The bottom line is that we should be proud of our teachers and pay them well, but that should be in context with what the profession pays elsewhere.  Otherwise we're forcing our kids to pay for out-sized comp packages in the form of reduced school days and larger class sizes.  For the past 15-20 years teachers have renegotiated their salaries and Oregon now ranks in the top 13 states for salary alone, not including PERS and benefits (NEA). Benefits paid to Oregon teachers are in the top 10% compared to all other states.   To refer back to a deal made 15-20 years ago and ignore all of the changes made since then is disingenuous.  Teachers in 4j make 16% more than the average teacher in the state of Oregon (OSBA).  Teacher pay is also directly in line with the US average for people who are working with a Masters degree.  Let's stay more focused on current information and spend less time on deals made 20 years ago.