Diana Abasta & Kim Allender, Co-Presidents
Over the past few years when we have raised the issue of BUSD teacher salaries residing in the bottom quartile of comparable L.A. County districts, Board members and administrators have been quick to be sympathetic, but have always pleaded powerlessness to overcome the vicissitudes of a shrinking state budget. As they plead for their inability to overcome the monster in Sacramento they are quick to give ample praise, even extraordinary praise, to Burbank teachers. Teachers are now making it clear through their participation in the last three Board meetings that their collective response is, Thanks for the praise, it’s time for a raise.
So many Los Angles County school districts seem to look at the same state budget squeeze as BUSD and find a way to do better for their teachers. This week we received a notice from the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) saying they had just settled with Long Beach Unified for a 2.26% fully retroactive raise, and an additional 1.13 % effective April, 2005. This totals 3.39% carried forward from April. TALB also reported that their health benefits will continue to be fully funded. Recently, Glendale Teachers Association ratified an agreement with Glendale Unified for an increase of 2.75% and a one time .75%, off schedule payment.
We have now heard the argument from the BUSD that we received 2.75% and a .75% one time payment for the 2002-2003 school year. The implication, apparently, was that we had gotten our raise and all was square. That assumption neglects to point out that when we got our last raise we paid for it ourselves in money we saved the District by leaving Cal Pers for health benefits and by accepting a benefits cap.No, we are not square, we are not even. Our salaries continue to average in the bottom of the comparable L.A. County school districts, as we have shown at recent Board meetings. We continue to say this is not good enough and BUSD needs a plan to move us at least to the County median in salaries.
As we have stated in our presentations to the Board,BUSD has the resources right now to begin a process of moving Burbank teacher salaries at least to the County median. All they need is the courage and the resolve to get started. It will require growing the District reserves a little slower, recognizing that planning for rainy days in 2016 is not science but fortune telling. It will also require being proactive, even imaginative, in marketing our District to parents who work in Burbank but live elsewhere, and to parents who need to hear that we have an affordable, quality alternative to the high cost of private school education. And it wouldn’t hurt at all to do an even better job of promoting the Power of 1% for ADA increases through better attendance. Let’s get started!