Imagine we work for a company and we’re offered two different contracts:
Option A = $45,001 to start, increasing by more than $1,500 each year ($45,001 … $46,766 … $48,573 …)
Option B = $50,100 to start, increasing by $900 each year ($50,100 … $51,000 … $51,900 …)
Which option should we choose?
Well, if we choose Option B, we will make more money upfront. However, thanks to its larger annual increments, it’s not long before we are making more money each year with Option A and significantly more money over the course of a 30-year career.
Obviously, we choose Option A.
Now, if you’re wondering why the Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) and its teachers are at an impasse over salaries, here’s why: The teachers currently have Option A and want a 6% raise, and the district will give them a 6% raise if they switch to Option B. The teachers say they can’t accept a deal that ultimately leaves them making less money, and the district says that is their best and final offer.
Impasse.
This is what scarcity has done to our schools. The proud SLCSD employees on both sides of this negotiation are professionals who have dedicated their lives to educating our children and are trying to make the most of what they have to work with – heroes forced to fight over insufficient funds. There are no villains at this negotiating table, only good people in a tough spot.
Still, Option B is not really an option at all. The initial salary will attract younger teachers, but for the majority of them the money won’t increase quickly enough from year-to-year so they’ll leave the profession, further exacerbating the teacher shortage crisis we already face. Option B also slashes the money teachers receive for pursuing advanced degrees and certifications, and without that financial incentive the quality of our teaching force will diminish and student learning/achievement in our city will fall.
Maintaining Option A with a 6% raise will give Salt Lake the competitive edge over other districts in attracting and retaining the best and brightest teachers on the market today.
That’s what this is all about.
Which option should we choose?
John Arthur
John Arthur, M.Ed, MAT, is a sixth-grade teacher at Meadowlark Elementary, Salt Lake City.