L.A. teachers demand 17.6% raise despite 68% graduation rate

L.A. teachers demand 17.6% raise despite 68% graduation rate - EAGnews.org:
"LOS ANGELES – Teachers in the nation’s second largest school system are angling for a massive pay raise based on assertions from union officials that the district can afford it.

But Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy contends the 17.6 percent raise proposed by United Teachers Los Angeles would bankrupt LA schools, and board members have offered a series of smaller raises, instead, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Deasy contends that even the smaller raises – 2 percent now and a 2 percent bonus later in the year, as well as another 2 percent in 10 months and 2.5 percent in 2016 – will put the district in a projected $100 million budget hole, according to the news site.

UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl told board members in a letter this week “It’s clear that the money is there to take care of these (union) bargaining proposals,” which include the 17.6 percent teacher raise, a reduction in class sizes – essentially hiring more educators – and discussions with district officials about teacher evaluations.
Currently, “the average weighted salary of elementary and secondary school teachers in 2013-14 came to $70,000, while benefits such as health care and pension brought the budget figure up to $96,176 per year on average,” according to budget figures cited by the Daily News."