Editorial: Teacher pay freeze is leading indicator

Updated: June 10, 2009 - 6:12 AM

Forest Lake agreement could set the tone for other contracts.

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No one likes the idea of a wage freeze. While the paycheck stays the same, the cost of living doesn't. Prices for things like food, clothing, health care, education and home and car maintenance almost always go up.

Yet, understanding the dire state of the economy, Forest Lake teachers recently agreed to a two-year contract that doesn't include a cost-of-living pay hike. Because Forest Lake is one of the first of Minnesota's 340 school districts to settle a contract this year, the agreement should help set the tone for other negotiations.

Many districts have gone as far as they can with nonpersonnel budget cuts. Now, with flat state school funding and declining enrollments, they have to find ways to reduce labor costs.

In addition to forgoing cost-of-living hikes, Forest Lake educators agreed to give up "step,'' or seniority-based, pay hikes during the first year of the pact. Step increases will be reinstated in the second year, and teachers will continue to receive "lane'' pay increases, which are awarded for additional education.

The adjustments will save the district about $1.7 million over its original two-year cost projections. As a result, school leaders say they can scale back on the $6 million in cuts they anticipated for the next two years.

Other Minnesota districts are hoping to have similar results at the bargaining table. St. Paul administrators have said they will ask employees for a pay freeze to help address a projected $25 million deficit. And Spring Lake Park school officials have included lower-than-usual teacher pay increases in next year's budget.

During the last round of Minnesota teacher negotiations, covering 2007-09, contracts cost the average Twin Cities district about 8 percent more than previous agreements, according to the Minnesota School Board Association. Even with federal stimulus funding plugging some holes in school budgets, many districts cannot afford those kinds of increases.

And during 2006-07, according to a national American Federation of Teachers report, educators across the country received the highest salary increases the profession had seen in 15 years. Average increases of 4.5 percent nationally brought the average teacher salary up to $51,000.

The study said that while teachers were making gains before the economy tanked, most U.S. workers and government employees were experiencing cuts. Still, the AFT report said, teachers earn about 70 cents for every $1 earned by professionals in 23 occupations that require similar levels of education. Minnesota ranks 18th in the nation, with an average teacher salary of about $49,700.

It's difficult to put a price tag on the value of talented, dedicated teachers, and surely many will suffer through this economic downturn with many of their private sector counterparts. But it's understandable that administrations are taking a hard line on compensation. In an era when many employers are eliminating jobs and many are cutting pay, wage freezes are a less devastating sign of the times.

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UNION VIEWS

"We understand that we all have to do our part in this economy. For the last decade, we've done without any cost-of-living increases. We're working longer hours for no extra pay and paying more for health care. Minneapolis teachers have already been giving back.'' Lynn Nordgren, president, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers

''We just can't ask for what we did in the past.'' Sandy Skaar, president, Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota

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The Opinion section is produced by the Editorial Department to foster discussion about key issues. The Editorial Board represents the institutional voice of the Star Tribune and operates independently of the newsroom.

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