OK, I hit the link and Emily has 11 stories on schools, which one is it? I already know the answer, but still want to read the story.

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
April 10, 2008 10:04 pm

I agree that it seems odd the Teacher's Union wouldn't at least vote for whether they as a group would be willing to take a 10% cut accross the board and avoid layoffs for everyone. But that they weren't willing to do that only implies that there is an attitude among the more senior teachers that they would rather keep their pay, rather than a show of solidarity. Those whose jobs are secure are also in a much better economic position to take a 10% pay cut than the newer hires. To me, this would have been a no brainer - hang together, or hang separtely. It's a shame some Teachers are perpetuating some public perception that they only care about themselves as individual.

Posted by Rock On | reply to this comment
April 10, 2008 10:15 pm

#1-Rolling back those recently-won increases would require a lengthy back-and-forth with the unions, who defend their pay as average at best... BALONEY!..#2-Auditor also counted up more than $16 million in overtime last school year, when roughly 3 percent of San Diego Unified employees racked up 40 percent of overtime costs. .. THYAT ALONE PROVES THEY ARE NOT LIVING IN REALITY... #3-SO CAL Teachers are paid, on average, $70 and hour in cash and benefits, which is one of the highest in the nation. There is a DIRECT correlation between the rise of the teacher unions (starting in the 70's) and the decline of public education.

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
April 11, 2008 7:15 am

Teachers are probably more concerned about allowing a negative precedent to be established - that they should have to pay the price for someone else's mismanagement of money. Teacher pay cuts aren't the answer, nor is more money. Better management of existing funds is. Allow educators to spend their grant money in efficient ways. Start with eliminating exclusive vendor contracts.

Posted by Citizen | reply to this comment
April 11, 2008 7:43 am

I am still trying to figure out how a 1% increase in state revenue instead of the projected 6% increase at a time when enrollment is decreasing translates into a 10% across the board cut for schools? Can somebody please explain that to me in a way that doesn't further insult my intelligence?

Posted by PinSD | reply to this comment
April 11, 2008 7:59 am

So bbh/jv, as a public service, would you care to explain exactly what those benefits are that are worth $30-$40 per hour? I can't seem to find them listed anyplace.i figure since you are such a fountain of information, you probably have it at your fingertips. So like I said, how about sharing it with us.

Posted by trestles | reply to this comment
April 11, 2008 10:48 am

I'm seven steps from the top of the salary schedule and I take home less than $40k a year. That's hardly $70 an hour.

Posted by Poppa | reply to this comment
April 11, 2008 3:05 pm

According to BBH, all public employees are rich, getting richer, and impeding the righteous efforts of billionaires to extract the very essence of life from their wayward serfs by demanding the right to work for a fair, not a crippling wage. Ah, let no worker afford anything BBH cannot seize from them for the suffering billionaires.

Posted by Frank In SD | reply to this comment
April 14, 2008 8:08 am

That doesn't sound like a very good question to me. First: The threatened cuts are for the school budget not the payroll. Second: Why should anyone take a pay cut when the governor and legislature mismanaged the state's finances? The governor and legislature need to do their job and determine where the best cuts in state spending can be found--I know there are plenty of unnecessary and less important expenditures that should be eliminated or cut, before cuts to essential state services. It is our elected officials job to set priorities for spending; this 10% across the board cut is a lazy response to the state's financial problems.

Posted by Steve K | reply to this comment
April 14, 2008 9:59 am

According to the NEA's website, California teachers lead the nation in pay -- averaging over $63,000 annually, more than 4% higher than the next highest state (Connecticut). In the Sweetwater Union High School District, a 25 year veteran teacher with a masters degree and the other required extra education courses is paid over $90K a year. Probably similar pay is available in other San Diego area districts as well. And remember, the lucrative teacher pensions are figured off the three highest years' pay, not the average $63,000 salary.

