Local News in Brief : Anaheim : Teachers Picket Meeting of Magnolia Trustees

Teachers in the Magnolia Elementary School District picketed a school board meeting Monday to express unhappiness with the lack of a new contract, including a pay raise.

The teachers gathered for an outdoor meeting in a park near the school district headquarters at 2705 W. Orange Ave. After hearing talks by representatives from the statewide umbrella union, the California Teachers Assn., the Magnolia teachers picketed the headquarters.

The dispute between the teachers and the board centers on pay. The teachers’ local, the Magnolia Educators Assn., is asking for an 8% pay raise for the current school year. The school board has said it cannot afford more than 2.5%.

“Morale is very low in our school district,” said Karen Bisel, president of the local. “Teachers are feeling that priorities are being placed on things other than teachers in the budget.”

Supt. Arch Haskins said the school district is strapped financially because the state gave schools just a 2.54% funding increase this year.

The contract impasse between the teachers and the district is scheduled for state-supervised “fact-finding” in May. That process involves a three-person team--one named by the union, one by the district and one mutually agreed upon--examining the issues and making non-binding recommendations.