Brown Moves to Reassure Teachers, Union : Education: Assembly Speaker reaffirms several points in his proposal. Officials on both sides expect the vote among teachers will be close.

Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, concerned that his contract settlement proposal to avert a teachers strike is being misinterpreted, fired off a letter Wednesday telling top union and district officials that he alone has the final word on disagreements.

“If there are any disputes I will act as arbitrator to resolve them,” Brown said in the letter, sent to quell fears among teachers that portions of the settlement, particularly those dealing with giving more decision-making authority to teachers, would be changed.

The letter was requested by United Teachers-Los Angeles President Helen Bernstein as thousands of teachers began two days of voting on the Brown proposal, which cuts teacher salaries 10% instead of 12%, authorizes the union to have a strong voice in a district management audit and offers a long list of provisions giving more power to teachers.

Union leaders and district officials alike predict that the vote will be close. Results will be announced Friday.

Confusion over the terms of the agreement has been exacerbated because the formal legal document is still being drafted. Daniel Isaacs, head of the district’s senior high school division, wrote a brief memo to principals Monday saying that after speaking with Supt. Sid Thompson, “several significant inaccuracies” were noted in information circulated by the union.

Neither Thompson nor Isaacs could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Because teachers are generally angry over the pay cut, it is the settlement’s power-sharing provisions that offer the most solace. They include allowing teachers who meet posted qualifications to select what classes they teach and what year-round schedules they work on the basis of seniority.

Bernstein feared that confusion over those provisions would prompt teachers to vote against the contract. Although the union has not endorsed the proposal because of the pay cut, she has said that she believes it is the best offer the district will make.

Brown, who has gained wide-spread political support for his proposal in Los Angeles, quashed any confusion Wednesday in his letter, which stated that his agreement includes the power-sharing issues.

School board President Leticia Quezada said Wednesday that the board has already agreed to the package’s concepts. Both sides said they trust that Brown can settle any questions that may arise.

At a Sacramento press conference Wednesday, Brown said: “I have inserted in the process the fact that any disputes about the interpretation of my proposal, I will resolve those disputes as if I am king. And they have agreed there will be no appeal from my ruling . . . it is a position I rather enjoy.”

The frustration level among some teachers was evident Wednesday as they cast their ballots at Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles.

Several said they had voted to approve the contract but hoped that the vote would be close to send a message to the district that they are not happy and that morale problems are far from over.

One teacher said he has saved $7,000 and voted to strike.

“We just have to let the district know we can’t be pushed around,” said Bruce Sutherland. “I may be in the extreme as far as wanting to strike, but this is a real difficult situation.”

Brown’s proposed settlement has been criticized by the head of the administrator’s union, Eli Brent, who said his union is opposed to both the 2% cutback and several provisions that take some decision-making power away from principals.

Under a separate contract agreement the district made with other unions, almost all employees--including principals--will get the same salary benefit as teachers. Brent, who is running for a San Fernando Valley school board seat against incumbent Julie Korenstein, said that even though his union is opposed to the proposed contract, he does not believe principals should give up the extra money.

“We don’t want to do it unilaterally,” Brent said. “We’d be glad to join UTLA in giving it up.”