No results yieled from half day of negotiations
Process still 'stalled' after over 12 hours of bargaining
By George Moore
Negotiations for a new teacher's contract in the Cupertino Union School District may have reached an impasse March 20, but bargaining continued April 25 without a mediator present. Board trustees and members of the Cupertino Education Association met for about 12 hours attempting to reach an agreement, but once again stalled.
"The issue really is still health and welfare," said Superintendent William Bragg, adding that the positive side is that they are having honest and open discussions.
Teachers have been working without a contract since June, and April 1 began a work-to-rule schedule--working the exact 7.25 hours each day, as required in their contract. Teachers and supportive parents have been attending the last few school board meetings in droves, attempting to put some pressure on the district to reach an agreement on something that is fair and equitable for both sides.
The state mediator and the district's lawyer are scheduling dates for discussions, but Bragg said that might not be until mid-May. Dorothy Brough, executive director of the association, said that during the long day of negotiations, they had been acting as if a mediator was present.
"We're putting things on the table and saying let's see if we can do it," Brough said. "Both sides made a good effort to come up with a settlement and we attempted to resolve our differences with health benefits. We're on the same line, but we haven't figured out the exact formula and amount that it's going to take."
Another uncertainty is what percentage of COLA [cost-of-living adjustment] the state will allocate next year.
"The prediction is we'll have less than this year," Brough said.
Officially, the state has not moved from 1.8 percent, but Bragg said they have heard it could be anywhere from 1 to 1.6 percent.
"When trying to plan for the future and lock yourself in with all the uncertainties it gets difficult," Bragg said.
To the advantage of the teachers, Brough said that 20 to 25 of them would probably retire next year. Hence, their younger replacements won't cost nearly as much.
Brough said the district was reviewing the association's latest proposal, but by 9 p.m. in the evening it appeared that a settlement was not going to happen. The bargaining was scheduled to continue May 3, and Bragg said he is optimistic that it will be resolved.
It is possible that another 12 hours of open and honest discussions may lead to the cancellation of the mediator and teachers getting back to focusing on teaching.
"As long as you feel you're making progress, you always have that hope that this could be the day," Brough said.
Cupertino, California Since 1947
