Local News in Brief : Conejo Teachers File Counts Against District

The Conejo Valley teachers union has filed charges of unfair labor practices against the school district after talks failed to resolve the issue of using lottery funds to increase teacher salaries.

Jerry Pearson, a member of the Unified Assn. of Conejo Teachers, said the charges were filed Thursday with the state Public Employee Relations Board.

Pearson said the teachers, during contract talks more than a year ago, had negotiated for the lottery funds to be included in the pool of money used for salary increases. A grievance filed against the district more than two weeks ago on the same issue was rejected by the district earlier in the week, Pearson said.

The existing teachers contract stipulates that 55% of funds the district receives from the state be used for teachers’ salaries and benefits. However, it does not specifically mention the lottery windfall.

William Seaver, assistant superintendent of personnel for the district, said the teachers’ grievance was rejected because the district felt no obligation under the current contract to use the lottery funds for salary increases. Seaver said the lottery funds had not been included in the teachers’ current contract because the state had not determined guidelines for using the funds at the time of the talks.