Teachers, take that fair offer

Great teachers are worth their weight in gold.

But all teachers aren't equal.

That's the fundamental problem when teachers' unions - when any public unions - push for across-the-board increases. All employees don't produce the same results, so they should be evaluated individually and they should be rewarded individually.

As Coeur d'Alene School District negotiators continue their back-and-forth "discussions" now well into the 11th hour - anybody notice that the new school year is about to start? - several disrupters have become apparent.

For one, union negotiators are either oblivious to or simply disregard the tremendous boost they received from the school district last year. Teachers received an across-the-board increase of 2.5 percent last time around, the biggest raise of its kind in the entire state. It was not one-time bonus money, either. It's now baked into every teacher's annual wages going forward. Yet there's no acknowledgment of that windfall as teachers pursue another 1 percent across-the-board increase this time around, plus additional raises based on other criteria.

While contract negotiations with public unions aren't always the most amicable of affairs, this round has featured more grandstanding and bad manners than others. Those of us on the sidelines wondering why have noticed that a "coach" from the National Education Association has been in the thick of union strategy sessions. No, we can't declare him the cause of extra angst, but some of the stunts pulled by union representatives - like taking more time than protocol recommends, and even threatening to walk out on negotiations - are so out of character that outside influence appears to be having a negative impact.

The important thing to district patrons is that Coeur d'Alene teachers are treated fairly and compensated fairly, with competitive benefits. The district is, in our view, acting responsibly in offering to increase pay for teachers who perform extra duties, who work extra hard to improve as teachers, and who demonstrate strong leadership qualities. The district's benefits package remains the envy of many in the private sector. Work conditions in Coeur d'Alene School District are good to excellent, as taxpayer-supported school renovations and security improvements continue to be a high priority.

The teachers union has been offered an exceedingly fair contract for the coming school year. District officials have worked diligently to ensure additional investment in critical programs like more kindergarten classes in some of the area's lower-income neighborhood schools - a priority far greater to taxpayers than another across-the-board pay raise.

At tomorrow's scheduled session, we ask the teachers union negotiators to agree to the district's offer so everyone can focus on the greater task at hand: Educating our kids.