The same union unequivocally promised voters last fall that I-732 would require the state to cover all school employee raises, regardless of how their positions are funded. Now, the union is polling its membership about going on strike to protest. But voters shouldn't be too ready to sympathize. What the teachers are asking for is patently unfair. The state now uses a formula to determine what to give each local district for a bare-bones stable of teachers.
Districts supplement that pot with money from local taxpayers and grants.
Affluent communities are more capable of supporting large local operations levies to fill out their teaching ranks. That's the prerogative of those districts' taxpayers. But, if the WEA gets its way, every taxpayer in the state would end up paying for those perks. The state would send a disproportionate amount of money to school districts that can afford more teachers. And the discrepancy would grow each year.