Manteca!

A journal of a city in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley of California.

Manteca Unified School District proposes massive pay increases

Revised, 15 Feb 2006

Just less than two years ago, the voters were asked to approve a bond measure, and borrow $66 million.  The reasons, we were told, was that the district was broke, the schools were falling apart, cold, dank, leaking roofs, dripping asbestos, etc.

At the time, I warned that my analysis of the district's finances revealed lavish spending on high pay and "perks" such as cars and expense accounts for administrators and other personnel.  In so far as the conditions of the schools were less than optimal, these were the results of conscious decisions to spend money on pay and "perks" instead of books and buildings.  Many of our "schools" are little more than educational trailer parks/compounds.  The "temporary trailers" used as classrooms are much cheaper than a school building.

Now, nearly two year after approving the bond and increasing the tax burden on poor of the district, you would think some of that money would be spent on improvements.  But what has been done with the bond money?  I'll leave the details up to the "Measure M Citizen's Oversight" Committee.  But lets just say, I don't see any fewer trailer park schools.  I heard the girls locker room at one school got an air conditioner.  Or was it the boy's locker room?  I don't remember.  All I know is it was routine maintenance that was going to be done anyway.  The bond money simply freed up other money from the "general fund" which is now available to be used for -- drum roll please -- lavish pay increases for administrators!

For example, the superintendent now makes $179,000 per year, including a car and $300 misc. per month  I guess that's for gas.  Who knows.  Now the superintendent is demanding a raise of another $15,000.  The pay is retroactive to last July. 

I've decided to remove the chat showing the pay and payroll changes over the next years.  The amounts are disputed by the Manteca School Board.   I brought it up at the 14 Feb meeting.  There was a long technical explanation, which frankly, didn't make much sense to me.  However, lets set that aside.  We won't talk about the next few years, lets just talk about this year's pay raises.

Just for curiosity, the Chief Justice of the United States makes about $208,000 per year and associate justices about $190,000.  A U.S. Congressman or Senator makes about $162,000 per year.

Another curiosity, notice there are about 90 administrators now making $102,000 per year, and they are demanding a raise to $106,000 the smallest raise  There are 90 of them?

Finally, did you notice that the payroll increase is almost the same as the "debt service" on the Measure M bond.  In other words, if they didn't give themselves the raises, or only gave themselves moderate raises, they could almost pay back or retire the district's debt.  At the meeting, I did question that and we got the standard line about how the bond and the "general fund" are separate.   I believe that's a fiction for the old reason I've mentioned a few times.  In short, the bond money was spent instead of money in the general fund, leaving more money in the general fund to pay lavish salaries, so it's a distinction that's irrelevant.

log: 26 Oct 2006 07:51:47 PST

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