Dear Editor,
The teachers of this district, and the union which represents
them in matters of compensation and working conditions, continue to
be disappointed in the approach which the Dispatch and its
Editorial Board take when commenting on labor relations within the
Gilroy Unified School District.
Dear Editor,
The teachers of this district, and the union which represents them in matters of compensation and working conditions, continue to be disappointed in the approach which the Dispatch and its Editorial Board take when commenting on labor relations within the Gilroy Unified School District.
Despite ongoing efforts by the Association to provide detailed explanations as to what were the important issues in the recent dispute over the extended day at the middle school, the Dispatch has continued to show a bias against the union and its attempts to reach a fair settlement with the district.
The latest example was the article which appeared in the June 14 edition. While the article was accurate, the headline, “17% Pay Bump for Teachers,” was not. It is especially ironic that, at the same time the Dispatch hopes that “cooler heads will prevail” (June 8 “Cheers and Jeers”), it continues to add fuel to the fire with misleading headlines.
It is important that the public realize that it has been a common practice at the high school for teachers to be compensated if they teach an extra class. The teaching load at the high school is five classes. If someone is working 100 percent, each class is considered 20 percent. If someone teaches six classes, that is adding another 20 percent to the load, so that teacher is compensated an extra 20 percent.
For the teachers at the middle school to ask for the same exact treatment and be attacked for it is not fair. The teaching load at the middle school is six classes. Teaching an extra class at the middle school is equivalent to 17 percent.
As I made very clear in my communications with the Dispatch, no one is getting a salary increase. The 17 percent for teaching an extra class is a stipend, and is considered the cost of doing business. Furthermore, to find a teacher somewhere who would be willing to teach a single class, especially in a specialty area such as math or science, would be difficult. It is better to offer that additional class to a teacher who already works here, who is familiar with the school and its students.
Finally, it is especially disappointing that the Dispatch chose to ignore the information I sent in an email, in which I stated the following: About the extra 17 percent – the only way I could see this happening is that if the classes are too large … I’m assuming that the number of opportunities will be extremely limited. There are teachers at the high school who teach an extra class and get an extra 20% … The 17% is a very small part of the agreement. I wouldn’t be surprised if no one did it next year.
While it is important for headlines to catch the attention of the readers, it is also important that they present factual information. If there is an opinion, it should be based on sound research. For the Dispatch to do less serves no one.
Michelle Nelson, President,
Gilroy Teachers Association
