Keep in mind this issue was caused by our state government’s mismanagement of funds!!! So who wants to give up their retirement pensions of any profession for our leaders to do same thing with it ... all this was done very shady from the get go ... our leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and honestly say they did the right thing to our teachers , our policeman , our firefighters and all state employees that this is affecting , I don’t think they can ... and to all the posters saying suck it up and deal with it , well you won’t understand until the government does it to you , let’s see how you feel if you are wearing those shoes!!!

I love all the posters who are claiming to look at the situation from a "logical" standpoint, leaving "emotions" and "hyperbole" out of their arguments. In your quest to remain dispassionate, many of you have displayed the very lack of the number one soft skills teachers must possess:. Empathy. You are so bent on reducing everything down to an equation and a dollar figure.

 

If the support of the teachers and the teachers concerns are hyperbole, then the attempt to disparage is equally hyperbolic. In the end, it all comes off as condescending to those who chose teaching, demeaning them for fighting to retain the benefits they were promised. Disparaging their education and skills.

 

And lastly, I'm no teacher, but some of you could have stood to have paid a bit more attention in your grammar classes.

I love all the posters who are claiming to look at the situation from a "logical" standpoint, leaving "emotions" and "hyperbole" out of their arguments. In your quest to remain dispassionate, many of you have displayed the very lack of the number one soft skills teachers must possess:. Empathy. You are so bent on reducing everything down to an equation and a dollar figure.

 

If the support of the teachers and the teachers concerns are hyperbole, then the attempt to disparage is equally hyperbolic. In the end, it all comes off as condescending to those who chose teaching, demeaning them for fighting to retain the benefits they were promised. Disparaging their education and skills.

 

And lastly, I'm no teacher, but some of you could have stood to have paid a bit more attention in your grammar classes.

 

You can just @ me lol.

 

When we are talking about serious topics such as this yes its best to remove emotion. This affects teachers retirements and every taxpayer in Kentucky.

And yet the only really great financial incentive to teach is under attack. You conveniently ignore how much less teachers make than someone with comparable experience and credentials. I guess I've known 25-30 teachers on a personal out of school basis over the years; not a one retired before 55 and most were in their upper 50's or older. As for summers off, they all worked summer jobs.

 

And as a 72 year old former educator, I can tell you 90% of my friends retired before the age of 55 and draw nearly 100% of their pre-retirement take home pay in retirement, plus pay almost nothing for healthcare until medicare kicks in. Forgot to mention over 50% of them have continued in some type of 2nd job, because they are just too young to retire; but, the pension is just too good to pass up. No emotion. Just facts.

^^^

Has the KTRS went through changes since your friends retired 20 years ago?

^^^

Has the KTRS went through changes since your friends retired 20 years ago?

 

Yes, any everyone of them was irrationally portrayed as the end of the world for our teachers. I.E. teachers can no longer buy five years of credit to their retirements by simply paying into the system what they would have if they worked. The payback to this benefit was beyond absurd, but allowed by poorly informed and irrationally and politically motivated/self serving legislators. All at the expense of the poorly represented and uninformed taxpayer.

If you were home schooled someone still taught you. That person was your teacher. While college professors are slightly different they are still teachers.

 

Everyone had to be be taught by someone. I don’t think people fully realize how much teachers are raising kids throughout their careers. Life skills and lessons that parents should be teaching are being taught by teachers. People don’t like to hear this but teachers know more things about a parents’ kid at times than the parents. Teachers see and spend more time with these kids than their parents.

 

Interesting that you point out that teachers are raising kids, giving them life lessons that parents should be teaching. Teachers know more things about kids than parents. Teachers spend more time with their kids than parents.

I have seen many threads and posts on BGP referencing what is wrong with kids today? Please explain how your post on the influence of teachers has played a role in the increase of drug deaths, school shootings and kids having a lack of respect?

I still put the ownership of these actions in the hands of the parents. Not sure you do after reading this post?

Yes, any everyone of them was irrationally portrayed as the end of the world for our teachers. I.E. teachers can no longer buy five years of credit to their retirements by simply paying into the system what they would have if they worked. The payback to this benefit was beyond absurd, but allowed by poorly informed and irrationally and politically motivated/self serving legislators. All at the expense of the poorly represented and uninformed taxpayer.

 

Hence there is already a teacher shortage that is getting worse with each passing year. This uproar isn't only over pensions it is the gross underfunding of education as a whole. There continues to be unfunded mandates and cuts to essential services needed in order for schools to be successful. Many schools are the central lifeblood of a community. They provide much than just the teaching of content. At some point you have to say enough is enough and stand up and voice your concerns in a way in which you will be heard. Obviously that hasn't been the case thus far.

