People vote against across the board increases that give the largest increases based on time in service with no performance component. Why can't a brilliant, motivated, energetic, highly-educated teacher that proves that s/he can facilitate high levels of student achievement be paid the same as the teachers with 25 years of service? In the rest of the working world, a new worker right out of college is often paid higher that the veteran employee if that new worker can prove results. The best and brightest will never enter teaching if they know the system is actively working to limit their potential.