GILROY
– While last year’s teacher contract negotiations remain at an
impasse, both teachers and the district are showing they mean
business. Teachers turned out en masse to last Thursday’s school
board meeting to protest drawn-out 2002-03 contract
negotiations.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Edwin Diaz and the board say Diaz will
not get a salary increase until teachers get one of their own.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – While last year’s teacher contract negotiations remain at an impasse, both teachers and the district are showing they mean business. Teachers turned out en masse to last Thursday’s school board meeting to protest drawn-out 2002-03 contract negotiations.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Edwin Diaz and the school board say Diaz will not get a salary increase until teachers get one of their own.
Teachers representing 15 of Gilroy’s 17 schools carried signs reading, “Still working without a contract” and “Keep teachers with good pay” into Thursday’s meeting. They crowded the Gilroy Unified School District board room, filling all available seats and standing in corners of the room. Many wore cards around their necks reading, “Settle Now!”
“It’s nice tonight because I brought a few friends,” said Michelle Nelson, president of the Gilroy Teachers Association, addressing board members. “We’ve been pretty quiet about the lack of progress in the negotiations. We are urging the board to seriously consider looking at the proposal that has been brought before you and to get this done so we can move on.
“These are recycled signs, because we’ve used them before … we may need them again.”
Teachers reacted with a standing ovation, waving their signs.
Board Vice President Jaime Rosso, who ran the meeting because Diaz is on medical leave, responded.
“We’ve heard your concerns, and we are empathetic to what is being asked,” he said. “We have put it as a priority that we can assure you we are making every effort to deal with the teachers and their requests. … Thank you for being here tonight.”
The board is working under tight budget restrictions, Rosso said.
After contract negotiations stalled this summer, GTA and district representatives began mediation with a state representative. They have met on four separate occasions since September and will meet again this Friday.
“I’m hoping that we’re a little bit closer,” Nelson said, although details about the process cannot be released. “Both sides are anxious to see this end.”
Nelson said that during mediation, the two sides have made progress toward meeting somewhere in the middle.
“The main issue is, as always, to make us more competitive in our salaries, and we also have to consider the health benefits,” Nelson said. “We need to make it so employees are not having to pay for their health costs out of pocket.”
The last contract article resolved gave teachers a health and welfare benefits increase that equals a 2.5 percent salary increase, said Linda Piceno, GUSD assistant superintendent of human resources.
Teachers have pushed for a 4 percent increase in pay to make up for what they say is a history of underpay when compared with nearby school districts. GUSD did not receive a cost of living increase last year or this year, which would have been about 1.2 percent this year.
“Now with the economy and the shape it’s in, it’s exactly the time to make some progress on other districts,” Nelson said.
First-time fully credentialed teachers earn $37,978. The same teacher in Morgan Hill Unified School District earns $37,740. However, a teacher with 10 years of classroom experience and 60 semester units after a bachelor’s degree would earn $55,946 in Gilroy compared to $58,099 in Morgan Hill. That difference evens out later: After 30 years and 75 semester units a Gilroy teacher earns $71,073 while a Morgan Hill teacher earns $71,400.
“In the past, Morgan Hill has had a higher salary schedule but lower fringe, and Gilroy’s had a lower salary schedule but more fringe (benefits),” School Board President Jim Rogers said.
A San Jose Unified School District beginning teacher earns $36,735. After 10 years and 60 additional semester units that teacher earns $60,704.
“We are in the same comparison bracket as Morgan Hill because we’re out of the immediate Bay Area, and I would think we’d compete … for teachers,” Rogers said.
At the same time, board members are completing a yearly performance evaluation of Superintendent Diaz. They have decided to extend his contract an additional year – through 2007 – but are waiting until teacher negotiations are complete to look at a salary increase.
Diaz said his salary increase would be contingent on what is offered to teachers.
“If we can’t give (teachers) an increase, I won’t accept one,” Diaz said. “I just don’t think it would be right for me to accept any type of increase in compensation until we are able to increase the compensation for other employees.”
GUSD needs to be able to offer a competitive superintendent’s salary, as well, Rogers said.
“From the superintendent to the teachers, no one likes to be last,” he said. “And one of our (board) priorities is to be average or above average in our salary schedule, so it’s important that we strive for that.”
Controversy erupted at a Morgan Hill school board meeting two weeks ago when teachers union leaders compared Superintendent Carolyn McKennan’s salary and benefits with Diaz’s, showing that McKennan makes about $45,000 more annually.
Diaz’s salary is $135,450 while McKennan’s is $169,000, which includes a $35,000 longevity bonus for being with the district seven years. She also has fringe benefits that could make her pay as high as $192,000.
This is Diaz’s fourth year with GUSD. There are about 8,200 students enrolled in Morgan Hill schools and close to 10,000 in Gilroy, which means that Gilroy receives more state funding.
McKennan pointed out that her contract includes maximum reimbursements for expenses, memberships in professional organizations or additional training, which she does not necessarily use.
Diaz was surprised by the comparison but noted that his salary increases mirror those given to teachers.
“It doesn’t make you feel good that other people are making more, but I’m committed to Gilroy,” Diaz said. “Compensation is always a consideration, but it’s not the only consideration.”
“We know (Diaz’s salary) is pretty low compared to Morgan Hill,” Rogers said. “For a unified school district with 10,000 kids, it’s pretty low. He’s a valuable asset, and we want to make sure that (we can) be fair.”
What message does a $192,000 superintendent salary send to teachers?
“That (teachers) are not worth it,” Nelson said, “that their work that they do in the classroom with the students is not as valuable as the superintendent who sits in some office.”
Meanwhile, negotiations for 2003-04 have been on hold.
