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Pleasanton Unified School District executive cabinet members, including Superintendent David Haglund, will all be waiving a salary increase that they typically get at the same time other management staff, such as principals and vice principals, receive one.
According to a PUSD spokesperson, the district decided to waive the executive cabinet’s “me too” clause this year because of its many financial challenges, such as salary and benefits increases in the new tentative contract agreement between the district and the Association of Pleasanton Teachers union.
“The decision to waive salary increases for this cycle for executive cabinet and superintendent is related to the district’s ongoing need to reduce expenditures to maintain fiscal stability and solvency,” PUSD director of communications Patrick Gannon told the Weekly. “A majority of our budget is related to salary and benefits, so increases to both have an impact on expenditures.”
“Me too” clauses, according to Gannon, are included in employee contracts in order to maintain consistency in salary increases that are received by any employee group across the district — including teachers, classified staff and management.
For example, because the APT reached an agreement with the district on a 10% salary increase — which still needs to be approved by the school board during its meeting this Thursday — that means Pleasanton’s California School Employees Association (CSEA) union, which represents classified employees, will also receive the same increase.
That’s because the CSEA has its own “me too” clause in its collective bargaining agreement with the district, Gannon said.
But just like the CSEA has a “me too” clause with the teachers union, the executive cabinet has a similar clause with management when those employees get a raise.
According to Haglund’s contract with the district, in addition to consistent salary increases, the school board has to provide a “salary increase each year of this agreement equal to the same percentage increase given to the administrative unit.”
That administrative unit refers to managers such as principals, vice principals, coordinators and directors.
And because the salary schedule for management — including the proposed 3.1% annual increase — is included in this Thursday’s school board agenda, Haglund and the other executive cabinet members would have been due for a similar increase because of their “me too” clauses.
But that’s not the case this year, which APT President Cheryl Atkins said was the right decision.
“Why is this important? Our superintendent and cabinet make a lot of money,” Atkins told the Weekly. “A lot more than the CSEA or teachers.”
“Their contracts have a raise percentage in them as well as the ‘me too’ (clause),” she added. “They don’t have to go stomp around and beg the school board for fair compensation for the work we do, it’s in their contracts.”
She also pointed out that the executive cabinet member’s salaries have increased more than 50% of the same increase teachers have received in the same number of years since Haglund first joined the district in 2017.
According to Transparent California — a website that compiles employee salaries and benefits — Haglund’s total pay in 2022 was roughly $364,000, before benefits. With benefits added, it was equivalent to nearly $441,000.
In 2018, his total pay was about $292,500 — with benefits added it was just over $315,500.
Similar jumps in pay can be seen with assistant superintendent of business services Ahmad Sheikholeslami and deputy superintendent Ed Diolazo.
Sheikholeslami’s total pay in 2020 was just under $206,500 and in 2022 it was just over $250,500, according to Transparent California. Diolazo’s pay increase from 2020 to 2022 was pretty much the same as Sheikholeslami’s.
The three also received a salary increase in July 2022 when the board approved raises for the three.
Haglund’s base salary went up to $369,780 while Sheikholeslami’s went up to $254,053 and Diolazo’s salary increased to $259,134 — mainly because of the new deputy superintendent title.
But while Atkins said it was a good thing that waiving their “me too” raises this cycle is a good first step to rebuilding the trust between the district and the rest of the employees, she still believes that other management like the principals and vice principals should get their raise at this next school board meeting.
She pointed that out because she has heard rumors that the district wouldn’t be giving those employees the raise.
“They don’t have a union or a ‘me too’ clause because they are at will employees but PUSD has always given the me too (raise) to admin as well as CSEA,” Atkins said. “I am disappointed if they choose not to give to their principals and vice principals as they work hard and support students too.”
“We believe the upper management should take care of their employees (including their middle management) and then take care of themselves, but that hasn’t been the case,” she added. “It’s our turn now and I hope they don’t take raises but do give to their middle management people who also deserve it.”
It is quite literally the least they could do. They’re already overcompensated and refuse to give their staff the same benefits they get. If they already have raises and bonuses built into their contract there is no need for them to have a “me too”. The board should take it out of their contracts at the next renewal. If anything, the teachers and support staff should have a “me too” to get anything the cabinet does. They’ve always taken care of themselves first. Not surprising they made sure to get this in the Weekly for the PR.
Yep. Exactly what Truth wrote above.
Also, if they reduced or realigned the jobs and number of coordinators (levels 1,2,3) and managers, all hired since 2017, gosh golly there would be a ton of money for the folks who actually work.with.children.
The seven-year Haglund era has been a complete disaster. He needs to go. This is just a sign of how much he and his cabinet have enriched themselves while destroying the morale of their entire staff. They’re only now just starting to act like they get it. And it is an act. Thank god that Julio Hernandez finally found a district that would hire him in spite of his toxic reputation, but Haglund needs to retire and the board needs to clean house completely. Otherwise, more good teachers keep fleeing to surrounding districts. That’s the only way this gets better. If the board won’t do it, vote them out.
This “me too” has been around for a very long time and is common in other districts. It is interesting that the people negotiating with teachers are the cabinet members . . . “Oh darn, I’ll take the same raise.” “Me too” should be eliminated for the cabinet so negotiations are genuinely about APT, CSEA , principals et al, and non-union members.
I find it interesting the wording the district uses. They point out that they are declining to take the me too clause because they want to be fiscally responsible and now they have to account for the raises they gave teachers. Again, they are being divisive and at the same time trying to make themselves appear to be the good guys by passing on an additional raise. Let’s not forget how they have been taking care of themselves for some time now (with a 3.5% raise every year, and paid benefits for themselves and their families until they reach 65).