Date: 2|18|2011
“Sick” Teachers Force Milwaukee Public Schools To Close
On Friday, the Milwaukee Public School District was forced to close the doors of all its 184 schools after more than 600 teachers called in “sick” in order to travel to Madison to engage in protests against Governor Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. The Milwaukee Public School District is the largest school district in Wisconsin with over 82,000 students and 184 schools.
photo by wn.com
Governor Walker’s Budget Repair Bill would require modest contributions to pensions and healthcare for teachers and other public employees, as well as restricting collective bargaining rights to wages only.
The average salary of a Milwaukee Public School District teacher is $56,095 according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Including benefits, the average compensation package for Milwaukee teachers is $86,297 per year.
If these 600 Milwaukee teachers are not docked pay, it could cost taxpayers nearly $186,983.32 to pay teachers to attend protests in Madison on Friday.
Of course the costs associated with Milwaukee teacher’s calling in “sick” and forcing schools to close is not all in dollars.
According to Census Bureau estimates, nearly 33% of of all children in the Milwaukee Public School system live in poverty. Essential services occur during the school day such as the administration of medicine and guaranteed meals.
On Friday, Milwaukee Public School teachers decided that maintaining their $56,000 salary and $30,000 benefits package are more important than the children of Milwaukee whom they claim to serve. It was more important to join the protests in Madison than administering medicine, feeding children, and educating students.
Note to Readers: The figures in this article were amended after a mistake was discovered. Thank you to our vigilant readers.
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