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More than a dozen correspondences from community members expressing discontent with teacher compensation and district spending have filled the virtual mailbox of Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District ahead of its Board of Education meeting Thursday morning.
Of the 14 formal correspondences included in the Sept. 25 board agenda, 13 letters requested higher pay for LVJUSD teachers.
“The inadequate wages offered to our educators have, for years, failed to adequately value their contributions, and this stance is a poor investment in our children’s future,” Dennis Bertoli wrote to the board.
Bertoli also noted that an alleged Pismo Beach retreat for district leaders was a particularly disheartening occurrence.
According to a board report showing purchase orders dated from the month of April, $5,885.08 was paid to Seven Sisters Vacation Rentals for “Professional Development Lodging.”
At the May 30 board meeting, Superintendent Torie Gibson addressed the expense.
“That is out of the superintendent’s gift account and that is for our summer meeting off-site,” Gibson said. Attendees at the off-site meeting included Gibson and the executive cabinet.
While the district did not confirm the exact location of the off-site retreat to Livermore Vine, Seven Sisters Vacation Rentals is based in San Luis Obispo County, which includes Pismo Beach.
“Equally concerning is the fact that our district, with only two high schools, reportedly pays its superintendent a salary in a bracket typically associated with much larger districts, such as those in Los Angeles and San Francisco,” Bertoli added. “Such expenditures send a powerful and troubling message about the district’s priorities, especially when teachers are continually asked to do more with less.”
Gibson’s base salary was set at $350,000 annually, from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2028. Per the compensation agreement, her base salary shall increase by 2.5% or the same as the Livermore Education Association, whichever is higher, pending a satisfactory or above satisfactory annual performance evaluation, Board President Emily Prusso said during the June 18 board meeting.
According to Transparent California, a public pay and pension database, Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District earned $440,000 as regular pay in 2023 for a grand total of $444,562. The site did not have wage information about Maria Su, Superintendent of San Francisco Unified School District.
“It is past time for the district to demonstrate its dedication by addressing the wage issue directly and offering a compensation plan that truly reflects the value of its educators,” Bertoli said.
In addition to the 13 letters calling for higher wages for teachers, LVJUSD parent JuNelle Harris also shared concerns with Livermore Vine over the funding used toward the executive cabinet off-site retreat and office furniture, contending that settlement funds from a lawsuit against e-cigarette company Juul were used for those expenses as opposed to purposes related to addressing youth vaping and nicotine addiction.
However, earlier this week prior to the meeting, LVJUSD spokesperson Michelle Dawson told Livermore Vine that Juul settlement funds were not used to pay for professional development or furniture purchases.
On Thursday, the board is not set to discuss nor take action on the issues raised within public correspondences because they are not agendized items.
Topics on the agenda that are set for discussion include a presentation regarding district data including rates of graduation, suspension and chronic absenteeism; English-learner progress; college/career readiness as well as English language arts and mathematics.
The board is also set to receive a presentation regarding a new district-wide data dashboard that is set to launch Sept. 26. The dashboard will feature metrics including demographics, student achievement, attendance and enrollment trends.
“As part of our broader commitment to data transparency and continuous improvement, this dashboard supports strategic oversight by providing clear visuals of progress toward district goals and empowering the LVJUSD community to identify trends, successes, and areas for growth at a glance,” district officials wrote in the agenda.
The board is scheduled to start its meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday (Sept. 25). The full agenda is available here.
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