Pasadena Unified Teachers Move Closer to Possible Strike Vote

Though they had originally planned a serious and somber demonstration – wearing black and carrying black balloons – teachers from the Pasadena Unified School District erupted into yet another noisy protest at Thursday evening’s monthly Pasadena School Board meeting.

The two-point focus of the protest continued to be the leadership of Principal Juan Ruelas at Madison Elementary School and the 3% “final” salary increase offer made to teachers by Superintendent Brian McDonald a few weeks ago.

Former teachers and students from Madison Elementary also continued to protest the leadership of Principal Ruelas, who they say has caused at least nine teachers to transfer out of the school to other schools in the district.

“I was a teenager in Chile when Augusto Pinochet was in power,” said Segundo Belmar, a former Madison teacher who transferred out this semester. “I know what a dictator is.”

Ruelas has been criticized for his strict management style by teachers at every monthly board meeting since September, following his arrival at the school last spring.

On the labor front the two sides are scheduled to meet again at a fact-finding meeting on May 4, which, if unsuccessful,“could lead to a strike authorization vote,” according to United Teachers of Pasadena (UTP) President Alvin Nash.

“It’s not too late to settle these (contract) issues, and we urge the district to work out an agreement that respects teachers and values students,” Nash told the Board. “Pasadena Unified is facing a looming teacher shortage with fewer and fewer people choosing to enter a profession that has too often been under assault by budget cuts and “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.”

One Pasadena High School counselor also criticized the district’s lack of library materials and technology.

“UTP has seen the inequity that exists in schools and continuously perpetuated by the district’s policies and decisions,” said Allison Steppes, counselor and UTP Instruction and Professional Development Chair.

“Middle school students need access to an open school library with a credentialed librarian,” she continued. “PUSD has a New Theory of Action and a method to tier schools. The scoring has exposed the lack of equity to resources within PUSD. As the Board, how are you guaranteeing that every day each school site, each classroom and each student has access to the entire curriculum for their grade level?”

Board members were unable to comment on the ongoing negotiations.