Runaway school costs?

[pwd72s]

Below is a quote from today's Portland (OR) OREGONIAN...a newspaper every bit as liberal as the NY TIMES. Perhaps it's time that the myth of the underpaid teacher with few benefits is exploded?



"The district has budgeted nearly $52 million this school year for health insurance for teachers and other employees. For each teacher, the district pays an average of $947 a month to cover medical insurance. That's up from an average of $612 a month in 2001, $752 a month in 2002 and $794 a month in 2003."

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by pwd72s
Perhaps it's time that the myth of the underpaid teacher with few benefits is exploded?

Pardon my French, but WTF?

Med insurance is a basic benefit. I don't know any teachers (and I know a few) who would work without medical coverage. Their salaries are insufficient to provide it for themselves.

These ins. costs just reflect the spiralling med costs in our society. How is this news?

[BGCarrera32]

Its the same as every time the state employees start whining because their co-pays go up or now their medical coverage will be $25 a month. How its killing them, their radio advertisements before the strike end with "payed for by the coaltion for working families", all the typical bs. The problem is that they're not grounded in reality, and don't understand what employers and employees pay in the private sector (the real world). They get a deal on coverage but are too dumb to figure it out.

[tabs]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
Pardon my French, but WTF?

Med insurance is a basic benefit.

These ins. costs just reflect the spiralling med costs in our society.

"Basic Benfit"....that implys it doesn't add to the hourly cost of employing a teacher.

"Spiralling med costs" well maybe part of those costs is the fact that the medical industry has to provide benifits to it's employees as part of their overhead. Perhaps their malpractice insurance is maybe a bit on the high side??? Perhaps the cost of R&D is expensive...to find that life saving drug to keep U alive for another 5 minutes.

Medical costs are something that is realitivily new say within the last 45 years...before that if you got sick....you died, and there wasn't much in the wauy of medical costs simple huh. But with new technology they can cure or keep you alive much longer and that means a higher cost. So do you wana pay or gawd forbid DIE.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by tabs
"Basic Benfit"....that implys it doesn't add to the hourly cost of employing a teacher.

That is not at all what I was implying. By "basic" I mean that "at the least one would expect to be paid a salary and get medical coverage". "Basic" doesn't include stock options, 401k, etc.

Hell, doesn't McDonald's provide medical?

[tabs]

Med coverage to be considered to be a "Basic Benfit" could only come from a RICH nation....Somehow I don't think that workers in the 3rd World or even the 4th world even think Med coverage is "Basic" I think it is a luxury for many of them to have ANY medical attention at all let alone to be a "Basic Benfit". Let's get real here...

[BlueSkyJaunte]

What, is Oregon not part of the US of A? Did Mexico annex it whilst our backs were turned? Guess what, we're a rich nation, people expect some sort of medical coverage when they work for an organization that employs more than 100 people. Especially when that organization is the freaking government.