And for my next act, I'll make my audience disappear!

Demand a Fiscally Responsible Solution

I support pay raises for teachers, police, corrections, service personnel – everyone with a thankless job in West Virginia. I have close friends who are teachers and officers and I respect and empathize with each of you. Still, I’d prefer to see raises given in a fiscally responsible manner. (I am aware I just lost half my audience.)

As we enter the twelfth day of the teacher strike in West Virginia, it strikes me as maddening that schools remain closed and my son, along with other students in the state, continues to slip lower on the priority list. Last week WV State Legislature had the opportunity to sign a bill that froze PEIA for sixteen months and created a committee to resolve the long-term challenges with PEIA, and offered a four or five percent raise for all service personnel and teachers. (Four percent across the board or five percent for teachers and two percent for all others – some details are difficult to track.) In the interim I hear cries of “these are our children” and “this is for the children” from the teachers’ side and “we can’t afford it” and “you don’t need it” from the legislature.

The state of West Virginia has 1.8 million residents. Her median household income is $39,170, just above Arkansas and Mississippi, at an average tax rate of 6 to 7% depending on municipal tax. In 2016, the State budget ran a $400 million deficit and according to Reuters, the current fiscal year started with an additional $11 million gap with our $4.26 billion budget. Just six years ago our budget was over $5 billion caused by out of control deficit spending. During the campaign season we saw signs everywhere vowing to elect fiscally responsible legislators and threatening those deemed irresponsible with a loss at the polls. During this past Fall we applauded President Trump’s tax cuts, hoping they would extend into the states.

How quickly times change.

In a blue state where workers’ rights trump individual effort, mine is a voice drowned by the crowd. I have been union. I have seen the inner workings of collective bargaining and I deal with repercussions of union decisions almost every day. West Virginians will even cite recent protections en masse of teachers on an illegal strike against the state as evidence of union power and benefit to the workforce. I’ve seen the union at work. But this post isn’t about the pros and cons of collective bargaining. It’s not even about the children.

It’s about the truth. (And there goes half of my remaining audience.)

Two weeks ago teachers on the fringe of the group said the strike was about more than a paycheck – it was about the future of West Virginia. That future needed highly-qualified teachers to guarantee the best outcome for students. Theirs is a voice drowned out by the crowd as “better pay” becomes the mantra entering the fortnight. If you disagree with me, ask anyone on the street what the number one complaint is for any striking teacher. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

One of my most beloved and respected teachers penned an eloquent explanation of pay inequity and why WV teachers have had enough. But while his argument is valid and I support him, claims that he could have earned more anywhere else are not unique. West Virginia is nearly last in the nation in median household income and job value, which means just about any job pays better anywhere else. Valid, yes. Unique, not so much. I’ve seen infograms published by educators comparing WV public employees with slaves. While that argument is very unique, it is also far from valid. In fact that claim is downright blood-boiling offensive. I’ve seen slavery firsthand. You obviously have no idea how offensive your analogy is.

The fact is our children remain on the sidelines over a mere $400.

Four hundred dollars per teacher each year is the difference between 5 and 4 percent for teachers alone. Extrapolated across only the 20,100 teachers in the state, it becomes just over $8 million in a fiscal year with a budget deficit that started $11 million in the hole. Further complicating matters is the sheer number of current and retired public employees which exceeds 61 thousand according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – for which the unions collectively bargain. When all things are considered we’re asking our legislators to approve an $80 million addition to the budget while simultaneously, and self-righteously, claiming it’s their responsibility to find the money. In business that’s called being “part of the problem.”

So for those few readers I have left at this point, be a part of the solution. Everyone knows the problem already. Offer half a point in municipal taxes or services you prefer to see cut to pay for the raises. Give legislators a zero-sum recommendation they can work with. “Because we deserve it” sounds great as a sound bite in the news, but it buys you nothing against competition with Medicaid, PERS retirement plans, and road repair budgets. And God knows we need roads repaired.

Be part of the solution.