In response to R. Robbins’ May 1 letter, “Learning should be a partnership,” the title of his note is right on the spot because there is a partnership between parents and the schools when it comes to teaching.

In our partnership with schools, the taxpayers pay and the teachers teach.

In SKSD, the taxpayers pay and the parents do the teaching based on the massive amounts of homework for the parents to help do.

Mr. Robbins states, “Does the public realize it isn’t the job of teachers to raise our children?”

It may upset you to know that teachers control your children. They actually are raising them, teaching them what they want them to know, which isn’t necessarily what you as a parent want them to know.

I won’t even attempt to tell you what your children are being taught in the schools that you apparently love.

Mr. Robbins speaks of his daughter getting a teacher job, full-time, for $34,000 that is spread out over 12 months (they are paid over 12 months because they have the inability to manage their money during the three months they don’t work) and that is what lawmakers allow as the starting pay of a teacher in Washington state.

The prime time for your daughter to enter as a teacher is right now, because there is going to be $18.9 million in salaries handed out from the maintenance/operation levy that will start in January 2010.

I didn’t do the math yet, but that is one very, very large pay increase for six months of teaching.

LARRY L. MANN

Port Orchard