Lessons from the Bellevue teachers' strike

THE Bellevue School District settled its two-week teachers strike in a manner instructive for other districts watching the tug between teacher autonomy and greater academic rigor.

Bellevue's generous contract shows, and this page concurs, that teachers deserve fair compensation. They are indispensable to the Puget Sound economy and to an educated, highly skilled work force.

Combined state and local raises now place Bellevue near the top of teacher compensation in the state. Adding $1 million a year to the health-insurance pool protects Bellevue teachers from the rising premiums hitting employees in every other industry.

Despite assurances money will be found somehow, affording the new teachers contract requires the Bellevue School Board to make tough choices immediately and down the road. The district will immediately delay a plan to build its reserves to 5 percent of the total budget. This is risky, leaving the district vulnerable should something unexpected and expensive crop up.

The investment — and juggling act required — is money well-spent as long as Bellevue doesn't lose academic ground. By most educational measurements, from standardized test scores to college preparation, the 16,000-student district ranks high. It is a perch teachers must maintain.

Bellevue has struck a commendable balance. Teachers will be able to use curriculum and materials based on their professional judgments. Parents will be able to rely on a template of best practices and successful strategies culled from veteran teachers to maintain standards.

To whom much is given much is expected. Teachers in Bellevue have more influence and freedom; strong and consistent results are part of the bargain.