Beware the rhetoric on teacher pay

For years, Idaho's education vehicle has been in neutral. The Great Recession and Questionable Priorities put that vehicle on an icy hill. It has not slid forward.

A new era of ambitious talk that could be a prelude to actual action resounded through the Capitol Rotunda when Gov. Butch Otter and others declared that the sun would shine on public education this session. The governor and the head of public education both called for more than a 6 percent funding increase. Trumping those good hands, Sen. Jeff Siddoway, a Republican who chairs the committee that oversees tax proposals, promised he would not entertain any tax cuts unless there was legislation that would raise teacher pay to $40,000 a year immediately. Beginning teachers now start as low as $31,750 annually.

Right out of the chute, the first public discussion of a move to improve teacher pay showed a distinct difference between what was trumpeted a couple months ago and what is being laid out today. The House Education Committee's first blush with teacher pay progress outlined a five-year plan that, you guessed it, is more generous on the back end than the front. By 2020, brand new teachers would start at $37,000, but in the first year of the plan, new teachers would receive only a 1.4 percent raise over that $31,750.

No wonder many in education were disappointed. And yes, it's even understandable that the Idaho Education Association, the teachers union, would express that disgruntlement publicly.

"Our members are disappointed that after all of the fanfare surrounding the Governor's Task Force and rhetoric about Idaho's renewed commitment to public education, a largely cosmetic and structurally questionable plan is what has been drafted," said IEA President Penny Cyr. "We hope that this proposal ends up being just a springboard for a more robust and well-conceived plan that actually moves Idaho forward in a tangible way, and we stand ready to work with the Legislature to make that happen."

The teachers union, the many teachers who do not belong to a union, and members of the Legislature must work together to develop that robust and well-conceived plan. Union leaders should keep in mind that a conservative Legislature's best intentions can vaporize if all sides are not treated as respectful partners in this process. Much needs to be done, but the state could still make great progress with public education funding without completely meeting union expectations.