Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/417576
Advocacy Francisco Unified teachers, parents and other supporters. Teachers again appealed to school board members to get more involved in the process, as new teachers spend 50 percent or more of their salary on rent, and half leave the district within five years. Worse yet, according to an analysis by SFUSD, approximately 25 percent of teachers' aides, or parapro- fessionals, quit every year. Members of United Educa- tors of San Francisco already voted overwhelmingly in support of a job action in August and must vote twice before a strike can be called by the union. "The skyrocketing cost of living in San Francis- co is putting the city at a crossroads," says Dennis Kelly, UESF president. "Our schools are more import- ant than ever as sources of stability in the lives of our students, and that stability is under threat because of the many educators who are forced to leave the city." MOUNTAIN VIEW EDUCATORS WIN RECRUITS, RETAIN TEACHERS Winning raises that will help to recruit and retain teachers in the high-cost Bay Area, members of the Mountain View Educators Association (MVEA) suc- cessfully ratified a new con- tract in October that bodes well for students, too. Teacher turnover due to low pay hurts students. "The parents in our community ment between Long Beach City College and its teachers means faculty salaries will get a boost from near the bottom in the state to above the median. The agreement comes after months of difficult bargaining and after teachers rejected an earlier settlement in May. "The message from our membership was loud and clear: Raise us from the bottom," says Long Beach City College Association President Lynn Shaw. "This settlement does just that. It respects the hard work of this faculty and makes LBCC better able to recruit and retain quality instructors." Among the highlights of the agreement: • A salary schedule re- structuring resulting in at least a 4 percent salary increase for the 2014-15 school year, effective Nov. 1. This raises aver- age faculty compensa- tion from 67th to 32nd in the state. • A starting salary for teachers with a master's degree on Step 1 that raises their state ranking love their teachers and are upset because they under- stand the importance to the school community in attract- ing and retaining their teach- ers," says MVEA President Jonathan Pharazyn. "This is just the initial step in trans- forming our district into a destination district, where teachers want to stay and feel valued." Educators were able to overcome a difficult superin- tendent by mobi- lizing the com- munity to see the problems caused by the Mountain View Whisman School District hoarding 33 percent in reserves, while only offering teach- ers a quarter-percent raise plus a 3 percent cost of living adjustment. Impasse was declared by MVEA, and teachers "worked to the rule" for a week, halt- ing their volunteering for extra duties. Meanwhile, parents gath- ered signatures on petitions for increasing teachers' salaries and presented them at heavily attended board meetings. The hard-fought victory won a 5 percent raise on the salary schedule, retroactive to July 1, 2014, with another 2 percent off the salary schedule for this school year. LONG BEACH COLLEGE PACT RESPECTS WORK OF FACULTY The tentative contract agree- from 47th to third. • Clarification of evalua- tion procedures for coor- dinators and faculty also serving as coaches. • Limiting online teaching loads to 60 percent of a full-time load. INVEST IN CLASSROOMS, SAY STOCKTON TEACHERS Carrying protest signs and chanting, frustrated teachers showed up in force Oct. 28 at the Stockton Unified School District school board meeting to demand that trustees invest more state funding in the classroom for students. "Parents and teachers are outraged that our tax dollars are not going into the class- room, where they belong," says Stockton Teachers Association President John Steiner. "It's time the board majority acted responsibly to help us get all students the high-quality education they deserve." The board is refusing to al- locate Proposition 30 educa- tion funds to classrooms for purposes including reducing class size and underwriting more parent-teacher collabo- ration time. The hoarding of funds also affects the teach- ers' contract talks, which have dragged on for more than 30 months. Teachers have also filed charges against the district with the state Public Em- ployment Relations Board for unfair bargaining tactics. Bargaining INVEST IN CLASSROOMS, SAY STOCKTON TEACHERS Carrying protest signs and chanting, frustrated teachers showed up in force Oct. 28 at the Stockton Unified School District school board meeting to demand that trustees invest more state funding in the classroom for students. See what's happening statewide at www.cta.org/bargainingupdates 40 www.cta.org