To the editor:

Kennedy once said, “Education : is the mainspring of our progress; the highest expression in our society, ennobling and enriching human life.” There are a number of retired teachers, educators with advanced degrees, and educators with lots of experience from other districts who have completed the extensive course work to become certified in Kansas as substitute teachers. Unfortunately, it has become very costly to maintain our highly qualified status.

If we register for graduate classes at KU, it is very likely that we will spend $800 or even $900 for a three-hour class, which is about a month’s salary for us. Another obstacle in maintaining highly qualified staff is that our salary has been stagnant for a number of years. Unfortunately, our expenses have increased. Like the rest of you, we have to worry about fueling our vehicles and heating our homes. The price of natural gas has been rumored to increase by as much as 71 percent.

USD 497 could not do without substitute teachers. There are many times that illness, death and training take teachers away from the classroom, and this district needs qualified staff to temporarily replace the absent staff.

A third obstacle in maintaining highly qualified staff is that in comparison with many other districts, we are compensated at an unacceptable rate. We need to be paid like the professionals we are.

We want to continue in the business of helping kids, which is what we love to do. We love to teach, but can we afford to teach?

Pat Hays,

Lawrence