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Public schools, teachers: Worth fighting for
Scott Maxwell
September 6, 2011
Teachers in Florida have never been paid what they're worth.
They've always made less than their peers in other parts of the country.
And in the past few years, salaries have dropped even lower.
The News Service of Florida reported last week that the average Florida teacher's salary has dropped by about $1,200 over the past four years — down to $45,723.
Even before that drop, Florida trailed states like Alabama, Texas and South Carolina.
Last year, Florida teachers made a whopping $7,000 less than those in Georgia — which raises an interesting point about competition.
Whenever Florida trails neighboring states when it comes to things like corporate taxes and incentives, lawmakers scream: "We must be competitive! We must be competitive!"
And then they break out their (your) checkbook.
Yet, when education suffers, the politicians respond with a collective shrug.
Such thinking is as short-sighted as it is simple-minded. ...
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Read the entire column and post a comment on orlandosentinel.com.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/ed...,2119412.column