La Cañada Teachers Association
Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this web site?
The La Cañada Teacher's Association (LCTA) is interested in keeping the community informed about the district issues that are important to the parents, teachers, and most of all, the students.

What is the La Cañada Teachers Association?
The La Cañada Teachers Association is the association of roughly 200 well educated, highly skilled educational professionals directly responsible for the instruction of the students in LCUSD.

What qualifications do LCUSD teachers have?
LCUSD teachers have at least a bachelor's degree, and a California teaching credential.  In addition, many LCUSD teachers have graduate degrees and many years of experience - on average, 15.5 years of experience.

How many hours a week do LCUSD teachers work?
Teachers spend over 6 1/2 hours a day with students.  While any additional work that needs to be done should theoretically be accomplished in the remaining hour and half of a work day, this is usually not enough.  Meetings, special events, grade level collaboration, and district committees often fill the rest of the day.  It is not uncommon for LCUSD teachers to work evenings and weekends, doing lesson plans, prep work, and grading.

How do LCUSD schools compare to the rest of the schools in the Los Angeles County?
Of the 82 elementary, high school and unified school districts in Los Angeles County reportedby the California Department of Education web site, La Cañada is #2 (second only to San Marino) for both 2003 and 2004 API scores.

Aren't LCUSD teachers well-paid already?
No.  According to our analysis of the wages earned by teachers across Los Angeles County, based upon their experience, LCUSD teachers rank 34th out of the 44 comparable districts in terms of average salary per year of experience.  The full LCUSD salary schedule is available here.

Do LCUSD teachers get to send their children to LCUSD schools if they don't live in the district?
La Cañada teachers' children are not guaranteed a spot in the district; they are accepted on a space-available basis.  Such students are at risk of being dropped from their school at any time; should a new family move into the school district mid-year, teachers' children will be let go from their school without warning to make room for these children.

What is the median home price in La Cañada?
As of November 2004, the median price for a single family home in La Cañada was in excess of $900,000.  Two teachers earning the median teaching salary would not qualify for a home loan for the median priced home in La Canada even if they combined their income and put down $180,000, which is 20% of the home price.  LCTA teachers continue to be the very best, as evidenced by the API scores, but they are priced out of a home in La Cañada, may not be able to have their kids go to school in La Cañada, and now the District wants to take away their health care.

Last update: March 12, 2005 - Return to LCTA homepage