Teachers say proposed wage hike falls short
Kentfield School District teachers are pushing back on a proposed wage increase.
More than a half-dozen teachers gave emotional testimony to the board of trustees at its May 10 meeting, saying the district's current 2% wage increase offer for 202223 amounts to a pay cut in the face of the annual 8.3% inflation rate in the Bay Area.
“My husband and I are both teachers,” said Lindsay Zerzan, a Bacich Elementary School teacher for the past six years. “Within the past month, we received notices about raises for both our rent for our apartment and our day care tuition.”
The family's household expenses will increase by “$400 more per month this summer for just rent and day care alone,” Zerzan added. “I love what I do and where I do it. But I'm not sure how much longer our family can do it without a cost of living increase.”
Physical education teacher Celeste Perez said she and her husband, also a public employee, found out over the holidays they needed new tires for their cars. However, they had to delay the tire purchases each month due to dental and orthodontic expenses for their three children. So far, only her husband's car tires have been replaced.
“My car's in the parking lot with bald tires,” Perez said. “I'm not saying this lightly. It's probably extremely dangerous for me to be driving it right now. I can't afford new tires.”
District officials said more contract talks are scheduled for today.
“Negotiations for the 202223 school year are ongoing,” board president David Riedel said Monday. “Kentfield spends 85% of our annual budget on salary and benefits for our valued staff.”
Warren Beales, president of the Kentfield Teachers Association, said he was not ready to comment on the talks or any proposals just yet.
“There are more negotiations to be had, including on the 18th,” Beales said Tuesday. “Any comment I or any other union representative may make at this time would be premature.”
According to Riedel, the district has an $18.9 million budget that supports instructional programs given by 80 teachers at two schools — Bacich Elementary School and Kent Middle School. The district's 2021-22 enrollment is at 1,034 students, according to the California Department of Education.
“We are working closely with all of our staff to make sure that we reach the best possible agreement which honors and rewards our teachers and staff while preserving the long-term financial health of our district,” Riedel said.
The average teacher's salary for the Kentfield district for 2021-22 is $95,000, not including benefits, according to
Raquel Rose, the Kentfield superintendent. Including all health, retirement and other benefits, the average salary is $132,000, she said.
In Marin, the average teacher pay, without benefits, was $89,935 for 202122, according to Mary Jane Burke, Marin superintendent of schools. Statewide,
the average teacher pay was $85,856, according to the California Department of Education.
Kentfield teachers last took to public testimony in May 2019, when they had reached an impasse with the district over their 201920 contract.
The impasse was resolved in August 2019, with both sides agreeing to a new two-year contract including 2% pay increases for 2019-20 and 2.5% in 2021-22.