By LESTER CHANG
Hundreds of parents have joined forces with the Fremont teachers' union to push the school board to end a four-month stalemate over contract talks and to hammer out an agreement by June.
At a meeting at the Elks Lodge in Sunnyvale April 26 to rally public support, Fremont Education Association president George Gredassoff said 1,500 people have signed a petition asking the board to take action.
"This is what we have been waiting for," Gredassoff said at the meeting, which was attended by about 500 people. "It shows the community cares about quality education and wants something to happen."
In a related development, the teachers' union announced that nearly 300 of the Fremont Union School District's 400 teachers signed a petition expressing a "vote of no confidence" in the way superintendent Mary Panucci has run the district and conducted talks.
Gredassoff said she hasn't responded to the needs of teachers and the community. "For Mary, we want her to change her ways . . . to promote leadership. If she doesn't change, we may ask her to leave," he said.
He also urged the public to attend a board meeting on April 30 to voice concerns.
Board members and district officials weren't immediately available for comment. In a written statement, the district said the board values the teachers and their contributions.
The FEA has submitted 11 counterproposals since talks began in January. The district has submitted none and hasn't agreed to meet often enough, Gredasoff said.
Because of the delays, the union filed a complaint with the California Public Employee Relations Board last week, Gredassoff said.
Some residents, like parents Bob Hendrickson and Jim and Donna McCann, wanted the salary negotiations to be opened to the public.
"It is important to understand what both sides want," Jim McCann said. "That way the public can make decisions about what to do."
Cupertino resident Kati Baron said the public should have a right to "know what is happening because it is our tax dollars at stake." The district has declined FEA's offer to allow the public to sit in on the talks.
District officials say that among 50 high school districts in California, only five districts spent more per pupil on teacher compensation during the 1994-95 school year than Fremont Union.
The district wants a three-year contract that will raise salaries of new teachers from $28,000 to $35,000 and the salaries of experienced teachers from $48,000 to $65,000 over three years.
The union wants a one-year contract that would raise salaries of new teachers to $35,000; it also proposes a salary increase for experienced teachers from $48,000 to $59,000. Teachers say they want a one-year contract to ensure they can negotiate changes during lean economic times.
The district also wants to lump the cost of medical insurance into a teacher's salary and allow teachers to choose from 13 insurance carriers.
This method, if approved, would save teachers money, the district said.
The FEA said that method would take money away from teachers. It wants to maintain a health plan that provides a wide range of services.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 1, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.