I would like to respond to the misleading Standard-Examiner editorial of Aug. 18, entitled "No raises for teachers."¬ At no time have the Ogden Education Association teachers asked for a pay raise for this school year.¬ We have asked for "steps."¬ Steps are the same as salary tables/pay grades/pay scales, or as federal government workers call them, G.S. levels.¬ These are all contractual experience credits that are being honored all over our city, state and country -- even in these hard economic times.
Nowhere are steps/pay grades being considered as a pay raise. Of the school districts who have settled in the state of Utah, 20 districts have settled contracts that honor steps.¬ Three districts (Weber, Jordan and Ogden) are in mediation now over steps.¬
If the Ogden School District were to settle without steps in our contract we would be the only district in the state to give up steps two years in a row (Last year Ogden City School District employees went without steps.)¬
It is not "dishonest," as the editorial stated, to say that this would hurt retention and recruitment of teachers.¬ Ogden City School District teacher salaries are competitive with other districts along the Wasatch Front.¬ But when two lost years of steps are factored in -- they are not even close to being competitive.¬ We in Ogden must compete with other districts, who have maintained their salary schedules for the best teachers.¬
Ogden teachers have not been held harmless, as the editorial implied.¬ In the last 13 months we have seen the loss of more than a week's pay.¬ We have seen insurance costs maintained, but have not seen our "benefits" protected as the editorial stated.¬ We have and will see our benefits decreased.
The mediator's job is not to approve a deal, (as the editorial stated) but to facilitate an agreement between the district and the Ogden Education Association.
As for the federal money that is hopefully coming to our district, it is not to be used for pay raises, but it specifically states that it can be used for steps/pay grades for the retention of teachers.¬
If the Ogden city teachers do get steps this coming school year, it will benefit fewer than 50 percent of the teachers.¬ These are the teachers primarily at the lowest end of the pay scale.¬ They signed on to our district knowing what our contractual pay scale was.¬ If we lose teachers as an effect of going two years without such an offering, we will have lost all the time and money we have spent preparing them for the unique challenges we face in the Ogden City School District classrooms.¬ Young teachers are mobile enough to go elsewhere for more money.¬
Doug Stephens is the Ogden Education Association president.
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