Lessons in jumping to conclusions
SMMUSD HDQTRS — A misunderstanding over future contract negotiations here has caused the teachers’ union to come out swinging, issuing a statement that blasts school district officials for wanting to freeze salaries.
The only problem is that school board members contend they want to do nothing of the sort. On the contrary, those board members interviewed said they are in favor of offering teachers a cost-of-living adjustment that would make them some of the highest-paid educators in the state.
So what prompted the Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association (SMMCTA) to jump the gun?
Harry Keiley, president of the SMMCTA,said his members were disappointed when they saw the district’s initial contract proposals and found no mention of a salary increase.
On top of that, there were requests to have teachers spend more time supervising students while on recess and at lunch, rather than using that time to meet with colleagues or prepare lesson plans. Keiley also said the district’s initial proposals included cuts to health care benefits that would have required teachers to pay more out of their own pockets.
“The reason why the union is coming out aggressively is that these initial proposals will further reduce the purchasing power of teachers,” Keiley said.“There is a shortage of quality and qualified teachers, many of whom are leaving the profession in droves. If we are to do anything about retaining quality teachers, we must do something about compensation.”
Julia Brownley, president of the school board, said her colleagues plan to act on a pay raise, however, did not feel comfortable going into details until a final contract is reached. Negotiations are expected to commence in the coming weeks.
The issue of a raise was absent from a list of initial proposals presented to the union last week because the teachers had already included a cost-of-living adjustment in their proposals to the board, district officials said. Under the current contract, when one party opens an issue for discussion, the other party is not required to include it in their proposals. To do so would be redundant, district officials said.
“If they open a particular article of the contract, we don’t have to open it because it’s already open,” Brownley said. “If that caused any misunderstanding with union leadership and its members, we apologize. That certainly was not our intention at all.”
The board’s initial proposals did include the desire to create full-day Kindergarten and increase the number of hours teachers would be required to spend on yard duty. The proposals also included changing the rate of pay for summer school teachers and the way in which those teachers are selected. In addition, secondary substitutes would no longer have preparation periods, according to the proposals.
Keiley said the union, while recognizing members of the school board want to grant raises, is prepared to fight for substitutes and will seek additional pay if teachers are required to spend more time supervising playgrounds and lunch periods.
“The fact of the matter is, teachers deserve the same level of compensation as administrators,” Keiley said.“Our teachers deserve to be the best paid teachers in LA County and we will work tirelessly to achieve this.”
Interim Superintendent Tim Walker said district staff and the board are equally committed to working with the union to ensure the best possible contract for everyone, including students. Walker could not comment further on the proposals out of respect for the negotiating process.
“The district will work collaboratively with the union,” Walker said. “We are going to enter the negotiations with an open mind and we will come up with a compromise that both sides feel extraordinarily comfortable with by the time we come to a conclusion. My hope is that we will do so in a reasonable time and to mutual satisfaction of both parties.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 3, 2006. Read the original PDF.