Editor,

Oak Harbor teachers joining a one-day walk out with other districts in the state was not an easy decision to make for most of us, and I feel the need to explain why I personally came to this decision.

First, I would like to say this has nothing to do with Oak Harbor as a community. You see us at community functions. We are your friends, and we come to work every day and work with your children. However, there are times when you see wrongs taking place and you must do something, even if that happens to be uncomfortable for yourself and others.

I have watched time and again the state Legislature promise during election season, local meetings and correspondence with their offices that education is No. 1 on their agenda. Instead, their actions tell a very different story. What I have seen is the Legislature take voter-approved initiatives and either suspend them or even outright ignore them with always a wink and a promise they would make it better when things in the state get better. Funny how I never saw the Legislature do this with Tim Eyman’s initiatives, and they actually did hurt the state economy in many ways.

My daughter is in elementary school, and I would prefer her to have a chance to be in small classrooms to allow for the great elementary and middle school teachers to give her and others the individual attention they need and deserve. However, the Legislature has decided to, at the most, fund I-1351 for K-3. At worse, they just ignore it and pretend the voters didn’t even have a voice.

After this year, my 16th year, I will officially begin to lose money each year with stagnant wages, no COLA and rising healthcare costs. Since voters approved the COLA Initiative for teachers, I have lost more $35,000, which would have paid off my state mandated master’s degree and allowed me to put away money for my children’s education in the future. Heck, in one proposal they plan on taking voter-approved levy dollars from local communities and ship them back to the state and distribute that money to other districts around the state.

So, I do ask anyone reading this join us in support and come walk with us on May 1, write letters to our legislators so they know it’s more than just teachers that care — as they like to portray in the news and somehow we just want to line our pockets to get “rich.” Because it’s time for us to stand up and tell Olympia no more grandstanding (as they like to say about us) and fully fund education.

Thanks.

Mike Fisher

Oak Harbor High School

Social Studies Teacher

Assistant Football & Track Coach