HUNTINGTON BEACH : Tentative Pact May End Teacher Protests

Apparently ending a contract dispute that has lasted nearly a year, officials from the Huntington Beach City School District and its teachers union announced Tuesday that they have reached a tentative agreement.

The agreement followed a protest campaign by teachers that included picketing, letter writing and a boycott of extracurricular activities.

Under the terms of the agreement, the district’s 220 teachers will receive a 7% pay raise retroactive to July 1, larger steps in the salary schedule and full health coverage, all staples of their contract request.

“We’re screaming around here, we’re so excited,” union President Sharon Boudreau said. “We’re very satisfied with the contract . . . and we’re glad it’s finally over.”

The district’s lead negotiator, Assistant Supt. Ronald Brown, acknowledged that board members decided late last week to meet many of the teachers’ requests to quickly resolve the dispute.

“In looking at the needs of the association and the district, and the board’s efforts to meet those needs, the board felt that the terms of this tentative contract were within their parameters, and that by doing so, they could bring this to closure,” Brown said Tuesday.

The proposed agreement also covers 1989-90 only, whereas the district before Tuesday had insisted upon a two-year pact. Teachers had argued against a two-year contract because they believed they would end up paying most of the unpredictable increases in future health-care costs.

The tentative agreement affects eight elementary and junior high schools with a total of 5,400 students.

The teachers had demonstrated outside the district offices, packed board meetings, and last month halted all activities not relegated to regular class hours, such as grading papers at home, coordinating intramural sports programs and participating in educational fairs.

The teachers also rallied many parents behind their campaign, which Boudreau said was the key to the settlement.

“We feel the community pressure on the school board made the difference in getting back to the bargaining table and settling this,” she said.

Brown declined to comment specifically on whether parents swayed board members, but said: “The attitude of the public is always a factor, especially in public sector negotiations. From the board’s point of view, they decided they wanted to wrap it up now, and this is just the way they wanted to go.”

Union members are scheduled to discuss terms of the proposed settlement on Thursday, and will vote April 16 and 17 on the contract. The board will consider finalizing the agreement at its April 17 meeting.