School cuts force teachers to shut out students (Daily Journal)
High school teachers facing the choice of having their salaries cut or losing colleagues to layoffs are protesting the unpalatable choice by cutting off voluntary activities such as extra help for students, club supervision and locking their classroom doors during lunch.
Our organization stands ready to help the district resolve its financial problem. However, we will resist having solutions imposed on the teachers, especially those that will damage the quality of our academic program. The layoff of new teachers and a significant reduction in teachers' pay will damage the future of our high schools and our ability to recruit and retain highly qualified new teachers,? said Craig Childress, San Mateo High School District Teachers Association president.
Salary negotiations between the union and San Mateo Union High School District began Sept. 14. The district needs to cut $3.5 million of its budget by Sept. 28. One option is a salary cut for teachers an option that cannot be made without the union's approval. The two groups have come to a standstill as the district stands firm that teachers need to accept a 3 percent pay cut or lose 25 teachers. If a group … agrees to a cut they get credit for that rollback and fewer teachers will have to be laid off,? said board President Marcia Cohn-Lyle. Layoffs will be necessary if an agreement isn't made by next week's final cut date, she said. The plan of attack: make cuts. Final cuts will be made Sept. 28. Teachers assume a certain number of layoffs are inevitable, giving the group no incentive to take the cut. A 3 percent cut would pan out to roughly $1.2 million, meaning further cuts would need to be made, Childress said. The group, not willing to take the cut, offered a zero percent raise package with higher benefit co-pays. The group offered other concessions as well, such as paying a teacher for substitute teaching one period. Their offer was not accepted. The district made an offer to the teachers yesterday. The two sides are set to continue negotiations Tuesday, Sept. 26. Union leaders are encouraging teachers to stop doing all voluntary, non-essential duties until negotiations become a two-way street an effort that began at all high schools on Tuesday. This means not working with students before or after school or during lunch time and no more volunteering to lead clubs. Teachers at Burlingame High School put up a flier explaining the locked doors.
This isn't the first time the district was forced to make large cuts. Cohn-Lyle remembered a similar incident in 1995 when $2 million in cuts needed to be made. Similar protests were made at the time. It's nothing new,? said Cohn-Lyle. Last time [cuts were made teachers] closed the doors to their classrooms at lunch time and thank goodness we live in the United States and we can do these things as an acceptable method of complaining.?
– Written by Fiona
Leave a Reply