TVUSD Governing Board Action Item Public Comments

P3: APPROVAL FOR AMEMDMENT TO EXECUTIVE, MANAGEMENT, AND CONFIDENTIAL SALARY SCHEDULES

I speak tonight not from any sense of pleasure but from a perceived sense of duty in my TVEA and community member roles.

I understand speaking about the potential impacts of compensation for certain positions may not be well-received, and while my remarks have both fiscal and cultural elements, I assure you they are NOT personal in nature.

Two plus years ago, the TVUSD Governing Board authorized an Executive Salary Schedule. It was designed to create sustainable salary growth for the TVUSD cabinet - and it HAS. In fact, I reported in the TVEA Advocate last fall that from 2013-14 through 2017-18 (a four-year period) the TVUSD Executive Cabinet had achieved salary increases ranging from 22% to 27%. This sort of growth would appear more than sufficient as the cabinet members continue to matriculate through the designed salary schedule with substantial 4% increases between steps.

Yet, perhaps not? Tonight, the district has proposed an additional 2.3% be added to all steps on the Executive Schedule. This one size fits all proposal modeled after compensation growth by TVEA and CSEA employee groups for 2018-19 ignores the growing disparity between executive and rank and file employee salaries.

2.3% of additional compensation for an $80,000 salaried teacher will provide $1840 per year while the extra 2.3% for a $220,000 Executive Cabinet Member (Average proposed Salary for the 2018-19 Cabinet) is $5060 annually moving forward, nearly three (3) times more than the described teacher.

Putting more dollars in the top administrators’ salaries seems to clearly be a Governing Board Priority. In fact, you will have done so in March 2016 with Executive Salary placement and in July 2016, July 2017, July 2018, with step movement. Adding an additional 2.3% to the schedule’s steps tonight would be the 5th Executive Cabinet increase in just two plus years.

Governing Board, TVUSD continues to ask you to stamp your approval of ongoing layers of Executive increases.

If you authorize this item, I believe you will be accountable to contributing to what will be perceived as an elitist district culture and the regeneration of potential employee distrust. TVUSD is not a corporation, but a taxpayer funded publicly entity.

It is not only acceptable, but appropriate for the TVUSD Governing Board to use their elected authority to say: “NO TVUSD, Not at this Time”.

Thank you