Protest against CUSD spending continues

A second wave of protests by educators and classified staff against Calaveras Unified School District spending habits hit the Board of Trustees on Tuesday.

In a sequel to the trustees’ previous meeting, concerned parents and educators lined the roadway leading into the Calaveras Unified School District complex in an effort to secure what teachers consider a fair contract, according to Calaveras Unified Educators Association President Lorraine Angel.

“We obviously want class sizes down to better educate our kids, but we want to be able to attract and retain teachers,” said Angel. “We have to pay teachers enough, to give them benefits to bring them here.”

Angel said that the pleas for the district to reduce class sizes to a 24 students to each teacher might be a “moot point” at this moment in the stalled negotiations because attracting teachers to the district to replace those that either retire or move to different districts is proving difficult. The teachers and the district reached an impasse on the subject in January.

More than 35 educators showed up to protest Calaveras Unified School District spending habits Tuesday.Enterprise photo by Sean P. Thomas

“We’re looking at, at this point, the idea of smaller class sizes being moot because we can’t even retain the teachers that we do have,” Angel said.

According to Angel, the district is looking at filling 11 positions next year. She expects that number to increase due to the education climate across the state.

Angel said that teachers recently interviewed candidates to replace others, but that following an interview and offer process, the teachers refuse to accept offers for one reason or another. She said she fears that will become the norm for the district if the administration doesn’t work with the teachers to reach an attractive contract for teachers.

“If you did your homework and you look in the paper and you see that we’re short 22,000 teachers in the state of California this year, what would bring you to Calaveras County?” she said.

Roger Salter, a teacher who has been with CUSD for more than 30 years, said that he has personally told teachers asking for advice on whether to stick through the budget squeeze or leave the district to go to another district that might offer better benefits.

Teachers line up 34 chairs to represent the students some teachers have in their classrooms.Enterprise photo by Sean P. Thomas

He said that it pains him to stand in front of the trustees and say it, but he has to look out for the benefit of the teachers that are trying to build their careers.

“You don’t work well if you don’t feel like you are able to do your job effectively,” said Salter. “When you don’t feel like an effective teacher, you kind of go, ‘What the heck are we doing?’”

Prior to the meeting, educators held signs and lined the district office lawn with makeshift tombstones that represented almost 19 different classes or programs that have been cut or have received cuts in recent years.

As the meeting drew closer to its start time, the educators chanted, “What do we want? A fair contract. When do we want it? Now!” as they walked passed the 34 seats that CUEA members lined along the walkway leading into the a larger room for the meeting.