Letter: We need to pay our teachers more
(Leah Hogsten | Tribune file photo) Teachers walk out of the public comment period at the Salt Lake City School District meeting regarding salary negotiations on June 4, 2019.
For many years now, underfunded Utah students have been performing as well, or better, than students who learn in districts that spend more money, sometimes much more, per student. “Stack ’em deep and teach ’em cheap” is an unfortunate mantra that has held up for more than 25 years.
For more than three decades, our teachers have been working in classrooms built to hold 25 students, but explode with 30-plus students. More than one Utah governor has espoused, “More money in education is not the answer,” and they have kept their grip on status quo spending as student numbers increased.
Now, in another recent study, Utah students who are funded at less than $8,000 per year are outperforming once again.
Question: Isn’t this all the proof we need to justify paying our teachers more?
Laura Grzymkowski, Cottonwood Heights
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