While this news is not unexpected it is still disappointing especially after hearing that the district “can’t” afford more than a .5% raise for teachers and nothing for the CSEA staff. The load that has been put on the custodial staff, due to Covid, has been unbelievable and I’m sure the board has expressed their sincere thanks and gratitude to them. It is clear that the board has other selfish priorities other than bringing and hanging on to high quality staff. The teachers are now with an expired contract. I for one am going to sit back and see how this plays out and then do my talking at the next election. I think the last election should be a wake up call for at least one current board member.

Thank you PUSD teachers, aids, and CSEA staff for your TIRELESS hours you spend to educate our children/students and for your devotion and faithfulness in serving our campuses day in and day out! You are the ones that are in the trenches daily. You are all the true heroes and foundation of the district - not some Superintendent or some part time elected board members. May the staff stay strong and UNITED as they negotiate their new contracts!

A Classic "BUSINESS PRACTICE" that happens in every kind of business. Management continue to make more and more each year, while those that work under them, make less and less (no cost of living raises). It's sad that things are so backwards these days and even college grads don't get the respect by having higher wages than those that don't. Things have got to change otherwise there will be a price to pay.

So much to unwind here.

First - Haglund and his team don't deserve raises. Sorry, you failed the students, you failed the teachers, and you failed the community. Now, that is not to say that tremendous effort wasn't put it. It absolutely was. But effort and results are not one in the same.

- Pre Covid - Haglund approved and distributed materials that disparaged the law enforcement community. He later stated he never read them and it was a mistake to distribute them.
- During Covid - Failed to file for the county waiver that would have allowed in person instruction (didn't have to use it, but absolutely should have pursued every opportunity available)
- During Covid - Failed to create a lesson structure that met the California minimum instruction hour requirement.
- During Covid - Failed to maintain student grades and test scores - and instead covered up the issue with grade forgiveness
- "Post" Covid - failed to build a new school (or return funds to the community) with the $35M the community provided

Those are undeniable facts. Added to those, are my opinions on other things that were poorly managed.
- Teachers were not prepared for remote lessons
- Community input was not taken into consideration (superficial at best)
- Misrepresented APT / board / school relationship and return to school status

Now, I don't think any of them deserve to loose their jobs as a result of the above, it was an unprecedented situation, and efforts were made. But raises? No way.

On teachers - yes they deserve raises, and especially more so than the administrative staff. And lets also be honest - teachers were not on the front line or in the trenches, in fact, as a "whole entity" they fought it. Some teachers really stood out, but we also saw the worst. And this just screams why a performance based compensation incentive is required. We need to attract, retain, and pay our teachers their worth and the union step and column increases punish the best and brightest teachers by hindering them to the lowest performing teachers. I fear the community will weigh those negative experiences greater than the best performing and thats unfair to the teachers that really doubled down and delivered the best teaching experience regardless of situation. We need progressive union reform (read dismantle and start new) here for students' education and teacher compensation.

I would be happy with tenure shifting to first day of sixth year—five full years before tenure—rather than first day of third year (or two years before tenure). As one teacher said to me, anyone can fake it for two years.

Kathleen,
On tenure - can we discuss the purpose of this at the elementary school and middle school level? I have two concerns with tenure

1. Its not quantifiable in total comp - i.e. staff can accurately claim their salary is $X and while tenure is a "perk" its never quantifiable in the total comp equation. For purposes of marketing and educating both staff and taxpayers I think we should assign a dollar value to tenure (and sure, it may be a sliding scale based on years to retirement) - but lets dollarize it please so its objectively quantified in the total salary discussion.

2. Tenure was created to
- prevent teachers from being fired for political reasons
- academic freedom in the classroom
- protect against sex and race discrimination
all of which are already covered under civil liberties laws, and in the case of academic freedom the curriculum is set - the methods a teacher determines are open, but the content (and the reason tenure was created) is set.

Just seems to be another legacy policy that creates division more so than promotes educational progress.

I used to believe getting rid of unions was the only answer. I have since moderated to say easing out teachers who just aren’t cutting it is a faster solution. I could agree that some financial perk be added for the first day of the sixth year—something substantial enough to make it worth the wait. There does have to be a way for teachers, good/great teachers, to not get stuck where they never hit that sixth year or it takes longer than intended. Oddly, I was almost always in an at will employment. (There was a brief time where I had a contract.)

