La Mesa-Spring Valley School Board Approves Cuts to Management Salaries

Without much discussion, the Board on Tuesday night unanimously approved 2012-13 school year salaries for principals, directors, supervisors and top administrators.

For the third consecutive school year, salaries for certificated management employees, classified management employees, classified supervisory employees and confidential employees were cut by 4.59-5 percent from the 2008-09 school year base salaries. 

Certificated management employees, which include principals, directors and coordinators, will work 191 days for the 2012-13 school year for a 5 percent pay decrease from 2008-09 salaries. Classified management employees will have 13 furlough days during the school year, which is equivalent to a 5 percent salary decrease from 2008-09 salaries.

Classified supervisors will have 12 furlough days during the school year, which is equivalent to a 4.59 percent salary decrease from 2008-2009 salaries. Lastly, confidential employees, which include positions such as administrative assistant, internal auditor and executive assistant to the superintendent, will have 12 furlough days – equivalent to a 4.59 percent salary decrease from 2008-09 salaries.

Superintendent Brian Marshall noted that a pay decrease was also included in the contracts for cabinet members last year and will be included until pay reductions are rescinded for all other employees.

“I just wanted to put in the record that the cabinet is taking their 5 percent reductions as well,” he said.

In other district business, the board took the first step in finding a replacement for David Yoshihara, the former assistant superintendent of business services.

Yoshihara, who served for four years in the position at La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, was appointed as the superintendent of the San Gabriel Unified School District. He took over in July.

The board formally accepted Yoshihara’s resignation, among other standard human resources recommendations, during the hour-long meeting.

Marshall stressed the importance of hiring a “knowledgeable firefighter” for the upcoming “financial firestorm.”

 “We are about to enter the worst financial firestorm that we have seen in the schools with the potential cuts to education should the governor’s budget not come through,” said Marshall, who added the district will be working with consultants to fill the position. For now, Marshall said Yoshihara is on “speed dial.”

Board President Bill Baber added that Yoshihara will be missed.

“David was great, and we wish him the best,” Baber said.