Facts vs. Myths
about your children’s teachers and
La Canada Unified School District

Teachers automatically receive a cost of living adjustment each year.
This is a MYTH: Teachers must negotiate any Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) with the District.  For the past three (3) years the teachers in La Canada have not received any COLA, while the cost of living in Los Angeles-Anaheim-Riverside has increased approximately 8.71%.  

The District received a COLA for 2004-2005 along with additional funding.
This is a FACT: The District, not the teachers, received an overall increase in funding of 3.57%.  In fact, the District’s Second Interim Financial Report projects a year-end revenue increase of $902,988.    

The District does not have enough money to fund a COLA for teachers or maintain the current medical benefits.
This is a MYTH:  The total cost to the district to fund a 3% Cost of Living Adjustment for teachers is $420,000.  The increased cost to maintain the current medical benefits for 2005-2006 is $46,225.  Together this would cost $466,225 and would leave the District with $436,763 over the budgeted revenue.

The District’s projected ending balance for 2004-2005 can pay for the increased costs of the teachers’ 2005-2006 health care benefits more than nineteen times over.  
This is a FACT:  The insurance companies have announced the costs of next year’s health care plans.  The total increased cost of all health care benefits for all La Canada teachers for the 2005-2006 year will not exceed $46,225.  This means that the District’s projected ending balance for the current year (2004-2005) of $902, 988 will more than cover any health care increases for next year (2005-2006).  

A cap needs to be placed on the teachers’ health benefits so the District can budget.
This is a MYTH:  The insurance companies have already announced the costs of next year’s health care plans, yet the district claims they need a cap in order to budget.  We know the costs for the 2005-2006 year will not exceed $46,225, which the District’s ending balance for 2004-2005 alone will more than cover.  In fact, in 2001, the District offered to provide family health benefits in lieu of a COLA.  Now they want it back!   Bottom line- the District knows the cost of 2005-2006 benefits and cannot predict the cost of future benefits, and health care costs have not always gone up.  For example, the Blue Cross fees went up 0% (ZERO PERCENT) in 2003-2004 AND 2004-2005. 

If the District only has $902,988, they will not be able to continue to fund this increase in salary and maintenance of benefits in 2005-2006.
This is a MYTH: The forecasted COLA for the 2005-2006 year is 3.93% as proposed in the Governor’s budget.  This will not only cover the costs mentioned above, but will also provide additional money for another Cost of Living Adjustment 2005-2006.

The demands on teachers continue to rise.
This is a FACT:  From 2001-2005 there has been a decrease of 17.54 full time teachers in the District, while the average daily student attendance has increased from 4210 to 4243.  In 2001-2002 the average class size was 19.60 as compared to 21.63 in 2004-2005.  Some core academic classes have had as many as 38 students.  And the remaining teachers are teaching more students while classroom aides have drastically been cut.  

The District is spending more money on teachers in 2004-2005 than previously.
This is a MYTH:  From 2002-2004 the amount of money the District spent on certificated salaries decreased by 5.8%, saving the District $1,009,051.  (Data regarding comparison of the costs of certificated salaries for 2001-2002, 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years was provided by the district on January 11, 2005.)

All District personnel receive one (1) sick day per month of employment.
This is a MYTH:  While the teachers, counselors, psychologists, administrators, aides, librarians, secretaries, nurse and custodians in La Canada receive only one (1) sick day per month, the current Superintendent receives ten (10) sick days per month.  This costs taxpayers $69,230 each year above the Superintendent’s salary.

La Canada Teachers’ retirement benefits increase annually.
This is a MYTH:  Since 2002, the District has increased teacher retirement benefits by ZERO PERCENT because teachers have received no COLA.  In 2001, the District increased teacher retirement benefits by 3.87 %.  On the other hand, the current District Superintendent’s retirement benefits increased by 23.54% plus an additional 1% for extra sick leave days that convert to years of service.  (The teacher retirement system calculates retirement benefits based on two criteria:  1) the single highest year of earnings; and, 2) length of service. The system also credits unused sick leave days to days of work for purposes of calculating the years of service.)


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