Lesson Time for the Non Educators
Have you ever wondered why the people in the industry of education with the least contact with your children make the most money?
The individuals who manipulate the school calendar, influence the construction of unnecessary facilities and even decide zoning for schools make significantly more money than the teachers, the counselors, the secretaries, the attendance clerks, the librarians, the custodians and the cafeteria staff.
While teachers and staff take the blame when test scores lack, you rarely if ever will find a teacher attached to a story regarding the misspending of funds.
When scandal is reported and money is misspent, the six figure people are the individuals who resign. They make the decisions for your children and for their teachers.
Tuesday afternoon, the Dallas Morning News reported that the teachers and staff of DeSoto Independent School District would not receive their paychecks on time in November. The headline was misleading.
Let's clear something up. The teachers and staff at DeSoto ISD are not being paid late, but instead they will receive their monthly paychecks on their usual pay date, which is the 26th of the month.
The original plan, however, was an early payday going into the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Those adults should've just made arrangements," some will say.
Please understand that a pay calendar is created before the school year begins. Some people plan accordingly. Some pay off a credit card early when they think the next payday will come early. Certain ladies are heading into maternity leave – any early monies are welcomed. . Some teachers plan to resign before Christmas- they want their money now. The difference of 10 days makes a big deal to many people.
Get your opinions out of other people's bank accounts.
Perhaps DeSoto ISD isn’t terribly mistreating its employees in the month of November. It does, however, sound like that 10 days is a way for them to buy time while moving monies around. If the monthly payroll for that district is $7 million – how is such an issue involving a lack in funds rectified in just 10 days?
Several high-ranking administrators have left DeSoto ISD in recent months. There is an active investigation into whether some funneled money to themselves and others. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is very much involved in the investigation.
DeSoto does not stand alone in the mess that is mismanagement of funds in school districts around the country.
Have you ever studied the scheme of unethical practices?
Education is a business. States fund businesses. The government funds industries. Grants are awarded. Sure, students often benefit through classroom technology and exploratory career ventures. The final say on how money is spent, however, comes from those you don’t see at parent conference.
The spotlight in education is on teachers. The performance or lack thereof from educators is under a constant microscope, so much so that the public often fails to realize just how puppet-like the teachers and staff members are in school districts around the country.
The bigger issue at hand rests on the fact that school districts are constantly under fire for the mismanagement of millions. How exactly is there so much money to misspend when the average teacher sees about a $75 per month increase in pay each school year?
If there are millions to lose, abuse and play around with – why are teachers in certain districts still financing the supplies for their classrooms? Why are field trips still the fundraising responsibility of teachers and staff?
Visit the administration building for the larger school districts in your state. There you will find individuals with degrees on top of degrees – some earned, some simply paid for certifications and passed exams. Many of these persons make six figure salaries and will never have any direct contact with students. Others are in positions to instruct and critique teachers although they’re 15 years removed from an ever-changing classroom.
A first year teacher with a Bachelor’s Degree makes $51,000 in DeSoto ISD. A 30-year veteran in the district with a Doctorate Degree makes $66,825.
When your child fails the state exam for the third time, will you question his teacher or the people who hold the teacher’s livelihood in hand a few miles away?
Will you show up to the next school-board meeting when there is a misappropriation of funds in your child’s school district? Or will you simply sit in the $20 million football stadiums on Friday nights?
