Teachers Need Our Help

Howdy Friends!  If you live in Rexburg, I hope you know about the negotiations under way right now for teacher salaries for next year.  If you don't know what is going on, please go visit Dacia's blog and read her last few posts so you can know what I am talking about. 

I want to mention a couple of things.  We really need to support our teachers.  Many are already leaving and finding other jobs because they can't survive on their salaries - those that are leaving are really great teachers, but they simply can't stay here.  Other great teachers who are closer to the end of their career are considering early retirement because the current cuts will make it impossible for them to make up their losses by the time they will ready to retire normally.  This is tragic!  Our children need wonderful teachers.

If you don't know what is being proposed, find out (again check out Dacia's blog) and write a letter to the board and do it today.  Final negotiations are tonight.  I am not the kind of person who likes to write letters and "stick my nose" in, but for the first time I sent a letter to the board last night.  I know that I don't fully understand the challenge they face, but I do know that somebody has got to be fighting (in the kindest and nicest way possible) for the teachers.

Finally I know at least one member of the Board and know that person to be a good person who really does care about our children and education.  I know that they are in a bad position with what the legislature has done to education funding.  I also know that they need to hear that we don't want our teachers or our children to suffer.  I know that I am praying for them and hope you will join me in praying that they will be able to negotiate, that they will be able to find solutions.

When this is over locally, we all really need to get together and get on the State Legislature's back and get education funding to be a priority in the Legislature and the budget!