Posted by Just the Facts | reply to this comment
April 14, 2008 11:00 am

From On the Issues by Frederick M. Hess The United States currently spends a good deal more on education per student than most industrialized nations, yet testing shows that achievement has not kept pace with spending. Nevertheless, school administrators continue to press for greater federal spending and claim that reforms cannot be implemented otherwise. Since 2001, the Department of Education's discretionary budget authority has increased by 39 percent. Title I, the main program providing federal dollars to schools serving poor children, has grown 52 percent. In the Bush administration's first two years, Title I spending increased more than during the previous seven years under President Clinton. LINK HERE; link

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
April 15, 2008 6:55 am

Teachers in Southern California are compensated in cash, on average (not the HIGHEST), between $40-$45 an hour in cash, and are compensated another $25 an hour in benefits, for a total of $65-$70 and hour- on AVERAGE, some make much more. Civic Report No. 50 January 2007 How Much Are Public School According to the BLS, the average public school teacher in the United States earned $34.06 per hour in 2005. (See Table 1.) The average white-collar worker (excluding sales) earned $25.08 per hour, and the average professional specialty and technical worker earned $30.66 per hour. The average public school teacher was paid 36% more per hour than the average non-sales white-collar worker and 11% more than the average professional specialty and technical worker. Nationwide, public school teachers earn more than the average workers with whom they are grouped into categories by the BLS.

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
April 15, 2008 6:58 am

The Detroit metropolitan area has the highest average public school teacher pay among metropolitan areas for which data are available, at $47.28 per hour. (See Table 1A.) The average public school teacher in the San Francisco metropolitan area is not far behind, at $46.70 per hour. The third-highest average public school teacher pay is in the New York metropolitan area ($45.79). The top ten metro areas in terms of average public school teacher pay can all be found in California, Michigan, or the Northeast. ...LINK HERE link Paid?

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
April 15, 2008 7:00 am

MORE.....We are number 1 in teacher salary (see NEA website); number 27 in total expenses for education (see link and number 48 in academic testing. We are obviously not getting our money's worth in public education. And one, among many problems is the teacher's credentialing system -- Massachusetts, which tests at or near #1 in every category, fails a high percentage of their incoming teachers while we fail none. To be exact, Massachusetts completed a 10 year study of their credentialing and it showed a failure rate of 24% if its Caucasian teachers, 53% of Hispanic, and 54% of its Black incoming teachers. California fails its incoming teachers at zero percent (California teachers do, in a handful of cases fail the CBEST test, but they get to do "Do Overs" until they finally pass!).

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
April 15, 2008 7:01 am

7. Poppa wrote on April 11, 2008 4:05 PM: "I'm seven steps from the top of the salary schedule and I take home less than $40k a year....SO lets get your pay straight Poppa, if your take home is $40K per year then your gross is about $60K-$65K per year, NOT COUNTING your $25K-$30K per year in benefits.....total compensation= $95k/year, all this for working 37 weeks per year, at an average or 36 hours per week. So $90K in FULL compensation, dividied by 37 weeks ($2,568) divided by 36 hours per week = $71.32 an hour. Not a bad gig. Now throw in the FACT YOU CANNOT BE FIRED OR LAID OFF. Poppa, you just got the truth spanked into you.

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
April 15, 2008 7:02 am

Billy Bob, are you or have you ever been in Public Education? If so, then you would know that each state sets their own standards for testing and that California's are among the most difficult in the nation. Thus, comparing our test scores to those of other states to make your argument is comparing apples to oranges, something the government has not yet figured out. Also, comparing the pay of teachers in CA to those in other states is again a comparison of apples to oranges because you are not factoring in the cost of living difference between the states. Currently, I attempt to provide for myself and my two children on a take home pay of $3,159.24 a month. I do it thanks to my ability to budget my money. A difficult task in San Diego!

Posted by RG | reply to this comment
April 16, 2008 8:20 am

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