Getting rid of unions IS the answer, especially for professions like teaching, nursing, etc. Unions protect dead weight. If you can't cut it as an "at-will" employee, you deserve to be fired. Exemplary employees don't need union protection. Being employed at-will keeps you on your toes, and you will perform at your best. If not, your employer will cut you your last check, and rightfully so. The truth hurts.

It is AN answer, but it is not achievable. Better to work with teachers (and others) to cut the chaff early in their careers. It’s better for students and teachers.

I think we can agree the union structure as it exists today is not working - its failing education, its failing teachers, and its failing to deliver any benefit to the community and just creates a third party divide.

Personally I don't see meaningful change without dismantling the union, but I'm open to a reform discussion if teachers feel they still need it, but it has to look and operate significantly different than it does today.

"but it is not achievable"

ANYTHING is achievable. You sound like a lifetime government employee.

"Better to work with teachers (and others) to cut the chaff early in their careers."

You've missed the entire point. UNIONS WON'T ALLOW what you have outlined above.

Get rid of unions and do EXACTLY what Jennifer mentioned above.

Dan

I am not a lifetime government employee. I am being realistic about unions.

Tell me, Dan, how, in this very blue state, are you getting rid of unions?

Continue to show the corruption and ineptness of them.

Kathleen,

"how, in this very blue state, are you getting rid of unions?"

Transparency and truth.

The information age has made it virtually impossible to hide misdeeds of any system. The unions will destroy themselves by way of information made public through transparency laws and actions by persons from the inside to expose corruption.

It happens nearly every week.

States (the sane ones) are now starting to reign in Education policies that impacting students such as CRT. See Florida and Texas.

Have you been paying attention to the school board meetings being published online where parents are taking back control of school boards due to CRT?

Changes are coming. Maybe a little too slow, but they are coming.

Dan

"corruption" ??? APT? Did I miss something? It only took a couple of days to see CRT on this board. Not sure what CRT has to do with the folks getting 3.5% raises plus paid medical, dental and vision.
"The 3.5% compensation increase for all five cabinet members will extract about $54,143 from the district's general fund." Does this include Med, dental and vision? I know for one family Medical can be 15K or more a year.

Established in 1863–158 years. Sure, time will change the unions; about another 158 years. “See Florida and Texas.” Couldn’t pick two worse states as examples of anything.

[Removed]

Unfortunately this conversation has devolved into bickering between a few and no real substance. So it is being closed.

I am re-opening this thread because it's an important topic. PLEASE stay on topic and avoid comments directed at another commenter.

"If you are not part of the solution, you are a part of the problem".
Chief Richard Grass.

Yes Gina, it is an important topic. Our teachers, psychologists, counselors, nurses, custodians, secretaries, groundskeepers, etc. are all just as important as the top five in the district. In my two decades of teaching in the district, when a raise was given, everyone from top to bottom took it, no more, no less. When we took ten furlough days in '09-10, everyone from top to bottom took the loss, no more, no less. We did everything together. But now we have a new administration that thinks they are worth 3.5% more, while they think we are worth just 0.27% more. This has sown distrust in our ranks towards our leadership. I would never take a raise my fellow employees can't have as well. Our leadership should be ashamed of themselves.

The 3.5% compensation increase for all five cabinet members will extract about $54,143 from the district's general fund." Does this include Med, dental and vision? I know for one family Medical can be 15K or more a year.

Fascinating how many coordinators PUSD has recently hired (6). I wonder where that money came from and why the people who were doing the hardest work were offered a .27% raise?

To JTJ, yes this includes medical and dental.

To Wow, I don't want to sell the administration short, they work very hard, I would not want their job(s). But yes, lots of new administrators/coordinators and such, not to mention we used to have three asst. superintendents, but a few years ago we added a fourth.

Also, numerous people in the district office have been hired from SoCal, and commute back-and-forth each weekend. Makes me feel they are not invested in the community.

Just to be clear, these administrators were not given the raise, it was just a discussion at this point. But I bet it would have been given to them if there was a vote taken.

With four assistant superintendents there is no need for the superintendent that answers to doctor!