TUSTIN : Mediator May Meet Teachers, Officials

A state mediator is tentatively scheduled to meet with Tustin school district officials and members of the teachers union this week in an effort to reach a contract agreement.

The previous contract for teachers, nurses, psychologists, speech therapists and counselors in the Tustin Unified School District expired June 30. Negotiations for the 1989-90 contract have been going on since April, and an impasse was declared Oct. 27.

The mediator, Dave Hart, has met with district officials and members of the Tustin Educators Assn. twice. He is tentatively scheduled to meet with the two sides again Tuesday.

The primary stumbling block in negotiations has been salary. The district has offered a salary increase of between 6% and 7% to the 425 employees represented by the union.

Supt. Maurice A. Ross said the district has received state funding to provide a 4.6% cost-of-living increase and cannot afford to pay as much as the teachers want.

The union wants a pay increase of between 10% and 10.5%, said Joyce Rohrbaugh, president of the union.

Rohrbaugh said the district’s most experienced teachers are paid less than those with similar experience in other districts.

Ross said he is optimistic that a settlement will be reached soon, but Rohrbaugh said she has been disappointed by the negotiations so far.