Teachers Picket As Contract Negotiations Remain Deadlocked

By Jorge Casuso

Thursday, May 27 -- With contract negotiations deadlocked over salaries and longer kindergarten hours, more than 200 teachers chanted and waved picket signs outside the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District headquarters Wednesday afternoon.

As Aretha Franklin's "Respect" blared from a flatbed truck, the teachers rallied to hold firm during contract negotiations with the board, which remained deadlocked after a meeting with mediators on Monday failed to bring the two sides closer to an agreement.

"They can't negotiate in good faith with us," said Beth Muir, president of the local classroom teachers association.

"We have a lot of strength and they're not going to break our spirit," Jennifer Gonzalez, a Malibu High School teacher, told the crowd. "We put in countless hours of our own time to make a difference. They are sending us a very clear message. They think they can win the game without players, but without players, they can't win."

The last proposal the teachers put on the table before a news blackout went into effect called for a 6 percent raise, representatives said. They added that last year teachers were granted a 3 percent raise, while administrators received a nearly 10 percent hike.

Teachers point to county statistics that show the local school district ranks 44 among 47 districts in classroom spending, but ranks second in administration salaries.

School board members question the validity of the numbers. They note that the district's classroom spending is lower than other districts because it is partly based on the number of poor children being served.

"You have to look at their take home pay," said school board president Margaret Quinones.

The other sticking point in the stalled negotiations is kindergarten hours. Representatives say the board wants to increase the hours from 215 minutes to 275 minutes a day. Representatives say they are willing to compromise at 240 minutes.

"We already have the longest kindergarten day in the state," said McKinley Elementary School teacher Marc Sanschagrin, who ran for city council last month. "They want all or nothing."

Quinones counters that it is parents who want the longer hours, and that the district is at the forefront of what will soon be a statewide mandate.

"In the negotiation process the board offered to meet with all kindergarten teachers and delay implementation," Quinones said. "They didn't want to hear about it. They thought it was about power."

Teachers representatives will meet with mediators again next Thursday.

A Message From the Teachers to the Community