Teachers expect lawmakers to understand that the 2007 pay raise was not nearly enough to bring their average salaries up to a competitive level, and that teachers must deal with the largest class sizes in the nation, while taking home some of the smallest paychecks.

What the Utah public expects is that legislators and educators together will take on the challenges of giving ever-larger numbers of Utah schoolchildren, of all ethnicities and income levels, the tools they need to succeed in life.

We believe they can do that, if they focus on needs for the future, not on the animosities of the past.

When lawmakers convene Monday, public education will fill a large space on their plates, as it should. It is the largest expenditure in the state budget, and the success or failure of education affects nearly every other government function, as well as every Utahn's life.

There are several key education issues that legislators should deal with this year, including finding a way to spread the cost of building new schools among all districts; improving student achievement, especially in math; training and recruiting more teachers to reduce a growing shortage; and increasing teacher compensation.

Utah is losing teachers at a time of burgeoning enrollment. Math, science and special education classes, which, ideally, should offer more one-on-one instruction, are facing even more severe shortages than others. Better compensation is one key to recruiting more teachers.

After the Jordan School District was split in November under a poorly crafted state law, legislators realized such splits could seriously harm fast-growing districts. Now they must come up with an equitable equalization formula.

It is essential that this be a joint effort. Last year's debate over tax-funded private-school vouchers was painfully divisive. It's probably true that some legislators harbor ill feelings toward educators who worked to kill the voucher law that took the far right so many years to pass.

We hope that any such feelings don't lead to legislation aimed at punishing teachers, school board members or administrators. That would be a counterproductive waste of time and effort when we have none to spare.

It's probably true that some legislators harbor ill feelings toward educators who worked to kill the voucher law that took the far right so many years to pass.