College Teachers’ Pay

Many misleading statements are made in the rhetoric surrounding elections. Several statements in the election for the Board of Trustees of the San Diego Community College District that have been issued by candidates and their supporters (faculty unions) have implied that the San Diego Community College teachers are poorly paid. Specifically, the figure of $19,000 has been mentioned on several occasions.

The purpose of this letter is merely to report the actual earnings of our full-time contract college faculty for the college year beginning July 1, 1985, and ending June 30, 1986.

The 418 full-time contract college faculty members earned these amounts:

$55,000 and above: 1 $50,000 to 54,999: 9 $45,000 to 49,999: 64 $40,000 to 44,999: 89 $35,000 to 39,999: 138 $30,000 to 34,999: 61 $25,000 to 29,999: 36 $20,000 to 24,999: 15 $19,000 to 19,999: 5

This information is taken directly from the district’s payroll records. Seventy-two percent of the contract faculty earn $35,000 or more. Seventy-four faculty members earn $45,000 or more. The average earned by the 418 full-time contract college faculty members was $38,096.

The earnings reported above do not include instructor earnings from consulting work, royalties from textbooks and workbooks sold through the bookstores, teaching in other districts, or other outside efforts.

We provide a significant amount of free time for the instructor to keep current in his or her field and to travel and pursue interests which we believe will assist him or in being a better teacher. Our instructors, who teach fall and spring semesters plus one summer session, have 63 days off per year not counting weekends (Saturday and Sunday). We are proud to pay our faculty a good wage and provide significant earning opportunities.

GARLAND P. PEED Chancellor San Diego Community College District