In his letter, Ron Iwami of Manoa Valley shouts for joy over the 14.7% raise over a four-year period in the salaries of our teachers (“Contract shows value of public school teachers,” Star-Advertiser, April 27).
He cites the fact that many of us consider teaching to be one of the most important jobs in our society today because it shapes our future leaders from our keiki, and yet, sadly, many have to take a second job in order to make ends meet.
The average salary of our teachers (which includes teachers at all levels) is $59,000 a year. This, as we all know, is a full-time job PLUS. I say PLUS, because teachers spend many extra hours of their own time correcting papers at home and preparing lesson plans, all for the betterment of our keiki.
At the same time, the Honolulu Salary Commission, appointed by the mayor and City Council members, has approved a salary increase for Council members of 64% for a part-time job paying them $113,000 a year. Are we missing something here?
Louie Carnazzo
Kailua
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