Teachers Strike for First Time in Beverly Hills

Confusion reigned today in Beverly Hills schools as nearly 300 teachers went out on strike demanding better pay and benefits.

The strike, the first in the district’s history, affected 4,700 elementary and high school students in five schools.

According to a spokesman for the Beverly Hills Police Department, no violence was reported at any of the five campuses.

A chair, books and papers were thrown out an open window at Beverly Hills High School but no one was hurt.

Striking teachers taunted substitute instructors as they entered the schools, yelling “How can you take my job?” and “Shame on you.”

The district has recruited about 200 substitutes at $185 a day.

Contract talks between teachers and the Beverly Hills school district collapsed Thursday. Supt. Robert French said that no new talks have been scheduled and that the district has “not taken any action to change its position.”

Starting pay in Beverly Hills is $21,604 a year, while maximum pay is $46,270.

Many teachers have complained that their salaries now are lower than those paid by the Los Angeles Unified School District, where teachers won a 24% raise over three years after a nine-day strike last May. Los Angeles teachers earn $27,346 to $49,868 annually.

The Beverly Hills district has offered an 11% increase over two years. The union wants an 18% raise over two years or 10.5% for 1989.