The Teachers Swallow Hard : Wisely, they vote not to strike now but to fight another day

The teachers union put the schoolchildren first with their courageous vote not to strike next month against a Board of Education that has ordered them to take a 3% pay cut.

The leadership of United Teachers-Los Angeles, which represents the district’s 35,000 teachers, school nurses, librarians, psychologists and counselors, had recommended that members reject the pay cut but stay on the job to give negotiators another shot at getting a better deal from the beleaguered district.

Although the teachers voted overwhelmingly to reject the pay cut, the decision not to strike on Dec. 2 keeps the union and management talking. The decision not to strike now also means that the more than 600,000 children who attend L.A. public schools will not have educations interrupted further.

Money, as usual, is the major issue. The district can’t pay its bills, or keep its promises to teachers who recently negotiated respectable raises after decades of poor pay. The district can’t pay because state allocations have not kept pace with escalating expenses--including salaries--in the overcrowded system.

The reductions in state funding have forced the district to cut $275 million from its budget this year. To compensate, the district has reduced programs, increased class size and cut down on supplies. Those reductions have come on top of past cuts that have shortchanged students for years.

To compensate for the latest shortfall, the Board of Education has ordered all employees to take a 3% pay cut--in the artful form of a loan to the district that is to be repaid with interest next year, if state allocations allow the additional expense. That is a big if, given the mushrooming state deficit and California’s dismal economic climate.

Teachers have gotten a bad deal from the district this year, but given the lack of money it is the only deal possible at this time. If their lost pay isn’t repaid, however, teachers will have another opportunity to vote to strike. Next time, the district--and the thousand of students who depend on the public schools --may not be so lucky.