At recent school board meetings, the conservative majority of Twigg, Phelps, Abuismail, and Gillespie supported the 5% teacher’s pay increase with the pay scale modernization. The pay scale modernization addresses compression and increases the starting salary for teachers. Some teachers have the potential of getting an average pay increase of 9 percent. This is great news for the teachers.

The conservative majority of Twigg, Phelps, Abuismail, and Gillespie are showing a commitment to increasing teacher’s pay. Most employers do not give 9 percent pay raises. An average 9 percent pay increase did not occur in recent years when the left majority (Shelley, Daniels, Grampp, Braswell) controlled the school board.

This is a win for teachers. What is puzzling is the behavior of some educators at recent school board meetings. This behavior has been well documented on video. Some educators have heckled speakers or interrupted school board meetings. Some educators participated in rallies to undermine the conservative majority or threaten lawsuits. This is the very same conservative majority advocating for the pay increases.

The school board functions as the boss for administrators and staff in the school division. In the real world, when one behaves poorly in front of their boss, it usually does not end well. Educators that support lawsuits against the school division are undermining themselves. If funds have to be reallocated fighting legal battles, how are pay increases supposed to be funded? It seems like some educators are working against pay increases for all educators.