Newport-Mesa teachers get raise

Marisa O’Neil

Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustees voted Tuesday night to

approve a labor agreement that will give teachers a pay raise of more

than 5% over two years and increase instructional time for students.

The three-year contract is effective from the beginning of this

school year, but raises won’t take effect until the 2004-05 school

calendar. Salaries were determined after a survey of other area

districts.

“It’s our intent to get our salaries up to the average of Orange

County unified school districts,” said Lorri McCune, assistant

superintendent of human resources.

The district has promised that teachers’ salaries will be in the

top quarter of schools in the county, said Jim Rogers, president of

the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers.

In the fall, starting salaries for credentialed teachers will go

from $38,062 to $40,000 a year. Salaries for teachers with a master’s

degree, 75 additional credit hours of study and at least 28 years at

the district will top out at $82,878. The previously topped-out

salary was at $81,173. For the 2005-06 school year, salaries will

start at $40,104 and go up to $83,978.

Starting salaries for teachers with equivalent qualifications

start at $39,588 in the Tustin Unified School District, $35,020 in

Orange Unified and $41,378 in Irvine. Los Alamitos, with racetrack

revenue to help boost school budgets, consistently has some of the

highest teacher salaries, Rogers said.

“We’ll never be at the point of Los Alamitos,” Rogers said.

Overall, under the new contract, salary and benefits in 2004-05 in

Newport-Mesa will increase by 3.54% and cost the district $2.6

million. In 2005-06, they will increase by 1.82%, or $1.4 million.

Other certificated employees, including school nurses, school

counselors and some special education teachers will also get raises.

Negotiations between the district and Newport-Mesa Federation of

Teachers also increased the number of instructional minutes for

grades one through three, and will give individual schools the option

of full-day kindergarten.

Now, only Whittier, Newport Coast and Newport Heights elementary

schools have full-day kindergarten. Because lack of space prevents

some schools from having kindergartners there all day, the district

will provide movable classrooms to schools that choose the option,

McCune said.

First-, second- and third-graders will be at school the same hours

as fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders starting next year. Before,

McCune said, there was as much as a 45-minute difference between the

grades, depending on the school.

By aligning start and end times at elementary schools for all

grades, the district stands to save in transportation costs, Rogers

said.

Standardized test scores, he said, should also benefit from a

longer day.

“I have every confidence our teachers are fully capable of coming

together and coming up with a plan [for the longer day],” Rogers

said.

Other items negotiated included union rights, peer assistance and

review, transfers, leaves, benefits and the grievance procedure. Both

sides agreed in January to open those items for discussion.

The previous contract had expired at the end of the 2002-03 school

year.