Teachers At Charter School Network Picket At Redwood City Office

REDWOOD CITY, CA — Teachers at a network of Bay Area charter schools are threatening to strike as contract discussions are at an impasse, according to the teachers’ union.

Educators across seven locations at Summit Public Schools planned a walk-in on Tuesday morning outside the headquarters in Redwood City. It’s the same day that a fact-finding hearing is scheduled between the teacher’s union, Unite Summit, and representatives of the charter network. A factfinding hearing is usually the last step before a strike ensues.

Ninety-five percent of teachers who voted on Mar. 31 supported a strike if necessary. Eighty-nine percent of teachers participated in the vote. Contract talks have been ongoing since Mar. 2020.

The teachers’ union is asking for Summit Public Schools administrators to address teacher turnover and support for English language learners.

“Summit’s current model is unsustainable,” said Janine Peñafort, a Spanish teacher at Summit Prep in Redwood City and president of Unite Summit, in a news release. “Our CEO and her backers have misplaced priorities. Our students aren’t getting the support they need, and the level of teacher turnover is simply unacceptable. It’s also unacceptable that those professionals who are closest to the classroom have little to no input in addressing the needs of our students.”

Diane Tavenner, the CEO and co-founder of Summit Public Schools, told Summit News — the student-run publication of Summit Public Schools — in March that the two sides “have different understandings of what teachers need.”

“We 100 percent respect all of our teachers and their views, and we respect the process and the right of them to have bargaining unit members who bargain on their behalf and represent their views in the contract negotiation,” Tavenner said. “We received that petition, and we continue to bargain in really good faith.”