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Community speakers urge Monrovia Unified to prioritize teacher pay as state funds rise
Summary
Multiple students, parents, teachers and the teachers’ union urged the Monrovia Unified School District Board to address long-standing teacher pay gaps, citing district rankings, teacher departures and the May state budget revision as an opportunity to redirect funds to salaries and benefits.
Dozens of speakers at the Monrovia Unified School District board meeting pressed trustees to do more to retain teachers, urging the board to use newly available state funds and explore local revenue measures to close a widening pay gap.
At the start of the public-comment period, parent and teacher Justin Young described a near-$37,000 lifetime pay differential he said exists between his current district pay and what he would have earned had he remained in Monrovia, calling the disparity “a problem we have to deal with” to avoid losing high-quality educators.
Student speakers framed the issue as a moral and practical concern. Valedictorian Sydney Veltman praised Monrovia teachers’ dedication and said current salaries make it “almost impossible” for teachers to afford living in the community. Student Kyle Kobayashi cited county salary rankings and outside research and asked the board to “increase their salary and fairly compensate teachers.”
Abigail Beltman, listing 14 teachers who left or were RIF‑ed over two years, pointed to a 2018–2026 California cost‑of‑living adjustment of about 32.81% while she said district teachers received roughly 14.15% in the same span, calling the shortfall a continuing driver of teacher departures.
Stephanie Sparks, president of the teachers’ union, urged the board to treat the May revision to the governor’s budget as an opportunity: with additional state funding for special education and a higher projected COLA, Sparks asked the board to redirect general‑fund dollars now freed up to bolster teacher salaries and healthcare.
Several speakers proposed structural solutions: Abigail Beltman suggested applying recaptured funds from a closed site to salaries and exploring a local parcel tax; others asked for financial corrections and more transparent accounting. Lisa Harold recounted that had she chosen a different district 22 years ago she would be earning nearly $14,000 more annually now.
Board President Trivante and trustees acknowledged the concerns during the meeting’s reports and said salary negotiations with the teachers’ union were ongoing, urging continued collaboration. No formal board action on salary increases was taken at the meeting; the board and union continue bargaining and the district said it will review the May state budget details as they become available.
