An
historic teacher pay point has been reached in the Placentia-Yorba
Linda Unified School District with unanimous approval of a 5.5
percent salary increase beginning with the 2015-16 school year by the
district's five elected trustees.
For the
first time, regular pay for 30-year teachers passes the $100,000 mark
– $102,773 to be exact. Pay for a beginning teacher with a full
California credential, normally earned in five years, reaches a new
high of $49,649 for 185 service days that include 180 instructional
days.
And the
possibility exists for an added 0.5 percent hike, depending on
specific aspects of final state budget support for K-12 education,
for a total 6 percent boost. The increase applies to all employees,
1,088 teachers, 664 classified staff and 170 managers (full-time
equivalents).
Of
course, a few teachers already have earned more than $100,000, when
various extra duty assignments, such as coaching athletic or academic
teams, serving as department chairs or lead teachers, participating
on committees or other work has been added to their regular pay.
But now,
the salary schedule, with 17 steps for service years and five columns
for education levels, passes the $100,000 mark for 30-year teachers
with a bachelor's degree plus 60 units, including a master's degree,
or a master's degree plus 15 units or a bachelor's degree plus 75
units approved by a district committee.
First-year
teachers with full California credentials usually join the salary
schedule at the third column and can move to the fourth with a
master's degree or 45 units past a bachelor's degree and then to the
fifth after reaching one of the education levels described above.
Also,
teachers advance on the salary schedule each year up to 13 years with
additional steps at years 17, 21, 25 and 30. Step advancements bring
from $2,300 to $2,800 more pay and column changes bring from $2,500
to $5,800 more pay, exclusive of other negotiated hikes.
Teachers
with an earned doctorate from an accredited institution are paid an
extra $1,500 per year, and teachers who volunteer to teach an extra
period during the school day boost their regular salary by one-sixth
at high schools and one-seventh at middle schools.
The 5.5
percent increase brings classified salaries up to a range starting at
$12.51 per hour for a first-year child care aide to a high of $42.99
per hour for a senior program analyst or computer systems trainer
with five years or more experience.
Principal
salaries increase to $121,080 at elementary schools, $123,553 at
middle schools and $141,330 at high schools for administrators with
five years or more experience.
The
contracts negotiated with the employee unions are for two years, but
salary sections are expected to be negotiated again for the 2016-17
school year.
Salaries
and benefits account for 83 percent of $240 million expenses for the
district with 25,000 students at 34 campuses.