Re: ‘Teacher raise offer disrespectful? To whom?’ [Letter, Village News, 3/24/16]

In response to Mr. Stitle, most respectfully, a quick check of the FUESD salary schedule shows that in order to earn the $80,000 per year Mr. Stitle cited, one of our elementary teachers would have to have a Masters Degree and 14 years of teaching experience.

Only eight percent of Americans have a Masters Degree, so to compare Fallbrook teachers to that number or to the average wage earner in California is inaccurate. Furthermore, it is a gross misrepresentation that teachers work 40-hour weeks. Most elementary teachers work 50 to 60 hours at least.

My wife and I often walk at night around the La Paloma Elementary School parking lot and frequently see teachers leaving their classrooms after 8 p.m. Fallbrook Elementary teachers are dedicated and devoted to student success.

Expectations on teachers today are tremendous: teachers face behavior problems, language barriers, Special Education needs, expectations of parents, students, and administrators, standardized tests, and a new curriculum.

Fallbrook is really getting a deal with what it is paying its teachers. According to the website PayScale, the average national wage for someone with an MA and 14 years of experience is over $85,000. This year, a great deal of money was sent by the state to districts all across California. The money is there; the teachers

deserve a raise.

I would like to see the district pay its teachers what they deserve. To provide less is insulting.

Bill Cavanaugh