In an act of surprising rationality, the Wisconsin Education Association Council proposed measures Tuesday to follow the path of every other skilled work force in the nation and institute merit-based pay for Wisconsin public school teachers.

WEAC, the largest teachers union in the state, also supported teacher evaluations based on student test scores and a split up of the black eye known as Milwaukee Public Schools.

While this may seem like an obvious reform – if you suck at your job, you probably shouldn’t keep it until you retire – the teachers union had been opposed to it recently, despite both Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Republican Gov. Scott Walker supporting merit-based pay. This most notably cost the state when the federal government’s Race to the Top grant competition passed over Wisconsin when it was deemed they had not instituted enough changes to the education system.

Despite all that, this board would like to applaud WEAC for finally accepting much-needed measures to improve a struggling education system. The new proposals simply make sense, and show teachers may actually care more about the welfare of their students than protecting the union.

Further, WEAC’s actions could serve as an example for other unions to follow.

Walker treats unions like the brown bag he brings his lunch in every day to the Capitol: He would as soon crush them and throw them away as save them for tomorrow.

By taking the initiative, WEAC may have actually created a platform for some bipartisan compromise in the state. Although Walker is sure to push for charter school reform – a measure the teachers union is just as sure to reject – the conversations may actually make progress now that WEAC has shown they are willing to take steps to improve the school system.

Sounds like a good lesson plan to follow for the rest of the unions, and we encourage Walker to at least entertain these attempts at serious dialogue.