McCleary money should be for education needs, not teacher wages

If you would talk to some of my Air Force buddies from the Vietnam era, you would find that I dreamed of being a teacher and football coach for a long time.

When I had sufficient time in military service, I decided to obtain my teaching credentials and pursue my dream. I could have chosen any state in the union.

I owned a home in Nebraska left over from my assignment to the base in Omaha. My parents wanted me to return to my roots in the Midwest, but I chose to settle in Eastern Washington. I had been stationed at Fairchild twice and my wife and I both liked the area. The deciding factor, however, was the unique way that Washington paid its public school teachers.

In most states, district contract negotiations include salaries. Thus, each town has its own pay scale and consider education and teaching experience when setting salaries.

I was in my upper 40s with no experience but lots of education. Most districts would pass me up for a younger, cheaper candidate with less education. Washington districts, however, could hire the best qualified candidate because the state paid the salary.

Until this year, money was in short supply all across Washington schools, so teachers had to lobby the Legislature for more money. The McCleary decision has changed that. Districts now have money to spend, and the teachers want it.

The charge was led by West-side teachers in Longview. Part of their argument was their high cost of living compared to this side of the state. The teachers in Pullman didn’t have that excuse but successfully demanded a 17 percent raise anyway. The dominos continue to fall as teachers in Spokane, Mead and now Central Valley carve up the McCleary pie.

When I was a teacher, I felt we had valid concerns about the quality and availability of textbooks and teaching materials. My colleagues and I argued for better facilities, more computer access and innovative programs. Salaries were not a major concern.

Districts can only augment teacher pay at the expense of improved facilities and materials. The McCleary money is meant to improve classroom instruction. Increasing teacher pay does not equate to better instruction.

Under the current state wage scale, a teacher with my education and experience makes over $60,000 per year. I think that is fair.

Teachers have the best benefits in town. As a military retiree, I have excellent health care coverage. Teachers’ medical benefits are even better. I know of no other profession that provides a two-and-a-half-month paid summer vacation, plus a week at Christmas and another in the spring.

Many teachers will tell you that they take professional development courses during their summer break, and many do. There are just as many, however, who have summer jobs. Despite two major surgeries on my elbows, I never came close to using all my sick leave. I was afforded bereavement leave to attend my father’s funeral and I had two personal days a year to take off just because I wanted.

Teachers have a generous benefits package. They receive a fair wage. The McCleary money should be used to improve education for our children, not to augment teachers’ paychecks.

As a high school football coach, I scraped for money every year to upgrade players’ equipment and make the game safer. I wanted to improve our program with films of our games and of our upcoming opponents, but there was no money for video equipment, so I bought it myself. There was not enough money for the business teacher to upgrade classroom computers, nor was there money for the literature teacher to buy additional books.

After McCleary, there is still no money to improve the curriculum because it is being siphoned off before it can be spent for kids. I blame the unions for putting teachers’ benefits ahead of education.

I also blame the state Supreme Court for mucking around in an area they know nothing about. Their decision resulted in more pay for teachers but no real change in funding for education.

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