EDITORIAL:Board, teachers must make peace

In all of the tumult that continues to reverberate through the Huntington Beach City School District since the school board approved raises for administrators, there were two moments of particular wisdom.

Norma Janssen, the lead negotiator for the teachers’ union, said, “There are so many angry people, that we need to have the anger simmer down. It’s good to get it out, but then we need to be thoughtful in how we proceed.”

Brian Rechsteiner, president of the school board that approved the raises, said, “We’ve got great people in this district. If they feel hurt, we need to heal those wounds.”

We couldn’t agree more.

It makes little sense at this point to continue the bickering about whether the school board or administration deliberately misled the teachers in negotiations.

Many teachers say they felt pressured to accept lesser pay increases because the school district couldn’t afford more. Then, they say, the school board approved fat pay hikes for Supt. Roberta DeLuca and others.

Whether the slight was done on purpose or inadvertently, the reality is the teachers are furious, and administrators and school board members must now soothe those hurt feelings.

Morale is always important in any workplace, but it’s especially critical when you’re talking about a classroom. The kids will, and should, always be the primary focus of our educators.

Unhappy teachers feuding with administrators and board members is likely to affect classroom teaching — something everyone wants to avoid.

And judging from the feedback we’ve been receiving, it’s not only teachers who are angry; so are many of the parents who are mostly siding with the teachers.

If school officials aren’t motivated to achieve labor peace for the sake of the kids, we’re pretty sure the will of the voters will give them the necessary nudge.