Carol is exactly right....the commitment must be made by the institution
(composed of people) to upgrade compensation for the staff.

One avenue, which is not always palatable, is to reduce the number of staff.
If a ten-person staff is paid $200,000 including benefits, (average $20,000
ea.) and the museum can always count on that $200,000 (more or less)....then
a six-person staff can earn an average of $33,333 including benefits.  I
firmly believe that is the direction that most non-governmental museums will
need to take, down the road, so long as our museums are viewed as "luxuries"
rather than (as in school systems) "necessities."

Ross Weeks Jr.

----- Original Message -----
From: Carol Ely <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2000 11:41 AM
Subject: museum salaries (yes, again!)


> Other non-profits DO find ways to compensate their workers. No one
> expects lavish, but liveable is non-negotiable. Or should be. When
> teacher salaries were low, it was a national disgrace, and something was
> done, even though it was "unaffordable". Now compare what a teacher with
> experience and a master's degree gets in salary and benefits, and what a
> museum educator with experience and a master's degree gets. Done
> laughing yet?
>
> But I don't think there will be answers until it is acknowledged as a
> PROBLEM that we should collectively pool our ideas to solve, and make a
> commitment to upgrading museum salaries, by whatever means are
> necessary. This is not something we should have to apologize for. It
> will take creativity, and advocacy, and anger - but look at the other
> impossible things we do in museums every day!
>
> Carol Ely
> Ph.D., Museum Consultant
> Louisville

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