Southern Humboldt Teachers Argue Competitive Compensation Is Critical for Local Schools

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Southern Humboldt Unified School District bus. [Photo provided for a previous story by Lisa Cory]

The Southern Humboldt Teachers’ Association and the Southern Humboldt Unified School District are currently engaged in contract negotiations. As educators continue working toward a fair agreement, we believe it is important for our community to understand why these negotiations matter—not only for teachers, but for the students and families we serve every day.

At its heart, this conversation is about students.

Every student deserves the opportunity to learn from knowledgeable, caring, experienced educators. Every parent wants a stable school environment where their child can learn, grow, and thrive. The success of our schools, and our community’s children, depends on our ability to attract and retain the talented professionals who make that possible.

That is why recruitment and retention matter.

When schools struggle to attract qualified applicants or lose experienced educators, students are the ones who feel the impact. They lose continuity, stability, and the benefits that come from being taught by experienced professionals who know their students, their community, and their school.

Across the nation, schools are facing growing challenges in recruiting and retaining educators. Communities everywhere are competing for qualified teachers at a time when fewer people are entering the profession and many experienced educators are leaving it.

Teaching is a profession that requires significant preparation and ongoing commitment. Educators earn degrees, complete credential programs, spend months student teaching, pass state requirements, and continue professional development throughout their careers. They take on these rigorous educational costs and commitments because they believe in the importance of helping young people succeed.

These challenges are even more significant in a rural district like Southern Humboldt. Many of our educators travel considerable distances each day to serve the students of this community. Recruiting and retaining qualified teachers in remote areas has long been a challenge for rural schools across California. When compensation falls behind surrounding districts and comparable schools, this becomes even harder. If we want our students to have access to excellent educators year after year, we must remain competitive in attracting and retaining the professionals who choose to serve here.

Our community’s students deserve access to those educators.

Yet many teachers are facing the same economic realities affecting families throughout our region. The costs of housing, groceries, healthcare, insurance, fuel, utilities, and other necessities have risen dramatically in recent years, while teacher purchasing power has steadily declined.

Simply put, many educators are finding it increasingly difficult to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

Our bargaining team believes that investing in educators is ultimately an investment in students. When schools can recruit and retain excellent teachers, students benefit from greater stability, stronger relationships, more experience in the classroom, and a stronger educational program overall.

We are also concerned that educators are consistently forced to negotiate not only for fair compensation, but also for the preservation of our healthcare benefits. We recognize that healthcare costs are rising everywhere. However, a raise that is largely consumed by increased healthcare costs is not a meaningful raise. Teachers should not be forced to choose between protecting their healthcare and maintaining financial stability for their families.

This concern reflects a larger issue of priorities. Every organization has limited resources. Priorities are revealed by how those resources are allocated.

We believe that our school district’s priority should be the children of our community. The most important investment we can make is an investment in our children’s futures – every road, business, public service, and community institution of tomorrow depends on the children sitting in our classrooms today. There is no more important investment than helping them succeed.

Our goal is not conflict. Our goal is a fair agreement that strengthens our schools, supports educational excellence, and helps ensure that Southern Humboldt can continue to attract and retain the high-quality educators our students deserve.

We remain committed to negotiating in good faith and finding solutions that support both fiscal responsibility and educational excellence. At the same time, we believe maintaining the status quo is not enough to meet the challenges facing public education today.

This discussion is not ultimately about adults sitting at a bargaining table.

It is about the students sitting in our classrooms.

Rebecca Robles, President, Southern Humboldt Teachers’ Association