Schools: Teachers Are Facing a 5.3% Reduction in Salary

I would like to respond to and clarify several statements made in the article entitled “School District Plans to Cut Teacher Pay 5.3%” (Long Beach/Southeast, Aug. 18).

The proposed 5.3% salary reduction will not be used to restore any critically needed services. This reduction, along with other adjustments, is needed to “balance the books” and maintain the same level of services to our students as they received last year.

The restorations--totaling $1.5 million, or .8% of our total district budget--include nurses, counselors, support staff, some transportation and other minor items. These items are being funded by a transfer of Self-Insurance Fund reserves. The transfer is a legal transfer. The Board of Education decided to support student and staff services in the areas of safety, security and health needs, versus having adequate reserves to pay insurance bills due in 1998-99.

Since July, 1990, this district has been forced to cut over $49 million from its budget. These cuts were deliberately targeted to areas away from employee compensation. However, by excluding the largest component of a school district’s budget from significant cuts, the district has had to cut out the support structure surrounding the classroom. Now we must cut further, yet we know we’ve cut the support structure too much already.

The bottom line is, we must balance our books or turn the district over to a state administrator who will balance the books. That person will most certainly examine the district’s salary schedules. Even after the “massive” 2.3% pay cut in 1991-92, subsequently offset by a 1.4% pay raise and 2% bonus in 1993-94, our teachers are still the highest paid in the county. In fact, our teachers are the fifth-highest paid group in the state (out of about 989 districts).

No one enjoys taking a pay cut. However, the recession, declining enrollment in our district and a “no more taxes” attitude limits the options remaining. We have made massive cuts to everything but salaries. This district has only two choices left: A pay reduction or a state takeover.

DARLINE P. ROBLES

Superintendent, Montebello

Unified School District