To the editor;
Isn’t it amazing our school teachers don’t have any understanding of economics?
In British Columbia, the average salary for a school teacher is a high of $71,831 in the Kootenay Columbia School District to a low of $63,869 in the Vancouver Island West School District.
Ontario pays the highest average salary at $75,688; Alberta is second at $74,299; and B.C. is third at $72,242.
Alberta placed number 1 in literacy scores and B.C. came in second (info from kt012.cabc_teachers_wages and from nucleuslearning.com)
Susan Lambert, of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, says B.C. teachers are underpaid to that of Ontario and Alberta.
Now here is the economics.
Ontario’s tax rate is 5.05 per cent, the lowest in Canada with a population of 13,210,667.
B.C.’s tax rate is 5.06 per cent, second lowest in Canada with a population of 4,510,858.
The reason B.C. does not pay the same is because Ontario has 8,699,809 more taxpayers.
Alberta’s tax rate is 10 per cent with a population of 3,724,832. Alberta collects much more in taxes from taxpayers than B.C. does.
Lambert must realize it is the taxpayers who pay school teacher wages.
If she thinks the present government in B.C. should adjust the teachers’ wages to that of Ontario and Alberta, then the B.C. taxpayers just have to pay more taxes. She has to realize that.
The average B.C. working person needs to know the following facts.
On average, B.C. teachers are paid $63,869 to $71,831, with a total working days of 188 after all professional days, stat holidays, Christmas and Easter breaks, and summer holidays are taken into account.
The average worker on the other hand will work 238 days after stat holidays, and an average of 15 days vacation time are taken into account, with nowhere near the amount of these salaries.
Now review the above, and think to yourselves, is it fair that you the taxpayer should sweeten the teachers’ pay package with higher taxes?
In summary, Ms. Lambert has to take into account, that with the present salary structure, they also get all that time off without ever affecting the paycheque.
It is amazing these university graduates are teaching our children and yet they cannot understand the above economics.
Joe Sawchuk
Duncan, B.C.