Extra

In the news today: The University of California releases its annual report on systemwide employee compensation for 2009 and the Berkeley Board of Education doesn’t approve new charter school. 

UC releases annual payroll report for 2009 

The University of California Thursday released its annual report on employee compensation for 2009. Some of the findings, as reported by the UC Office of the President, include: 

1. Cash compensation for many UC employee groups remains lower than comparable positions at competing institutions — significantly so in many cases. 

2. As in previous years, top earning employees at UC in 2009, based on total pay, either were members of the health sciences faculty — typically world-renowned specialists in their fields — or athletic coaches. 3. Approximately 40 percent of compensation in 2009 went to professors, clinical professors, other teaching faculty, research titles and other academic positions with employees directly engaged in the university’s academic mission. The remainder went to non-academic employees, including support services for students and patients. 4. The small increase in UC's 2009 total payroll (just over 2.5 percent) over the prior year, which is less of an increase than in prior years, likely is attributable to a combination of factors, including market pressures for more competitive compensation, particularly in the areas of health care, instruction and research, which parallels increases in UC’s instructional, research and public service activities overall. According to a UC press release, the payroll data on which the report is based is public information and can be obtained upon request through the UC Office of the President in Oakland and specific locations at each UC campus as indicated on the report’s website. 

Berkeley school board turns down charter school proposal 

The Berkeley Board of Education turned down a charter school proposal at a school board meeting Wednesday but hinted that the idea could still become reality if corrections were made. According to an Oakland Tribune article the board was concerned about a number of things, including the lack of details of how technology would be incorporated into the teaching, programs for high achievers as well as disabled students and the criteria for student achievement. They also had qualms about the school’s governance structure, employee benefits, the budget and health screenings for students.