SJUSD Hopes Raises, Bonuses Help Teacher Retention
District provides faculty with raises and bonuses, but fails to meet current inflation rates.
By Sydney Teves
District provides faculty with raises and bonuses, but fails to meet current inflation rates.
By Sydney Teves
On Feb. 1, a 4% raise was put into place for all San Jose Unified staff, including those in the food service, bus drivers and administration. Along with this, a 3% one-time bonus payment was also given to staff on March 10.
Last year, teachers received two one-time payments of $1,500 to compensate for additional equipment and workload needed for distance learning. This year all employees are receiving a more permanent raise.
While all this seems like a win for the teachers and staff in the district, concerns have been raised about whether or not the raise is a sufficient amount, especially with the cost of living increasing.
According to San Jose Teachers Association President Patrick Bernhardt, this raise, which would normally be given in August, is decided upon based on a salary formula run by the Union.
“We have what is called a salary formula in San Jose Unified so we take a look at the total amount of revenue the district receives and then a predetermined percentage of that is used to pay for employee compensation,” said Bernhardt. “So the beautiful thing about the formula is that there isn’t a debate about what the number should be.”
AP Macroeconomics teacher Tim Koring, while happy with the raise, is also frustrated with the actual percent of it. When looking at inflation, he sees that the raise does not add up to what has been lost in recent years.
“So average prices have increased 7.5% in the last year to this date and they look like they are going to continue to increase in the near future and so a 4% raise when the average cost of goods has increased 7.5% means that my real wages have dropped by 3.5%,” said Koring.
Social sciences teacher Lillian Luu, like many other employees, is appreciative of the raise and the bonus, but wishes for a more permanent raise rather than a one-time payment.
“COVID costs quite a bit. It’s expensive with rising gas costs and living in the Bay Area. Like renting a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment is expensive,” said Luu. Gas prices in CA have risen to an average of $5.72 a gallon.
Koring believes that even with the raise, teachers are being harmed in the long run because of inflation and retirement. When teachers want to retire they won’t have enough money to live off of later.
“It affects our retirement too because we are paid off of our top three years of salary. So if our salaries are not keeping up with inflation, then my retirement isn’t either,” said Koring.
Together the raise and bonus will cost the district around 8 million dollars. Though the cost is big, Bernhardt recognizes the challenges and concerns posed with the actual amount each teacher is getting.
“More needs to be done. So long as the cost of living, particularly the cost of housing, grows faster than SJUSD salaries, we will continue to lose great teachers to wealthier districts and to cheaper parts of the state,” said Bernhardt.
Last year, teachers received two one-time payments of $1,500 to compensate for additional equipment and workload needed for distance learning. This year all employees are receiving a more permanent raise.
While all this seems like a win for the teachers and staff in the district, concerns have been raised about whether or not the raise is a sufficient amount, especially with the cost of living increasing.
According to San Jose Teachers Association President Patrick Bernhardt, this raise, which would normally be given in August, is decided upon based on a salary formula run by the Union.
“We have what is called a salary formula in San Jose Unified so we take a look at the total amount of revenue the district receives and then a predetermined percentage of that is used to pay for employee compensation,” said Bernhardt. “So the beautiful thing about the formula is that there isn’t a debate about what the number should be.”
AP Macroeconomics teacher Tim Koring, while happy with the raise, is also frustrated with the actual percent of it. When looking at inflation, he sees that the raise does not add up to what has been lost in recent years.
“So average prices have increased 7.5% in the last year to this date and they look like they are going to continue to increase in the near future and so a 4% raise when the average cost of goods has increased 7.5% means that my real wages have dropped by 3.5%,” said Koring.
Social sciences teacher Lillian Luu, like many other employees, is appreciative of the raise and the bonus, but wishes for a more permanent raise rather than a one-time payment.
“COVID costs quite a bit. It’s expensive with rising gas costs and living in the Bay Area. Like renting a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment is expensive,” said Luu. Gas prices in CA have risen to an average of $5.72 a gallon.
Koring believes that even with the raise, teachers are being harmed in the long run because of inflation and retirement. When teachers want to retire they won’t have enough money to live off of later.
“It affects our retirement too because we are paid off of our top three years of salary. So if our salaries are not keeping up with inflation, then my retirement isn’t either,” said Koring.
Together the raise and bonus will cost the district around 8 million dollars. Though the cost is big, Bernhardt recognizes the challenges and concerns posed with the actual amount each teacher is getting.
“More needs to be done. So long as the cost of living, particularly the cost of housing, grows faster than SJUSD salaries, we will continue to lose great teachers to wealthier districts and to cheaper parts of the state,” said Bernhardt.