There are two professions we believe will never get classified as overpaid. That would be nurses and teachers. We place a huge amount of trust in these professionals to deal with our loved ones.

Nurses can seem to be overshadowed by the doctors they work with, and they are not given the respect or the financial rewards they deserve.

Too often, teachers still are viewed by many as childcare workers — someone we dump our kids with for four, six or eight hours a day, five days per week and nine months of the year. They get far too little praise for the positive things that happen in a child’s life, but oh, the anger they face when sweet little Johnny doesn’t meet expectations.

How much a teacher is compensated is often debated. Many will question the hours worked in a day, or even the idea that some get three months off as summer vacation. These are valid points, but not the only issues to consider.

Do we want the cream of the crop teaching our children, or the people who dropped out of another profession? Do we see a need for brighter, more driven people to handle the task of providing the best education for our young people?

If pay isn’t commensurate with responsibility, then we will never get and keep the best people for the job.

Why go into teaching if you must struggle to make ends meet and put up with abuse from parents? It won’t happen.

Now, federal legislators (who we all agree are very well compensated) want to pass a minimum salary for teaching that would make starting annual salaries a minimum of $60,000.

Not one school district in Western Pa. meets that minimum.

In Butler County, we are nowhere close to that number at any of our schools for a starting wage.

The genius proposing the bill wants grant funding to make up the difference in the new higher salaries.

Grants are provided by higher taxes.

That program would last five years, and at that point, the school districts would need to have their own funding in place to maintain those salaries.

That is only going to happen with massive tax increases.

We do not oppose the higher salaries. We do oppose trying to do it with no realistic plan in sight or even being considered.

Perhaps the teachers’ union could provide some leadership, which could help get the right things in place to make this idea feasible.

Passing this legislation without a permanent plan to fund it would be irresponsible and disastrous.

Are these same legislators who are supporting this bill providing public relations advice to Southwest Airlines on their long weekends away?

Of course, this would still leave teachers’ salaries far below that of what the legislators make — and guess who works more days per year?

— RV