As some (or many) in the county know, I wrote and e-mailed a letter to every member of the Patrick County School Board on August 13 asking them about pay inequalities in the school system.
Specifically, I wanted to know why some employees in the central office received 36.5%, 21%, 12.3%, 11.9% and 5.7 % raises while teachers received a paltry 2% raise (which actually amounts to a 1% raise since the raise doesn’t even start until January 2018).
I also wanted to know why titles were changed to justify outlandish raises without the jobs being posted. As for me personally, I wanted to know why some people in the central office who either did not attend college or did not complete a four-year degree were making up to $12,000 more money a year than I do when I have been teaching at the high school for 16 years and have two master’s degrees! (And do people really wonder why so many teachers are leaving?)
Guess what? As of this writing (September 2), not a single school board member has even acknowledged my letter.
Since I wrote my letter, I have learned even more disturbing information about pay inequalities in our school system. Apparently, the newly revised pay scale for our substitute bus drivers, custodians and clerical workers has been reduced and they now will earn just 25 cents above minimum wage! Just think about that when your child has a substitute bus driver heading down (or up) the mountain, or anywhere else in the county. It seems that the saying (“take from the rich to give to the poor”) is reversed in Patrick County, because here it is apparently take from the poor and give to the central office to boost salaries!
The next school board meeting is Thursday, September 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the central office on Rucker Street in Stuart. If you are a hard-working taxpayer and are outraged by these injustices, be there. You voted for these school board members, so hold them accountable.
And here’s a better idea, before attending the September 14 meeting, contact your school board member and ask him/her to explain why/how these pay inequalities happened in the first place.
Nancy M. Carlson
