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When does the strike begin?
By JON HOORNSTRA
When I write about a substantive issue involving the Cupertino Union School District, ethics require that I first disclose that I am married to a teacher employed by the district. That said, I move on.
There is no institution that can reach deeper into a community or stir it to action faster than its public school system. The reason is simple--educators are a powerful influence in the lives of the community's most protected group, its children, second only to parents.
But the passion that drives parents to protect their children, the passion that calls teachers and administrators to careers in education, has its risks when there is a disagreement. And we have a disagreement. The school district and the teachers have been unable to agree on a new contract. The teachers initially asked for a 10 percent salary increase and a few other items, while the district offered a 2.47 percent salary hike, plus a 1.4 percent one-time cost-of-living adjustment. The teachers countered with a 5 percent salary hike, plus some changes to health benefits. That's where it is stalled.
But the longer an impasse continues, the more likely positions will harden and the passion that usually serves children well may be employed in self-interest. Fortunately, no one is talking about a strike in the current situation. And I personally don't think it will happen. But strikes begin not on the day workers walk out, but at one failed bargaining session at a time.
Cupertino has a highly respected K-12 school system. We all stand a bit taller because of it. People from city hall to Realtors to corporate recruiters use that reputation to persuade anyone who will listen that this is a good place to do business and live (if you can afford it).
The school system is thus a key contributor to the community's quality of life and economic well-being. Teachers are a key ingredient to that success. But so, too, are administrators and parents.
But there is a fourth element involved--stability. The district has known two teacher strikes. The first, in 1973, lasted one day in a dispute over an effort to use non-credentialed teachers. The second lasted 12 days in 1976, when teachers struck to establish collective bargaining rights.
But a paper war has emerged. Both the district and the teachers have sent reports to parents summarizing and arguing points of disagreement. And the parents have reacted. They showed up in large numbers for the April 9th school board meeting, a standing-room-only crowd of perhaps 300 at Meyerholz Elementary School.
Everyone wore a game face. Teachers displayed a somber, semi-angry look. The district staff was "nouveau-financial district," a businesslike detached look that hangs in the same closet next to the white shirts and ties. And the parents were a mix of annoyed and incredulous. It took an hour to get through the first 16 speakers, all of whom sided with the teachers.
At the end of the day, it's all about money--and trust. The paper war has revealed that the teachers don't trust the school district's financial statements. A summary of the teacher association's March 25th meeting says, "The district is not being truthful ... the budget keeps shifting and the district is hiding money."
School superintendent Dr. Bill Bragg, however, says the budget changes that trouble the union reflect one-time monies received from the state's program to reward academic performance. By law, that money was allocated to all of the schools in amounts ranging from $30,000 to $50,000, he said.
But it's clear the district needs to regain the teachers' confidence in its financial statements. That perhaps means more clarity, more specifics. Perhaps an agreement to an independent audit within the next year would help.
For their part, teachers must understand that the district cannot responsibly make significant, contractual commitments for salary and benefit packages based on one-time allocations from the state, or while the amount of state support is unclear.
The root problem is obvious--insufficient revenue. Something must give. The Cupertino elementary school system is hobbled by an ancient and intractable state-imposed funding formula that has made Cupertino the lowest funded school system in the county, and in the bottom 20 statewide.
The solution? A parcel tax to generate new revenue. Voters would have to approve it. To those who might oppose it, I would relate the wisest aphorism I ever saw on a bumper sticker--"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
