Teacher Pay Raises Given Initial OK

Fullerton School District trustees gave preliminary approval this week to a three-year contract that gives teachers pay raises of 3.83% to 5.77%, depending on tenure.

Final approval is expected at the March 12 board meeting.

Under the contract, entry-level teachers will get $1,000 raises and the top-paid teachers, those with the longest tenure, will receive $3,000 raises. The others will get $2,000 pay increases.

The contract, which also includes additional health benefits, makes Fullerton one of the highest-paying elementary school districts in the county.

After the contract gets final approval, Fullerton will rank second to Anaheim City Elementary School District in total compensation, including salary and benefits, for entry-level teachers.

The district is fourth in the county in total compensation--$63,235--for teachers at the top of the pay scale, according to the latest figures compiled by the district.

Savanna School District in Anaheim ranks highest with total compensation of $65,080. Buena Park School District follows with $63,535, and Anaheim City School District is third with $63,371.

Fullerton once had a reputation among educators as one of the lowest paying of the county’s 12 elementary school districts.

The new contract has made teachers in the district “very happy,” said Anita Smiley, president of the Fullerton Elementary Teachers Assn.

Smiley said the new contract, which was proposed after a state mediator was called to help with negotiations, was approved by the union earlier this month.