Raises for Teachers Are Best Use of Funds

With the state budget finally signed, it turns out that San Diego city schools will have $18 million more to work with in the new fiscal year than was anticipated.

The grim earlier projections were that the school district would receive an increase in state funding of only $2.2 million, less than would be necessary to maintain programs at last year’s level and keep up with inflation and growth in the student population. Consequently, the school board made $10.6 million in budget cuts, reducing or eliminating several popular programs. Even at that, it was anticipated that district employees would receive no wage increases. Now, it appears that the board will have a little breathing room when it adopts a $438-million budget next month.

Supt. Thomas W. Payzant and the board tentatively have decided to use $8 million of the unexpected money to give modest pay raises to the district staff.

Most of the remaining funds have been earmarked for restoring reserves, paying for necessary expenses for which there was no funding until now, and removing some of the clerical burden from elementary school teachers and principals.

Supporters of some of the programs that were cut earlier may try to persuade the board to restore funds to those areas.

But it is not fair to ask teachers and other district employees to bear the burden for what will still be a tight budget year.

It makes more sense for the district to avoid falling behind on salaries and one-time expenses than it does to prop up ongoing programs for which future funding would continue to be uncertain.