The first 15 years I worked in education I kept track of raises by amounts and %. It didn't matter what formula was used they generally came out to 3% which will beat inflation most years.
So if 3% this year is not enough because the CPI is 5%, should we all give money back for past years? Asking for a friend, I am retired.
On another note, a large school district south of us raised teacher Para salaries to $14 - $23 an hour. So how does everyone think they will get that money for increases? They raise your taxes, simple isn't it?