V. E. Teaching Staff
Findings and Background
1. Catholic elementary schools employ 3,000 teachers. Approximately 60% of the teachers are Caucasian and 96% are Catholic. Catholic secondary schools employ 2,100 teachers of which 72% are Caucasian and 86% are Catholic.
2. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles beginning minimum salary for a bachelor's degree and no experience is $28,667 in 2003-04. Parish elementary and archdiocesan secondary schools have the same recommended salary schedule. Elementary schools that can pay more than the minimum salary scale are allowed to do so.
The annual step increase in the archdiocesan salary scale is 1.5%
3. It was calculated in 2000-01 that a 26% increase would be needed to achieve 90% parity with LAUSD teacher salaries. Subsidized elementary schools would need to increase their budgets an average of $67,000 to achieve 90% parity with LAUSD.
4. Teacher turnover in Catholic schools is a concern. Most turnover occurs because Catholic school teachers can get substantially more pay in the public school system. It is also known that most Catholic school teachers prefer the values and atmosphere in a Catholic school and continue to teach if they can afford to do so financially.
Annual teacher turnover varies from a low of 300 teachers (10% of the workforce) to a high of 500 teachers (17% of the workforce). Maintaining a focus on the mission of a Catholic school is difficult when there is high turnover. New teachers must be integrated into the Catholic school's values, theology and methodology.
An exceptionally high level of competition for teachers occurred in recent years as a result of population increases in California and the decision of the State to reduce class size in the lower elementary grades.
Objectives and strategies
1. In 2010, Catholic school teacher salaries will be paid just, competitive salaries.
Strategies1.1 The minimum annual increase in the archdiocesan salary schedule will be 5% or 6%. This, along with the automatic step increase, will give teachers who remain in the system a 6.5% to 7.5% annual increase.
1.2 The target starting salary in 2007-08 will be $36,200, subject to annual assessment of how quickly salaries can be increased.
2. The Archdiocese will continue to work with teacher colleges to recruit teachers in ACE, Response-ability, Jesuit volunteers, and PLACE programs. These programs help reduce the salary budget in subsidized schools.
3. Religious community teachers and principals will be paid at the same rate as lay teachers and lay principals.
Strategies3.1 If a particular religious community does not feel that it wants or needs the full lay salary for its sisters, brothers or priests, the community should take full salaries, but can give a donation to the school (recorded as development income) for the portion of salary it does not wish to keep.
4. Parish schools can continue to have a salary schedule that is higher than the archdiocesan minimum schedule, but must pay no less than the archdiocesan scale.
Strategies4.1 Parish schools must have a published salary schedule. A copy must be reviewed annually by the Department of Catholic Schools.
4.2 If the local school salary schedule is higher than or different from the archdiocesan scale, the principal must explain to the Elementary Department of Catholic Schools why the schedule is being proposed.
