Waste, Fraud & Mismanagement:
Your Tax Dollars at Work

Some Teachers Get Pay Raises While Colleagues Get Laid Off. The Sacramento Bee reports that some teachers in Sacramento are getting pay raises, even as other teachers are being laid off due to funding problems. The paper explains: "Most teachers in the Sacramento area will receive raises when they return to school. These increases are automatic 'step' increments, and many teachers don't consider them raises. … Those raises will cost school districts millions as education budgets continue to shrink." Sacramento City Unified laid off 281 teachers in May and is discussing furloughs and salary freezes for the 2010-11 school year. Still, step increases costing $2.5 million already have been approved. Elk Grove Unified laid off seven teachers in May, and will issue $5.2 million in raises to teachers and counselors for the upcoming year. (Source: The Sacramento Bee, August 10.)

Cal-Taxletter, August 21, 2009

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