There is a myth in America - the more you pay a teacher the better your child will do. Does anyone see the fallacy of this idea?

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial, "The value of teacher pay" laments the fact the Sarasota County School Board is facing budget cuts. The editorial board states, "The Sarasota County School Board is in a tough spot. Like other government agencies these days, the board is forced to slash its budget as revenue dwindles. It has already cut this year's spending by some $32 million and expects that the 2009-2010 budget will need to be reduced another $40 million.

Since 85 percent of the school district's operating budget is allocated for salaries, it is not surprising that teacher pay is getting a critical look."

If 85% of the Sarasota County School District's budget is salaries then 85% of cuts must be to salaries. That is simple math to me.

What the Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial board is missing are two facts: 1. there is no correlation between a teacher's salary and student achievement and 2. school districts are in the same boat as the Big Three auto makers. They have given unionized teachers salaries and benefits that are unsustainable. 

As the editorial points out we pay our teachers higher than all but one county in Florida. The question is: How does the school district keep education standards high and cut the budget?

Simple, file Chapter 11 and renegotiate the teachers and administrators contracts. I know school districts are not companies but they can do what any company facing this dilemma does, cut salaries, cut staff or cut services.

One sterling example of success in our district is the Sarasota Military Academy (SMA). SMA is a charter school and therefore has all the flexibility of a private school buts gets public funding. SMA is highly successful with over 90% of its graduates going on to college and they operate at 70% of the budget of other Sarasota County high schools. Why? Because they do not have a union to deal with.

Another example of the success of charter schools is in Washington, D.C. where teacher salaries are high and the per student cost is the highest in the nation. According to the Heritage Foundation, "Today there are 60 charter schools on 92 campuses educating more than 26,000 students. And as The Washington Post reports: "Students in the District's charter schools have opened a solid academic lead over those in its traditional public schools. ... Charters have been particularly successful with low-income children, who make up two-thirds of D.C. public school students." 

Another idea to reduce the budget is to have the Florida legislature eliminate all unfunded mandates on the school district. This will save each Sarasota County schools millions of dollars.

Finally, teachers salaries and benefits are no more locked in stone than the salaries of auto workers, doctors, lawyers, bus drivers, construction workers, plumbers, or business owners. There is tremendous downward pressure on salaries. Time to spread the misery.