Letter to the Editor: PUSD Failed to Treat its Teachers with the Respect they Deserve – Longfellow Elementary School

The Pasadena Unified School District has failed to treat its teachers with the respect we deserve. We are told that teachers are the most important variable in the quality of the education provided to students. Yet, teachers have been offered a paltry 3% salary increase over the last eight years. We accepted 10 furlough days to help the District weather the recession. We are continually expected to adjust to the ever-shifting educational pendulum and changing superintendents. We spend many hours researching and creating curriculum to meet the shift in standards and to meet the needs of our students. Longfellow teachers do this because we are dedicated to the children and families within our community. We are passionate and experienced. We love what we do.

The District needs to understand that we must also care for our own families- our own children or parents. We must pay our rent or mortgage, student loans, car loans, and medical bills. Many of us buy school supplies and snacks for our students. We deserve to be valued and respected by our Administration. A 6% raise would begin to move Pasadena from 43/47 in comparable district salaries. Our highly trained and valuable teaching staff is a resource that needs to be retained. The students of Pasadena/Altadena/Sierra Madre deserve to have great teachers who will continue to work hard every day, love what they do, AND feel they are fairly compensated.

Sincerely,

Longfellow (Henry W.) Elementary School Teachers