Political Games
September 1, 2008 - Two teachers, officials in a local teachers' union, were denied tenure. They claimed it was because of their union activities. A judge ruled against them in court.
Now the school district is seeking $10,763 in sanctions against the teachers. A hearing on the matter was scheduled for September 19, but the union has filed an appeal of the July 18 Sutter County Superior Court decision with the Sacramento-based Third Appellate District Court.
Sanctions would, as the school district attorney wrote, "discourage these kinds of political games in the future."
Attorney Thomas M. Griffin, who represents the school district, argued for sanctions by stating that the tenure case "is an action by the union to 'play tough,' demonstrate that it can get results for its members, teach the district a lesson for the perceived discontent of the superintendent with union activities, and punish the district, costing it a good deal of money."-------------------------
SCHOOL INFO: The Nuestro Elementary School District has two schools and 259 students in grades K-8. Source: GreatSchools.net
Total per pupil expenditure = $6,637
Total state per pupil expenditure =$10,805
It's a small district and the School Accountability Report Card (PDF) shows they have 7 teachers in the entire district. Teacher salaries are on page 9. They are from the 2005-06 school year because fiscal information available provided by the state is always two years behind the current school year, and one year behind most other data included in the report.
Teacher salaries in 2005-2006 were <----- for 180 days of work*
Starting teacher = $37,039
Mid-range teacher = $44,787
Highest teacher = $48,095
* Based on avg. school calendar. Not counting sick days.
Elementary teacher Annual hours = 1393 or 174 days
in a 2004 National Compensation Survey.(Line 152) U.S. Dept. of Labor
Taxpayers
Median household income in the Live Oak is = $32,285 <--- for avg. 250 days**
Unemployment is 8%
With a population of 7,563
** 40 hrs a week x 50 weeks.
Not counting sick days. Counting two weeks vacation.
Standard used in business.
The superintendent is also the principal. The comparison between taxpayers and the teachers they employ does not include job security, paid retirement, accrued sick leave that can be sold back, personal holidays or paid time off given to teachers for their union activities.
Hard-ball political games played by unions cost school districts money that could be better spent on education. It costs districts tens of thousands of dollars to fight tenure actions and the endless appeals that the unions are prepared to finance to cow districts into wariness, then capitulation to every petty complaint.
Look at the frugality of the district. It's called careful stewardship of taxpayer money.
