Deasy says schools need the money more than him
For the second year in a row, Santa Monica’s top educator has turned down his annual performance bonus, citing the dire state of the school district’s finances.
“When we’re having to cut back on supplies and materials to kids, and we’re having to lay off teachers, and trim and eliminate programs and classes, it’s really hard for me to justify an enhancement to my salary,” Superintendent John Deasy said.
Deasy’s 7.5 percent bonus would have padded his $150,000 salary by $11,250. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board members granted him the bonus last week after evaluating his achievement over the past year.
The school district is struggling to maintain its services at current levels, said Deasy, who is the only employee eligible for an annual bonus. He credited Measure S, a parcel tax approved by voters in June, and extra contributions from the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, with raising much-needed revenue but said local schools are still underfunded.
“We’re barely going to break even because costs for services like fuel and utilities continue to increase,” Deasy said. “Plus there’s the labor costs, like workers’ comp, and medical and health benefits continue to increase, and the costs of materials increase.”
Board members praised Deasy’s commitment to local schools and said they look forward to continuing to work closely with him during the current school year.
“We still have a long ways to go in terms of ensuring that educational opportunities are afforded to all students in our district, but Deasy has put us on the right path toward achieving those goals,” said board member Oscar de la Torre.
De la Torre pointed to Deasy’s strategic planning processes and commitment to teacher training and improving instruction, and said he trusts Deasy will continue to do his job with students in mind.
“Some of the real important goals that I’d like to see him focus on is to focus on those schools that have historically not achieved academically — on underper-forming schools,” de la Torre said. “We need to find a way to pair up the best teachers with the students that need the most help.”
School board members ranked Deasy on overall performance and achievement in four categories.
In the category of enhancing communication and building collaborative relationships, Deasy received a mark of “completely achieved.” Deasy also scored perfect under the category of implementing a strategic plan. Board members said Deasy had “substantially achieved” his last two goals, which were developing models for assessment and instruction.
This is not the first time Deasy, who asked to have the annual bonus written into his contract when he was hired two years ago, has turned down extra money. He also declined a 6.2 percent bonus last year that would have given him an extra $9,375 and he turned down a 1.5 percent raise given to district employees last year.
“Both years since I’ve come to California the educational climate has been very different than the year I was hired,” Deasy said. “I accept that you can get paid for the work you do. I think it’s fine to accept a bonus based on meritorious work. But we’re trying to do the best we can with what we’ve got.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 26, 2003. Read the original PDF.