Lets see now The gave the new boss 10,000 more than Derby made while the parents we out collecting for school fuel . Then you wonder why people must vote no on any school issue on the ballot . You people in Novato do not think like normal people. They put it out there and you bite more than you can chew and then complain like cry babies

I'd like to know which districts NFT says "receive almost exactly the same money from the state as we do, yet manage to compensate their teachers significantly better."

The comparable districts that NFT and NUSD have agreed upon are: Alameda City Unified, Davis Joint Unified, Milpitas Unified, Washington Unified, San Leandro Unified, Morgan Hill Unified, Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified, Newark Unified, Pittsburg Unified.

For years I have watched good teachers start in the NUSD, then move on to better paying districts. We cannot retain quality instructors without decent salaries. I spent 21 years teaching in Vallejo, after turning down a job in Novato, because the pay was substantially better.

NUSD, under the direction of Dr. Cunningham, is spending $88,450 on a boundary study.
http://www.nusd.org/files/_VbDIp_/7787e6d6b66788d43745a49013852ec4/10.4.11_Jack_Schreder_Agreement_-_Facility_Master_Plan.pdf

It is these kinds of expenditures, along with the increase in the superintendent's salary, that make parents and teachers feel disenfranchised by the district. For many years Novato had the lowest paid teachers in Marin and the highest paid administrators. Teachers, onsite support staff and principles have the most direct influence the lives of our children. We have to make our teachers a priority. When excuses are made to bring in a new superintendent at a salary that does not reflect the same message as the one given teachers it is bound to create acrimony. When consultants are hired to redraw district boundaries at a time when we need every penny going to teachers and students it is bound to create frustration. The teachers deserve our support.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=286266667383678

This link takes you to a site that shows average teacher salaries for each California district along with the superintendent's salary. If you compare our teacher's salaries by looking at the superintendent's salary in similar districts I believe you will find we have a much larger discrepancy between the two wages. The average salary does not tell us how many new teachers are in NUSD compared to other districts because essentially we train them and then they move on to districts where they can receive better pay. This is a long standing problem. We are fortunate to have many dedicated teachers that have remained with the district in spite of these discrepancies. We need to refocus our attention on keeping talented teachers rather than training them.

Cotati Rohnert Park
Salary Superintendent $177,043
Average Salary Teacher $61,333

NUSD
Salary Superintendent $185,428
Average Salary Teacher $61,572

"Clinton said it is “unfortunate that the area we live in is surrounded by wealthier districts. It’s understandable that some teachers would leave for opportunities down the road. But until the state totally overhauls the way our schools are financed, we will face these kinds of challenges.”

What Clinton neglects to say is that Novato has been a "low wealth district" for decades. This means our property taxes do not cover the cost of educating our children. The formula the state uses to make up the difference still leaves us in a vulnerable position. What we do have is an involved community where parents volunteer time and raise money to supplement education. However this money does not go to teacher salaries. If we want the district to refocus on taking care of our teachers we must tell them that this is a priority. The school board has a daunting task given the current state budget deficits and cuts and the threats by the governor to make more cuts if his tax measures are not approved in November. This time we need to find a way to make our teachers important enough to pay for their work in the same way that we make administrators and consultants important enough to pay for their work.

OMG Here we go with the posts

Thank you ,Tina for your support. I am one of those teachers who has stayed for 16 years. Not because of the salary and benefits, but because I feel privileged to teach along side very intelligent, collaborative and dedicated teachers. I urge community members to ask questions about the issues, become informed, and be active participants in advocating for a change.

A Publication of Novato Federation of Teachers AFT/CFT Local 1986 May 2011
"Our Board of Trustees has hired a new superintendent at $195,000 a year plus benefits. This is ten thousand dollars more than Jan Derby was making (after being in the job eight years). Our new superintendent is receiving a 30% pay increase over what she's earning in her present position. Was this high offer necessary given the fact that school funding is being cut, our budget is being slashed, and teachers are being laid off due to harsh economic times? In negotiations, we've been told the board will not consider anything that will have a "negative fiscal impact" on our budget. They've told us no retirement incentive, no job-sharing, no part-time work for full-time credit, no salary or benefit increases, NOTHING! And, we're supposed to feel grateful that we aren't being asked for furlough days or salary reductions. It is inequitable and unacceptable that NUSD administrators are paid on par with other Marin County administrators, while the certificated staff makes far less than our Marin County colleagues. We're not asking for anything unreasonable. All we want is parity. We believe there is enough money for all now."

Continued
"The board spends it on what they value: administrators and consultants. The rest is socked away in reserves totaling 27% of our budget. Lowering reserves by just 3 % would free up enough money to give teachers the pay increase we need and deserve, and still leave a reserve larger than the majority of schools have in our state. If you believe that instructional funding (including certificated salaries) needs to be increased, please let our Trustees know by emailing them or coming to the Board Meetings and speaking your mind. Nothing will change in this district until we stand together as a united group and speak out!"

Lisa

Thank you! The article by the teacher's federation has a solution that makes sense. I don't know if the figures still apply but if they do 3% along with a cap on any increase in pay for those all ready making well over what the district can afford would be the right place to start.

Question please . When we have fourteen comments, why does someone have to post 6 out of the 14 times ? I am so tired of reading phony posts on here from people who know nothing but comment on everything. I see this all day long on here and not just on this subject. Who would I contact to limit the postings from people who have nothing to say but need to say something .

Bill

You could contact Brent. He will tell you what I have been told about posts (including posts by people who choose not to use their actual names) that Patch is about sharing ideas and there is no limit to this process.

According to the NFT's news release, contract negotiations broke down over a single clause that the district didn't want to include that read, "The District agrees to a written commitment to making a timeline for reaching the average total compensation of our agreed upon comparable districts." Teachers aren't asking for a huge pay increase now, just the agreement that we're moving towards bridging the gap.

You can read the whole news release as the first item on the NFT's website: http://novatonft.org/

I also highly recommend reading the seventh item down on the website homepage titled "Comparing Compensation of NUSD Teachers to Similar Districts." It has a great data breakdown of where the gap in compensation is and what we could do to bridge it.

Thanks for getting informed, getting involved, and supporting your teachers.

Nick Williams
San Marin Science Dept. Chair

NUSD needs a complete overhaul before the public should vote any more funding or OK any more teacher raises. NUSD staff are redundant & loaded w/ double-dipping hacks who got their jobs thru nepotism, not merit. Novato would be better served eliminating NUSD altogether & merging all operations into 1 co.-wide district. Local board/parent groups/onsite staff can provide sufficient local control while the completely redundant NUSD should be dumped. Those savings alone would go a long way to fixing the budget woes. Teachers should not be given any raises unless/until they agree to a viable system that allows getting rid of non-performing/poor teachers -- of which Novato has more than the NUSD/schools admit to. Pay the good, performance-driven teachers more & end the practice of giving tenure after just 2 yrs.!

You voted them in, and now you are saying no more funding or teacher raises. Why did you not say this before the election ? What part of four more years did you not understand