Cops and Teachers

   Which profession is more important to society, teaching or law enforcement?
   If both are equally important, it follows that teachers and cops should be paid equally.
   That, however, does not fit with reality.
   In general, a newly hired police officer is paid some $20,000 a year more than a beginning teacher.
   Both are important professions and each requires advanced training to do the job well. And yes, it can be argued that cops may be called on to risk their lives while on duty. But teachers have also been killed in their classrooms while on duty.
   So for all the reports about teachers mounting statewide walkouts in their quest for higher pay, it's important to keep in mind the influence and contributions they make to students and society, both in the classroom and for many years thereafter.
   Both professions are vital to society, and members of each deserve at least a living wage. The issue, then, is whether salaries paid to teachers are adequate. One way to measure that is to check the pay levels for each profession.
   Pay levels vary, of course, and that partly explains why teachers have gone on strike in several states recently in their quest for a living wage. Strikes by police officers, on the other hand, are rare.
   Meanwhile, in some parts of the country, local officials are recruiting teachers from overseas because they can't attract Americans to take the jobs.    
   The New York Times reported May 2 that low pay is forcing school districts to hire newcomers to the U.S., who take special visas to enable them to work here. In Arizona, for example, teacher pay is more than $10,000 below the national average of $59,000 yearly, the Times reported. In total, some 2,800 foreign teachers came to America last year, compared to 1,200 in 2010.
   So why do foreigners come to America seeking work? For the same reasons immigrants have always come to the U.S. -- this is where the jobs are, at higher pay than in their home countries.
   Moreover, the newcomers take the jobs that Americans don't want or won't take because the pay is too low. And that includes the teaching profession, which requires a college degree and specialized training.
   Teachers, however, are fighting back, going on strike to demand better pay and working conditions, including the need for adequate supplies for students.
   Is safety also an issue? Yes, but that's a task better done by police than teachers, whose students need pencils more than their teachers need guns. Teachers need salaries high enough to live on. And if their contributions to society are as important as those of police officers, then the salaries should match.