This week’s Forum article titled “Moorhead Schools on Shaky Financial Ground” was misleading at best and a total manipulation of statistical data.

The Moorhead Teacher’s Union has done their job over the last 10 years and that’s to fight for their member’s needs.  Why should employees of the district suffer personally because our wonderful leaders in St. Paul and in Washington D.C. don’t come through with what is promised? The district would be financially sound if the money they were allotted would just show up.

How many of you would stand idly by and take a pay cut from your boss for work done, because he did not get paid from a job?  No way!  You would demand the rightful compensation that is coming to you. Teachers should not have to give up compensation because they are public employees.

The large compensation increase the article spoke of, “Based on data from the Minnesota School Board Association, the average Moorhead teacher received the following two-year increases in total compensation: almost 12 percent for 1999-2001, almost 12 percent for 2001-03, 10.7 percent for 2003-05, about 10 percent for 2005-07 and almost 8.5 percent for 2007-09.” is largely due to the sky rocketing costs of health insurance.

Moorhead teachers have not been running to the bank with more money in their pockets. In fact, it has been less as the teacher’s responsibility for health insurance costs have also skyrocketed.

Every employee has a right to increased compensation if they have earned it, regardless of whether they’re in the public or private sector. How many of you would be willing to freeze your salary for the next two years?

If you feel the teachers are to blame for the financial crisis in Moorhead, try opening up your wallet and giving a twenty dollar bill back to your boss at the end of the next work day. Give up what you have rightfully earned for doing a difficult job.  Would be tough, wouldn’t it?

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