Like it or not, the teachers of Simi Valley Unified have gotten their 5.5 percent raise, a decision that will cost the district an additional $3.5 million per year for salaries. Despite the concerns of one school board member, we agree they deserved it.

With millions of new dollars coming in from Sacramento (can you tell it's an election year?), districts like Simi Valley's will have the money to pay teachers more without having to sacrifice much when it comes to school programs, equipment and staffing, but with greater pay should come greater expectations.

Teachers in our district now have some of the most competitive salaries in the state, so it's not unfair for the taxpayers to expect even greater results.

As of now, the only way we have to hold our teachers accountable is the California Department of Education's Academic Performance Index (API). Whether you're for or against standardized testing, it's the only method we have to measure exactly how much basic knowledge our students are acquiring.

Although this past year the district earned just enough, 800, to qualify as passing, students' scores still lag behind those in nearby school districts such as Moorpark, Conejo Valley and Pleasant Valley. While Simi clearly faces some different challenges than those communities, why shouldn't we expect our students to bridge the gap?

The Simi Valley Acorn applauds the school board for giving district employees their due-it was a long time in coming and they deserved it.

But at the same time, we'll be watching closely to see if those better salaries lead to better results, or just better automobiles in the staff parking lot.