In today's Minneapolis StarTribune, there is an article with the following headline: "Teachers who plug in told to pay up." The Saint Paul School District has launched a plan to require teachers with personal appliances in their classroom to pay a $25 annual fee per appliance.

The summary text on the article reads: "Fearing high energy costs, the St. Paul schools want to charge workers with personal appliances $25 a year. The idea is fueling some opposition."

It is understandable that the odd mini-refrigerator, coffee pot, or microwave might add a bit to the district's annual energy costs. These "personal devices" however end up saving teachers' time by allowing them to stay in their classroom (and work), rather than walking around large school buildings in order to gain access to certain appliances.

The school district should think about "choosing their battles" more carefully. Charging for things like that would tend to alienate the staff. Having bitter employees would be but one "unintended consequence" of instating such a rule. (Others being clandestine electronics, long and leisurely strolls to the teachers' lounge, and others which I have yet to think of.) It really doesn't make sense to mess with the morale of a building's important staff members.

There have to be other ways to curb energy use in the schools, such as: turning down the heat (which I believe has actually been done), educating people to turn out lights, setting library and classroom computers to go into "sleep" mode more quickly, as well as other things.

Now I don't work for the Saint Paul school system, but I am a teacher. I have a microwave oven in my classroom that gets used between 5-10 times per month (if that.) I could certainly live without my microwave, and definitely would if I were to be charged for having it. That said, I would really resent it if someone told me that I had to get rid of the thing if I don't pay for it. Grudgingly following that rule would tend to dampen my enthusiasm for going into work each day. There are already enough crazy things that urban school teachers have to deal with without having to get it from their employers as well.

I wonder how that is going to turn out...