A tale of two contracts for teachers

When the 2016-17 public school year opens Sept. 7, we have a strong recommendation for parents and students.

Hug those teachers.

If there are any battle scars from contract negotiations over the summer, we suspect you won’t see them. Professionalism and, frankly, love of the kids means once school starts, the business of educating our county’s students is all that matters.

Keep in mind, parents, the three largest districts in Kootenai County did reward their teachers this summer. Coeur d’Alene approved a 2 percent salary increase, Post Falls 2.3 percent and Lakeland 2.5 percent. That’s not a full accounting of wage increases because districts reward teachers differently for seniority and academic advancement, but it’s an accurate snapshot.

Comparison is at the root of much heartache, but sometimes it’s unavoidable — especially when it comes to publicly funded jobs. Just west of us, Spokane public schools just completed teacher contract negotiations, and they make our teachers look like a cross between a bargain and sainthood.

Spokane’s new contract assures teacher raises the next three years: 3.5 percent this year, 3 percent next year and 2.5 percent the following year. They’ll also receive cost-of-living increases, plus pay for more professional development hours. All told, that’s going to average another 6.1 percent annual increase. So for 2016-17, a raise of almost 10 percent will hit Spokane teachers’ bank accounts.

In addition, teachers will have a little extra time to collaborate 12 Fridays each school year, when school will let out 75 minutes early. Another benefit is the district will start paying $25 per employee, per month into a health reimbursement account that can be used for prescriptions, co-pays and so on.

For context, the Spokane district had averaged only about a 1 percent pay increase each of the last three years, so perhaps it was time for a little catching up. But again, Kootenai County’s teacher largesse isn’t so large.

The lure of going somewhere that offers higher wages and/or better work conditions has existed since competition in the workforce first appeared. Our message today is simply this:

Thank you to all the teachers who choose to live and work here. Your community applauds and appreciates you.