Pomona, CA — On March 18, 2024, Associated Pomona Teachers (APT) reached a tentative agreement for an 8% salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2023; a one-time, 4% increase retroactive to July 1, 2023; and an increase to the health and welfare benefit allotment of $500 for the 2023-24 calendar year. Earlier this year, APT rallied in front of Pomona Unified School District and spoke out at the PUSD school board meeting for a number of reasons, but low pay was at the top of the list.

On Wednesday morning, March 20th, APT President Wei-Tsu Loh emphasized that "the agreement still has to go through a ratification process by members and the school board. With the 8%, our members will be closer to the salaries of surrounding districts. We will need the district to commit to improving our salaries and benefits in order to attract and retain highly qualified educators as well as classified and administrative staff."

While giving back to their community, a second year PUSD educator and Pomona resident, who remains anonymous stated, “I do not feel that the PUSD salaries are a living wage. With rent increasing, it is nearly impossible to live on your own with the amount paid as a second year teacher. I also have a ton of student loan debt, and unfortunately, I am not able to make payments towards my debt due to having to choose between paying the minimum payment or having funds for living expenses for the month. The 8% salary increase is great; however, I fear it is not enough to pay all that I need to pay in a month and have enough for myself. As it is, I am living paycheck to paycheck, so I am hoping that this 8% increase provides some breathing room while also allowing me to pay my student loan debt. Due to PUSD salaries, I have considered leaving the district, or at the very least leaving my position as a classroom teacher this year.”

Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. Don’t ever ask him to take photos of events because he will charge you an astronomical amount. Julian is also the owner and founder of Mirrored Society Book Shop, publisher of The Pomonan, founder of Book-Store, and founder of PPABF.

Published January 18, 2024 3:15pm PST

On Wednesday, January 18th, hundreds of Pomona Unified School District (PUSD) teachers rallied in front of the District offices, for a variety of reasons, but the number one reason was low pay. At this time. PUSD’s teacher union, Associated Pomona Teachers (APT), is asking for a 12% raise, but so far, the District has simply returned with a low-ball counter-offer of 5%.

Associated Pomona Teachers (APT), states that the low pay makes it difficult for the District to retain teachers, and that this often causes positions to go unfilled. They maintain that too often students end up in classes conducted by a series of multiple long term substitutes. In particular, PUSD is having a difficult time filling its Special Education positions.

The APTbargaining team states that the District is more than able to pay this salary increase due to the fact that the District is carrying $140 million over from the previous year, as it has for many previous years. APT asserts that holding this much money in reserve deprives students of services that they deserve.

Actions like this are taking place in California’s 1000 public school districts across the state. Teachers’ pay, low to begin with, has not kept pace with the high cost of living, inflation and increased demands of the job. That said, Pomona teachers, in particular, suffer from low pay. A quick comparison of teacher salaries in other districts exposes the fact that Pomona teachers are coming up short.

A Claremont Unified School District teacher who had been teaching for ten years with an MA degree now earns $96,557. A Chaffey Unified School District teacher who has been teaching for ten years with an MA degree now earns $111,706.

Last year, a Pomona Unified School District teacher who taught for ten years with an MA degree earned $88,922. Pomona USD teachers have been asking for a significant pay raise for some time now. This time round will they receive the kind of raise that would put them on even ground with other teachers in neighboring districts?

Julian Lucas is a traditional darkroom photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. But don’t ever ask him to take photos of weddings, quinceñeras, birthdays. He’ll charge you 100,000,000

Julian is also the owner and founder of Mirrored Society Book Shop, BOOK-STORE, and publisher of The Pomonan.

Pomona Unified School District: Associated Pomona Teachers Reach Tentative Agreement

Pomona Unified School District Teachers Want Better Pay and Benefits