Teachers’ salaries vary dramatically

The end result is a set of disparities that become increasingly stark each year.

The state’s Department of Education has provided data that speak to this condition, although one apparent effect of the pandemic has been to delay fiscal reporting by some districts.

As a result, the most complete online information on teachers’ salaries dates back two years to 2018-19 (so any recent pay hikes are not included).

The average compensation for that academic year does not include money for one-time bonuses, extracurricular stipends or any other extra cash provided outside a district’s official union-bargained salary schedule.

It should be noted that districts with older, long-tenured, experienced teachers who have extra credits and added academic degrees typically have higher average salaries than those who don’t.   

The highest average salary shown in 2018-19 was $110,144 in the San Mateo Union High School District; the lowest was $69,032 in the Pacifica Elementary School District. The difference was $41,112, or a hefty 59%.

Here are the figures:

• Bayshore Elementary, unavailable;

• Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary, $86,896;

• Brisbane Elementary, unavailable;

• Burlingame Elementary, $81,920;

• Cabrillo Unified, $82,168;

• Hillsborough City Elementary, $109,977;

• Jefferson Elementary, $78,215;

• Jefferson Union High, $70,369;

• La Honda-Pescadero Unified, $82,168;

• Las Lomitas Elementary, $108,265;

• Menlo Park City Elementary, unavailable;

• Millbrae Elementary, $82,192;

• Pacifica Elementary, $69,032;

• Portola Valley Elementary, $106,896;

• Ravenswood City Elementary, $72,029;

• Redwood City Elementary, $81,144;

• San Bruno Park Elementary, $71,509;

• San Carlos Elementary, $85,961;

• San Mateo Union High, $110,144;

• San Mateo-Foster City Elementary, $85,329;

• Sequoia Union High, $105,215;

• South San Francisco Unified, $82,168; and

• Woodside Elementary, $109,001.

A BIG DIFFERENCE 75 YEARS LATER: When Serra High School fielded its first varsity football team in 1946, expectations for success were minimal at best.

Seventy-five years ago, Serra was a small school located at the intersection of Crystal Springs Road and Alameda de las Pulgas in San Mateo.

Its practice field was short, rutted and rock-strewn. The Catholic Padres did not have a home field. They were vagabonds. They played some of their games at a long-gone Belmont military academy. That first varsity produced a forgettable 2-4 record. There was nowhere to go but up.

Fast-forward to now. Serra, currently 11-1, is preparing to play the No. 1 prep team in the nation, unbeaten Mater Dei of Santa Ana, in the 2021 California Interscholastic Federation Open (top) Division  championship bowl game Saturday night in Orange County.

Serra’s appearance in this televised contest, in which the Padres are a decided underdog, is the culmination of what began on that woeful patch of anonymous dirt one year after the conclusion of World War II.

They will be transported to Southern California in style via chartered aircraft. What a difference 75 years make.   

AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN ATHERTON?: Once again, the experts have deduced that the most expensive ZIP Code in the United States is 94027 (aka Atherton). The latest calculated median price of a home in that exclusive burg is listed now at a whopping $7.5 million. In other words, you can forget about building “affordable” housing in Atherton anytime soon, if ever. Even a portable loo is probably out of reach.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR BOWSER: It’s not often we learn a life lesson from the cultural morass that is social media. Not long ago, a woman reported on a popular Peninsula website that, even though her husband of 60 years had passed away, “Our dogs are our best and closest friends.” So much for six decades of wedded bliss. Dr. Phil, come on down — and bring some kibble.

MAN’S BEST FRIEND — A DOGGY DOOR: Still in a creative canine frame of mind, we noted a recent police report out of Redwood City that involved an apparently determined fellow who managed to somehow squeeze his torso through a doggy door to access the home of his ex-partner. Once inside, the stubborn guy refused to leave. Hey, at least throw him a bone.

Contact John Horgan by email at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com.