Is this a time for school teachers to demand raises?

The Plattsburgh Press-Republican is reporting that schoolteachers in Tupper Lake will receive a 4.25% raise next year under their contract with the local school district.

That means their neighbors will pay more taxes — 3.2% more to be exact — despite the fact that the district will have fewer teachers serving their children.

These are tough economic times for North Country families. Unemployment is flirting with double-digits. Property taxes are punitively high already.

So what do you think? Is this a time when public sector employees should be taking raises?

Even if they were agreed to under contracts established before the economic meltdown occurred, should those labor deals be revisited?

Other North Country districts — Crown Point drew headlines recently — are going a different direction, with teachers accepting pay freezes but demanding job security.

Teachers are already among the highest paid, best-benefited workers in most North Country communities.

Is there a concern that real resentment could develop between the school district employees and the neighbors who are paying their salaries?

Teachers: what do you think? If you’re getting a raise next year, how do you feel about it?

And how do you feel about taking a pay increase at a time when your colleagues are being cut?

I know these are tough questions — we all love our kids’ schoolteachers — but this happens to be a place where a lot of tough trends (the souring economy, property taxes, education woes, etc.) converge…

Comments welcome below.