When looking at the Los Angeles County salary reports, School Board members should understand that even though two districts might have the same pay scale or salary schedule, they ultimately could end up paying vastly different salaries, depending on their employees’ years of experience and education.
From the County’s latest findings, I combined our District’s reported health-and-welfare benefits’ costs with the highest paid Step-and-Column salary. I compared our total compensation costs to those reported by all the other 47 unified school districts in the County.
Sooner Than Later
The County’s latest report seems to show that the agreement between the School District and the Teachers Union to pay teachers at the County median in five years will be obtained much quicker than anticipated.
Straddling the Line
At $86,497, Hacienda/La Puente USD represents the median teachers’ salary in L.A. County. Culver City is 30th, six places below the median, at $84,632. The difference is $1,865 in annual compensation, about 2.2 percent.
Statistical Truth?
This comparison makes me doubt whether last year's often repeated claim that our teachers were 10 percent below the County median was inaccurate and misleading.
Source of Money
The County’s report shows that the Culver City was clearly in the top 10 in raising salaries last year. This makes me wonder. When two-thirds of the other districts had to cut salaries or forego increases last year, how was the CCUSD able to give our district-wide staff a 2 percent retroactive increase last year? How can this happen after $39M in state cuts and deferrals has been taken from our District the last five years?
Eyes Open
School Board members need to understand that when they are elected to oversee our small territory, they have another state-wide responsibility – keeping the state pension system (CalSTRS) on firm ground.
More Than a Local Issue
The pensions paid to CalSTRS enrollees are based upon a combination of their last three years’ pay and the number of years enrolled in the system. Board members must realize that with each District raise, each automatic annual Step-and- Column increase, these gains increase CalSTRS’s long-term pension costs.
Local Frugality A Must
Keeping an eye on salaries is becoming more critical to taxpayers. If the state’s accounting experts’ 30-year estimates are accurate on CalSTRS going bust, it will be the responsibility of all taxpayers – of you and me, not the employees – to come up with the billions in extra funding to pay for these state pensions.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
