Numbers show Teachers Not the Priority to SDUHSD School Board

The SDUHSD School Board Meeting held on September 14, 2017 was extremely volatile and emotional. It is good to see our democratic process in action in our community; this means people are actually communicating. As long as blows aren't thrown, it is okay that we all get to truth and understanding in very different ways. The key with public institutions is we get there and we get there in public. Change is often a difficult process to endure; but endure we must.

In the heat of the communication, there was a shout from the audience. "We should be paying our teachers more." Or something to this effect. Board President Amy Herman, gavel in hand took a firm stand of agreement that, Yes we need to pay our teachers.

We hear this a lot in our District, from both sides, about the paying of teachers. In 2014, Huffington Post wrote a brilliant piece on "What is a Teacher?"

No one would disagree that our most valuable staff is our certificated teachers. These are the people on the front lines with our Students everyday. They are trained and credentialed to be with Students.

However, the actions of our School Board through their votes may be more concerned with the perception of taking care of our teachers, then actually giving our students the qualified personnel they need on the front lines with them in their full educational journey in our District.

There are numbers thrown around all the time in our Community about our District. Let's keep it really simple and from credible source data.

In 2011-2012

General Fund Revenue (Gov Fund 01-60; Gen Fund 01-08) = $100,569,190

Number of Certificated Employees (teachers but not SpED) = 786

Number of ADA (this means students attending school) = 12,485

In 2015-2016

General Fund Revenue (Gov Fund 01-60; Gen Fund 01-08) = $127,240,126

Number of Certificated Employees (teachers but not SpED) = 678

Number of ADA (this means students attending school) = 12,726

SDUHSD has a 27% increase in Revenue

SDUHSD has a 2% increase in Students

SDUHSD has a 14% DECREASE in Teachers

This does not look like Teachers are the Priority

Source Data: SDUHSD EdDATA

Transparent California (2016 data up finally)