Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - On Tuesday, New York’s teachers are fighting back and they’re using the airwaves to do it.
A TV commercial airing throughout the state targets cuts to school aid and calls on lawmakers to restore educational funding.
The campaign launched at the same time that Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for pay freezes in school districts as a way to control spending.
The ad campaign is part of a $1 million effort to change some minds and prompt lawmakers to reject the Governor's plan to reduce educational spending by $1.5 billion. There are also teacher rallies planned statewide. One is planned for Syracuse on March 5.
In addition,
a NewsChannel 9 In Depth report on Monday night looked at teachers’ salaries and how those salaries can increase.
The scrutiny on teachers’ pay and school funding, however, may be keeping some of the best and brightest out of the profession.
SU School of Education student Jessica Bacon said that helping young minds grow is gratifying, but she’s disappointed at the negative perceptions some people have of teachers. “I think sometimes teachers get an unfair rap for getting three months off a year,” Bacon said.
Those who question spending on education often object to the amount of time teachers are able to take off. Other common objections include how much teachers pay for benefits, as well as salaries.
Douglas Biklen, the dean of SU’s School of Education, noted that taxpayers opinions vary on the topic of teachers’ compensation. "Taxpayers are going to debate this, just as employees will debate it within their own workplace. I don't think taxpayers are of one mind on this,” Biklen said. “Discussions about pay freezes are not any different for education, teachers, than for any other sector of society."
Cuts to education, along with the negative perception, are driving people away from the profession, Bacon noted. “A lot of people I know are not wanting to be teachers anymore because the political climate is so difficult, the field is losing some good people,” she said.
At Syracuse University, the School of Education's enrollment numbers are as strong as ever, but students claim that their peers are exiting the field after realizing the challenges over the course of several years.
