Pittsburgh Teacher Salaries Made to Public by Website against Teachers' Strikes

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Though teacher salaries aren't exactly kept away from the public eye, they aren't readily accessible as well. The data for teacher salaries are considered as public record, but you'd have to go great lengths before you can view this information. In Pennsylvania, this is no longer the case. A newly-launched website – www.stopteacherstrikes.org - makes it easier for you to check teacher salaries within the state. It was only in December that Pittsburgh was added in the site's database.

The website was launched by individuals who question the validity of the teachers' strikes. It accounts the salary of every teacher (by name) in Pennsylvania; as the website operator's motive is to show that salaries in the school districts are competitive, thus there is no reason for a teachers' strike. The site was set up by Simon Campbell, a native of Bucks County, as a means to denounce the ongoing strikes within the school districts. Currently, the average salary for a teacher in Pittsburgh is $70,000. It is much higher when put in contrast with the rates of Westmoreland County's Greensburg-Salem ($47,860) and Seneca Valley School District ($49,864). "There is no excuse for teachers' strikes," he says. He finds it preposterous that this is allowed in Pennsylvania.

Simon Campbell was said to have targeted Pittsburgh as he finds the ongoing strikes unreasonable; he believes that teachers in the area are well-off financially. Most Pittsburgh educators refused to comment on the situation. Others have raised privacy issues about having their wages posted online. John Tarka, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, says he's not upset about the salaries being posted; what doesn't sit well with him is Campbell's crusade in discrediting the teachers' union. "The union is a valuable resource for teachers, the district and the community," says Tarka.

Campbell was asked if he was anti-union, he replied with "yes and no." His resentment is directed more towards union leaders than teachers themselves, he relates. "Most teachers just want to teach," says Campbell. “But more often than not, union leaders are not looking out for teachers' interests." Naturally, Tarka disagrees. He notes that Pittsburgh educators voted – via a secret ballot – by a huge margin in favor of a strike authorization. The improvement of teachers and school districts is their only aspiration, he says.