Management does not value us and our experience
In January, PUSD Human Resources insulted every one of us by sending out a recruitment brochure. Why is there a need for a recruitment brochure? Well because there is a teacher shortage. Why is this specifically an issue in Pleasanton? Because we pay worse than the surrounding districts. We have teachers in PUSD that are actively looking to teach outside of PUSD simply because surrounding districts pay more, a lot more (see Chart 3 for a comparison of PUSD and Dublin Unified Salary Schedules. A lot more). A couple key points from this chart. They notate that PUSD pays more than surrounding districts in Alameda County at Step 1. Step 1 is where teachers start. The maximum time you can be there is 1 year. I care more about how those salaries grow over time. The other point from this is the "Up to 15 years of Service Credit." Management recently pushed for this in order to attract qualified, experienced teachers, yet they don't seem to be extending the same effort to secure their current APT teachers for years to come.
Infographic from the PUSD Human Resources Hiring Brochure. Link to brochure
LVJUSD Pays more now
Mentioned previously was the large raise that Livermore LVJUSD received. The contract they signed extended to next year as well, somewhere near 16.9% over the two years (reopening the 22-23 contract and signing a 23-24 contract). With no offense to LVJUSD, they have always been the lowest paying of the local districts, but now that simply is not the case. I graphed the difference in salary between PUSD and LVJUSD based on the highest column over a 24 year period (LVJUSD salary schedule goes up to 24 years). What I found was a negative correlation. While PUSD does start higher (as promoted by PUSD in the above graphic), the longer you stay in PUSD, the worse you are doing. By year 10, LVJUSD is paying more, so anybody that is still working in PUSD after 10 years is a sucker (I am a sucker). You are losing about $300 of salary per year for every year you stay in PUSD. The obvious exception is the large raise PUSD gets at year 20, but with LVJUSD, this is negated at year 21, and the pattern returns by year 24.
Comparison of PUSD salary minus LVJUSD salary schedules at the BA+75 highest column. Link to spreadsheet *Note that this above comparison is for LVJUSD 23-24 salary schedule as they have already signed their next year contract.
So does everybody else
The above chart is not total compensation, so it does not include medical benefits. Therefore it does not include the $2000 or $5000 from PUSD depending on if you take benefits or not, but it also doesn't include the significantly more generous benefits provided by LVJUSD. The standard Kaiser family plan with LVJUSD is $1035 a month compared to $2,375 a month with PUSD. LVJUSD also offers a few HSA options that could significantly reduce costs.
When we compare the Dublin Unified Salary schedule, see chart 3 below, the negative correlation is not there, but they just pay way more, across the board. And their Kaiser monthly premium for a family is again much less: $1,096. San Ramon Valley Unified does have a lower salary schedule, as seen in Chart 4, but their Kaiser family plan is completely free. That's over $25,000 a year benefit over PUSD ($20,000 net difference when the $5,000 PUSD stipend is considered). We again see the negative correlation, though, indicating that PUSD does not value their teachers long term.
Comparison of PUSD salary minus LVJUSD salary schedules at the BA+75 highest column. Link to spreadsheet
Comparison of PUSD salary minus SRVUSD salary schedules at the BA+75 highest column. Link to spreadsheet
Dublin is willing to pay for the best teachers
Dublin USD is actively recruiting teachers. They are a growing district, new high school opening, and they understand that they want to attract and retain the highest quality teachers. On their website is a flyer showcasing their highest salary in the area across the board. Dublin, as a city, is making choices that better their community as a whole. It is universally understood that better schools lead to higher property values, which is a good thing for every property owner in the city. Don’t want to take my word for it? How about Realtor.com, Public School Review, Cardinal Financial, or Homes.com. The problem that PUSD will soon face is a surplus of mediocre teachers. If we are not paying the highest (or even close to it), then we will not get the best teachers, and our current, high-quality educators are already eyeing jobs in other, higher-paying districts. This will leave us with many unfilled, unattractive positions, and thus we will be hiring mediocre teachers. This unfortunately is not a short term problem because these mediocre hires will stay in Pleasanton through the duration of their career, continually lowering the quality of education in Pleasanton and ultimately lowering property values.
Comparison of PUSD salary minus LVJUSD salary schedules at the BA+75 highest column. Link to spreadsheet
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