Double-Whammy Against HEA in Today's NW Herald

The letter to the editor to the right appeared in today's Northwest Herald on the opinion page. It appeared opposite another stinging editorial by the big dogs at the paper. You can read both of them by clicking on the images.

Bongo really agrees with both pieces and urges the HEA to take a step back and look at the situation through a realistic lens. Now is not the time to insist on huge raises. Not when many of those who will foot the bill for it are either out of work or just plain lucky to have a job with little or no increase this year.

Asking the school board to dip into their fund balances is irresponsible. The HEA is asking the district to deficit spend, plain and simple. They are asking the district to spend more than they bring in during the next several years, because the 4.25% increase in salaries alone next year (increases to benefits would have made next year's increase even higher) wasn't good enough. Depleting operating fund balances so the district has to do expensive, short term loans is NOT in the best interest of the students. This "spend more than you bring in" philosophy, being promoted by the HEA leadership team of Kim Aschenbach, Julie Hunter, Mark Stahl, Christy Henderson and Britt Crowe, is really making all of the teachers in District 158 look greedy. This makes Bongo sad, because he knows that the majority of the teachers in 158 are hard working professionals who are not greedy.

Bongo encourages the HEA to take the $1 million in available contract money for next year, divide it up however the HEA feels is best, and get back to the important business of preparing for school to start on August 25. The District has shown its hand. They are NOT willing to deficit spend. The community supports the District with this fiscally responsible stance. If the HEA insists on getting an increase that involves deficit spending, the HEA risks the entire community turning on them if the start of school is delayed by a strike.

Bongo has said it before and he'll say it again: Don't the hard working teachers of District 158 deserve union leadership that represents them in a respectable way?