Raises will boost quality of learning by luring, keeping better teachers
The Oct. 13 Compass by School Board President Jeff Friedman demonstrates exactly what is wrong with the Anchorage School District ("Giving teachers more pay means accepting sacrifices"). Not a single item on Mr. Friedman's list of "sacrifices" that would have to be made to provide a competitive contract for teachers has been shown to have any significant impact on student achievement. In contrast, every single bit of research available shows that the single essential ingredient for student success is a quality teacher in every classroom.
If our School Board really cared about our children, its top priority would be attracting and retaining top-flight teachers.
It would not hesitate to rearrange its half-billion-dollar budget in order to do that. Isn't it about time that we insist the Anchorage School Board start caring as much about the education of our children as it does about the jobs of bureaucrats and its unproven pet programs?
Rich Kronberg
Anchorage
Editor's note: The writer is a middle school teacher and former president of the Anchorage teachers union.
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