Los Angeles Unified School District employees are again in an uproar and on strike. But it’s not poor academic performance, politicized union leadership, dismal district finances or the impact of Covid shutdowns […]
Todd Maddison
How Much are California K-12 Employees Really Paid – Benefits

In this series we’ve done an in-depth dive into Transparent California’s pool of compensation records, with actual data on how K-12 education employees are compensated. We’ve seen data on teachers, administrators and […]
It’s Sunshine Week in California!

From 2020 to 2021, the average total pay and benefits has risen from $120,892 to $126,688, an increase of 4.8%. From 2012 through 2021, the average growth rate has been 4.64%. During that time, according to the state’s Department of Industrial Relations, inflation has averaged 2.5%, meaning our public employees have been seeing their compensation rise almost twice as fast as inflation.
How Much are California K-12 Support Staff Really Paid?

Claims are often made that support staff should be paid more, but those claims are rarely accompanied by data justifying that request. Demands for higher pay are usually supported with anecdotal hardship stories, stories of low pay compared to other similar jobs, and stories of problems with attracting and retaining quality employees.
How Much are California K-12 Administrators Really Paid?

We often hear how choosing to be in education means taking a vow of poverty and making great sacrifices in their personal lives. Perhaps true in the past, but now a career in education administration no longer results in a lifetime of searching couch cushions for quarters to buy groceries
How Much are California K-12 Teachers Really Paid?

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress shows only 52 percent of students meet or exceed standards in English, and a miniscule 31 percent in math. The “Nation’s Report Card” puts California 45th in the country, with the drop in performance called “a national concern.” ACT scores have dropped “every year of the last five.”
Financial mismanagement of San Diego school hurts students the most

Guest commentary by Todd Maddison It seems as if the financial mismanagement at Sweetwater Union High has reached a tipping point, now that officials with the San Diego County Office of Education […]
Rapid pay increases are driving LA Unified’s financial woes
Guest Commentary by Todd Maddison Los Angeles Unified is in financial trouble. Anyone following the recent developments, potentially leading to a teacher strike very soon, knows this. On September 11th the deputy […]