Editorial: Roseburg School District

When balancing competing needs, students come first

They say negotiation is the art of compromise.

But maybe not always.

In the dispute between the Roseburg School District's school board and teachers, someone needs to give. We think it should be the teachers, although that is said with the complete respect they deserve.

A couple of us have teachers in our families. We know how hard they work. We know they are already underpaid, when the work they do is measured against the value of that work. We recognize how important they are.

But right now, that's not the point.

An economy that has melted down across the state, cutting revenue dramatically, makes sacrifices necessary. And that sacrifice has taken place among workers across the county, in pay cuts, in benefit reductions and in layoffs.

According to figures released Monday, Douglas County's unemployment rate is 16.9 percent. That means about 17 people out of every 100 in the work force are out of a job. Think about that the next time you see the crowd at Music on the Half Shell or the Douglas County Fair.

The Roseburg Education Association, which represents teachers, is opposing the district's request that its members accept five furlough days — noncontact days when students are not in school. They're opposing it even though the move would save staff jobs and an association survey showed more than half of its members were in favor.

Union officials say that was before the district received $1.5 million more than initially anticipated. District officials say they are still $4 million short overall.

Other employee groups have accepted the furlough days in principle. If the teachers union sticks to its position, district administrators say it means a million dollars in additional cuts will have to be made, and that means staff cuts.

The union's counterproposal, three student days and additional reductions, simply doesn't fly. Students need to be in school. And while we recognize the value of staff development days, we think given a choice, keeping a full student calendar is more important.

Here's another point: schools are funded with public money. Your money. And if you have an opinion on where the money should be spent, you need to let school board members know.

There's a board meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, with a two-hour work session preceding the meeting. Next Monday and Tuesday, bargaining sessions are tentatively scheduled at the district office from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. that are open to the public.

It seems as if district teachers have been largely silent as negotiations have continued, letting union leaders carry the water in the dispute. We think that's a bad idea, although association leaders are confident they have the support of the majority of their members. If teachers are concerned about colleagues who may lose jobs, they need to let their union leadership and school officials know.

Bottom line — students belong in the classroom. Just ask a parent. And no one needs to lose a job unnecessarily.

Giving up five days when students are off school is unfortunate. It's also a 2.6 percent pay cut for teachers, school officials report, and that's not good news.

But in the end, we think keeping kids in school saves a lot more than that.