GOP: TEACHERS DESERVE RAISE

but need to play larger role in educational reform

We support meaningful wage increases for the teachers recognizing teachers are underpaid in a state marked by a high cost of living and low wages. We also believe the teachers should join with us in carefully examining the problems in our public schools, and supporting meaningful long-term solutions. We need basic changes in public education, and know these changes must be made with full input and support from the teachers.

Today's teachers are the same thoughtful and caring people we all remember from when we attended school. Nevertheless we are troubled by an extremely important unanswered question: what can we do to fix our broken school system? Republicans favor putting students and parents first by replacing our current statewide school system with eight local school systems, each with elected local boards who live in the communities they represent. Republicans also support elevating school principals to CEO status with greater power, much higher wages and possible separation from unions.

We appreciate HSTA's fighting for their membership to receive proper salaries, but a leadership role in seeking reform and change within our school system must be part of the settlement for the sake of all concerned. Teachers are important, yet teachers themselves know the education of our children should be our first consideration.

No one wants a teacher's strike. We hope that reasonable people will quickly come to a reasonable agreement to pay our teachers what they deserve. At the same time, we hope the teachers will go beyond the sole issue of pay, and support changes that make our school system truly "second to none."

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