You keep hearing from a few Manteca Unified teachers hammering their theme that they are “underpaid” that some 100 teachers have fled the district due to better paying jobs.
It turns out that not only have 100 teachers not left in the past year — try 72 — but the reasons they gave the district for leaving wasn’t all about pay as those trying to sway public sentiment contend.
Here’s the breakdown of the reasons the 72 departed teaches gave Manteca Unified as to why they left the district:
u31 retired from teaching.
u11 moved to another local district (possibly for more pay).
u11 resigned in lieu of being released due to not having appropriate credentials or not meeting the high quality that is expected in the teaching profession.
u7 chose to stay home to be with family or take care of loved ones with medical issues.
u6 took a promotion or other career development.
u6 moved out of the state or more than 150 miles from the area.
As a side note, among the district’s 1,200 teachers there are some that commute considerable distance to teach here including one from the San Jose area. They like what is happening here with things such as Going Digital. And if pay was an issue for them, compare San Jose salaries with Manteca teacher salaries.
As for teacher negotiations, the board Tuesday decided to place mediation on hold in a bid to come to an agreement directly with the Manteca Educators Association outside of the meditation process.
The mediator has set aside a date down the road if the two sides can’t reach agreement while the mediation process is on hold.
The district issued a release this week stating “MUSD Board of Education Accepts MEA Proposal.”
That release states the following:
uThree-year agreement from July 1 2017 through June 30 2020, that keeps salary reopener negotiations open for the 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 school years.
uThe parties will renew its 2014 MOU for Grade Span Adjustment (GSA) which continues class size reduction towards a 24 to 1 District average in 2017-18 and to achieve (GSA) full compliance by 2020.
The highlights of the Board’s proposal include a 4% salary increase for the 2016-17 school year (2% retroactive to July 1, 2016; 2% retroactive to January 1, 2017) and effective June 30, 2017 an additional 1% salary increase. This represents a cumulative 5% salary increase going into the 2017-18 school year. The Board’s proposal includes increasing the employer monthly contribution for health benefits to $850 and reducing teacher work days from 188 to 186. The Board also proposes to increase stipends for coaches, band and choir directors, and encouraging STEM education through an additional stipend for Science Olympiad coaches. The Board is also offering a loan forgiveness incentive for school nurses to obtain certification that support some of the neediest students, and to ensure students are the number one priority by accelerating GSA (Grade Span Adjustment) which continues class size reduction towards a 24 to 1 District average.