District at odds with teachers

The union is filing an unfair labor practice lawsuit with the California Public Employment Relations Board and hopes a judge will decide the merits of a fact-finding report the two sides agreed to.

In a letter sent to staff and parents yesterday, Clark said it is critical to improve communication among all members of the community and writes "last year was a very difficult year for everyone in the district."

Jim Remington, president of the San Mateo Elementary Teachers' Association, agrees it was a difficult year. But he casts blame for spiritless teacher morale and an unsettled contract on Clark and what he calls her administrative staff's poor attitude.

The district held an orientation for its 53 new teachers Tuesday and will hire nine more, Clark said, to fill vacancies at 16 schools that resume class Monday.

The number looked more like 85 new teachers, Remington said. The recent hires are not filling voids created by retirements, he said.

"Teachers are leaving the district in droves. People are not being treated fairly and morale is low," Remington said.

The district accepted a tentative agreement with the teachers' union in the spring but language over retirees' benefits in the amount of $32 per month brought negotiations to a halt.

District officials accuse the union of sneaking language into the contract that teachers signed which increased health benefits for retirees that the Board of Trustees did not consent to. The district took the suspect language out of the contract and will move on with its own version of the agreement. Teachers have yet to agree.

"We are not going to sign it. Simple as that," Remington said.

Teachers are essentially starting a third school year without a ratified contract and Remington said the relationship is damaged - even if the district does concede to the union.

"It would help if they signed the agreement we proposed but there are many more factors that have created an unhealthy environment. The district is anti-teacher," Remington said.

The state's poor fiscal condition, low per-pupil funding and declining enrollment has sent the district into a bind but the Board of Trustees is committed to balancing the budget for next year, Clark said. It has gotten an early start in the process by conducting budget workshops that are open to the public, she added.

The first workshop will tackle the financial liabilities of some of the district's smaller schools, special education and day-care programs.

The meeting is 7 p.m. tonight at the district office board room, 42 West 42nd Avenue, 6 p.m. in San Mateo.

Bill Silverfarb can be reached by e-mail at silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109.