It’s understandable that Lawrence teachers are wary of a proposal to offer higher salaries to teachers hired in high-demand areas, such as math, science and special education.

Yet, it seems that there are two sides to many of the arguments offered against such a system.

For instance, a Kansas University education professor said that to address teacher shortages, the state’s school districts should focus more on retaining teachers than on recruiting them. His contention is that offering higher salaries for hard-to-fill positions is a recruitment tool. Maybe so, but it seems that higher salaries also would help keep teachers in high demand areas.

He also said differential salaries might cause morale issues, especially if new teachers in some areas were making more than experienced teachers in other areas. The other side of that rationale is that teachers who make the choice to seek expertise in high-demand areas may suffer from low morale because it seems their effort isn’t valued.

Lawrence teachers currently are paid on a salary schedule that is based on longevity and their level of education beyond a bachelor’s degree. The system encourages teachers to seek additional education, which is good, but it offers no other significant incentives for teachers to excel. It certainly is far different than the way excellence is rewarded in private business.

A point made by school board member Scott Morgan is worth considering: “One of the big things missing is the ability to reward exemplary teachers with additional pay as well as the ability to offer higher salaries to those positions we’re finding harder and harder to fill.”

On one hand, the current system rewards all teachers who stay the course and seek additional education. But the other side of the coin is that it does nothing to encourage teachers who want to do even more.

There is a certain safety in the current system, which guarantees slow but sure advancement for teachers who stay in the district. But wouldn’t it be a huge morale booster – as well as a great retention tool – for teachers to know that truly excellent performances may sometimes be rewarded with a salary boost?

Certainly, there are many wonderful, dedicated teachers in the Lawrence district who go the extra mile every day for our students whether or not that effort is reflected in their paychecks. We should do more to show them we appreciate the job they do, but it could be that the current salary schedule isn’t the best way to do that.