Teachers, School District at a Deadlock in Contract Negotiations

Teachers in the Fremont Unified School District have spent nearly a year haggling over employment contracts. Now they’re declaring an official impasse, according to the Fremont Argus.

A teacher’s union spokesperson told the Argus Thursday that the matter would be sent to the California Public Employment Relations Board. The board can order the teacher’s union and the school district to resume bargaining, or assign a mediator to the case.

According to the Argus, the teachers’ contract expired last June. The union has since been negotiating over class sizes and salaries, among other concerns.

There are 1,600 teachers employed in the district. They teach about 33,000 students at 41 schools, the Argus reports.

Since 2009, teachers have been taking 12 unpaid furlough days, which translates into a $7.2 million pay cut, according to the newspaper.

While teachers say they are “fed up” with the constant sacrifices and overcrowding classrooms, Fremont Unified Superintendent James Morris told the Argus that the district must remain frugal.

Morris anticipates an annual $6 million spending deficit until 2015. Though Gov. Jerry Brown has called for more funding for schools, the budget has not yet been approved by legislature, causing uncertainty for school districts, he said.

“We can’t count on additional state funding until the budget is passed,” Morris told the Argus.

Read the full Argus report here.