Irvine’s Test: Top Schools, Bottom Pay

Despite their high test scores and top-ranked academic programs, Irvine public schools are scrambling for ways to raise teacher salaries, which are at the bottom rung in Orange County.

Beginning teachers in Irvine earn about $29,000--the lowest pay among all Orange County unified school districts. First-year teachers in Garden Grove earn roughly $33,000 and in Los Alamitos the salaries rank above all others at $34,400.

“People think because we have top test scores we have top teacher salaries, but that’s not true,” said Gail Rothman, president of the Irvine Teacher Assn. “Our kids are not worth much here, dollar for dollar.”

Negotiations with teachers for a new contract are ongoing, but a tentative agreement already has been reached. The problem with the salary scale, both sides say, is more of a long-term one, and already it is hurting the district’s ability to attract new teachers. Several candidates have turned down offers from the district in favor of better-paying jobs.

“For a long time, we got away with teachers thinking, ‘I may not earn as much money here, but at least I get to teach in Irvine,’ ” said school board President Michael B. Regele. “But we’re now at a point where the [salary] gap is getting too large.”

Drew Spoonhower, a second-year teacher in Irvine, said he’s scoping out other school systems because he’s earning about $29,000, or roughly $5,000 less than his counterparts in other districts.

“I love Irvine and I want to stay. It’s the creme de la creme, or that jewel you want to get to as a teacher,” said Spoonhower, 26. “But when it comes to the pay, it’s very disappointing.”

In an effort to keep both its academic programs and its teachers, Irvine school officials are angling to win support from the city, local water district, the Irvine Co. and others to generate more tax revenue. The Excellence in Irvine Task Force--a consortium of the school district and six agencies and organizations--was recently formed and met earlier this month to “open the door to imagine all kinds of [funding] possibilities,” Regele said.

Each organization is supposed to propose ways to pump more money to the school district. One proposal in the works includes a parcel tax on property. The average cost per property owner has not been determined.

City Councilman Mike Ward also noted, “We are unique in that we have a joint-use agreement with the school district in many ways. Our city parks are next to our schools, and the city uses school athletic facilities for many events. So our school district and our city have been used to working together. And Irvine schools is one of the main reasons businesses and people move to the area.”

The district’s financial dilemma stems from officials’ pouring much of their money into academic enrichment programs, such as after-school science workshops and art projects, Regele said. Although these programs are popular, he conceded that they have come at the cost of teachers’ salaries.

“We have programs in the arts, science and technology, and counselors that other districts don’t have. That’s what makes Irvine an excellent district,” Regele said. “However, if the community expects high-quality programs, we have to remain competitive in order to keep current staff and attract new teachers.”

The financial struggles have intensified in recent years as the district continues to adopt new initiatives, such as smaller class sizes and more programs for a growing special education population. The district also lost $8 million during the 1994 county bankruptcy.

“We feel we have excellent teachers and they should be compensated appropriately,” said Kathy Corbett, the district’s Parent-Teacher Assn. president. “Yet we also feel our programs are excellent and we don’t want have to give them up either. . . . Parents are having a hard time with this.”

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How Irvine Ranks

Here’s how Irvine Unified’s teacher salaries compare to those in other Orange County K-12 school districts. Beginning teachers are classified as having a bachelor’s degree and 30 units of graduate work; mid-range is 10 years’ experience and about 60 graduate units or a master’s degree.

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Beginning Mid-range Los Alamitos Unified $34,449 $55,332 Garden Grove Unified 33,788 54,437 Capistrano Unified 32,378 48,651 Laguna Beach Unified 31,981 52,309 Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified 31,679 52,270 Tustin Unified 31,250 49,250 Santa Ana Unified* 30,898 49,955 Orange Unified 30,532 40,297 Brea-Olinda Unified 30,500 48,312 Newport-Mesa Unified 30,000 48,431 Irvine Unified 29,110 46,163 Saddleback Valley Unified 28,915 48,888 County median salaries* 30,898 48,600

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* Based on last year’s salary schedules

Source: Individual school districts; Researched by TINA NGUYEN / Los Angeles Times