1.12.09 TEACHERS' UNION MUST GO or 'don't feed the monster'

to the editor:

In belated response to two lead headlines in your newspaper in december ('student says contract impasse causing fear, anger' and 'teachers say board is driving them away') ,i am disappointed with your penchant toward sensationalism. What readers need is cold, hard facts upon which to make wise decisions and assessments unobscured by emotion. Reading between the lines and based on what i have heard from local parents, there are some teachers, at least, who are 'going through the motions'. Such teachers are not the type we want educating our children. As a union mentality grows so does such an attitude.

This leads to the second article. I disagree with the assessment presented as to what teachers should be paid. We should not pay 1) what is paid in the next district or 2) the law of supply and demand as it applies to non-teaching positions (ie.speech therapist). Mr. Luck, a local teacher, feels that the board is not respectful of teachers because it is not willing to pay them what they want. He must be referring to Webster's third definition of respect: to view or consider with some degree of reverence based on being esteemed as possessing real worth. This should be given by all to all since we all are created in the image of the God of the Bible. However a teacher should endeavour to ensure respect not on how much he is paid but by his proven ability to communicate knowledge and character with the result that all his students will, as adults, excel in wisdom, character and productivity..a blessing to all.

In light of the continuing slant towards the taxpayers bending to the union's will I would encourage the school board to: 1)not collect union dues 2)not allow non-union teachers to pay union dues 3)get rid of all non-teaching functions. (the public mandate is only education. All else is in the purview of the family.) 4) give no pay raise but rather move teachers progressively from being about $20,000 above to the place where they match the average annual salary of the district's taxpayers 5) rescind the 2.5 % given the administrators and move them to the position of the teachers with a 10% adminstrative bonus. This should remain a FIXED PRINCIPLE: those paid by means of taxes should prosper (or not) as those paying their salary do. It should be remembered that in any position a person of excellence is never paid near what they are worth nor do they seek it.