No need to be so rude about teachers' pay
Letters to the EditorPublished December 11, 2005
Re: County's teachers have it pretty darned good, Nov. 30 letter by James Hendricks:
I am just floored by this letter. The rudeness and bitterness portrayed in it are mind-blowing.
I have two children. One is school age. She is in second grade and has been on the honor roll consistently since she began attending school.
I have a close family member who is a teacher in Hernando County. She teaches middle school and is an "elective teacher," meaning she teaches all grades in that school.
Because I follow the news and know firsthand about the education and teachers' pay in this county, I like to think I'm pretty well informed.
However, I just want to point out that if Hendricks has problems paying his bills while on disability, he can work part time and still collect disability. This way maybe he can afford to pay for people to get an education, like he stated he does, and still have money to eat, unlike teachers.
He stated he never had children, so for him to know firsthand how things are going in the schools is impossible.
There are children in the school system who come from broken homes, are in foster care, have learning disabilities and anger issues - you name it. Every teacher in this county has at least one, if not more, child in his classroom who falls into one of those categories. Teachers get desks and pencils thrown at them and are cursed at, told off, threatened and spat upon. Yet they get up every morning and go back to the same classroom to the same 35 students and teach again. They pick up where they left off the day before. Why? Because they love doing it. It's their passion.
So they want more money. What do you care? Is the government saying, "Mr. Hendricks, we are cutting your disability check because a teacher wants more money"?
Do you realize that not only are you paying for education, but you're also paying for roads to be paved and Medicaid and food stamps and new water systems and other expenses that aren't itemized on your disability check? Do you know that those teachers who are "complaining" that they don't get paid enough are helping the state to pay your disability?
Who do you think is going to run this country in 20 years? The kids who are in school right now.
These teachers aren't asking for an additional $30,000 a year. They are asking to be paid what other counties pay. What's wrong with that?
-- Nikki Stotz, Spring Hill
Humane Society fundraisers help smooth out unexpected
Many times the question is asked, "What do you do with all of the money from your fundraisers?" or "Why do you have so many fundraisers?"
Dec. 2 was a typical day at our animal shelter. It was 8 a.m., time to feed, clean, exercise and provide the medical care that many of our pets need. But there was a problem. There was no running water. We weren't sure what the problem was, but the need for water was immediate. So we had to organize a caravan to Wal-Mart for water, while still carrying on the morning schedule.
The pets at our shelter are quite used to their routine, and we work hard to stay on time and create as little stress for them as possible. We are grateful to our staff and volunteers who can adapt so quickly to such an unexpected crisis.
After a call for repairs, we discovered that our well pump was broken beyond repair and would need to be replaced. We also discovered that the tank on the well was too small for the demands of the shelter and needed to be enlarged. So, now, a typical day at the shelter that operates on a limited budget has become a $2,300 day. This expense had not been expected or planned for, so now we need to adjust our budgeting plan. Beyond the well, we had to have work done on the septic system. It is never ending.
The Humane Society of the Nature Coast is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. That means most of the buildings and utilities are old - some even older than 40 years - and are in need of repair or replacement. Our goal is to repair, replace and expand our facility to meet the needs of our ever-expanding community.
This is where the money goes. Please know your donations are appreciated more than we can express and are put to good use on a daily basis.
-- Joanne Schoch, Humane Society of the Nature Coast