Bernstein Reelected as Teachers Union Chief : Labor: L.A. district president gets 61% of votes even after educators took an unprecedented 10% pay cut last year. Her goals include restoring some of that salary loss.

As the Los Angeles Unified School District prepares to grapple with the post-quake issue of pushing ahead with a massive reform effort without additional money, the powerful teachers union made a key decision Tuesday and relected its outspoken president, Helen Bernstein. Bernstein, the first United Teachers-Los Angeles president forced to deliver a pay cut for teachers, faced four challengers as she bid for reelection to a two-year term. She was reelected with 61% of the vote in a move likely to affect the upcoming wrangling over school reform.

Bernstein’s challengers presented a diverse slate of options for the 28,000 union members, including promises to stop bashing the district administration, turn over teacher salary decisions to the State Board of Education, make peace with the district’s other labor unions and use UTLA’s influence to push for higher corporate taxes to fund education.

But the results seem to show that teachers had confidence in her leadership and did not blame her for the unprecedented 10% pay cut they took last year.

About 8,000, or 30%, of union members cast ballots. Joshua Pechthalt, a Manual Arts High School social science teacher who publishes a newsletter critical of union leadership, came in second with 14% of the vote. Despite Bernstein’s victory, Pechthalt said, many teachers are deeply demoralized and have little hope that working conditions will improve under her leadership.

Education leaders, parents and school board members agreed on one key labor issue: A repeat of last year’s protracted, divisive salary negotiations, which held parents and students captive to a strike threat for six months, will not be tolerated.

“It is absolutely critical that we do not repeat past patterns in terms of contract negotiations,” school board President Leticia Quezada said. “We will not be able to implement the reform initiatives that the board wants . . . if we are doing negotiations in the same manner.”

The labor strife--which included court battles, name-calling and a teacher camp-out at district headquarters when talks stalled--deeply eroded public confidence in Los Angeles public schools.

Rather than concentrating on reforming the nation’s second-largest school district, the school board and superintendent focused for months on averting a strike. Teachers endured an anxiety-ridden year with four strike votes. Other employees were fearful that their jobs would be sacrificed to make more money available for teacher salaries.

Bernstein said she would aim for a short, sweet deal in which the district “starts to give back the stuff they took away” from teacher salaries last year. “There is no way to hold the district together otherwise,” she said. If teachers do vote to strike, the walkout would take place before classes resume in the fall, she said. ‘The membership is not going to put up with a long process . . . and I don’t believe the public will take another year of it,” Bernstein said. “If it’s not a good enough offer the first time, they don’t come back to work. And they do it before school opens in the fall.”

In many ways the tenor of labor relations in the coming months will be a litmus test of the school district’s ability to make good on public promises that it is committed to improving student achievement rather than fighting for special interests.

Last spring and summer, the district and its union leaders campaigned against the unsuccessful school voucher initiative and the breakup of the district promoted by disgruntled parents and some politicians.

“Outside of Los Angeles, there is a perception on the part of elected officials and even in the foundation community that (the Los Angeles district) is ungovernable,” said Virgil Roberts, president of Solar Records Inc. and a board member of the LEARN reform organization. “Any sort of disharmony will lend credence to that belief and justify saying it makes sense to break it up and have a voucher plan.”

Union negotiations, however, are only one issue on the district’s critical list.

Supt. Sid Thompson has promised to radically restructure the district by June, dismantling the massive system into self-governing clusters of high schools and their feeder campuses.

The much-touted LEARN reform plan--a blueprint for empowering principals, teacher and parents to make their own decisions--will launch its second phase within two months. A task force has been formed to figure out how the district should allocate money to LEARN schools, which will have authority to determine their own budgets.

The district has been advised that its $3.9-billion budget will remain flat next year, with no more state money for new programs or enrollment growth. As a result, the Board of Education will be confronted with tough choices over funding priorities.

Earthquake damage estimated to be as high as $700 million is still being assessed and could cost less. But while federal and state aid will cover most repairs, it is not known how much money the district will have to chip in. Even a small percentage could deal a severe blow to budget planning.

“We are on the eve of the proof of the pudding, and so it’s a scary time,” Quezada said. “Clearly we are not going to have enough money for all the priorities.”

There appears to be consensus that promoting LEARN, restructuring and attempting to restore employee salaries are at the top of most board members’ lists.

However, school board member Victoria Castro said she wants to see the school police force bolstered and more janitors and gardeners hired. Member Mark Slavkin said streamlining the administration is important. Several others said earthquake preparedness will need attention.

Parents, too, are clamoring to be heard throughout the process and their patience may be wearing thin.

“I want the district to show us that parents are going to be more involved in schools,” said Harriet Sculley, president of the San Fernando Valley branch of the PTA. “We have to be involved in both the planning and implementing of new programs to have a true voice.”