McCammon

Lewis McCammon appeals from the order of the trial court denying his petition for a writ of mandate. At issue is the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (District) teachers’ pay classification policies. We affirm.

Teachers, who are certified employees of the District, are paid pursuant to a salary table originally promulgated by the District and now part of the collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the District and the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), the exclusive bargaining representative of the District’s teachers. The salary table is arranged as a rectangular grid. The vertical columns are divided into 10 “steps,” with placement on a particular step dependent on the employee’s number of years of credited experience. The horizontal rows are divided into eight “schedules,” numbered 20 through 27, with placement on a particular schedule dependent on the employee’s number of credited “salary points,” a measure of academic training.

In July 1983, the salary schedule provided that first-year probationary teachers could receive credit for a maximum of 56 salary points, placing them on schedule 24 of the salary table. A probationary employee could advance…