The Mountain View Whisman School District Board of Trustees approved pay increases for many of its employees – but not teachers – at a Thursday, Feb. 10, meeting. Contract negotiations between the school district and its teachers union are still unresolved, with the union declaring an impasse last month and calling for an outside mediator.
On Thursday, the school board approved a three year agreement with the California School Employees Association, which represents classified staff, such as classroom assistants and custodians. Under the terms of the deal, classified staff will get a 5% raise retroactively applied to this school year, plus a 2% one-time bonus, a 4% raise next school year and another 4% raise in the 2023-2024 school year.
The board also ratified the same pay increases for management and non-unionized staff. These employees include principals, preschool teachers and various supervisors.
At the same meeting, the school board approved individual contracts for three high-level district administrators: Chief Academic Officer Cathy Bauer, Chief Business Officer Rebecca Westover and Chief Human Relations Officer Tara Vikjord.
Their pay increases mirror those of the other employee groups. On top of the raises, they also get a 3% bump for each year they stay with the district. Those kinds of automatic yearly increases based on longevity are routine for school staff of all types.
Bauer will be paid $259,600 this school year, $278,084 next year and $297,883 in the 2024-2024 school year. Westover will earn $238,190 this year, $255,149 in the 2022-2023 school year and $273,315 the following year. Vikjord will get $232,523 this year, $249,078 next school year and $266,812 the year after that.
Still in limbo is the contract for teaching staff. The district and teachers' union struggled to come to an agreement, with the union formally declaring an impasse last month. Teachers rejected offers that would have increased pay, but not addressed concerns over work hours and class sizes. A negotiating session facilitated by a mediator is scheduled for March 1.
Comments
Registered user
Cuesta Park
on Feb 13, 2022 at 2:18 pm
Registered user
on Feb 13, 2022 at 2:18 pm
One common way to see if teachers as the primary providers of Service (learning opportunity) are doing well in our district is to look at MVWSD's percent of Total Budget to teachers compared to average in the state. GUESS? It is a lower percentage, MVWSD's 32% relative to CA State's 34%. (Fiscal Yr 2019-20). 2/34 = 1/17 lower.
Administrative salaries are at the state average "as a percent of the Total Budget."
Detailed information regarding salaries may be found at the California Department of Education's website www.cde.ca.gov, search DataQuest.
Registered user
Monta Loma
on Feb 16, 2022 at 7:23 am
Registered user
on Feb 16, 2022 at 7:23 am
It's wrong how MV schools love to take so many minimum days, days off, and max out school vacation weeks. The focus should be on student's educations as priority #1.
Registered user
Cuesta Park
on Feb 16, 2022 at 7:40 am
Registered user
on Feb 16, 2022 at 7:40 am
Just to be clear, not all teachers receive the 3% increase year to year as stated in the article. After 19 years of service, this annual increase goes away entirely and it is also not present every year after 10 years of service. It would appear that top administrators however, have included an evergreen 3% annual increase on top of any salary adjustment. This goes against the stated goal of "attracting and retaining" quality teachers. Where is the incentive for veteran teachers to stay for the long term, especially when they are no longer eligible for the annual 3% increase?
Registered user
Monta Loma
on Feb 17, 2022 at 9:49 pm
Registered user
on Feb 17, 2022 at 9:49 pm
"Exhausted and exasperated, classroom teachers and other school staff are under an unprecedented level of strain, made worse by recent dire staff shortages that have plagued school systems across the country...." this from NEA's February 2022 article, "Survey: Alarming Number of Educators May Soon Leave..." For the complete piece: Web Link