Teachers’ Union Demands Reveal a Stunning Lack of Gratitude for Mere Employment

In yet another example of public-sector overreach, the Collier County Education Association has brought its salary negotiations to an impasse with the school district. The union, apparently under the impression that educating the next generation of Americans is a service of some value, has demanded a $4,225 increase to the base salary — lifting it from a perfectly respectable $57,000 to an almost decadent $61,000.

The district, showing fiscal prudence befitting a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, countered with a far more reasonable offer: $385. To sweeten the deal, it tossed in an additional $220 for “Highly Effective Performance Pay.” That, of course, is the educational equivalent of offering a Wall Street banker a Starbucks gift card — proof that the district understands the subtle power of incentives without succumbing to the union’s champagne tastes.

One wonders where this culture of entitlement originates. After all, teachers already enjoy the enviable perk of “summers off,” not to mention the unparalleled prestige of explaining long division to children who believe calculators were handed down from Mount Olympus. Yet the union insists this noble vocation deserves compensation competitive with — dare we say it — private industry.

Let us be clear: raising the base salary by $4,225 would open the floodgates. Today it’s Collier County teachers asking for a pay bump; tomorrow, firefighters might ask for working firetrucks or police for actual equipment. Before long, we’ll have a nation where public servants believe they’re entitled to salaries reflective of professional expertise. A slippery slope indeed.

With Florida’s October 1 deadline for teacher contracts looming, the district must stand firm. If teachers insist that their labor has a market value, they may need a refresher in Economics 101 — which, ironically, they could teach themselves, should they still be employed.

After all, education is not about money. It’s about passion, sacrifice, and the selfless joy of buying classroom supplies out of one’s own pocket. The district is right: $385 and a pat on the back should be more than enough to keep this noble profession humming along.