Teacher's unions may be good for teachers, but not so for students

My first teaching job was in a Spokane middle school. I was hired for one semester while an experienced teacher had both knees replaced. It was an interesting assignment. A week or so after I began, I was given notes for the kids to take home announcing an upcoming open house. I assumed I was included, so I showed up at the announced date and time to discover I was the only teacher there.

The principal informed me that this activity was not in the union contract, and teachers were not allowed to attend. As I was not a member of the union, it was decided I could stay and observe the proceedings.

The “open house” consisted of a meeting in the cafeteria where the few parents there could ask questions of the principal and counselor. It was my first hint that the National Education Association and it’s Washington State chapter (WEA) have everything to do with teachers and nothing to do with education. I was glad that my next job was at a rural school where the union had not yet intruded.

I was disappointed, but not surprised, at the front-page story in a recent tpokesman Review that said the WEA has set their sights on getting as much as they can of the school funding increase voted by the legislature. Their claim that, “better paid teachers equals better schools,” is not true. WalletHub, a well-known adviser on business matters, ranks public school systems by state. When I compared their school rankings with teacher’s salaries, I could find no correlation.

Alaska, understandably, has the highest paid teachers. It is hard to get teachers in remote villages. Alaska is ranked in the bottom 10 for school quality. New York has the second highest paid teachers but is ranked in the bottom half for quality.

At the other end, Oklahoma has the lowest paid teachers, but its schools are well above the mean. Washington teachers are the 10th highest paid, but our schools are ranked 24th. More pay for teachers doesn’t mean better schools.

Despite what the WEA says, public school teachers in Washington state are fairly well paid. The median teacher salary is $66,690. This is about $2,500 more than our state’s median family household income.

Teachers also have excellent benefit packages. When I retired from the military, I was promised lifetime medical benefits that most believed were the best anywhere. I used my teacher’s health care benefits, however, because they were far better than my military benefits.

I realize that most teachers don’t get all summer off, but the reality is their work year is more than 40 days shorter than non-teachers. I am fortunate to have worked with many dedicated teachers who made kids their number one priority. They want nothing more than to be treated fairly. The WEA, however, demands much more and is willing to hold our kids hostage as a routine negotiating tactic.

The legislature voted the additional funds for education. I’m not sure that anyone really knows what that means, but it doesn’t mean to cave in to the WEA demands for higher teacher’s pay.

American schools were considered the best in the world before there was a National Teacher’s Association. Teachers unions do not improve education; they support teachers not kids.

Our teachers are paid a fair wage, as they should be. The legislature and the voters must insist that these additional funds are used wisely. We cannot let our kids be held hostage by a self-serving union.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-term resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 19 years.