Newly agree to contract: Details of the agreement include: annual base salary increases over three years of 3%, 2% and 4.5%; 30 minutes of recess for elementary students; new policies to reduce student testing; unlinking test scores to teacher evaluations; and increasing staff to reduce workloads and provide student services. WSJ 9-16-15
A teacher with a masters degree in Seattle earns $100,000 a year (for ten months of work). Based on the above raises that will be $109,787 by the end of the contract or the full-time equivalent of $131,797; not bad.
Teachers get paid more for obtaining a masters degree without regard to the actual added value that degree adds to their teaching ability and results in the classroom. How would you like that automatic pay raise deal?
In this case it’s supposed to be a good thing to reduce testing and unlink test scores to evaluations … and this is supposed to be better for students?
Students get stressed unnecessarily when teachers and the system teach to the tests and put pressure on the students to do well. The upcoming test is hyped, the kids think it’s a crisis if they don’t do well. That’s not fair.
If you are doing your job well, doesn’t it stand to reason that cramming students for a standard test should be unnecessary? They will have learned what was taught. I recall the dreaded pop quiz while in school; unfair we would complain, but in retrospect if both teacher and student were doing their job, pop or any other quiz is irrelevant, the material has been learned primarily because it has been well taught.
We can’t agree on testing in elementary school and teachers don’t like being evaluated based on any quantifiable standard, but a student’s entire future can be based on cramming for the SAT and its impact on being accepted at a top college. What the hell is relevant and what’s not?
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
I looked at the list and incomes in Seattle, WA and it looks to me that many teachers are paid above what the average taxpayer makes. But you could not pay me enough to put up with many peoples kids these days.
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Me neither, or put up with the parents either.
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Mr. Quinn, The number of teachers being paid anything close to $100,000 is extremely small. Your response is worthy of the type of politician you disdain. Please, look again at the facts.
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I never said it was average or a large portion or anything like that. I said a teacher with a masters could earn $100,000 which is a fact as is the increases reported quite large in today’s inflation environment especially the percentage three years out. Not many Americans have that kind of deal or the ability to negotiate away evaluation criteria. Most teachers have a very good compensation package when you consider the non-cash portion and the hours worked in a year. A deal far better than the majority of taxpayers footing the bill.
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I am not accustomed to defending public schools. But this article is grossly misleading regarding salaries of public school teachers in Seattle. Here is a website maintained by the Tacoma News Tribune listing the salaries of every Seattle public school employee. Please count how many approach 100,000.00.
http://wwwb.thenewstribune.com/databases/school_pay/index.php?names=&schools=&districts=Seattle+Public+Schools&sort=&job_title=&page=2
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I think what you posted supports the original article which referred to those with masters degrees. Note in your link the lower paid are mostly teacher aides.
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