EDITORIAL : AN F IN LABOR NEGOTIATIONS; TEACHERS OUGHT TO REVISIT THEIR STRATEGY IN SEEKING PAY RAISES.

DAY Higuchi, president of the union for Los Angeles Unified School District teachers, says he wants his charges treated like adults, not - as he said - like ``tall children'' or ``animals.''

Higuchi, who has been on a single-minded mission to raise teachers' pay since he became president of United Teachers Los Angeles in 1996, wants the beleaguered school district to spend a $71 million windfall it got from the state on raises for teachers with no strings attached.

No incentive clauses. No accountability.

He doesn't want good teachers to be rewarded with raises or bonuses, and he apparently doesn't want bad teachers weeded out.

In effect, he has called for a leveling of the quality of education students receive and a leveling of the quality of teachers who educate them. There is no doubt that bar will be lowered if Higuchi is accommodated.

The Board of Education, to its credit, has finally - if not firmly - indicated that it wants some reform in classroom education and has proposed a system of salary hikes tied to how well students perform on tests, how often they show up for class and the district's dropout rate.

It is these collectivist standards that Higuchi most opposes, and we think he's right about that.

Standards for pay raises should largely be based on merit and individual achievement, and unless that is done, the state surplus money should be used for educational materials, lowering student-to-teacher ratios and special programs tailored to students with special needs, be they gifted programs or tutorials.

Higuchi's teachers-deserve-all strategy is understandable since he is their union leader. But it does nothing to improve poor student performance.

Teachers who inspire, cajole and will students to succeed in the classroom through hard work and skill deserve to be compensated more than those who merely run through their curriculum without connecting with their students.

Moreover, if a teacher is not carrying his or her weight by advancing students' educational ability, then there must be a system that gets rid of him or her before any additional harm is done.

In business, someone who doesn't do his job loses it, or straightens out in a hurry.

Those who do their jobs well are rewarded and promoted. Why Higuchi opposes this method of compensation is dumbfounding.

Higuchi promised he will be ``constructive'' as the contract negotiations continue. He would lend more credibility to his case if he would rethink his philosophy against performance-related pay hikes. Otherwise, he's going to lose the public support he has, and the Board of Education will begin spending the $71 million on programs that benefit children in the classrooms.

We agree with him that teachers are not tall children or animals, and they don't deserve to be treated that way. They should be treated with rewards and be punished when that's deserved - like other adult professionals.