By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org
    
MONROEVILLE, Pa. – Teachers unions are infamous for “eating their young.”
 
That means veteran teachers are usually willing to let their younger colleagues face layoffs, rather than accept pay freezes or higher contributions toward their health insurance premiums.
      
The, of course, they complain about large class sizes.
    
But occasionally we come across a local union that considers the best interests of students and does the right thing. Such is the case in the Gateway (Pennsylvania) school district, where the district initially planned to eliminate a $6 million budget deficit this year with a tax increase, program cuts and the layoff of 17 teachers, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
    
But last minute negotiations took place and all but one of those 17 teachers were in classrooms when school began on Tuesday.
    
That’s because the union agreed to lower the scheduled raise for teacher this year from 2 percent to 1 percent, and surrender a few other contractual perks. As a result the district will save about $300,000, enough to retain almost all of the teachers from last year’s staff.
    
Seven of the targeted teachers were recalled permanently, nine agreed to a one-year recall while one rejected the one-year offer.
    
The savings also allowed the district to offer all-day kindergarten classes in all buildings throughout the district for the first time, and restore the high school math and writing centers, which has been scheduled to close under the budget plan.
    
“It was a joint effort all summer long to do what we could to bring back the teachers,” Chuck Riley, president of the Gateway Education Association, told the newspaper.
    
Hats off to you and your union, Mr. Riley. You’ve proven that teachers unions are capable of making selfless decisions that are in the best interest of everyone involved, not just those in the cushiest, most secure positions.