My son had her for a teacher she did more for his love of education than any politican or tea partier ever did. She poured her heart and soul into those kids. The kids who are missing out are the biggest losers here.

The Hathway family SALUTES you!

Many of the teachers that I know personally are considering options in different careers and plan on beginning to get training or certification in other fields to get out of teaching. These aren't the retiree age or the really young ones but excellent teachers in the height of their careers with 10 or 15 years of experience...well-liked by students and parents. That is the shame. They say they simply can't trust what salary, benefit, and working condition cuts will be coming in 2013 here in Janesville; and they want to be ready to leave asap. SAD! This isn't just cleaning house of a handful of teachers that shouldn't be in the classroom, this is wiping out a whole slew of dedicated, talented, and smart people from interacting with our children and teens.

Nothing's forced, Rusty. You're free to leave whenever you like.

Sluggo, I agree that WI teachers are lucky to be making more than they would in 27 other states. I agree that the collective bargaining bill will be beneficial to WI.

It's not only the teachers and admin. that are leaving, there are more than normal state workers that are taking retirement. When they crunch the #'s it's better for them to retire. With the proposed deductions for pension and health ins. plus parking fees(yes if you work on the isthmus you pay for parking) and the uncertainty of what Walker will do in the future they don't want to take the chance. As a state worker we have no contract and each year Walker can put into place anything he sees fit to do. This is just the beginning.

sluggo- thank you for posting that information and clarifying for those that jump to judge a teacher's salary.

Wisconsin teacher pay drops to lowest level in 50 years

Posted: 2/16/2011 10:07:15 AM

"New data just released by the National Education Association shows the average salary for Wisconsin teachers has dropped to 23rd nationally, down from 21st one year ago. That is the lowest ranking going back to 1963, the oldest data on record.

The average salary, which includes annual step increases for longevity and lane changes for educational attainment, was $51,264. Fifty-two percent of Wisconsin teachers hold master’s degrees and the average teacher has 16 years experience.

Once ranked 15th, teacher pay was capped in 1993 and has fallen ever since. Where teachers once received 103 percent of the national average in pay, they now receive only 93 percent.

In the last decade, real earnings for Wisconsin teachers declined by 2.3 percent. Teachers earn less today than they did a decade ago. Wisconsin ranked 46th nationally in salary change, with 45 states experiencing larger increases in income.

Starting pay in Wisconsin, which lands at $33,800, lost 5 percent to inflation, so that new teachers today earn $1,225 dollars less than they did in 1992. Wisconsin ranks 30th nationally on staring pay, lower than teachers in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Minnesota in the Midwest. Teachers in general have the lowest starting pay of any profession requiring a college degree.

Teacher pay is falling compared to standard economic measures like inflation and per capita income, pay is falling relative to other teachers nationally, and Wisconsin teachers today are in the bottom 40 percent of all states for starting pay."

http://teacherportal.com/teacher-salarie...

whzbng - Wisconsin ranks #28 in the nation for teacher pay, yet is number TWO in achievement. Illinois ranks #1 in teacher pay... a nice distance to that border.

Best wishes Kori, on your new endeavors. Loved having you be my daughters teacher at Monroe and I loved working with you at Van Buren with Junior Achievement. You will achieve wonderful things wherever you go!

Whzbng,
I am sure you are going to see many employees leaving. Just because you do not want to admit it does not make it true. I have seen MANY of our good city employees calling in their retirement notices but the phones at WRS are so busy they cannot get through and it takes weeks now to get an appointment. GOOD PEOPLE ARE LEAVING. Plus we have not seen the layoffs that are going to be required to cover the 1.8 millon dollar shortage in our budget caused by the budget bills coming up. Let me know when your tax bill goes DOWN as I want to know when that starts working out for you. These people are just like everyone else they have payments to make on cars, houses, dentists and when they lose hundreds of dollars out of their take home pay of course they will be looking and leaving.

