Through good-natured ribbing or with some actual irritation, people talk about the salaries of public school teachers, here in Fairmont and elsewhere. People appreciate the work that goes into educating (not always cooperative) young minds. But they also raise a few eyebrows around contract negotiation time. The school year lasts nine months, with breaks. Teachers get their summers off. And teacher union rhetoric and intransigence, especially on the state and national level, can seem short-sighted and greedy.

With that said, public educators and school boards in Fairmont have maintained a good working relationship over the years and forged reasonable contracts. Both sides recently ratified a new one. One of its main features is a minimum starting salary of $40,000 per year for new teachers. What both sides are after, it seems, is retention. Fairmont Area saw 19 teachers depart at the end of the school year. There is a competitive market for teachers in Minnesota, with teachers on the move, accepting better pay.

Still, it’s a bit of a rigged system, with the state, for the most part, financing public schools, but local districts forced to do the negotiating. We’re not sure this creates an entirely fair system, which is what we assume the state and citizens are after. Also, any new money the state puts into the equation, local districts must protect, if they can, from losses to payroll.

In the end, we suppose Fairmont Area did what was necessary to find and retain staff. The district and teachers worked amiably to solve the problem. We hope it is solved and that the new teachers stay. Or costs will escalate as the “seller’s market” continues.