Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District classified employees and administrators say they’re next in line for a raise.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
With little excitement compared to the controversy that had surrounded it the past several months, the local school district’s three-year teachers’ contract was approved by the Board of Education at last Thursday’s meeting.
No members of the public spoke on the contract, which includes a 5 percent raise for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District teachers, during the meeting. But there were comments by a substitute teacher who talked about the need for more respect by the district board and staff for him and his colleagues. Also, representatives from the district’s classified employees (those who are not administrators or instructors) and administrators spoke in favor of the contract, while also mentioning that they expected to soon be receiving raises of their own. Contracts for the classified employees expire on June 30 and a union-like committee representing administrators and some district staff recently submitted a proposal to the district about salary increases.
“Classified employees are an important part of the education process for our students,” said Keryl Cartee, a representative from SEIU, the union representing the classified employees. “And as such, we want equal respect with regard to compensation enhancements.”
She continued, “A few years ago, the Board of Education adopted a living wage resolution. Three years later, the SMMUSD has failed to meet the expectation established in the board’s resolution. As we stand here today, we still have SEIU members making less than a living wage established in the resolution. A change must come and it begins tonight, Sî se puede, yes we can.”
Board Vice President Oscar de la Torre, who is a labor rights advocates, asked that the district staff provide him with more information on the living wage issue.
Harry Keiley, president of the teachers union, said he was pleased the contract approval had finally come. He told the board that the agreement was good for the teachers and the district itself.
“We need to do something about attracting and retaining teachers, and this is one of the things that we can do,” Keiley said. “We look forward to moving forward, turning the page, and beginning to have a conversation about the kids in the district and not the adults.”
The teachers’ contract was finalized last fall after lengthy negotiations between the union and the district. But it took several months to reach the board for approval because of questions by the Los Angeles County Office of Education over whether the district could afford the pay raise.
In October, the district sent a letter to LACOE officials detailing the proposed contract and the rest of its proposed budget. The LACOE officials said their projections would force the district to go into its state-mandated 3 percent reserve fund by the third year of the contract. They said the district needed to come up with a plan to make up for that shortfall.
Also during that time, the SMMUSD’s Financial Oversight Committee expressed concern about the district’s ability to afford the raise. The district’s chief financial officer, Winston Braham, also refused to endorse the contract. He resigned shortly after that, although he has never publicly commented if his resignation was due to the disagreement.
The SMMUSD eventually hired a consultant, Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team. The consultant, after researching the district’s finances, said the teachers’ raise was affordable if the SMMUSD shuffles around various monies from its different accounts. However, a report from Fiscal Crisis also warned of the district’s dwindling revenue due to declining enrollment. Most district revenue comes from the state, and is based on daily attendance. Enrollment is down more than 800 students compared to the 2001-02 school year, and it is projected to dwindle by nearly 600 more in the next two years. Possibilities to compensate for that could include decreasing the number of teachers or allowing more children outside the district to attend Santa Monica and Malibu schools.
This Wednesday, the Board of Education has a special meeting to discuss the budget. The agenda for the meeting notes that declining enrollment is an important issue.