bozatwork t1_jeflrru wrote on March 31, 2023 at 5:32 PM

We have increased teacher pay significantly in the past several years (still not where it should be, but our overall funding hasn't recovered from 2008 either), and they now have a union to represent and negotiate. These headlines are lazy and make it seem like it's an everywhere problem and it's not that extreme--there are targeted positions at select schools that have proven hard to fill. The same as in other counties. I totally understand a teacher having a negative reaction to seeing these headlines but they need to ask what school and what position and how does that compare to where I am and what I want to do and my compensation, and the issues my school faces. It's not like they are throwing hiring bonuses at people to perform the same work as teachers that stay. Or that if you leave whoever replaces you will automatically get this full bonus to replace you.

AndThenThereWasQueso t1_jegkdpa wrote on March 31, 2023 at 9:22 PM

Nah. This is an absolute SLAP IN THE FACE for any RPS educator that has stuck it out through the past few years. Teachers are leaving and getting ready to leave schools that were never previously “hard to staff”. This year has been especially hard. They announce 12k sign on bonuses without even mention of a retention bonus is hurtful no matter how you try to spin it. That cute little 12% raise over time is cool and everything, but the way our healthcare cost constantly increases as well as the cost of everything else increases, it really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I assure you that many many many teachers are disheartened by this and it has swayed some folks toward the exit door who were previously on the fence.