Money Is Available for Teachers’ Raises
* I have been a teacher in the Simi Valley Unified School District for 26 years, and I am proud of the work I do. I find it difficult to understand why the school board refuses to negotiate fairly with its teachers. We teachers have been asked to forgo a cost-of-living raise this year. In fact, it’s been four years since teachers in Simi have had a raise.
The money is there. The reserves are among the highest in the state, over three times state requirements and over 10% of the total budget. The school district has admitted that the deficit isn’t going to be the $6 million they projected; it will be closer to $600,000.
Why should teachers and students suffer because the school district has decided to turn the public schools into a money-making enterprise? Why should the school board continue to talk school closure and cuts while the surplus continues to grow?
MEREDITH RAYNER
Thousand Oaks
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