Raise comes as district teaches fewer students
In a public school district where the high cost of living can burn a hole in the pocket, teaching gigs could become more financially attractive as a pay raise is soon expected to be on the books for certificated educators.
The negotiating teams for both the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association (SMMCTA) reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement in December, both parties settling on a potential contract that would grant a 3 percent salary raise to the teachers in the 2007-08 school year while maintaining health benefits.
The contract will result in an average increase of about $2,000 per employee.
The union’s Board of Directors ratified the terms of the contract last week while the district’s Board of Education expressed its general support for the collective bargaining agreement during a meeting last Thursday, signaling a formal ratification of the contract at the board’s Feb. 21 meeting.
Last year, the board approved a 5 percent teacher salary raise that initially became entangled in a larger issue of financial accountability when the AB1200 — a financial outlook report submitted to the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) — showed the district could have difficulty sustaining the pay increase. Those issues were later resolved after a consultant’s report showed the district could accommodate the pay raise if it adopted several adjustments, which it subsequently did.
Officials at both ends are calling the agreement a “win-win” situation, granting a fair salary raise for teachers and keeping up with the compensation level of other local school districts, helping with not only retention of existing educators in the district, but also recruitment.
“When you talk to the vast majority of teachers, you’re really impressed by their dedication and also by their skills,” School Board Vice President Jose Escarce said. “There is a teacher shortage everywhere in the country and we need to make sure we retain the kind of teachers we have and are able to attract teachers like the ones we have.”
Both parties entered negotiations in the fall and reached a tentative agreement on Dec. 19.
“The district works best when the adults are getting along and this contract was a part of that,” Harry Keiley, the president of SMMCTA, said last week.
“The district works best when the adults are getting along and this contract was a part of that,” — Harry Keiley, the president of SMMCTA, said last week. THE DISTRICT WORKS BEST WHEN THE ADULTS ARE GETTING ALONG AND THIS CON- TRACT WAS A PART OF THAT.” Harry Keiley President, Santa Monica- Malibu Classroom Teachers Association
During the meeting on Thursday, the Financial Oversight Committee expressed some concerns with regards to the collective bargaining agreement, most notably that school officials had not yet identified where the money will come from, either cuts or increases in revenue, according to its Chairman Paul Silvern, who added he expected that to occur in the coming months as part of the budget preparation for the fiscal year.
Voters in Santa Monica and Malibu on Feb. 5 approved Measure R, which combines and extends two existing parcel taxes that bring more than $10 million annually into the district. That money is used to cover the cost of teachers and librarians, art programs and other services for students.
Silvern also noted that the AB1200 document submitted to LACOE is optimistic in that it does not reflect changes in the enrollment forecast as presented last week by consultant DecisionInsite which predicted that enrollment in the school district would continue to decline as a result of a permit policy that places a moratorium on non-district residents. The AB1200 also does not reflect any possible settlement agreements with other bargaining units, Silvern added.
The committee made several suggestions to district staff, including preparing a multi-year budget outlook that goes to the 2011, one year beyond what is required by the AB1200 and launching a public process, formulating a plan to balance the budget and launching a public process whereby they would disclose how it would reduce expenditures or increase revenues.
Through the bargaining agreement, the school board is sending a message that teachers in the district are highly valued and need to be fairly compensated, said Grant Clark, a member of the union’s Board of Directors. Clark, a kindergarten teacher, has taught at Franklin Elementary School for 11 years.
“We know that teaching doesn’t pay a lot of money generally compared to a lot of professions,” Clark said. “They’re stepping up and saying we appreciate and recognize that you’re contributing to a really great school district.”
Jump hedline: Teachers to get 3 percent pay raise
Suggested pullquote: “The district works best when the adults are getting along and this contract was a part of that.”
Harry Keiley
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 12, 2008. Read the original PDF.