SAN JOSE — Angry over lagging contract talks, teachers in the East Side Union High School District are refusing to do anything outside their 7.5-hour work day — which means no more tutoring, grading assignments, advising student clubs or even writing college recommendations outside of class or during prep time.
And in a deft move, members of the East Side Teachers Association have enlisted students as their allies in their “work to rule” tactic, deflecting anger away from themselves and channeling it toward district officials.
Many of East Side’s 23,500 students have signed petitions, emailed administrators and created Facebook pages to lobby for teacher raises. And last week, about 500 people — mostly teachers and students — jammed an East Side board meeting, chanting “We aren’t going to take it any more” and carrying signs like “You can’t put students first if you put teachers last.” Nearly five dozen speakers pleaded, demanded, scolded and urged higher wages for teachers.
With just two weeks before finals, students say they are falling behind in classes because they can’t get after-school help, are missing their clubs and fretting about themselves and their teachers.
“I’m actually really nervous and stressed a little,” said Melody Martell, 17, an Independence High School senior who is worried she won’t get recommendations turned into colleges on time. But, she added, “it’s not entirely the teachers fault.”
Teachers acknowledge their actions are hurting students.
“It’s unfortunate some of my students are getting sacrificed,” said Andrew Hill High teacher Trent McLane.
Overfelt High teacher Ann Shioji lamented, “I love spending lunch with my students. Now I have to see their sad faces through the window.”
Karina Pek, whose son attends Evergreen Valley High, said, “How could they pull this thing?” But then, she said, “I realized that supervising clubs and writing recommendations are actually not in their job description.”
Contract negotiations
Teachers accuse the district of lacking respect and appreciation for sacrifices made during the Great Recession. East Side Union teachers got a 1.95 percent raise last year but before that went years without across-the-board raises. They accepted weeklong furloughs for three years, as well as class sizes bumped up by three students.
Now amid a roaring economy, they want payback.
Teachers say they’ve been offered a 4.25 percent raise for this school year, although Superintendent Chris Funk said the latest offer is slightly more than that. Both sides accuse each other of stalling talks, which began last spring.
While the main issue remaining is salaries, it’s clear that East Side teachers are fed up with conditions worse than in neighboring districts — class-size ceilings of 35 students in math and science, many classes exceeding the maximums, textbooks that are 20 years old, no librarians and too few counselors.
Board President J. Manuel Herrera and Funk said if someone can find an extra million dollars, it would help in fattening the district’s offer.
Last June, state legislators pulled a quiet last-minute budget move, reducing what Gov. Jerry Brown promised to pay school districts this year. That reduction, coupled with a higher assessment for teacher pensions, cost East Side about $3.9 million this year.
“That’s money we could have had for a pay raise or for class-size reduction,” Funk said. In addition, this year’s budget is in the hole, and state law requires the district to project that deficit for two more years — taking $28.5 million off the table.
Like other school districts, East Side is trying to dig itself out of the hole created when the state cut funding for several years. The cumulative cuts to services and staff can’t be restored in one year, Funk said. This school year, the district hired more than 100 additional staff — teachers, counselors, social workers, parent liaisons, custodians and others.
Funk is also critical of tactics that hurt students. “I can’t imagine a teacher who would refuse to write a recommendation for a senior who is applying to college. That is unprofessional.” So is, he said, refusing to tutor students needing help. He argued that teachers are salaried employees, and not everything they do can be included in their contract.
Facebook postings
The Facebook postings, on pages with thousands of “likes,” reflect students’ support. “I realized that the teachers have been sacrificing for us all along,” reads one from Evergreen Valley student body President Shaan Saini.
About the teachers’ demands, he told the board, “I don’t know if this is the most economically viable route, but it’s what the people want.”
At Thursday night’s school board meeting, student after student spoke passionately about how much their teachers have helped and supported them, often outside of class hours and under tough conditions. But Finance Director Karen Poon said the district can’t afford to grant all wishes this year.
East Side continues to be one of only five districts in the state to pay for full health benefits for employees and their family members — at a cost of $23 million, or nearly $19,900 per employee.
“It’s a pretty good deal,” Funk said. “It’s not sustainable.”
But the teachers union asserts that the district has an 18 percent reserve, enough for a more generous raise than what’s been offered.
“We fell like we’ve been duped,” Union President Marisa Vera Hanson said. “We believe they can come up with a little bit more.”
Students echo that line. “It’s common knowledge teachers don’t get paid very well,” said Nikki Nguyen, a junior at Piedmont Hills. She drafted a “Support Our Staff” online petition demanding that “dedicated teachers be compensating accordingly for their extracurricular services that remarkably improve student life.” A similar petition, titled “Get With It,” reads: “Give every teacher wage increases today.”
East Side teachers working 182 days a year are paid $49,378 to $102,300, as they advance up a scale based on their years teaching and the number of advanced college credits they earn.
Although Herrera maintains that both sides are actually close, for now work-to-rule will continue. “We won’t change until we actually meet with the district to see if they’re going to negotiate or bargain,” said English teacher Shelley Moneymaker. “We’re falling behind on grading. We’re falling behind on writing recommendations.”
“I hope,” said Evergreen parent Pek, “they will continue negotiating, find common ground and reach an agreement pretty soon.”
Contact Sharon Noguchi at 408-271-3775. Follow her at Twitter.com/noguchionk12.
