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Stifle the applause

Shock and amazement are the only words that came to mind when I read Joe Polowski’s letter (June 27). He stated that we should give a “special round of applause” to our Spokane Public Schools principals for volunteering to take a 3 percent pay cut.

Does Mr. Polowski realize that these same principals allowed themselves to receive a 3 percent pay raise for the 2010-’11 school year? Teachers, mind you, only received a 1.3 percent pay raise the same year. How simply wonderful it is for these principals to be so generous!

In the meantime, the Spokane Public Schools teachers are supposed to receive a 1.9 percent pay cut this school year. If one compares a beginning teacher salary, $30,974, with that of a beginning principal, roughly $104,000, it is easy to see that teachers absolutely should not receive any pay cut, rather, a pay raise! A teacher contract is 180 school days and a principal contract is 210 days (only 30 days more).

Joe, you do the math!

Warren H. Poppe

Spokane

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