The Republican assault on teachers continues.
The Alabama state legislature is trying to decide whether or not to pay some of its teachers a couple of percentage points more next year.
But one Republican state senator thinks that increasing teachers’ salaries will do nothing but lead to less-qualified teachers. Huh?
This is state Senator Shadrack McGill’s rationale:
“It’s a Biblical principle. If you double a teacher’s pay scale, you’ll attract people who aren’t called to teach.
“To go in and raise someone’s child for eight hours a day, or many people’s children for eight hours a day, requires a calling. It better be a calling in your life. I know I wouldn’t want to do it, OK?
“And these teachers that are called to teach, regardless of the pay scale, they would teach. It’s just in them to do. It’s the ability that God give ’em. And there are also some teachers, it wouldn’t matter how much you would pay them, they would still perform to the same capacity.”
McGill is essentially saying “teachers will teach no matter what, so let’s stiff them on salary.” Never mind that the average teacher salary in Alabama is well below the national average to begin with.
McGill’s “Biblical principle” does not apply to lawmakers, however. In 2007, Alabama legislators got a 62% pay raise. McGill said that was important to stop corruption.
Which means, McGill thinks part-time Alabama legislators deserve to make more money ($49,500) than a full-time public school teacher who has a Master’s degree and 15 years of experience in the classroom ($49,238)!!
Ed Schultz would call that Psycho Talk!
Kelli Long