San Dieguito Faculty Association (SDFA) Facts
UPDATED ~ October 2020
Questions about the "Teacher's Union" continue to come up so we decided to create a page to share facts as we have collected them from public documentation.
-
The 2015-18 Teachers' Master Contract (approved 2016): Teachers are currently paid under the SDFA Master Contract effective August 2015 through June 2018, which was approved in 2016 by 3 out of the 5 board members (Dalessandro, Herman and Hergesheimer).
-
The average teacher salary for 2016-17 under this contract was around $103,000 for 186 days of work per the "Compilation of selected Salaries and Related Statistics," from the CA Dept. of Education, School Fiscal Services Division (making our teachers some of the highest paid in the state and nation). (By comparison average salaries for others in San Diego county for a full year of work are: Attorneys (3 year doctorate) $99,000, Accountants $54,932, Fire Fighter $49,343, Physician Case Manager $84,882, Police Patrol Officer $58,111, Scientist (clinical research) $98,824.
-
This raise was touted as the "largest two-year salary increase in all San Diego County," by the California Teachers Association. The Master Contract did not include pupil/teacher ratio maximums, like the prior Master Contract had, only class size averages.
-
The "Highest Salary Guarantee Clause" - Article 9.01 of the 2015-18 Master Contract: This contract also has language that guarantees that the teachers will get additional raises if needed to remain the highest paid in San Diego County (see p. 40).
-
In November 2016, Dalessandro and Hergesheimer ran for re-election. The union (a PAC), paid around $40,000 for signs, FB ads and other campaign items to help these board members -- who approved the union's contract earlier that year, get re-elected.
-
Large raises given despite the projected district deficits? When criticized for the record-making raises despite the projected district deficits and large "asks" for money by school foundations to pay for supplies, curriculum, technology and other materials, the union's position was that the raises were deserved because the teachers had gone without a raise in their Master Contract for years. However, the prior Master Contracts did include raises through "step and column" raises built into the compensation program. A comparison of the salaries over the last decade reveal that the salaries have gone up approximately 23% in the last decade. (Is it unclear why the administrators were also given similar raises even though they were under individually negotiated contracts setting their compensation.) The San Diego Taxpayers Association awarded the district its "2016 Grand Golden Fleece Award" for the 2015-18 Master Contract.
-
2018 - Current Negotiations Underway: SDFA and San Dieguito UHSD are currently in the process of negotiating a new contract. In April 2018, the teachers outlined their wants to the District Administration which included reduction in class sizes.
-
Every year the District submits the Salary and Benefit Schedule for the Certificated Bargaining Unit (Form J-90) to the State of California. Historical Summary from publicly available data.

-
On June 14, 2016 Board Trustee Hergesheimer asked a number of questions about the budget and salaries.

-
Public records help the public better understand the working relationship between SDFA and the District.
-
SDFA's Leadership:
Bob Croft was the SDFA's president for at least 7 years. He was very active with SDFA all the way back to 1989. During that time, he was paid directly by the district even though he was on leave to conduct SDFA activities and did not teach. Under the Ed Code, the union is supposed to refund any sums the district paid the employee while on leave to conduct union activities. Our Board did not enforce this Ed Code provision to recoup around $1 million from the union. When Bob Croft retired in June 2017. At this time, Tim Staycer, a special education teacher and Football Coach at Torrey Pines High School assumed the role of SDFA President. In June 2020, Tim Staycer retired and longtime SDFA number two Duncan Brown assumed the roles of SDFA President.
Other Resources:
California Teacher's Association (CTA)
Sutton, Marsha, "Education Matters: San Dieguito’s special relationship with its teachers union", Del Mar Times May 24, 2017
Billings, Karen, "San Dieguito Teachers Receive a Bump in Pay", Rancho Santa Fe Review March 12, 2019