So, what’s the Huntley school teachers’ counteroffer going to cost?

That what a rational person would be asking right about now as Huntley teachers are previewing their picket walking skills.

Here’s my first try, about two hours after the Huntley Education Association’s reaction to the Huntley School District 158’s “Last, Best and Final” offer was posted on the school district’s web site.

If you read that article, you’ll see that I took the lowest pay category, the highest and the lowest and highest for those with a master’s degree.

But, I didn’t venture a guess as to the cost.

It appears that the salary increase requested is a wee bit under 7% for the first year. Part is straight salary, part is lane changes being made more lucrative.

The school board offered 5.43%.

My guess is the union request will cost about an extra half million dollars in the first year.

The second year, it looks as if the teachers want an additional almost 8% compensation hike.

That would cost another approximately $800,000 on top of the half million more in the first year.

The third year?

About 9%.

Add another approximately $1.1 million on top of the $500,000 on top of the $800,000. If I’m guessing right, that’s a total of $2.4 million.

So, now over $2 million would be added to the budget’s base.

And that’s not counting the “little” stuff. Would that add up to another million?

Perhaps you begin to get the picture.

No one’s talking about whether granting the union “demands” (is that too strong a word?) would put the district is such dire financial straits that another tax rate hike referendum would be needed.

Perhaps the school administration will cost out the Huntley Education Association’s counterproposal and share the finding with the public.