LETTERS: Teacher salaries show misplaced priorities
To the editor:
Isn’t it ludicrous that on a daily basis, there are newspaper articles and television reports explaining the efforts expended to secure stadium projects? The pleas make it sound as if we just can’t survive without a stadium and, ultimately, some kind of professional sports team.
In less than two weeks, our schools will reopen. The Clark County School District is in dire need of several hundred teachers and hundreds more support staffers. A society can exist without a stadium or a ball team, but it cannot survive without education. When will the powers-that-be realize that in order to get highly qualified teachers, they must pay adequate salaries? A beginning teacher in Clark County earns $34,684 a year, and with a Ph.D., that increases to $46,008. That is a disgrace. That’s the reason those highly qualified prospective teachers are going into other fields.
An NBA minimum salary is $490,000. Something is very wrong in our society. Don’t you feel sorry for the NFL player who is only making $102 million for 10 years? Then there are the poorest of the professional baseball players, earning in the ballpark of $500,000 a year.
This is why we are short of teachers. This is why Nevada public schools rank last in the country. Wake up, citizens of Clark County. We must improve our schools, and the best place to start is with the teachers. They must have more encouragement, more support, more recognition and definitely higher salaries. Forget the stadium, forget the ballplayers. Negotiate for education. You can attract the best of the lot with decent salaries, good morning.
SHEILA MORSE
HENDERSON
Teacher shortage
To the editor:
Regarding Sunday’s editorial on the teacher shortage, while restoring a $2,000 hiring bonus for new teachers might help attract new educators to Clark County, it does little if anything to retain them. The teacher shortage is exacerbated by the fact that teachers here have not received a cost-of-living raise in more than five years, and many choose to leave education rather than deal with overcrowded classrooms, lack of resources and a stagnant pay scale.
The problem is not that new teachers won’t come here; the problem is that the Clark County School District can’t seem to retain the teachers it already has.
JOEL VLIETSTRA
LAS VEGAS
Israeli plea
To the editor:
Andy Amid’s letter supported the Palestinians’ plea for Israel to end the occupation and remove the blockade, so that they can live as free people (“Palestinians deserving of compassion,” Aug. 8 Review-Journal). Mr. Amid asks, “How dare they desire freedom and aspirations!” My response to Mr. Amid: How dare Israelis plea for an end to terrorist tactics and the cessation of a relentless missile assault directed at civilian population. The gall!
ELIZABETH HERSHKOVITZ
LAS VEGAS
Harvey and Harry
To the editor:
Steve Sebelius’ commentary on Harvey Whittemore ended with the words, “Did you hear what they did to Harvey?” (“Thus endeth the lesson,” Aug. 10 Review-Journal). Yes, Mr. Whittemore broke a law that he was surely familiar with. But why, and for whom?
Sen. Harry Reid, arguably the second-most-powerful person in the country, was the person who benefited from the considerable illegal money. Shouldn’t Sen. Reid be in jail with Mr. Whittemore? When the checks cleared, a personal note went from Sen. Reid to Mr. Whittemore reading, “You are my friend today and for all tomorrows.” So, Mr. Reid didn’t know? His staff didn’t notice that the checks were bundled? There was no arrangement?
Of course there was! We, the people, employ people to enforce our laws, even — and especially, I wish — involving the powerful. When is a journalist or law officer going to investigate the obvious?
CHARLES GOULD
LAS VEGAS
White House weakness
To the editor:
Mary Jo Rhodes’ letter to the editor was spot-on (“Israeli leadership,” Aug. 7 Review-Journal). Every sane American should agree with her assessment, and I thank Ms. Rhodes for speaking out.
If only the United States had someone like Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House. Just think how strong a nation we would be, rather than being subject to the comedian-in-chief policies we have now.
KAY HOPKINS
LAS VEGAS
Corporate taxes
To the editor:
Corporate America is going overseas. Why? Because our corporate tax rate is too high. Stockholders want dividends, and taxes dilute those monies.
Walgreens recently chose not to locate its headquarters abroad when it had the opportunity to do so. The price of the company’s stock then dropped several dollars, due to the decision to stay American. I bought some shares of Walgreens, because I appreciated its corporate decision.
When are those in Congress going to do what’s best for America and make the corporate taxes competitive with the rest of the world? Instead of making more laws, clear out those volumes of rules and make some straightforward, clear-cut laws that are in America’s best interest.
DARLYNE UNDERHILL
LAS VEGAS
