I have looked at the proposals submitted by the School District’s bargaining units, and many items should be addressed.
Some things definitely are needed. But with the District in a deficit spending mode, any call for a salary increase, at this time seems pre-mature. The district “balanced” this year’s budget by drawing out about $2.0M from its reserve fund. In its First Interim Report, it anticipates having to draw $3.2M and $3M in the next two fiscal years.
A Long, Long Time
David Mielke, President of the Teachers Union, is right that the last negotiated salary increase (1 percent) was in 2007. That does not mean teacher salaries have remained stagnant.
The average teacher salary in the CCUSD in 2007-08 was $62,041. In the year 2010-11, it was over $65,000. That is an increase in salary of over 5 percent in four years. This gain mostly was due to the automatic 3 percent to 4.1 percent increases negotiated into the District’s annual salary sweetener called Step & Column.
Withdrawal Plans
With the District still on a two-year course of deficit spending, any call for salary raises at this time would only add to the need to withdraw more money from our reserve fund to “balance the budget.”
Frozen in Time
I believe the 3 percent to 4.1 percent step percentages built in for longevity in Steps 1 through 10 should be re-negotiated, if not frozen until this District no longer is having to deficit spend to balance its annual budget. This just makes prudent, fiscal sense. Here are two examples of what I am talking about: The first is of a beginning teacher:
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The second example is of a veteran teacher about ready to exit Step & Column:
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Both examples show that even though the Teachers Union agreed to take the appropriate number of furlough days “to help balance” the District budget, teachers still in Step & Column continued to receive their automatic annual increases. Both teachers end up getting paid more in the following years than the previous year and for working fewer days. Both teachers, for longevity only without even advancing themselves educationally, still would receive, after just two years, a 3.78 percent and 6.0 percent more in salary.
2 + 2 = 3
How does this save our District any money when it is already having to deficit spend to balance its annual fiscal budget?
I can’t figure it out. Maybe you can.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
