Despite a pledge to use voter-approved Prop. 123 dollars to boost teacher pay, Tucsonβs largest school district has earmarked two-thirds of its state allotment for capital purchases β textbooks, library books, instructional resources, land and building improvements, vehicles, furniture, equipment and technology.
Tucson Unified School District received about $9.6 million under the Prop. 123 initiative; $3.7 million of that will cover salary increases for teachers and other staff members.
Teachers will see $700 added to their base salaries; all other employees will get a 1 percent raise.
About $5 million of the remaining balance has been set aside for capital purchases, said TUSDβs chief financial officer, Karla Soto.
The final $1 million is in a contingency fund for instructional materials, she said.
The districtβs plan seems to contradict TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchezβs commitment to spend the districtβs share of Prop. 123 money on teacher pay, but the district leader says his intention is not to spend the money heβs setting aside.
βI am a former chief financial officer and I have a fiscally conservative view of things,β Sanchez said. βI would prefer to roll money forward and be sure I can sustain these raises over a series of years as opposed to spending it all at once and crossing my fingers that another $9 million comes next year.β
Because Prop. 123βs fine print contains economic triggers that could freeze funds, Sanchez says he would prefer to err on the side of caution.
βI donβt want to give money one year and lay people off the next year,β he said.
With little in the way of capital resources, however, a catastrophic event like a roof being torn off a school building by a monsoon storm or an air conditioner failure at the height of summer could force the district to dip into the funds, Sanchez said.
Even then, Prop. 123 funds would be a last resort, as the district has proceeds of school sales that could be used for facilities repairs.
Sanchez says the district would use funds that are not eligible to be rolled forward to the following school year based on TUSDβs priorities.
A $700 raise may not seem like a lot, he said, but the district has found innovative ways to improve teacher pay over the last three years, including increases of $500 each year and raising the amount of money teachers are eligible to receive in performance pay for attending training and for improving academic achievement.
A survey of how other Tucson-area school districts intended to use Prop. 123 money showed the majority of resources being dedicated to pay increases.
Given the drastic reduction in capital funds across the state, a few districts did dedicate Prop. 123 resources to capital.
The Sahuarita School District set aside $500,000 of the $1.3 million it received from Prop. 123 for capital needs β mostly to buy critical instructional resources and technology, to make the most urgent facility repairs and to address critical operations needs, said Superintendent Manny Valenzuela.
More than 60 percent of Sahuaritaβs Prop. 123 funds were used to award 5 percent raises to all staff members.
Here is how other Tucson-area school districts are spending their voter-approved dollars:
Amphitheater: $2.7 Million
- All employees will receive a one-time 3 percent retention incentive for the school year that just ended.
- Next year all employees will receive a pay increase of approximately 3.6 percent except for the superintendent, who declined to receive these increases.
- A small amount is being set aside for other increases in costs for supplies, equipment and other items.
Catalina Foothills: $1.4M
- Starting base salary for teachers went from $36,000 to $38,500
- Average 4.5 percent increase for teachers and other certified staff
- Average 3.7 percent increase for classified support staff
- Pay increase of 1 to 5 percent for exempt classified personnel and administrators
- Continued underwriting annual medical insurance premium cost for employee-only plans
- Added a full-time computer tech teacher at Catalina Foothills High School
- Added a full-time teacher leader for elementary science and engineering practices
- Added a part-time school psychologist/special education administrator
- Increased the budget contingency by $300,000
Flowing Wells: $1 Million
- Teachers with one to three years of experience will receive a $1,000 pay raise
- Teachers with four to six years of experience get $2,000
- Teachers with seven to 10 years get $2,400.
- Teachers with 11 or more years of experience get $2,000
- Support staff will receive base salary increases of 50 cents an hour
- All teachers and classified staff will get a one-time 3.3 percent salary payment in the fall if they worked for the district last year and continue employment this year
- Additional $200 annual contribution to district health-care plan for each participating employee
Marana: $2.5 Million
- All employees received a one-time stipend of 4 percent of their salary
- Next year, teachers and support staff will receive a 3.5 percent increase
- Administrators and other exempt employees will receive a 3 percent increase
Sunnyside: $3.3 Million
- Pay increases for teaching and classified staff will vary by years of experience but the district did not provide specific figures
Tanque Verde: $450,000
- Teachers will get a 4 percent salary increase
- Classified staff will receive a 30-cent per hour increase
- $1,700 teacher retention bonus
- 30 percent directed to capital needs
Vail: $2.4 Million
- 4 percent salary increase for teachers
- 3.5 percent salary increase for all other employees
- $625,000 for new laptops for all teachers
- Up to $1,000 retention incentive for an employee with five years of full-time service
