Editorial: Share the pain
Teachers' raises hard to justify as taxpayers are forced to make do with less
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 2:54 AMThe Columbus Dispatch
Crisis fosters change. The prolonged economic stress that is hurting Ohio families and businesses should be the force that finally challenges the hold public-school teachers long have had on generous yearly pay raises.
Under typical union contracts, most teachers receive a double boost every year -- negotiated, across-the-board base-pay increases plus "step" increases for gaining another year of seniority -- regardless of the teacher's performance or the school district's financial fortunes. Last school year, the average of those combined raises in Franklin County districts ranged from 5.9 percent to 8.8 percent, while the average raise for private-sector employees in the U.S. was 1.8 percent.
That's not going to fly for long.
