GILROY
– While last year’s teacher contract negotiations remain at an
impasse, both teachers and the district are showing that they mean
business. Teachers turned out en masse to last Thursday’s school
board meeting to protest drawn-out 2002-03 contract
negotiations.
GILROY – While last year’s teacher contract negotiations remain at an impasse, both teachers and the district are showing that they mean business. Teachers turned out en masse to last Thursday’s school board meeting to protest drawn-out 2002-03 contract negotiations.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Edwin Diaz and the board say Diaz will not get a salary increase until teachers get one of their own.
Board members are completing a yearly performance evaluation of Diaz. They have decided to extend his contract an additional year – through 2007 – but are waiting until teacher negotiations are complete to look at a salary increase.
Diaz said his salary increase would be contingent on what is offered to teachers.
“If we can’t give (teachers) an increase, I won’t accept one,” Diaz said. “I just don’t think it would be right for me to accept any type of increase in compensation until we are able to increase the compensation for other employees.”
Teachers representing 15 of Gilroy’s 17 schools carried signs reading, “Still working without a contract” and “Keep teachers with good pay” into Thursday’s meeting. They crowded the Gilroy Unified School District board room, filling all available seats and standing in corners of the room. Many wore cards around their necks reading, “Settle Now!”
“It’s nice tonight because I brought a few friends,” said Michelle Nelson, president of the Gilroy Teachers Association, addressing board members. “We’ve been pretty quiet about the lack of progress in the negotiations. We are urging the board to seriously consider looking at the proposal that has been brought before you and to get this done so we can move on.
“These are recycled signs, because we’ve used them before … we may need them again.”
Teachers reacted with a standing ovation, waving their signs.
“We’ve heard your concerns, and we are empathetic to what is being asked,” said trustee Jaime Rosso. “We have put it as a priority that we can assure you we are making every effort to deal with the teachers and their requests. … Thank you for being here tonight.”
After contract negotiations stalled this summer, GTA and district representatives began mediation with a state representative. They have met on four separate occasions since September and will meet again this Friday.
First-time fully credentialed teachers earn $37,978. The same teacher in Morgan Hill Unified School District earns $37,740. However, a teacher with 10 years of classroom experience and 60 semester units after a bachelor’s degree would earn $55,946 in Gilroy compared to $58,099 in Morgan Hill. That difference evens out later: After 30 years and 75 semester units a Gilroy teacher earns $71,073 while a Morgan Hill teacher earns $71,400.
“In the past, Morgan Hill has had a higher salary schedule but lower fringe, and Gilroy’s had a lower salary schedule but more fringe (benefits),” School Board President Jim Rogers said.
A San Jose Unified School District beginning teacher earns $36,735. After 10 years and 60 additional semester units that teacher earns $60,704.
“We are in the same comparison bracket as Morgan Hill because we’re out of the immediate Bay Area, and I would think we’d compete … for teachers,” Rogers said.
