Raises for Teachers

Roguepundit laments another case of teacher's unions bucking for raises and extra benefits, when the funds are just not there.

Let's see...the average Oregon teacher gets paid more than the national average, receives better healthcare benefits than do teachers in most states across the nation, and has the best state employee retirement benefits in the nation (something I've blogged about many times). And, they want more.

There aren't a whole lot of ways that local school districts can get extra money...even Multnomah County is suffering from tax exhaustion. And with the PERS contribution jumping this year, school budgets are being further squeezed. Thus when educators want higher pay, the options tend to be cutting school days, reducing teachers, eliminating programs and activities, etc. In other words, educators essentially want a better deal at the expense of the students and/or the newer educators. That's being destructively greedy.