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Letter: Why aren't teachers' wage demands affordable?

The Editor, Re. " Big hikes for admin as teachers fight for pay raises " (The Tri-City News, Nov. 28).
School District 43 superintendent Patricia Gartland, left, and board of education chair Barb Hobson,
School District 43 superintendent Patricia Gartland, left, and board of education chair Barb Hobson, defended their last trip to China, saying it was important to promote the district's international education program.

The Editor,

Re. "Big hikes for admin as teachers fight for pay raises" (The Tri-City News, Nov. 28).

Our public schools are always short of money, yet we continue to pay through the nose for administrators — at least 10 in School District 43 who make more than $150,000 annually, according to a The Tri-City News article.

We hear a lot about how "it's all for the kids" but that teachers' salary demands are not affordable. So why is it affordable to pay the big bucks for people who don't actually work with the kids?

Yes, I know the pay for administrators is in line with that in other districts. I also know that they are bright, talented professionals who work very hard for their money. They really are.

But raises of 8% to 15%? And this has been going on for some years now.

It seems administrators are extraordinarily talented at explaining why significant amounts of public funds ought to be, in effect, taken from the ever-shrinking pie available for school budgets and diverted into their own pockets. Is it really not possible to find a dedicated administrator for, perhaps, $140,000?

Maybe we could find bright, talented professionals whose primary motivation is a little more about the students and a little less about the money.

Simon Truelove, Port Coquitlam