Was It Pleasant or Not?
The mid-spring air at 7:30 on Tuesday morning was pleasant enough along tree-dominated Elenda, but the environment felt poisonous to some of the picketing teachers. Tempers shortened as they paced the sidewalk in front of the high school and the Robert Frost Auditorium. When Mr. Mielke paused to reflect on the support for a strike in the event of a vote, a fellow picketer called out “One hundred percent.” Mr. Mielke smiled. “I think she is right,” he said. “If the School Board follows through with huge raises for the management team and holds off on any raises for the teachers, that would do it, as far as a strike is concerned.” On May 12, one week from Friday, the Teachers Union and the District negotiating team, headed by Asst. Principal David El Fattal, are due to meet with a mediator. Mr. Mielke said that the air has become so fouled and discouraging that it almost does not matter what happens in the mediation session. "My guess,” he said, “is that regardless of what comes out of the session, it probably will be voted down in this climate. Why would teachers accept a four percent increase when management is getting raises between twenty-five and forty-three percent?
“What the School District is doing is unbelievable. They already have given management a three percent raise this year. You know what they have decided? ‘Our management is underpaid.’ So the District is proposing enormous increases at a time when we have not settled. This reminds teachers there are plenty of people in the system who are making more than we can ever make." On its flyer, the Teachers Union points out that beginning teachers in Culver City earn $38, 450. Teachers with twenty-one years of experience “and the equivalent of a doctoral degree,” earn $70, 640, less than thirteen of the sixteen managers in line for pay raises.
Salary Schedule
Following is the schedule of raises. The first salary is the present salary, followed by the proposed salary and percentage of increase.
Superintendent: $123,669 to $154,669, 25%.
Assistant Superintendent/Business: $112, 809 to $128,500, 13.9%.
Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources: $112,809 to $121,000, 7.3%.
Principal, High School: $105,960 to $112,000, 7.3%.
Principal, Middle School: $99,636 to $102.625, 5.7%.
Principal, Elementary School: $92,059 to $96,330, 4.6%.
Principal, Adult School: $100,740 to $102,755, 2.0%.
Director, Pupil Services: $100,740 to $110,762, 9.9%.
Director, Special Programs: $100,740 to $103,500, 2.7%.
Director, Child Development: $66,996 to $96,330, 43.8%.
Director, Maintenance: $90,734 to $97,734, 7.7%.
Director, Fiscal Services: $90,734 to $97,734, 7.7%.
Director, Purchasing: $65,174 to $84,367, 29.4%.
Director, Information Technology: $76,867 to $84,367, 9.7%.
Director, Food Services: $81,737 to $84,367, 3.2%.
Director, Security: $62,752 to $84,367, 34.4%.