Per social media:

 

No school for Boone county Monday.

 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

The Boone County School District, in collaboration with the Boone County Education Association and the Boone County Board of Education, has decided to close schools on Monday, April 2, 2018.

Our response comes after yesterday's press conference with the Kentucky Education Association request for school closure. This will allow not just public school employees, but also the public and their families travel to Frankfort to advocate for Funding for Public Education.

Drastic times call for drastic action. Although, closing school is the last thing anyone wants to do, one of the reasons for this decision to close school is because educators feel one of their main responsibilities is to advocate for the children of the Commonwealth. We have attempted every other means of communication, action, and advocacy. Now, it seems that our Governor and Legislature still have not yet internalized the importance of putting our students and families first. We encourage all of our Boone County families and community to travel with us in solidarity. We must educate our lawmakers on the need to find new streams of revenue to fully fund our vital Public Services, including Public Education.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Randy Poe, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Boone County Schools

I learned along time ago almost everyone is replacable in most fields or jobs, including myself.

 

My guess is that in not too many years from now there’s going to be more than enough teaching jobs available for replacements but very few new teachers to fill them. A career as an educator is going to be low on the totem pole in the future as a college choice.

Interesting that you point out that teachers are raising kids, giving them life lessons that parents should be teaching. Teachers know more things about kids than parents. Teachers spend more time with their kids than parents.

I have seen many threads and posts on BGP referencing what is wrong with kids today? Please explain how your post on the influence of teachers has played a role in the increase of drug deaths, school shootings and kids having a lack of respect?

I still put the ownership of these actions in the hands of the parents. Not sure you do after reading this post?

I put ownership on the parents/families. Part of the problem is those families/parents don’t take responsibility. What many of those parents/families have done is tied the hands of teachers and schools.

 

I didn’t say teachers know more about kids than parents. I said teachers more about a parents kids at times. So I didn’t speak in absolutes like it was implied in your post.

 

The fact that teachers will spend more time with some of their students than the parent is just a statement on our society today.

 

Schools for a very very long have time taught what is refered to as the hidden curriculum. Social skills and many other things that are not on a test.

Per social media:

 

No school for Boone county Monday.

 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

The Boone County School District, in collaboration with the Boone County Education Association and the Boone County Board of Education, has decided to close schools on Monday, April 2, 2018.

Our response comes after yesterday's press conference with the Kentucky Education Association request for school closure. This will allow not just public school employees, but also the public and their families travel to Frankfort to advocate for Funding for Public Education.

Drastic times call for drastic action. Although, closing school is the last thing anyone wants to do, one of the reasons for this decision to close school is because educators feel one of their main responsibilities is to advocate for the children of the Commonwealth. We have attempted every other means of communication, action, and advocacy. Now, it seems that our Governor and Legislature still have not yet internalized the importance of putting our students and families first. We encourage all of our Boone County families and community to travel with us in solidarity. We must educate our lawmakers on the need to find new streams of revenue to fully fund our vital Public Services, including Public Education.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Randy Poe, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Boone County Schools

 

Why not tell the whole story here......They also are paying for buses to take the teachers to Frankfort to protest Monday.

Why not tell the whole story here......They also are paying for buses to take the teachers to Frankfort to protest Monday.

 

If that is true that is a problem. Tax payer resources should not be used to protest.

Yes, any everyone of them was irrationally portrayed as the end of the world for our teachers. I.E. teachers can no longer buy five years of credit to their retirements by simply paying into the system what they would have if they worked. The payback to this benefit was beyond absurd, but allowed by poorly informed and irrationally and politically motivated/self serving legislators. All at the expense of the poorly represented and uninformed taxpayer.

Was that around 01 or so? I believe state workers had the same option. When I worked for that state one of my coworkers had already bought some years and was looking to do it again before they ended it.

Was that around 01 or so? I believe state workers had the same option. When I worked for that state one of my coworkers had already bought some years and was looking to do it again before they ended it.

 

Memory tells me it was more like late 90's. Just rember the uproar which ignored the sustainability and mathematical absurdity and just heard the screams about how unfair it was to take this hard earned benefit away. It was to be the end of teaching as a career choice. The same political "sky is falling" sounds are being trumpeted by KEA leadership while giving a deaf ear to the realities of this broken system. The Ky taxpayers cannot be on the hook for a defined benefit program so poorly designed and conceived.