This goes on where I live too. In the face of declining enrollment, they still beg for more money. They know they've got teachers on the way out, and they're probably planning to use this money to jack up the salaries of the departing teachers in their last few years because their pension is probably based on their last few years of salary. It's got nothing to do with quality education. It's got everything to do with cozy retirement. Watch for them to get re-hired after "retirement" too!