Teachers, district negotiating salaries

Danette Goulet

While teachers in Newport-Mesa are among the lowest-paid in Orange

County, there is no overwhelming disparity between the 12 unified

districts.

The average teacher in Newport-Mesa earns $47,681 annually, according to

county documents. Garden Grove educators have the highest average salary

in the county, making $6,410 more than teachers in Newport Beach and

Costa Mesa.

Negotiations have been ongoing, and the teachers federation and district

officials hope to iron out an agreement by the end of the week.

However, educators, district officials and now Gov. Gray Davis all agree

that it is time to increase the salaries for new teachers.

One of the new programs Davis proposed in May could mean an additional

$190,000 for Newport-Mesa’s starting teachers.

The Newport-Mesa Teachers Federation and the district must reach

agreement to enter the state program by June 30 in order to qualify for

the funds, said federation president Linda Mook.

Davis also proposed a peer assistance and review program that could mean

$300,000 to $350,000 for new teachers, said Supt. Robert Barbot.

“We would both like to see it worked out,” he said.

Beginning teachers with a bachelor’s degree and state teaching

credentials are making $30,163 in Newport-Mesa. In the Garden Grove

Unified School District, they begin at $36,394.

Trustee Judy Franco said that when looking at teacher salaries, one must

be sure to look only at other unified districts and not elementary and

high school districts -- such as Huntington Beach and Fullerton -- which

are funded differently.

Class sizes and programs are also overlooked when comparing salaries, she

said.

“I think that in looking at the pay schedule, you also have to take into

consideration class sizes, which are larger in other districts,” she

said. “And the programs offered [in Newport-Mesa] are beyond what many of

the unified districts offer. That really constitutes their work

environment and allows them to be far more productive.”

The issue of pay is one that has many teachers in Newport-Mesa speaking

from the heart.

“They have very professional teachers and they need to treat, respect and

reward them as such,” said Bob Kelly, a sixth-grade teacher at Newport

Heights Elementary School. “It’s terrible that ours is one of the

lowest-paying in the county, especially considering how our schools do on

state tests and how many California Distinguished Schools and Blue Ribbon

schools we have.”