I am writing to urge the mayor and School Committee to increase teacher and staff salaries in Northampton.
According to the Mass Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, current average salaries for Northampton teachers are significantly lower than in many surrounding western Massachusetts communities, in some cases by as much as $12,000 a year.
I am the parent of three children who attended Northampton public schools for grades K-12, and received an excellent education from the dedicated teachers who are the backbone of our city’s public school system. I also worked for 15 years as the administrative assistant in the Northampton High School Guidance Office.
I’ve seen the skill, high standard of rigor, work ethic, and dedication that our faculty and support staff bring to their jobs. These are people who spend many hours each week, often beyond their paid hours, preparing curricula and lessons, getting to know individual students, advising student groups and clubs, meeting with parents, counseling students, keeping school offices running smoothly, and maintaining the buildings where students spend their days.
I’ve also seen talented and highly skilled teachers leave the district to take higher-paying jobs in other districts, not because they want to, but because they need to — so that they can pay their mortgages and support their own families adequately.
For a community such as Northampton, that professes to value education in general and public education in particular, this is a shameful situation. We have heard for decades from city and school leaders that there isn’t enough money in the budget to increase teacher and staff salaries. It’s time to realize that this is a matter of priorities.
Our priority should be to pay a fair, professional wage to our faculty and staff that is in line with surrounding communities.
Julie Kurose
Northampton