SIMI VALLEY : 200 March to Protest Stalled School Talks

Although they dubbed it their version of the “Million Man March,” the number of Simi Valley educators who took to the streets Saturday to protest stalled contract negotiations never topped triple digits.

Still, nearly 200 teachers, parents and schoolchildren walked a 2 1/2-mile loop along Cochran Street shortly before noon, forming a block-long human centipede that triggered noisy cheers and honks from passing motorists.

One demonstrator wore a T-shirt announcing “Will Teach for Food.” Others carried placards reading “Our Class Sizes Go Up--Our Salaries Haven’t.” Teachers have been in the classroom without a contract for more than a year.

“I want my fair share,” said Karen Theobald, an elementary teacher at Berylwood School. “We haven’t had a raise in a long time.”

About 300 teachers staged a protest before a Simi Valley Unified School District board meeting two weeks ago. Teachers and their supporters said Saturday that they were finally taking their case to the public.

“[Board members] are telling the teachers that they are not a high priority,” said Donna Prenta, a 35-year-old Simi Valley parent with four children in local schools.

The teachers’ union has asked for a pay raise that matches the increase in the cost of living--estimated at 2.77%. Simi Valley teachers now make an average salary of $41,646.

Teachers have also called for an improved retirement plan and an agreement that would require all teachers--not only union members--to pay union dues.

District officials said they would not feel comfortable mandating membership in the union. Officials also said they have proposed a 2% raise that would go into effect retroactively from last July and another 2% salary increase effective next July.

“I think it is an honorable offer,” board member Debbie Sandland said. “I would not consider it a slap in the face to be guaranteed a 4% raise over the next 12 months.”

But the teachers’ union for now has shunned the offer, claiming that the district proposal would not meet the yearly increase in the cost of living.

“The district is tying our hands for two years on the wage,” said Ronald Myren, the teachers’ union president.

Meanwhile, as negotiations stand still, teachers have vowed not to volunteer time for after-school programs. And a district plan to develop magnet schools at substantial cost has further soured relations with the teachers’ union. Myren has warned of a possible strike.