Contract Talk Rumors Trigger Student Protest

More than 200 Fremont High School students walked out of classes Wednesday and staged a noisy, impromptu protest in front of the South Los Angeles campus after rumors spread that teachers would withhold semester grades next month as part of their contract fight with the school district.

The three-hour demonstration began about 9 a.m. when students poured out onto San Pedro Street in front of the school waving signs and chanting, “We want our grades.”

Rock-Throwing, Shoving

The protest grew tense at times because of rock-throwing and shoving incidents. A large contingent of Los Angeles police cordoned off a four-block stretch of San Pedro Street and stood across the street from the school. No injuries were reported, but one 17-year-old student was arrested for allegedly tossing a rock and a police officer was hit with an egg.

Top school district officials, including school board President Roberta Weintraub, arrived and offered students a written guarantee that they will receive their grades and graduate on schedule. Most hooted at the offer until Shirley Garrett, an activist parent with Fremont’s Booster Club, waded into the boisterous crowd and took command of the microphone.

“We’re behind you all the way,” Garrett told the students, and they erupted in cheers. “But in the name of Jesus, go back. . . . I don’t want (any trouble) with those officers standing there.”

The outburst was the most visible sign yet of the growing frustration of students and parents who believe they are caught in the middle of a drawn-out contract fight between Los Angeles Unified School District management and the teachers union. Although both sides have reported progress in recent weeks, disputes over a number of key issues block a settlement.

Boycotting Duties

In an effort to pressure the district to meet its demands, teachers have been boycotting some duties. They have stopped filing student progress reports with school offices, for example, although students have been able to obtain reports directly from teachers.

Union officials have said there is a possibility that grades for the fall semester, which are due Feb. 3, may not be filed with the district if a new contract is not signed by then. Wayne Johnson, president of United Teachers-Los Angeles, said late Wednesday, however, that if teachers withhold grades, it will be done in a way that will not harm students.

School district officials say withholding semester grades would be a significant escalation of the dispute because it would interfere with preparation of student transcripts needed by graduating seniors to apply for college. That was clearly one of the concerns that sparked Wednesday’s protest.

“It’s not fair. I’ve worked hard for my grades,” said Lynette Patton, a senior. “I want them.”

“We are the ones on the spot,” Ramon Perez, a senior who needs the grades to complete his application to a state university, told district officials at a hastily arranged negotiating session in the principal’s office. “We’re in the middle between you, teachers and the contract. Who’s getting affected?”

Perez said later that he supports teachers’ efforts to get pay raises but that other students are highly critical of teachers.

Concern Over Escalation

Both sides in the contract fight appeared concerned late Wednesday about the risk of greater problems--and potential public outcries--should the dispute escalate and protests spread to other campuses. Associate Supt. Gabe Cortina said Weintraub and Supt. Leonard Britton will make direct contact with teacher union leaders to try to avert an escalation.

Parents have expressed concern in recent weeks about the effect of the boycott on their children. Last week, a group of Latino parents demonstrated outside the teachers union headquarters.

There have been tentative signs of progress recently in the negotiations, however, and both Johnson and Weintraub expressed hope Wednesday that a settlement could be reached soon.

The biggest issue remains money. The district is offering a 17% increase over three years, with the possibility of more if additional state funds are made available. The teachers want a one-year agreement with a 12% pay increase.

The campaign to win public support has been fierce on both sides, with teachers attacking allegedly overpaid central office executives in newspaper, radio and RTD bus ads. Union officials contend that at least $200 million in surplus funds that could be used to pay teachers has been concealed in various spots in the district’s $3.5-billion budget.

Budget Hearings

The school board, claiming it cannot even afford the offer it has already made, will step up its counterattack next week when it begins a series of hearings on possible massive budget cuts. Figures have not been released, but the proposed cuts are expected to total more than $50 million and to affect a variety of programs.

After pay, the second biggest issue is a power struggle over how neighborhood schools should be governed. The district and the union both want to move to a so-called school-based management system that gives local principals, teachers and parents far greater say in how their schools are run.

The district and the Los Angeles administrators’ groups want principals to retain a veto over local decisions. Teachers oppose the principals’ veto and seek a majority of voting positions on the proposed local school councils that would make budget and curriculum decisions and eventually personnel decisions as well.

Neither side is proposing to give parents a controlling voice in the school councils, and school board members are beginning to feel pressure from parents who wanted more power in the decision making.

Teachers also are demanding paid preparation time for elementary schoolteachers.

Another key issue is repayment of millions of dollars in wages the district has docked from teachers who have participated in the boycott. Johnson has vowed that teachers will not settle unless every penny in docked pay is given to teachers. The district has said there is no basis for paying teachers for work not performed.