School boards, administrators not to blame for low teacher pay

A teacher with 24 years of experience and a master's degree boldly asserted in The Enquirer on Nov. 13 that "most school districts do not want to pay teachers for their experience" because of the increased costs associated with paying more experienced teachers. Though the writer of that opinion stated he felt qualified to "provide the rest of the story," I would assert that 24 years in the classroom does not make one an expert on school finance. As a retired superintendent with 17 years in that capacity who prepared and administered an operating budget each year, I would like to offer a different perspective.

I and nearly all school administrators I knew in my career would truly have liked to pay our teaching staff more, but the budget won't allow it. Our district residents are overwhelmed by a seemingly endless barrage of taxes imposed upon us by state and federal governments. School district property and income taxes are one of the few places the local taxpayer can loudly say, "Enough!" at the polls, and they do so with disheartening regularity. The most recent election is testament to that fact.