Barrera Minute #2
Investing In Educators Is A Winning Strategy
I’m no economist, but I know a winning investment strategy when I see one. The bottom line tells the story – when we invest in educators, the payoff is success for students.
When I was elected in 2008, San Diego Unified ranked near the bottom in teacher pay compared to other San Diego County districts. Now, according to an analysis done by the California Teachers Association, San Diego Unified has become the model district in California for investing in our educators. At the same time, our students are top performers, ranking #1 in literacy and tied for #1 in math among the top urban school districts nationwide. Nation's Report Card [See Page 63.]. That’s a return on investment we can all celebrate.
“Teachers can always count on Richard Barrera to have their backs, enabling them to bring their very best to the classroom.”
We’ve achieved this by prioritizing our classroom teachers and front-line student support staff over spending on administrators and outside consultants. Base salaries have increased by nearly 40% during my time on the Board, while we have maintained fully paid family health benefits at no cost to district employees. Teachers who began their careers in our district twenty years ago have seen their salaries increase from below $40,000 to nearly $130,000 today. As a result, we are able to attract and retain the most talented educators, almost 96% of whom, on average, return to our district the following year. Investing in educators is not only about pay and benefits, as important as those are. San Diego Unified has prioritized the creation of a supportive and effective learning environment by:
Doubling elementary teacher preparation time;
Lowering class size for kindergarten through 3rd grade;
Maintaining among the lowest student-to-teacher ratios for students with disabilities in the state, almost 30% lower than the average;
Giving educators more time outside of the classroom to participate in professional learning communities;
Securing $11.4 billion in new investments to modernize San Diego’s schools by fixing aging buildings, upgrading technology, and removing hazardous materials; and
Leading the state in providing dedicated workforce housing to address the high cost of living for school employees.
I have been proud to be a leader in these efforts. To learn more, please visit Support Our Educators. These initiatives demonstrate our commitment to our educators, which, in turn, ensures that our students have the benefit of learning from professionals who have the skills, enthusiasm, and stability they need to help students succeed.
And the results are indisputable. The California Schools Dashboard ranks San Diego Unified #1 in EnglishLearner Progress, Graduation Rate, College/Career Readiness, English Language Arts, Math, and Science among the five largest urban districts in California.
In contrast, the Trump administration recently tried to eviscerate federal support for education by withholding critical funds. Last week, when I testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, I was asked how the federal government could help students. Here’s what I said about the confiscated funds. I was proud to be part of the chorus of voices that forced the Trump administration to back down. But that doesn’t mean their assault on public education is over.
Like I said, I’m no economist, but I am bullish on investing in teachers and educators.
Forward together,
Richard
