Thousands of Orange County teachers threaten to strike Thursday

Thousands of Orange County teachers say they will strike Thursday to protest stalled salary negotiations with the Capistrano Unified School District.

The district on Wednesday said it is scurrying to assemble substitute teachers to fill in for the more than 2,200 teachers who plan to strike.

The 52,000-student district is the second largest in Orange County. The pay dispute has been simmering since June, when the district proposed a more than 10% pay cut on teachers to help offset budget problems.

The teachers' union has said it will accept the pay cuts only if the district agrees to make them temporary, according to Vicki Soderberg, president the Capistrano Unified Education Assn.

Soderberg said teachers also want the district to promise it will funnel to teachers' salaries any unforeseen state or federal funding that may come in. The union, a local chapter of the California Teachers Association, voted to call the strike last week, Soderberg said.

“Teachers don’t want to strike," she said. “But they’re being forced to do so.”

A statement posted on the school district’s website Wednesday said: “The district is arranging for substitute teachers and putting necessary plans in place to continue to keep schools open and provide a safe and operational educational program for our students and employees.”

-- Kate Linthicum

Comments

[SC Tom]

"The teachers are being forced to strike"?? Really? Forced by whom? Because there is NO MORE MONEY, at the end of the strike, all that the teachers will have is a smaller paycheck - aside from being wet as it's supposed to rain tomorrow. Instead of being led down the garden path and over the cliff by their union leadership, the teachers should stay in the classrooms and teach their students. There is absolutely NOTHING that is going to be gained by the teachers if they go out on strike - other than another unpaid day off. This entire dispute is all about egos and in the end, the students are the ones who will pay the price.

[Eve]

Why do school districts have huge operating costs anyways? Why don't they outsource all the non-classroom jobs such as cafeteria workers, janitorial services, electricians, painters, etc. Allow individual schools to find the best company w/ the cheapest rates. Like we do with our homes. Make private industry compete to gain employment with individual schools. If the work completed isn't up to par, make them fix it and don't hire them again.

This will lower operating costs tremendously, lower payroll costs, lower benefit costs, make private industry compete for our taxpayer money, and result in a more efficient system. Give more local control to the principals who run them, who should be accountable to the community. Clean house w/i the district like they're trying to do with those on the front lines, the teachers.

[mschliebs]

They are being forced to strike??? They forced the taxpayers to agree to pay them exorbitant pay and benefits by theatening to strike.

[Mark]

Let 'em strike forever! These teachers are GROSSLY overpaid as it is! And they only have to work for 9 months out of the year. Wake up, teachers, EVERYBODY is experiencing layoffs, cutbacks and wage concessions. Why should YOU be any different???

[Adam]

Have you even read the article? The teachers are AGREEING with pay cuts as long as they are temporary! And, teachers are overpaid? What a joke. Teachers are the lowest paid profession out there.

[Jason]

Everyone here should read the article. The teachers are being reasonable. They are willing to do their part and take a 10% pay cut. They are asking for reasonable demands. 1. They want the cut to be temporary. In other words if the economic conditions improve, they want their money back. 2. They want unforseen money to go to restore salary that they have lost. In other words, if the district finds they can pay the full salaries, the teachers are asking that they do. The district seems pretty unreasonable to me. To all subs, don't be a scab.

With regard to the outsourcing comment, when public agencies outsource the work, they almost never end up paying less despite the fact that the people who do the work make less. Why? Because company providing the service takes money for overhead. At schools you have additional problems because people who work there need to have background checks.

[Louie]

Oh, sure...teachers are GROSSLY overpaid? For the amount of formal education teachers acquire, it's no secret that teachers get paid the least in comparison with other professions requiring as much training such as medical, engineering, and legal.

By the way, Mr. Mark, have you ever had to spend time in an outdated classroom full of 36 germy and rampant middle schoolers? Try it. You wouldn't last a day.

[H.W.]

Mark, you seem to think they actually get paid when they aren't working. They don't. When school is out for summer, they are not working, nor are they getting paid.

The typical teacher is paid for 6.5 hours a day, but expected to work for at least 8. It is an insanely stressful job where the students often work agains them and the parents don't care, and they are blamed for the students' failures, no matter what else is going on in those children's lives.

They are not overpaid. And when the district cuts pay without a clause to make it temporary, it might mean a decade or more before their pay returns to current levels.

[californialu]

Although normally when groups are striking I think it is ridiculous, I have to agree with the the teachers this time. They are basically saying we will concede to have our pay cut as long as once funds are restored we go back to the normal salary. Seems reasonable to me. And to the person who said teachers are way overpaid and only work 9 months out of the year. You obviously don't know any teachers, most of whom work summer school, do other jobs such as tutoring or income taxes or are taking classes themselves to further their education on the subject of teaching during those few months that have off and despite what you might think, they work long hours, getting in early and staying late to prep and grade and do in-services. I thought about becoming a teacher but decided it was just too much work after teaching summer school. The pay is not good either, my sister who is a teacher and was educated at the same level and same schools I was gets paid $20,000 less a year then I do and we work the same number of hours.

[CUSD Parent]

Obviously those who are posting on this topic either do not know the facts or choose to ignore them. The teachers' union demand the board agree to 4 conditions and gave the board one day to agree or the teachers' union would call a strike. The board responded that it would meet and negotiate the issues. The teachers' union response was to call a strike. The board was willing to discuss making cuts temporary and was willing to discuss restoration language. Obviously the teachers' union was not so inclined, even though it claims it was.

In reality, the strike is all about the November elections. The teachers' union wants to recall two trustees, elect three new ones (3 seats are up for election) and change how trustees are elected so it can use its money and influence more effectively. The teachers' union has determined it can't win in November and get the power and influence it wants without a strike. Though the teachers' union claims it is all about the kids what it really means is it is all about using the kids for its purpose and gain.

[edknight]

Hey tom and other who question that these teachers are being forced to strike. Are you too ignorant to understand that they are refering to their district managers are forcing them to strike because the demands being made of them are not acceptable. And no they didn't say they wouldn't take a pay cut nor are they asking for money. Did you bother reading the article or did you just assume teachers are doing something bad based on you prejudice?

[edknight]

All you whiners who claim we are over paid. Where are the facts? Look it up we are far from the highest paid teachers in the country. God, even Ups pays their truck drivers more to start, 70,000. A starting teacher makes 35 to 40. If we are do over paid come and try teaching. There is always opening in the great innercity schools and you can show up how you are a better teacher too.

[edknight]

These teachers are smarter than lausd teachers who were asked to take a 10 percent pay cut in 90's. We were told that we would get it back as soon as money was available. We never got it back. So they should strike if they can't get it in writing. We did it for the kids and we got screwed by the district.

[Eve]

To Jason-There's an easy fix to background checks....if the company wants the district's business. Let them do the background checks.

[Mahsa Behzadi]

Teachers work so hard for us students! They are the key to a better future. They are the ones who prepare us for crazy society that is ahead of us. If it wasnt for them we would not be successful!Many might not think of this, but we the students spend most of our times in school with teachers then we do with our parents. Teachers should be payed more then any one else. There excellent work should not be taken for granted!

[chuck dunn]

people need to realize we are broke,if the parents are serious let them tax themselves to pay teachers more.when they keep their kids out of school ,the district loses even more money.the average teacher makes 71,000 a year.that amounts to 381.00 dollars a day .plus health and pension benefits.