Dear Editor:
Re: Trouble ahead for B.C.'s school, In the House, The Record, Sept. 7. Keith, you missed some important information.
I would like to add to it. Isn't it amazing that our school teachers don't have any understanding of economics.
In B.C., the average salary for a school teacher is a high of $71,831 in school district No. 20, Kootenay Columbia, to a low of $63,869 in school district No. 84, Vancouver Island West. Ontario pays the highest average salary of $75,688, Alberta second at $74,299, and B.C. third at $72,242.
Alberta placed number 1 in literacy scores and B.C. came in second (info from kto12.ca and nucleuslearning.com).
Now Susan Lambert of the B.C. teachers federation says that B.C. teachers are underpaid compared to those of Ontario and Alberta. Now, the economics. Ontario's tax rate is 5.05 per cent, the lowest in Canada with a population of 13,210,667.
B.C.'s tax rate is 5.06 per cent, second lowest in Canada with a population of 4,510,858. The reason B.C. does not pay the same is because Ontario has 8,699,809 more taxpayers.
Alberta's tax rate is 10 per cent with a population of 3,724,832.
Alberta collects much more in taxes from taxpayers than B.C. does. Susan Lambert must realize that it is the taxpayers that pay school teacher wages.
In B.C. if she thinks that the present government should adjust the teachers' wages to that of Ontario and Alberta, then the B.C. taxpayers just have to pay more taxes. She has to realize that.
And now, to the average B.C. working person. Your teachers in B.C. on average are paid $63,869 to $71,831, with total working days of 188 after all professional days, stat holidays, Christmas and Easter breaks, and summer holidays are taken into account.
You, on the other hand, will work 238 days after stat holidays, and an average of 15 days vacation time are taken into account, with nowhere near the amount of these salaries. Now review the above, and think to yourselves: Is it fair that you the taxpayer should sweeten the teachers pay package with higher taxes?
In summary, Susan Lambert has to take into account, that with the present salary structure, goes all that time off without ever affecting the paycheque.
It is amazing that these university graduate people are teaching our kids and yet they cannot understand the above economics.
Joe Sawchuk, Duncan
