Stop the education insanity

I read with interest your numerous articles regarding education in Illinois, especially in the suburbs, in Oct. 30 edition. They pointed out how education, especially math education, has fallen even further beyond world-class standards.

This comes as the cost of education has skyrocketed way beyond inflation, which is now deflation in many sectors of the economy. When you have teacher salaries in some suburban school districts averaging more than $90,000, with 15 weeks vacation a year, golden benefits and pensions, something is out of whack. Quality, results down - salaries, benefits up.

It is time for people living in the suburbs,who work in private industry, make between $40,000 and $75,000, get two weeks vacation, pay an outrageous amount for medical insurance, watch their workload increase as layoffs continue, stop and pay notice to this financial insanity. The values of your home probably dropped 15-20 percent in the past three years, but your property tax bills continue to climb as educators receive their 5 percent salary increases and have job security protected by tenure.

E mail, phone your school board/administrators, politicians; express your outrage at the unfairness of the situation. The teachers union is very powerful and wants the status quo. People, rise up and put an an end to this education insanity.

Robert Melbye

Lisle