Teachers deserve a raise

Dear editor:

When someone working a minimum wage job is told they are getting a raise, they might be excited. They might not be so excited when told they are working two more days per week for extra hours instead of having their wages raised. Nice to have the extra hours in the paycheck, but not really a raise.

Mountain Home teachers are professionals with an interest in seeing children and this community grow and thrive.

Teachers want to see improvement in our schools and they want the schools to benefit from working with professionals. Teachers need to recertify every five years paying the state a $75 fee plus six credits from college ,which cost $1,986 plus books, time and travel. Teachers need to supply this added expense.

Our state lawmakers have specified they want to see a 1% increase in teacher salaries. They have supplied the 1% increase, plus professional development monies, plus leadership funding, plus discretionary funding for the schools.

I feel the district shouldn't say that they'll do a 1% increase only if more days are added to the school calendar.

If this is honestly to be a raise, let's not talk about increasing the workload by adding days. This doesn't seem to be a true raise.

Whether or not the raise is implemented, teachers and board members need to be able to sit down and together discuss the good of the schools.

If the schools are to improve, people need to be treated with dignity and respect for the good of the community and the students. Teachers and board members are very interested in seeing students and schools succeed and reflect the community in which they are placed. Open respectful conversation will help insure that happens.

-- Dan Gillies