Don't just pay them, let them teach

Frontiersman editorial board

The first lesson for students returning to Mat-Su schools this year may be, if you hold your breath long enough, you'll get what you want … sort of. After threatening a strike if they didn't get a deal before school started, the Mat-Su Education Association, representing Valley teachers, have tentatively agreed to a one-year deal with the district. Unfortunately, the two sides couldn't get together on the second and third year proposals, so we'll be facing a blank chalkboard again in November.

It's great that the district and MSEA reached an agreement that guarantees students will be in classes right on schedule, but it's a shame they couldn't come up with something a little more lasting. The struggle brings into focus some of the problems facing a national education system that seems overdue for serious reforms.

On the district's side, it is pointed out that Mat-Su teachers will now be compensated more generously than teachers in most other large districts in the state -- first-year teachers will be the highest paid in large Alaska districts. The teachers also will pay substantially less out-of-pocket money for health insurance. MSEA was not satisfied with the numbers for the next two years, though. They want to ensure that the financial package looks good for the long-term.

While the economic realities of being an educator have to be dealt with -- and it's fairly clear that teachers are usually not as well-compensated as they should be -- the underlying problems often go untouched. Maybe they are too complicated, or maybe opinions are simply too varied and too intense when it comes to education, but real reform is something that is oft discussed and rarely tackled.

Public schools are being asked to take on more and more responsibilities -- responsibilities that used to belong to families and other community organizations. There are before school programs and after school programs. Teachers are asked to teach "Life Skills," and they may soon be asked to teach classes about the Bible. What happened to the notion that public schools should educate children who have been responsibly raised by parents? There is much criticism of the educational system in this country, but it is largely focused upon public schools. For the system to work, it has to actually be a system. Parents and communities have to return to playing more significant roles.

Yes, let's pay our teachers what they are worth -- but let's get them back to teaching, too.