Teachers' Salaries

This is in reference to the story that ran Sunday in Highlands Today regarding the Highlands County school budget.

I disagree with this teacher, Roberta Peck. Teachers work very hard for their salaries and they deserve every penny they have earned.

Roberta Peck can take her pay cut; good for her; she doesn't need the money. She doesn't speak for hundreds of teachers who need their salaries.

I happen to have two family members who are teachers in my family and who have taught for over 25 years, and they need their salaries more then ever with the high cost of medical insurance and prescription drugs, etc.

Mr. Cox can donate some of his salary, and the school board members can also donate theirs. Tell me how many children do they see all year, or the parents? This is what education of our children is about, and that's what our teachers do.

Who sees the children day in and day out? Who struggles with children who don't want to learn, never do their school work or homework? Who struggles, making phone calls and e-mails to many of the parents who never show up for teacher conferences? How about the teachers who are stressed over the FCAT tests, trying to keep the children calm so they will get good grades, while the other subjects suffer because so much time is spent on this?

So, the people who never see the children are being paid. Is this what education is all about?

Just leave teachers' pay the way it is. You are being unfair to the very people who went into education for what it was meant to be and now are being shortchanged.

Frances Prieto
Lake Placid