Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/669580
HUNTINGTON BEACH: AT I M PAS S E Trouble in paradise? Aer 17 bargaining sessions totaling over 85 hours of effort, members of the Huntington Beach Union High School District Educators Association declared impasse in mid-March over the remaining elements of their contract dispute with the district in Huntington Beach, Orange County. Major remaining unsettled elements of the contract include class size, salary, benefits, term of agreement and summer school compensation. The California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) certified mediation, scheduled for April 29. DOS PALOS: FA I R CO N T R AC T WA N T E D Fed up with their district's refusal to invest in educators, the Dos Palos Oro Loma Teachers Association (DPOLTA) declared impasse in early April. "If the Dos Palos school district is truly serious about putting students first, it's time to quit putting teachers last and get serious about doing what works, and that means a fair contract for teach- ers," says DPOLTA President Marty Thompson, a teacher at Bryant Middle School. Dos Palos teachers are among the lowest-paid in Merced County, and the district has difficulty attracting teachers. Currently at least 10 classes are being taught by noncredentialed educators. The district has offered a 1 percent salary increase, despite receiving upward of $21 million in new Proposition 30 money intended to be spent on classrooms, and has created a reserve fund five times the 3 percent required by the state. STOCKTON: M A K E T E AC H I N G TO P P R I O R I T Y The Stockton Teachers Association (STA) proposal asks for a focus on salary schedules that will attract and retain high-quality professional teachers to help close the achievement gaps of all students, including foster and low-socioeconomic students and English learners. The Stockton Unified School District continues to experience difficulty attracting and retaining teachers, with numer- ous vacancies throughout the year. STA declared impasse when school district negotiators insisted teachers counter their own proposal on teacher sal- aries. The district has offered a 0.5 percent salary increase, despite receiving more than $47 million in new money intended to be spent on classrooms. "The fact is, great teachers will go elsewhere unless we attract and retain them," says STA President John Steiner. "We see the need to develop a salary schedule that provides competitive com- pensation, based on funding the district is receiving and on the needs of our students." LEMOORE: C E N T R A L U N I O N T E AC H E R S R A L LY Members of the Central Union Elementary Teachers Associa- tion (CUETA) rallied at the school district office in Lemoore, Kings County, in early April in an effort to move the school board to a fair settlement through a mediation process already under way. Edu- cators say they feel shortchanged because the district has received millions in new state funds through Prop. 30 and refuses to put it where it was intended: the classroom. Teachers are doing a "super job educating our students," says CUETA President Theresa Copeland. "We are concerned about retaining the great teachers this district has had for decades, and about the huge shortage of credentialed teachers. We want to maintain our high standards for educators." RIVERBANK: A W I N F O R T E AC H E R S Administrators of Riverbank Unified School District in Stanislaus County admitted they broke the law and will now allow River- bank Teachers Association (RTA) members to use district email for union communication outside of working hours. RTA had filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Public Employment Rela- tions Board contending senior human resources director Marcus Wirowek interfered with the chapter's legal rights, in violation of the Educational Employment Relations Act. By Cynthia Menzel, Mike Myslinski, Ed Sibby and Frank Wells. #OurVoiceAtTheTable DURHAM: CO M M U N I T Y S U P P O R T F O R E D U C ATO R S Community members in Durham, Butte County, rallied in support of the Durham Unified Teachers Association (DUTA) bargaining team and urged the Durham Unified School District to agree to a fair and competitive contract with teachers. "Our kids receive a wonderful, loving and nurturing education at the Durham schools," parent Cindy Steffen says. "I am voting for salaries that match the surrounding school districts. We cannot afford to lose our dedicated teachers." "Durham Unified, do the right thing," says Gail Schmidt, the mother of two former Durham students. "Please keep the great teachers you have and give them the salary they more than deserve." Teachers say the district's refusal to put money into instructional excellence has allowed teachers' salaries to fall well below the county average. Says DUTA President Bill Askea, "If this school board is serious about making student achievement a priority, then attracting and retain- ing quality teachers must be a priority." Nancy Riley and Suzanne Contreras. 35 April 2016