From the California Teachers Association
SAN LORENZO – Hundreds of San Lorenzo Unified School District teachers and parents will hold a community protest rally Friday afternoon over the district’s decision to hoard millions in reserves rather than invest in improving its schools.
Frustrated educators are seeking lower class sizes, adding support services for students, and decent raises in difficult contract negotiations.
“The San Lorenzo school board and Superintendent Dennis Byas are refusing to spend down any of their excessive reserve,” said Donna Pinkney, president of the 500-member San Lorenzo Education Association (SLEA).
“This district has a 16 percent reserve despite the fact that the state-mandated reserve amount is only 3 percent. That money was taken away from student programs during the recession. The recession is over and the teachers in San Lorenzo are demanding that the money be returned to the classroom," [Pickney added.]
Parents, neighboring East Bay educators, and Assembly member Bill Quirk will join San Lorenzo teachers at the rally.
The 10,000-student district, which has unrestricted reserves of $11.5 million above the 3 percent reserve they are required to keep, is offering SLEA a zero percent wage increase for the 2012-13 school year and a one-time bonus of only 0.5 percent.
On the superintendent’s watch, class sizes have soared and low district salaries make it hard to recruit and retain San Lorenzo teachers. Their starting salaries rank 11th out of 17 school districts in Alameda County, and their average salaries rank 10th. See more contract fight information on the SLEA Facebook page here. ·
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The San Lorenzo Education Association is affiliated with the 325,000-member California Teachers Association and the 3.2 million-member National Education Association.
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