The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Students say pay squabble has hit them most of all

Lessons are lackluster and help for homework scarce in midst of contract dispute

By Katherine Petersen

With only three weeks before graduation, students throughout the high school district say they've lost interest in their studies--a sentiment they say many teachers have displayed for most of the year.

Students across the board feel they've taken the brunt of ill will between the teachers' union and district administrators, who have been negotiating a teachers' contract for more than a year.

Many teachers present lackluster lessons, offer far less help with school work and refused to help students get into college with letters of recommendation, students told The Courier. Moreover, several newer teachers are so fed up with negotiations that they've found work in other districts, students say.

"You feel sorry for teachers because of what they want, but there's a cutoff line. It's got to stop somewhere," says Krista Elledge, a senior at Homestead High School. "It's not the kids' fault, but it's being taken out on us, and that's the saddest part of all."

Casey Evans, another Homestead senior, agrees. While she didn't apply to private colleges, which usually require more than one letter of recommendation, many of her friends had to send incomplete applications.

"I was lucky because one of my teachers was willing to write a letter for me, but quite a few teachers wouldn't," she says. "I understand that the teachers want support from parents and students, but by hurting us, they've showed parents that they weren't going about getting what they wanted in an effective way."

Evans and other students have heard rumors since the beginning of the year about an impending teachers' strike; and with seniors counting down the days to graduation, a settlement appears nowhere in sight.

"A lot of us are still pretty nervous. We still hear stuff like we might not graduate on time," says Joanne Chen, a senior at Monta Vista.

Not only did many teachers resist writing letters of recommendation, but many declined to help with homework or class assignments, which caused students' grades to suffer, students say. Early in the year, many teachers decided to only do the work required by their contract.

"Before the 'work-to-rule' policy went into effect, I was able to go to my teachers during brunch, lunch or after school," says Monta Vista junior Jill Tsugawa. She either sought help elsewhere or left her questions unanswered, and says her grade-point average has dropped because of it.

Teachers have been more wrapped up in negotiations and their desire for a better contract than in teaching their classes, many students say.

In one class last semester, the substitute teacher knew all the students' names while the regular teacher didn't, Elledge says.

"It's hard to take a class when you have a sub half the time," she says. "We didn't do anything in that class that was new. It was a waste of my time."

Tsugawa and Evans also saw a lack of enthusiasm from teachers. "They're not as into teaching as they used to be, which makes us feel the same way," Tsugawa says.

Evans says she has seen a lot of infighting and back-stabbing amongst teachers, who appear divided. "It seems like some will do whatever it takes, while others are ready to settle and be done with it," she says. ""You have to devote your time to students. That's the point of being a teacher."

Elledge worries about her sophomore brother, because many of the school's newer teachers have applied for and received jobs in other districts.

"I know of between 10 and 15 teachers who will not be back next year, and the majority of them are good ones. And that's just from one high school," she says.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 21, 1997.
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