Emotions are running high and frustrations are building for teachers in the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District who are dissatisfied with officials during stalled contract negotiations.
Bargaining between the San Mateo Elementary Teachers Association and district administrators reached a stalemate and a mediator was invited to facilitate breaking the impasse.
While officials are hopeful the intermediary will successfully resolve the standoff, a representative from the teachers’ union said plenty of work is ahead to address educators’ concerns.
“As we keep going down this path, our frustration isn’t just about the salaries but also the way we’ve been treated,” said union President Julie MacArthur.
The concerns expressed mirror those shared before the district’s summer break when educators rallied during school board meetings and in front of administrative headquarters demanding pay hikes.
MacArthur said the two sides are about 4 percent apart on the compensation increases sought by teachers, but talks are made more contentious due to a perceived unwillingness by officials to take their concerns seriously.
“We are very frustrated with the lack of respect, motivation and preparation from the district to get this settled,” she said.
For their part, officials claim to be committed to striking a deal in short order.
“The San Mateo Elementary Teachers Association and the district jointly requested the support of a mediator to bring a positive resolution to our ongoing negotiations,” said district spokeswoman Amber Farinha in an email. “We are hopeful that this process will result in a successful package.”
Farinha also noted the district has an offer on the table to teachers, but declined to provide more details citing a confidentiality agreement precluding them from speaking publicly about negotiations.
MacArthur though claims the district’s most recent offer has not changed in more than one year, representing to teachers a disinterest by officials to compromise during bargaining.
“The district’s unwillingness to come to the table and make movement” is another core concern for teachers, said MacArthur.
The fourth discussion in the series of mediated talks is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 4. MacArthur said the session outcomes are not binding and if no mutual agreement is struck, the two sides could move to fact finding.
Should they proceed through the final phase of negotiations without reaching a resolution, MacArthur said teachers would think about striking.
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“We are willing to consider everything at this point,” she said.
District teachers earned an average of $75,328 in the last fiscal year, according to the state Department of Education. Teachers in the neighboring Burlingame Elementary School District earned an average of $74,433, while teachers in the Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District earned an average of $80,855.
Teachers last year were granted a 3 percent one-time salary bump along with a 6 percent hike to the salary schedule.
Officials have claimed a limited budget precludes them from being able to grant the raises sought, while educators said the district’s financial woes are overstated.
Difficulties tied to granting pay increases are compounded through the failure of a parcel tax measure proposed last year, officials have said. Measure Y garnered 65.2 percent voter support — 1.5 percent shy of the required supermajority.
Since the loss of a funding source generating about $7 million annually when the last tax expired in June, officials have projected spending to outpace income by nearly $9 million over coming years.
The district Board of Trustees has expressed an interest in going back out to voters for support of another measure, which teachers claim they would be willing to co-sign if promised revenue would pay toward salaries. The union did not advocate for the previous tax.
“The teachers would support that parcel tax if it were tied to salaries,” MacArthur said.
MacArthur said pay in the district has resulted in frequent staff turnover and low morale among educators frustrated by salaries they consider inadequate.
Teachers consider their requests for more money reasonable and well within the district’s budget capacity, which leads to further confusion over the inability to strike an agreement.
“No teacher wants to bankrupt the district. But we have never received a raise that would put the district in a place they couldn’t afford,” she said.
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(3) comments
Get the school scores up in the district and then you get a raise, how about that?
What are the real numbers? $75k ain't too bad for 3 months off a year. If you don't like teaching go work for google and brain wash google users. What is the package worth in totality? Retirement, Medical, VACATION time? Can we please have those numbers so that we can make a judgement on if they are getting screwed or not.
The cost of living here is very high and the cost of owning a home has become impossible.
Teaching our children is one of the most important roles in our society.
All that said, I would be much more supportive if the Teachers Union actually worked in support of improving our educational system by allowing our teachers to be judged and rewarded or dismissed based on their teaching success.
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