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GUEST EDITORIAL - By
Mil Ivey Pay teachers what they were promised I am writing in response to a recent post from Mrs. Pam Gossett, a Cherokee County educator and the wife of Board of Education member Mark Gossett. Mrs. Gossett was upset because she didn't understand the justification for career tech educators receiving "extra pay". There seems to be some confusion about exactly what "contract" implies. The "extra pay" Mrs. Gossett refers to is not the issue. The teachers involved have, for many years, contracted with the Board of Education (BOE) for an agreed-upon compensation. Those contracts should be honored. The BOE agreed to do so when the County Commission passed the one-cent sales tax last summer. Superintendent Johnson and the Board members agreed that, at such time as revenues were available, those teacher contracts would be honored in full. This hasn't happened and the litigation continues despite the BOE's own published reporting showing a funding surplus of hundreds of thousands of dollars generated by the sales tax. In addition, it seems awfully strange that, if the issue was indeed money, then all extended contracts should have been cut, not just the tech teachers. I agree with Mrs. Gossett in her description of what dedicated teachers do—they devote the necessary time to get the job done. All good teachers know that goes with the territory, and they knew that when they applied for the job and signed the contract. It is evident that many Cherokee County residents, including Mrs. Gossett, are not fully aware that career tech education is federally funded and must operate within federal guidelines. It must comply with Business and Industry Certification, student organization and enrollment requirements, etc., or lose federal funding. The additional hours are not optional. But the bottom line in Cherokee County is that career tech education is the lifeblood of the local economy. In my opinion, it is certainly an unwise use of taxpayer money to continue litigation with these career tech educators when funds are available to resolve the issue. For goodness sake, just pay the teachers what they were contracted to receive and move on. On a final note, I'd like to address Mrs. Gossett's comment regarding "clear and transparent" BOE meetings. I have observed something quite different. There is only one opportunity for public comment—at the opening of the meeting before anyone is aware of action to be transacted. And it's hard for attendees to know what action is being taken when BOE members are voting on "6A, B, C, and J." That procedure was the beginning of the entire school-closing mess, when those present did not even know the Board of Education had voted to close the school because the action was hidden in the wording of the vote. Thank God for the County Commission and local citizens who supported the school and kept it open! Thank you, Mrs.
Gossett, for recommending that people dig deeper for the facts. And thank
you to the people of Cherokee County for supporting education. Please stay
vigilant in holding public officials accountable so that they will honor
their obligations to the students, teachers and taxpayers. In good times and
bad, Cherokee County folks are the best! |