Ed, Pay attention, I offered a solution: Fire them, hire new ones and disband the union.The current people do not appreciate what they have!! Everyone in this world is replaceable!!Just because you don't agree doesn't mean it is not a solution. I would sooner see new people who are hungry for the opportunity to work than the current teachers for the most part that we have in there now.They stopped caring a long long time ago and our children are the losers!! My name calling may seem petty to you but it is born out of the frustration I have experienced first hand from these bumbling nincompoops.Believe me they have earned every word of it too!I personally expect better from teachers that I entrust my childrens education and ultimate future to.I do not think I am out of line. If I have an employee that doesn't perform up to an expected level I get rid of them, I do not reward them or patronize them, That is silly! With the school district you have no choice, you pay them more and more reguadless of performance, if not they hold your children hostage! What a crock! What a lousy way to do business.Everything is locked in to a pre existing, predetermined decision, this is what you get and then this is what you pay now, like it or lump it! I am tired of the old like it or lump it business as usual! I am fed up with accepting shoddy results and higher taxes, I have lumped it long enough like the rest of the folks in my area!!I am interested in results, If you don't get the results you want you get frustrated and then you get mad, my solution is to get rid of them and start over, if they are as good as you say, they will surely find jobs elsewhere, good ridance!!New teachers graduate from colleges every year, give them a chance, everyone has to start somewhere! As far as the health care issue for teachers goes I say this; if you are a teacher and your spouse has access to cover your rear end on their plan instead of on the schools plan so be it!! Save us a buc or two will ya? At least you will still have it,do you realize how lucky you are to have any insurance or the guarantee of some insurance, not to mention how priveledged you are to even have a job!?I bet if I took a poll on this site very few of us even have health insurance It is a luxury that most of us do not have, so consider your self lucky! So you might have to switch doctors? Big deal , get over it,everyone sees different doctors at one time or another, change is a good thing!Stop whining and get back to work! You have lost the sympathy of the community and we pay your wages! We are all hurting too so shut up and get back to work!, John