News

Teachers urge commissioners to support schools

By Bill Moss, Published: February 3, 2014

About 30 public school teachers turned out Monday night to urge the Board of Commissioners to do more to support education in Henderson County.

Mary Davis, a school teacher here since 1982, said she had never seen morale as low as it is today.
Yet over the past year "two wonderful things" happened, she said, both by the commissioners. They voted last year to fully fund the request from the School Board, and they funded the teacher pay supplement.
Still, morale is low because the Legislature took away the pay increase teachers received for getting advanced degree and it failed to give pay raise, she said.
John Dockendorf, a Flat Rock summer camp owner, urged the board to forgo a tax cut most commissioners have endorsed and direct that money to schools.
"I know you're considering giving us a tax break," he said. "I would implore you please don't give that money back. I can't help make education better in this county except by being a great parent, but as we've heard morale is incredibly low....
"I get it that the state is the problem but as one of the wealthiest counties in the state the percentage that we give to education is well below average and nationally I think we rank in about the 16th percentile. ... You can have my tax cut but I would ask you to consider leaving it for the schools instead of a little bit of trickle down."

The teachers applauded loudly when supporters urged more spending on schools. They made a show of numbers, although only two people spoke.