School Board Approves 3% Raises for District Staff

School trustees voted Tuesday to spend $1.04 million to raise the pay of teachers, administrators and other school district employees by more than 3%, retroactive to last July 1.

The pay increases come in the last year of a three-year contract between the district and the Moorpark Educators Assn., which represents about 250 teachers. The contract, which provides for annual salary negotiations, expires in June. New negotiations begin next month.

“We need to be able to hire and retain the most qualified teachers,” said David Pollock, president of the Moorpark Unified School District Board of Trustees. “There’s a concern they could be lured away when other school districts offer significantly higher salaries.”

The pay hikes include corresponding increases in Social Security payments, retirement benefits and worker’s compensation allowances. But the raises are in addition to money provided for teacher health, dental and vision insurance.

The agreement, which the union ratified two weeks ago, increases the pay scale for teachers with more experience and advanced training.

For example, teachers who have seven years of experience and have earned 30 units toward an advanced degree will receive $38,361 under the new agreement, a $1,224 annual increase.

The district’s highest-paid teachers--those with master’s degrees, at least 30 units toward a doctorate and 14 years of experience--will make $55,700 this year.

“The feeling among teachers has been largely positive,” said Moorpark High School teacher Guy Aronoff, vice president of the union.

Aronoff said a goal of the union during the upcoming negotiations will be to win a pay raise for new teachers to $30,000 a year. Beginning educators receive $28,500 a year.

By comparison, teachers are paid $32,999 to begin their careers at the larger Conejo Valley Unified School District, and $31,731 to start work at the neighboring Simi Valley Unified School District.

The Moorpark district also increased salaries for nonunion administrators and nonteaching employees, represented by the California School Employees Assn., by the same percentage.

The employees’ retroactive salary will be paid in one lump sum, according to Ellen Smith, assistant superintendent of personnel services.

Smith said the raises come late in the school year because the district does not begin negotiating until after cost-of-living figures are released by the state in the fall.