The Lucerne Valley Unified School District’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $2 per hour increase for each range and step on the Classified Salary Schedule during a special board meeting on the morning of Friday, July 1, 2022. The pay increase took effect immediately.
The pay increase was negotiated in mid-June by Superintendent Peter Livingston and local California School Employees Association (CSEA) representatives Meaghan Pratt and Cindy Lattin-Oliveira, Mark Hart, Jody Klaus and Denise Quesenberry.
The 4-0 vote (School Board Member Jim Harvey was unavailable to attend the meeting) came after numerous positive comments were made about the high quality of work performed by all classified team members. Voting for the increase were School Board President Jessica Risler, Vice-President Chelsea LaGrange, Clerk Jason Hansen and longtime board member Tom Courtney.
“Our classified has been doing amazing work this summer,” said Superintendent Peter Livingston. Much of that work is readily apparent such as the painting of new portables, which have purchased to meet the needs of a growing school district, and continual tech upgrades. And as usual, “The custodial crew is knocking it out of the park!”
“I think we have an amazing crew,” said longtime school board member Tom Courtney. “They never complain. They just do their work. That’s the team members we need.”
President Jessica Risler said, “The campuses are looking great. You can tell there’s a lot of love put into it.”
Classified employee Denise Quesenberry expressed the gratitude of her and her fellow staff members, who presented board members with gift bags. “We wanted to thank you guys for being understanding. We always try to negotiate in good faith. We appreciate what you guys have done for us.”