Fallout From Teachers’ Strike

I feel it is worthwhile--and necessary--to clarify for the public at least a few examples of incorrect information which appeared recently in two articles on the editorial pages (“Sour Fallout From L.A. Teachers’ Bonanza,” Sept. 15, written by Supt. Ted Kimbrough and attorney Melanie Lomax from the Compton Unified School District, and a subsequent letter on the same subject, Sept. 30, written by United Teachers-Los Angeles President Wayne Johnson).

First, the Kimbrough/Lomax article suggested that teachers have “traditionally” received limited salary increases which equal the state COLA (cost of living) percentage, with the inference, perhaps, that teachers should continue to be satisfied with that during a time of tight finances. Though it cost the Los Angeles Unified School District nearly $50 million in very distressing budget reductions for the current year alone to afford the raise we offered to our teachers and other employees, we are pleased that the recent contract agreement makes them among the highest paid in the nation.

In fact, for a number of years the “tradition” in Los Angeles has been to offer higher-than-COLA increases. For the four years prior to the start of the current three-year contract, the state COLA was 20%. In that same period, our teachers and other employees averaged 30%. For the past six years including the present year, the COLA totals 29%, while our district’s increases have totaled 46%. Regretfully, it was inevitable that a certain number of teachers in other local districts would opt for the higher salaries--and a greater sense of their own worth to the community--offered in the Los Angeles district. It would have been surprising had that not been one of the fallout effects.

We want to assure Compton Unified and other local districts that we will continue to be very supportive of any efforts to seek supplemental salary funds from the state to help raise the professional status of their teachers and all teachers.

Second, despite our new contract with UTLA, which we had hoped would signify a lessening of the union’s gratuitous public diatribes of the past year, it is very frustrating for us to have to rebut union President Wayne Johnson’s continuing, unabashed misstatements to his union members, parents and the general public about the district’s budget, vehicle fleet and administrative costs. He apparently believes that merely prefacing an incorrect statement with “The fact is . . .” will guide the public to his side of an issue, but we feel an obligation to correct and clarify those misstatements with real facts.

--Budget reductions were needed (close to $50 million this year), and were made by the Board of Education during three months of public hearings. Furthermore, it is a virtual certainty that more cuts will be needed for next year’s budget, unless the state COLA grows to more than 8% from this year’s 4.64%.

--Over 40 district officials have turned in their district cars at the direction of the Board of Education; they now drive their own cars for district business to and from work. Others who still retain the use of a district vehicle for district business--by board approval--will get “new cars” only when it no longer becomes cost effective to maintain their present used cars. Officials car-pool to required meetings whenever possible, either in their own cars, in assigned cars or in fleet pool vehicles. I would appreciate it if Johnson could provide a list of the 50 administrators he claims “are provided chauffeurs’ services, some full time.” In truth, a small number of district personnel use--on an infrequent basis--the services of a district driver. Even the superintendent gave up the full-time services of a driver/bodyguard and now uses a rotating group of school district police on an as-needed basis.

--The administrative staff that Johnson calls “outrageous, bloated and overpaid” is the same central office and region office administrative staff that comprises only 4.4% of the district’s overall budget, one of the lowest percentages for administrative costs of any school district in Los Angeles County or anywhere in California.

Rather than having to spend time answering allegations and fallacious statements, it would be better for all if we could spend our limited time resolving the actual and critical problems and issues facing all of us.

ROBERT BOOKER

Chief Business and Financial Officer

Los Angeles Unified School District