Guest Opinion: Why United Teachers of Pasadena May Vote to Strike

The Star-News has run commentary by Superintendent McDonald that is terribly misleading to the public about the current contract stalemate between Pasadena teachers and the school district. Here are the facts.

Pasadena Teachers are at a contract negotiations impasse with the Pasadena Unified School District and on May 4, 2016, will present their respective cases at a fact-finding hearing, the final phase in a process that, if unsuccessful, could lead to a strike authorization vote. At issue in this dispute are the low and noncompetitive salaries paid to our teachers, district efforts to gut counselors and librarians who provide vital services to our students, and a proposal to arbitrarily transfer teachers among schools at the whim of the district. While a strike would be unfortunate for all and only a last resort, it is important that the community fully understand what the issues are and why the members of United Teachers of Pasadena are taking a stand.

While we teach in wonderful community where the standard of living for many is comparatively high, Pasadena teachers earn some of the lowest salaries in the county, currently ranking 43rd out of 47 unified districts. We have proposed a modest 6% salary schedule increase that would be retroactively effective to January 1, 2016, (equal to roughly 3% actually additional pay for this year) with a 2% off-schedule one-time bonus for 2014-2015. The District is proposing a flat 3% schedule increase with a ZERO increase for 2014-2015. While the two sides may not seem that far apart, the District can and should do more to recognize the many significant teachers made during the recent recession, taking unpaid furlough days and making cost-saving adjustments to their medical plans. And perhaps more importantly, the District needs to be more competitive if it is going to attract and retain the best possible teachers to our classrooms.

The public needs to know that although making teacher salaries more competitive is important, this is about far more than just money. It is about students. Unconscionably, the District has also proposed eliminating librarians and counselors at our middle and high schools. School librarians collaborate with teachers in helping students learn research strategies and develop technology skills. And of course librarians play a vital role in helping students select books for research projects and free reading, and are often a key factor in students developing a life-long love of reading.

The loss of librarians would hurt students now and in the future, as would the elimination of counselors. Our counselors provide truly vital student services that include implementing guidance and attendance programs, training to teachers and parents on numerous student welfare issues, acting as liaisons between the school and community resources, including law enforcement, and helping high schoolers navigate the steps to a successful college or vocational education placement. California already has the lowest counselor to student ration in the nation, currently 1,000 to 1; Pasadena Unified is on the road to making it a thousand to none.

Finally, the District has proposed abandoning the current criteria for involuntarily transferring a teacher from one site to another, offering up a catch-all “needs of the district” in its place. What the administration really wants is the ability to transfer anyone, anywhere, anytime, for any reason, or for no reason, for that matter. The potential for abuse in such cases would be staggering, and because of the potential for retaliation, it would have a chilling effect on teachers’ ability to speak out on behalf of their students on issues like school safety and curriculum. The District has also proposed eliminating objective factors like length of service in the district when a transfer has to be made due to downsizing. These proposals would lead to poor morale and offer no benefit to students or their success.

It is not too late to settle these issues, and we urge the District to return to the bargaining table to work out an agreement that respects teachers and values students. California is facing a looming teacher shortage, with fewer and fewer young people choosing to enter a profession that has too often been under assault by budget cuts and by “blame-the-teacher” education reformers. While helping students succeed will always have some irreplaceable intrinsic rewards, Pasadena Unified is going to have to do better if it hopes to attract a shrinking teaching force and keep our schools among the best anywhere.

Sincerely,
Alvin Nash, President
United Teachers of Pasadena