Fifth in a series
In his previous pre-bargaining presentations, Teachers Union President David Mielke has referenced the L.A. County Office of Education’s overview and ranking of the salaries offered by the other 49 unified school districts.
He again pointed out numerous times that the salaries offered by the CCUSD in various categories were much lower than those of other local school districts. He suggested that if the CCUSD was not willing to offer competitive wages to its employees, it might not be able to attract the best candidates or retain the excellent teachers and staff it now employs.
When Theory Meets Actual Practice
I have sat through many of these informal union presentations over the years. It seems as if the CCUSD’s salaries always have been shown to be among some of the lowest paid in L.A. County. In theory, it does make sense that a district should have to offer its employees competitive salaries in order to attract the brightest and retain the best. In actual practice in our district, this may not ring as true as it sounds.
If Not Just For the Money, Then?
If, as Mr. Mielke has suggested, the CCUSD is one of the perennially lower-paying districts, how does he account for the many excellent teachers who have been working in the School District for eight or more years? If it is not the pay that keeps bringing them back, there must be other reasons, other intangibles keeping these employees working in our district.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
