200 fill district meeting to urge fair salary talks

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- About 200 school district employees hoping to

influence ongoing salary negotiations packed into the District Education

Center on Tuesday night, overflowing the board room.

They wanted to show support for the Classified School Employees Assn.

union and to let the school board and the superintendent know they want

fair and equitable raises, said Roland Lujan, a union member and food

service employee.

“We’re families,” Lujan said. “We’re not looking for big salaries.

We’re just looking for what’s due us.”

Last year, nearly 800 classified employees -- employees who are not

teachers or administrators -- received $1.1 million in raises.

The move brought salaries for classified employees up to par with

other unified school districts in Orange County.

At that time, the district committed to trying to keep those salaries

at the median level and to eventually reach the 75th percentile.

A salary survey done by the union this year showed that to reach the

goal Newport-Mesa would need to give its employees a 7.5% raise this

year, said Jared Vieyra, chief steward for the union and head custodian

at Andersen Elementary School in Newport Beach.

“So that’s all we’re looking for,” he said, adding that he felt the

large group made a statement Tuesday.

School board members said they hoped to be able to give employees what

they were looking for, but that it was too soon for them to know.

“We want to work toward our goal, and that’s what we told them,”

trustee Jim Ferryman said. “ Nothing has been put on the table. I know

they are anxious, but it is too soon. We are not dragging our feet. It’s

just too early in the process.”