Compton Teachers in New Pay Protest

For the second time in four days, more than 1,200 Compton Unified School District teachers stayed away from classes Friday to protest pay levels and working conditions.

Supt. Ted D. Kimbrough said the two job actions have cost the district more than $500,000 in state revenues based on student attendance. About 75% of the district’s 27,000 students were out of school Friday, Kimbrough said.

Wiley Jones, executive director of the Compton Education Assn., said that as of Friday, teachers were not planning to return to classes Monday.

Kimbrough called on teachers union negotiators to return to the bargaining table, despite saying the district has made its final offer of a 5% pay raise for the current school year. The union has asked for an immediate raise of at least 10% so that salary levels, currently the lowest in Los Angeles County public schools, fall within the average range among the county’s 43 school districts.