Public school teachers in Wisconsin get paid more than 39 other states. No, I do not see a mass exodus of public personel in our city. There are other things to consider than income when you are job hunting. Wisconsin is still a beautiful place to live. To cold in winter though.

alaska had an ad in the paper for teachers and other school staff lol,pretty soon theyll all be gone,lol are you happy you voted scott walker in now?hahahahahahaha

cruch_munch-You are hilarious!!! lol

Rusty, can you find a better way to say what you said? I can understand not liking the taxes in our state but saying "rape the taxpayers" is offensive to many.

To add on...Edison, Marshal, Franklin - all very new (3years or less?) Craig principal, Kitty Grant, Jackson Elementary... It would probably be easier to name schools that have administration that isn't new.

Here's a mixture of retirements and people who left: Marlene Novota, Becky Bicha, Jay Pica, Lauri Clifton, Donna Behn, Dave Leider-left and came back, Shawn Mangar, Mark Coombs, and Jefferson, Madison, and Roosevelt have all had new principals within the past two years. Just to name some, and there are way more than this.

Good luck Kori! You will be greatly missed by your Van Buren kids!

How many have left this district in the last 3 years? Let's count Dr. Carlson, Dr. Salerno, Johnson, Everet, Bender,Schroeder,Bunton,Grant,Hartman to name a few. I need help who else have I missed? These are just a few names that I could remember. Not all principals but all high profile individuals. I am sure they see the writing on the wall. Get out while the gettin's good!

I meant the teachers or administrators who weren't retiring, and YES they would need a recommendation!

If someone decides to retire, they don't NEED a recommendation. And perhaps some of these teachers see the writing on the "chalkboard..."

gmaof3-It's a lot more than a couple. Ever thought of forced retirements? Of course that wouldn't be talked about in the paper because the public doesn't know. Just like jqpublic said people want their recommendations so the real reasons won't come out.

And a state that doesn't rape the taxpayers, oh, those do not exist.

Unfortunately, Allfor1, you may be best to move to another state - One that cares about education.

Lets see, I'm new to the city and looking for a school for my kids. I go on the Gazette Extra or read the papers and see all the teacher bashing. I go and visit a few elementary schools and see that the staff has know idea who their principal will be next year or if they will have one. Many of the staff don't know if they'll have a job. The librarian says that he/she is on the docket to get cut and that less is being spent on TAG. Hmmmmm, what should I do? I guess I'll start looking at Milton or elsewhere, maybe the private schools.

gmaof3: I am willing to bet that most are leaving the district because of the lack of community support. Of course they will not speak of the real reasons why they are leaving the district. They still want their letter of recommendations!

Kori was a wonderful and dedicated teacher at Monroe! I have no doubt she was the same type of principal at Van Buren. I wish her the best!!!

Well, a couple are retiring. And if principals choose to move, at least this one is staying in Wisconsin. I doubt all the upheaval is due to politics. Just my opinion.

She will be greatly missed! But, really when are the people in this town going to wake-up and realize who the heck would want to teach or be an adminstrator in the School District of Janesville let alone have to send their children to school here!

What's happening to this district is downright scary. How many great teachers, principals, and staff are we going to voluntarily lose not including cuts? Most of these people are moving to the same positions in different districts for the same pay just to jump ship. Best wishes Kori!

SarahB1...I 100% agree with you that having one principal cover both schools is such a bad idea! Let's let go of the theory "do more with less" and this typically is never a good idea and it will be the students who will suffer from this! I think that the school and teachers are going through enough with Scotty Walker in charge....."what you take away from the teachers, you also take away from the students"!

She will be GREATLY missed! My daugher has been going to Van Buren for 2 years now and all of the contact that I have had with Kori has been positive and she is such a pleasant person! She will be missed a TON!!!

As someone who knows Kori personally, we will miss you! A great Principal, and an even greater lady.
Five of 12 principals leaving the district, wonder why? It is a shame that the local conditions cause an exodus of quality administrators and teachers. More to come Janesburg, hope this makes you guys happy.