Value?

We Don't Value School District Employees?

The claim by many citizens as well as some elected officials in Pickens County that the taxpayers of Pickens County do not value and pay school district employees well is untrue.

I recently requested the list of all school district employees making over $50,000 a year. Here is the link to the list that John Eby sent to me:

www.pickens.k12.sc.us/departments/financial_services/financial_information/expenditures___salaries

Twenty-two of the top brass earn more than $90,000 a year. Please understand...these employees don’t work a full year either. They are given 2 weeks off for Christmas, a week at spring break, 2 weeks of vacation, about 12 paid sick days, and Fridays off in the summer.

Principals, assistant principals, and teachers have a more generous annual calendar (less days they have to work).

The average salary for a teacher is nearly $50,000 in the SDPC. Some teachers, I can see make as much at $75,000 to $80,000 a year. Teachers work a 190 day year or less than 9 months, because they have summers off too.

There are other major benefits that people seem to ignore that school district employees have. These perks include, a premium family medical plan, unmatched job security, receiving 50% or more of their salary for life in retirement plus medical, as well as the fact they work in a new or renovated building.

It is insulting to say the citizens of Pickens County do not value school district employees, when we the citizens through our tax dollars allow them many things that we do not receive ourselves.

It is time for those people who claim we don't support our SDPC employees to quit lying to the citizens. Many of us support them to the detriment of being able to pay our property taxes in a timely manner.

By Johnnelle Raines