As a parent of three Kelseyville Unified students, I have been paying much attention to the ongoing financial difficulties of our district.
I was therefore very interested in the recent front-page article, which showed several of our Kelseyville teachers protesting in front of the district office. According to a memo from the district CFO dated Feb. 1 the district is facing a potential $2 million shortfall in the next two years.
One of the many proposed cutbacks to deal with this deficit is to reduce teachers” salaries and benefits. Apparently this is the cause of the recent teacher protest as well as the signs that are posted in the various school parking lots.
According to the district website the average Kelseyville teacher salary for a 185-day work year is $56,733, which is currently 1.7 percent higher than the average of all Lake County teachers. In addition, Kelseyville teachers currently receive an annual benefits package valued at more than $21,000, which is 45 percent higher than the county average.
During the last several years I have watched as elementary class sizes have increased from 20 to over 30 students, multiple elementary grades were combined in a single class, elective classes and programs were eliminated, transportation was greatly reduced, school facilities are falling into disrepair, teacher”s aides have become a distant memory and several other factors that directly contribute to the quality of my children”s education have been cut.
Meanwhile, the teachers” benefits have increased on average 13 percent per year for the last 11 years according to the district”s budget report.
As a fellow working-class citizen I can empathize with the teachers, as I would not want my salary or benefits to decrease either. Also, I fully believe that the bureaucrats in Sacramento are far more responsible for the current state of our failed education system than are our local teachers.
However, the assertion that asking teachers to shoulder some of the financial hardships that most of the country finds themselves in today means you are somehow “anti-education” is intellectually dishonest.
The amount a teacher has to pay for a doctor visit should not affect the quality of my children”s education, like all the other cuts have.
I hope the Kelseyville School Board and teachers union will honestly negotiate to ensure that our children receive the best education possible. That is what we pay them to do.
Mike Amendola
Kelseyville
