| A Statewide Call to Action |
Published: THURSDAY, 11 MARCH 2010 | |
Amid state cuts, board approves teacher contract  Dennis Evanosky Students, teachers and administrators joined forces on the steps of the school district headquarters March 4 as part of the statewide Day of Action protests. Last week was a busy one for Alameda's schools as the Board of Education approved ratifications to the contract between the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) and the teachers' union, the Alameda Education Association (AEA), a local affiliate of the California Teachers Association and National Education Association. In addition, some district teachers, administrators and school board members took to the streets to protest the drastic cuts to education funding in California. For almost a year, the school district and the union have been negotiating changes to their existing "Memorandum of Understanding," essentially the teachers' contract. As California is facing serious financial problems, and education cuts have been prominent in the state budget, the parties determined that the memorandum needed some changes for the district to stay financially afloat. The Board of Education approved the final product of the AEA and AUSD negotiations last Tuesday in a 4-1 vote; board member Trish Spencer dissented. The alterations to the teacher contract call for increased class sizes for grades K-3, as well as a decrease in the amount of student school days in the next two school years. K-3 class sizes will change from the existing 22:1 to 25:1 in the 2010-11 fiscal year, and 32:1 by the 2011-12 school year. The district will save about $1,735,380 by taking the K-3 measures. To the expected joy of district students, their school year will be shortened by five | |