Student Days, District Pay Restored for Murrieta Schools

Teachers will not have to take pay cuts and students will see more school days under restoration actions taken by the Murrieta Valley Unified School District this week.

Under labor agreements between the district and its employees that were contingent upon the state budget, a 5.28-percent reduction taken in five furlough days has been officially restored.

"We are elated and of course relieved because it was a sizable cut," said Kathy Ericson, president of the Murrieta Teachers Association.

The 2011-2012 student calendar will reflect these changes once approved by the school board in a special meeting scheduled for Monday. The revision increases student attendance days from 175 to 179.

Students will still begin school on Aug. 11 and the last attendance day for students is now June 6, 2012 rather than May 31.

The restoration also gives teachers back one prep day, the day before school starts.

"It is very exciting. We were not going to have that day," Ericson said.

Many have or will probably even start preparing their classrooms on their own time, she said.

"Murrieta teachers are incredible, they are professional and they step up to the plate and take care of their students."

There are 930 teachers in the district, and 22 temporary teachers. Ericson said most of the temporary teachers have been called back for the upcoming school year.

Pay will also be restored for district management, who agreed to a 2.36-percent salary schedule reduction for the 2011-2012 school year. It also reinstates a management cut taken in 2010-2011.

The district approved its 2011-2012 Fiscal Year budget on June 23, and it included provisions for the pay restorations.

The final step will be approving the school year calendar, said Superintendent Stan Scheer. Changing the first day would have presented challenges for students and their families, so he said the easiest way was to add them onto the end of the school year.

He expressed gratitude that the state budget was passed in a timely manner this year, but was apprehensive because the budget was built on new revenues.

He said the district will continue to monitor the outcome of the forecasted improvements to the state economy, but won't know anything for certain until January numbers are out.

"The good news is that for the short term, everything is OK," Scheer said. "The bad news is we are not sure what is going to happen next year.

"The kicker is that if the revenues are not there in January, we'll have to sit down and talk. We have cautioned our labor unions.

"These things are wrapped up in our agreements and responding to what the state says and all of that requires a lot of negotiating, trying to figure it all out."

School districts are required to submit their budgets to county offices of education every March, and must report any potential layoffs at that time, too.