Santa Maria High School District Faculty Association Hosts Parent Meeting
Teachers in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District seeking a new contract tried to explain what they say are key issues that remain on the bargaining table to parents Tuesday night.
The teachers union says the impasse is less about money and more about protecting working conditions for teachers in the district including preserving classroom sizes.
“We just want to maintain the integrity and respect we’ve enjoyed as part of a collaborative, and I’ve been here for 20 years”, one teacher told those in attendance at the meeting inside the Veterans Memorial Community Center in Santa Maria, “we just want to maintain our professional integrity, and be able to make the decisions that allow us to do our job for your students.”
Another teacher highlighted school district spending money outside the classroom.
“In 2010 the district spent approximately $6 million on lawyers and consultants, this school year its over $12 million, so its more than double on their lawyer fees and consultant fees”, the teacher said, “this is money that in my opinion could be spent on much more different things and in a much more beneficial way for everyone involved in in the school district.”
Union members at the meeting say the school district wants to take away or reduce teacher free periods they use for class “prep time” by having them teach a sixth period with another 36 students or a total of 216 students a day
“If I’m teaching 216 (students) I’m at school until 7 o’clock”, another teacher told those in attendance, “I don’t get to see my wife, I don’t get see my kids, because I’m trying to help my kids, because I love my students, and they are not my students, they are my kids.”
The Faculty Association says the school district has let go of talented teachers amid cost-cutting even though the SMJUHSD is receiving more money from the state.
“Teachers don’t want to come here, we’re already having trouble hiring, there’s a teacher shortage, teachers don’t want to come to this district, teachers who are in this district are hitting ages where they are going to retire and people are not coming to our district or are turning down offers because they have heard how bad relations are”, another teacher says, “we really need parents to understand how bad things are and how bad the morale is among teachers, the lack of respect.”
Outside the Veterans Memorial Community Center another group calling itself the Parents Community Involvement Commission held a rally of its own against the Faculty Association demanding greater teacher accountability and parent participation in the contract negotiations.
“They are trying to create the illusion that the majority of parents that send their kids to public high schools in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District support them, which is not true”, said Jose Castellanos with PCIC, “this is not an issue of not suppporting teachers, its an issue of not supporting the leadership of the Faculty Association, I want to make that absolutely clear.”
The Faculty Association is seeking a pay raise of more than six percent per year for two years, the SMJUHSD is offering a more than three percent raise.
Both the Faculty Association and the SMJUHSD will go to fact-finding sessions later this week.
Last month an independent arbitrator ruled the SMJUHSD violated teacher contracts in how it charges for leave time.
The SMJUHSD changed how it calculates the way teachers are charged for sick, personal necessity or association leave time without notifying or bargaining with the Faculty Association in advance.
The independent arbitrator issued a “cease and desist” order to the SMJUHSD and also ordered the district to restore more than 18 months of improperly charged leave time with the union’s 390 members.
