Pacific Grove Unified School District Teachers picket for higher pay

PACIFIC GROVE >> Making less, paying more — that’s the message Pacific Grove Unified School District teachers sought to impart to administrators Wednesday afternoon as they lined the entrance to Pacific Grove Middle School, picketing about what they consider meager salary increases and costly health insurance all while managing class through the pandemic.

For months, the Pacific Grove Teachers Association has gone back and forth in negotiations with the district, asking for cost-of-living salary adjustments and a more affordable way to opt into benefits, explained union President Shannon McCarty. Offers from the district so far, however, have left teachers dissatisfied, pushing them to exhibit resolve outside the negotiating room. Teachers hope that by taking a more active stance, the district will internalize their pleas before negotiations continue in February, McCarty continued.

“We’re just looking for something fair, and right now we don’t feel like that’s what we’re getting,” said McCarty. “So many teachers can’t afford day care, braces, all the things we need for our children, and some are even struggling to afford basic necessities like food because it is just so crazy expensive.”

Of the expenses Pacific Grove teachers are scrambling to cover, health insurance tops the bill.

Take Patty Bloomer, for example, a teacher at Robert Down Elementary and mother of two, whose husband also works with the district as classified staff. To cover her family’s insurance, over $2,300 is taken out of Bloomer’s paycheck each month, which she estimated to be around a third of her monthly income.

“Some might think we’re making a real nice paycheck, but when you look at how much is being taken out for health insurance, it’s tough,” said Bloomer. “And with premiums going up this year, it’s going to be even more.”

The high rate for health insurance has left teachers frustrated, especially those like Bloomer and her husband whose only option for benefits is through the district, as well as single-income household families

where spouses cannot provide alternative coverage. This is the case for Mary Hiserman, who pays $2,000 a month out of her paycheck to guarantee benefits for just her and her son.

“I’m very sad about it, I mean I’ve put my heart and soul into this district,” said Hiserman, who started her teaching career at Pacific Grove Unified 36 years ago. “I’m disappointed.”

While disheartened for herself, Hiserman explained her disappointment is also rooted in the impact costly health insurance has had on new teachers, who are driven away by the expense of benefits, she said.

“It’s discouraging because I love this district more than anything, and I want us to be able to attract good teachers,” Hiserman continued. “We have to do something because it’s just too much the way it is right now.”

Pacific Grove Unified Superintendent Ralph Porras agreed health care costs are extremely high, describing the rates as an “issue for everyone.” But how those costs are managed, he explained, are a push and pull between where compensation is allocated under the purview of bargaining units.

When negotiating pay increases, Pacific Grove Unified typically offers a total compensation value that bargaining units can then decide for themselves what amount is put toward benefits versus salary.

“Say the board offered a 3% compensation, and bargaining units decide all of that will go towards health and welfare,” he said. “That would cover a lot of health costs, but there wouldn’t be a matching salary increase.”

Per the Pacific Grove Teachers Association’s most recent contract for 2019-21, the district provides each certificated employee enrolled in district medical, dental and vision plans an allowance of $4,700 a year, or a little less than $400 a month, toward the cost of benefits with employees covering the rest.

The difference in where compensation goes lies in the impact on pension, as salary increases affect the formula for retirement funds but changes to insurance coverage do not. In years past, bargaining units at Pacific Grove Unified have favored bumps in salary, leaving less of their health insurance covered by the district, Porras said.

What teachers are asking for now is an increase in salary that is enough to offset that high cost of health insurance. In recent years, raises have hovered around 2-3%, increasing by 3.2% for the 2018-19 school year, 2.21% for 2019-20, and 3% for 2020-21.

Yet this time around, teachers are asking for a bump of at least 5.9%, based on the federal cost-of-living adjustment for 2022.

“We can’t afford to live here if we don’t have (a cost-of-living adjustment),” said McCarty, who had to move away from Pacific Grove when housing costs became too high to manage under her salary. “If they don’t give us (a cost-of-living adjustment), that’s not even a raise. It’s not keeping up with the cost of what it takes to live here.”

Porras assured that regional costs are “always considered” when determining compensation, but the district can only offer what will allow it to remain “fiscally solvent.” As a basic aid district, Pacific Grove Unified primarily relies on property tax revenue to determine how flexible it can be in negotiations.

Discussions going forward will hinge on finding a middle ground between district limits and teachers’ needs. Porras said he is confident an amicable agreement can be reached, noting it was still early in the negotiations process for the district.

Meanwhile, teachers planned to continue picketing through Thursday, gathering outside the Pacific Grove Unified district office ahead of the district’s regular board meeting Thursday night.

“Teachers are tired of not being recognized for how much we do, especially after the last two years,” said McCarty. “We need a raise more than we need praise. We appreciate people telling us how well we’re doing, but we need them to show us, and we’re tired of having to fight.”