The Glendale Teachers’ Association (GTA) voted down the tentative agreement last month with GUSD by a vote of 587 to 414, thus initiating the process of fact findings, in which a third party will review the positions of both sides and offer recommendations.
The three-year agreement, which would have saved the district an annual $3.8 million, proposed 15 unpaid furlough days and out-of-pocket health care expenses for teachers.
“Teachers were willing to accept a temporary financial crisis, but the contract was asking for permanent contributions to health benefits,” GTA President Tami Carlson said.
According to incoming Superintendent Dick Sheehan, the lack of a signed agreement does not directly affect the parents and students, but it prolongs important decisions that the Board of Education and the District Administration need to make.
“There’s a lot of frustration about the changes and mixed opinions on what the teachers want,” board member Christine Walters said.
According to Carlson, a few months ago the district projected a $50 million shortfall in 2012-13, but now after making the proposed cuts, they are projecting $21 million. These cuts include raising class sizes from kindergarten through third grade, laying off teachers and classified employees, charging for bus transportation to Clark, and restructuring the district office.
Carlson believes that because “the district [seems to] find money, even without putting pressure on the teachers,” the contract was unnecessary.
