I understand that it appears the union is quibbling over $160 a year per teacher. After all, it’s just half a percent, right?
Wrong. It is time for this district to show that experienced teachers are valued. Yes, the economy is bad, but I took a punch in the gut long before the general public felt the crunch of a bad economy. A contract I signed was violated by my employer, and the misdeed was never corrected. I have remained faithful to said contract, yet I have been paying for someone else’s mistake for years, and I am not alone. Now the district has the money to make that right and they refuse to do so. They have, in fact, SURPLUS money from last year and yet they still refuse to make right their wrong? I spent my summer “vacation” taking classes, reading books, and writing papers and the district not only refuses to honor the fact that I have reached a new level of education but it also refuses to acknowledge that I have more experience and knowledge.
In the private sector, I might negotiate my salary. I might be rewarded adequately; I might not. However, I doubt I would have started my first job at $9,000, below poverty level at the time.
SVVEA asked for 5.9 percent and to have the “lost step” returned to those teachers affected by it. Recouping the lost step will not make up for short-changing me (or anyone else) approximately $10,000 over the last six years. Dropping our request of 5.9% down to 3% was very reasonable in my opinion. Having the district respond with a 2.5% increase smacks of more nickel-and-dime-ing. It may seem like a $160 compromise, but it is not. It is a compromise on a compromise following an insult. The district’s latest offer will mean about $66 a month more to the average teacher, before taxes. That works out to less than a cup of Starbuck’s coffee per day.
About 2/3 of the teachers affected by the “lost step” have either left teaching or left the district. Those who remain will supposedly see an increase of one step, which will of course mean a greater increase in salary. Those teachers will receive about $167 a month more, before taxes. This simply does not make up for all that we have lost under any circumstances, in any economy.
I remain a member of the association not only because as teachers, we are stronger when we are unified, but because I feel my rights are protected. I gain a lot from my involvement. Personally, I would cut out cable TV and drop all social-activity costs before I would drop my SVVEA membership. I would take a higher deductible on my car insurance rather than leave myself uninsured as an educator. I understand that money is tight, but I also understand that if I don’t stand up for myself now, I will not make any gains when the economy improves. A pat on the back for sucking it up this year just won’t do it for me. $66, less taxes, is just a step above a pat on the back, and it’s about two feet above a kick in the pants.
Kristie Boman
Social Studies
Altona Middle School
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