Coronado teachers will receive a 4% raise and a $1,500 bonus for the school year that begins July 1, under a budget the Board of Trustees approved on June 22.
Trustees also granted 2.5% raises to Superintendent Karl Mueller, lifting his salary to $247,564, and Deputy Superintendent Donnie Salamanca, lifting his pay to $213,200.
Both administrators received “satisfactory” evaluations from the board and had their contracts extended to June 30, 2027.
To balance the Coronado Unified School District $53.2 million budget for fiscal 2023-24, the district will take $4.9 million from its reserve or savings account.
The five member board unanimously approved the spending plan with minimal discussion and no one from the community commented on it.
Trustee Scot Youngblood, however, noted that “there is not a lot of room for error in the current spending rate.”
Second year of 4% raise
Mueller complimented his staff and the teachers’ union for negotiating the deal that only provides the bonus to teachers on staff as of Oct. 1.
Teachers received a 4% across-the-board pay bump this fiscal year and next year’s raise is part of a two-year salary deal approved in spring 2022.
Records from 2021-22, the most recent available, show Coronado teachers on average are paid $82,106 a year, slightly below the statewide average of $85,856.
While the most experienced and educated Coronado teachers earn a six-figure salary, Coronado is one of the most expensive places to live in San Diego County.
Meanwhile, city of Coronado employees will receive a 3% raise this year.
Additional students needed
The board also received a report from Salamanca that showed enrollment for Coronado’s four schools is expected to be flat at about 2,800 students for the upcoming year.
Salamanca noted that Coronado was hoping to boost enrollment numbers to around pre-pandemic figures of 2,900 total students.
The loss of students hurts the district’s bottom line as Coronado and all other public school districts in California are paid tax dollars based on enrollment.
“We need to strategically recruit additional students,” Salamanca told the board.
However, he said the district only can admit transfer students if there is space in that grade level, and the district must retain certain student-to-teacher ratios based upon its contract with the teachers’ union.
For example, he said the district this past year had available seats in fourth grade but not fifth grade.
Stay engaged
Board members closed the meeting congratulating recent graduates and remarked how they enjoyed attending end-of-year celebrations.
And Board President Renee Cavanaugh, a former Coronado teacher, offered a bit of advice.
“Don’t forget, learning doesn’t stop over the summer,” she said. “Read a book, go to a museum and stay engaged.”
