want to touch base on some of the other points you presented. Since , my wife is a teacher I do have a direct line into their point of view. Your correct $11 was an unbelievable health care payment but those days are long gone and have been gone for years. They now pay quite a bit albeit not as much as the private sector or if your independently buying insurance but they 're paying more.They do work 180 days a year and have 90 sick days (i would be interested to know how many are actually used). My wife hardly ever calls out. Warwick teachers do not pay into TDI and the vast majority use their sick time appropriately . My wife has to pay for each sick day that she takes out. All Warwick teachers have to contribute to the sick day pool. The more days you use, the more she has to pay. The 13 "PD" days are a myth. They get 2 paid personal days . As for professional days they also only get two both are used for staff development one at the beginning of the year and another half day in march (they are not days off). All other training is done on their own time and on their own dime. My wife has spent thousands on conferences and other professional development opportunities over the past few years. She also has to take money out of her own pocket for basic classroom supplies (not including assisting families with financial difficulties around the holidays). Society has warped a teachers role into that of a third parent (many times the positive work that teachers do is overlooked). Nobody talks about the kids who tell teachers to go "f themselves" on a regular basis. The days of out of school suspension is over. Twenty years ago this would not have been tolerated. If being a teacher was so great, there would line at the door with applicants competing for theses positions. Ask yourself why this country is experiencing a shortage in this profession.

In closing, teachers are not the problem. I know you might see it differently but they do have a tough job.The real problem are the career politicians and inept officials who continue to spend money like there is an endless supply. More people need to get involved with the city council, the school committee.and holding politicians accountable. We need to remind them that they work for us not the other way around. We need to get back to the basics in this country instead of being complacent. I agree that there is something that stinks and we only have to look at the city hall and state house . You are 100% correct that if those individuals were in the private sector they would be fired , unfortunately they would probably apply for state aid.

Keep the good fight going rob