Refs or teachers? | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Thank goodness professional football referees are back on the job! Democrats and Republicans united over this important issue and pressured the National Football League to end the lockout.

If they hadn't found the money to increase the referees' salaries $24,000 in 2013, to increase their retirement income and to hire more officials, it would have ended civilization as we know it. The screams from the public to get the knowledgeable professionals making the decisions warmed the hearts of all true Americans. I am grateful the officials are getting the respect they deserve.

I can hardly wait for that same public pressure to be put on the Legislature to adequately fund education — increasing educators' salaries more than the pitiful $358 master teachers in our district have received in the past four years, increasing rather than decreasing educators' retirement income, and hiring more teachers so there aren't English classes of 40 students and math and science classes of 44.

I anticipate cries of support for education professionals and demands to give them the respect they deserve.

Oh, wait. Priorities must be set. Teachers are only entrusted with our children's future. That can't compare to football.

Virginia Riley

Centerville