Arrogance?

Now if you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I've commented frequently about teacher pay and the major deficits schools and states are facing. Unfortunately, many of my predictions are now coming true and education is in serious trouble. And it will get worse, but that is a subject for another day. Instead I can't help but comment on the actions of an area school district which I won't name here. It is a district that has loads of money, loads of expensive housing developments, and loads of professionals living within the district. Many of us have often felt that this district has often displayed arrogant attitudes and they appear to be mostly concerned about their high achievers. There are three recent situations that confirm my feelings. The first was the incident where many of their students refused to say the Pledge to our flag or even show respect for those that did. I commented on this several weeks ago when this attitude made the newspaper. The second happened recently when their School Board announced some programs that would be eliminated. One of their decisions was to drop a work-study program to save money. This program was for those not planning on going to college. At the same time they announced that they would introduce the International Baccalaureate program because some of their high achievers were not being challenged enough. Drop a program for low achievers while adding one for high achievers in a year when major cuts are needed? Something just doesn't seem right or fair about this action. Then the third thing happened just last week. A few months ago I suggested that the best things teachers could do statewide was to turn down their pay raises for the coming year to help districts with their major deficits. I was very pleased when Hempfield teachers first agreed to do so. This was followed by several other districts, including my school, Penn Manor. But one school refused to take a freeze or even cut their raises from 3.9% to 2%. And, as you have probably guessed, it is the same district that I referred to in the two actions above. How could they, probably the teachers with the highest salaries in the county, refuse to reduce their pay to help their district and senior taxpayers, especially when other schools are doing so? To me, no matter what they say, this decision is just plain arrogance. They have done nothing to refute the opinion that so many have about their district. Now they claim that they want several things before they will consider a freeze or reduction and they might eventually accept something. But to me, and much of the public, the damage has already been done. I have always said that a district like mine, with no industry and so much tax-exempt property (Millersville University, PPL, etc.), has done so much more with their limited resources than a district like this one with all its advantages. But when you have a professional population with college expectations, you can look superior without doing much. Teaching them and riding their achievements is easy. Unfortunately, most folks and most media don't realize that, or at least won't say so. But actions like these I think begin to expose the truth. But after all of that, what does it really matter to me? I didn't work in that district ... I don't live in that district ... I don't pay taxes to that district ... none of my grandkids are in that district ... fortunately!