No End Seen in Teachers’ Pay Talks

Teachers in this city are in a tug-of-war over millions of state dollars set aside to improve education.

Citing hefty pay hikes in neighboring districts, the teachers’ union in Moorpark is actively pushing for its own double-digit raises.

More than 100 sign-toting teachers and their supporters converged on the school board’s meeting Tuesday night hoping to speed negotiations that began two months ago.

They talked about their long working hours, low pay and a fear district officials would spend the $2.1 million in state surplus funds on something other than salaries.

Elementary teacher Kris Fairman gave a teary-eyed plea to the board about her struggle to buy a home.

“I’ve been paying five years on my teaching credentials and I will pay for another five years,” she said of her outstanding student loans. “I qualify for low-income housing in Moorpark and Simi Valley.”

Fairman works a night job at a restaurant to make the monthly student loan payments.

Gene Gerard, a fourth-grade teacher at Arroyo West School, had few words for the board, but made a powerful statement.

“My wife and I would like, someday, to buy a house in this area,” he said.

School board members listened to more than a dozen speakers but did not promise a quick end to negotiations.

Both sides have been quietly meeting this semester but have been unsuccessful in resolving terms of the annual contract, which seeks a 10% across-the-board increase.

School board member David Pollock, who declined to discuss what the district has offered, said the bulk of the $2.1 million from the state has not been spent.

The state money has been a point of contention in several districts. Some teacher unions have been successful in getting pay raises in excess of 10%.

Conejo Valley Unified teachers reached an agreement last month for a 10.24% raise over the next year.

Not including benefits, the average first-year teacher in the Conejo district receives about $193 a day, or $35,512 a year. A Moorpark teacher makes about $18 a day less, or $31,999 a year, according to county figures.

It’s wiser for the district to pay its teachers well than risk losing them to neighboring districts, said Guy Aronoff, president of the union representing Moorpark’s nearly 400 teachers.

He told the board Tuesday negotiations were at a critical stage and urged board members not to mortgage their students’ futures.

Several parents also spoke at the meeting, saying they were concerned about losing the best teachers in the district because of lower pay.

Parent Kim DiCicco, a district manager for Target, said she would never accept the wage that Moorpark teachers earn.

“Both my parents are in education,” she said. “That’s why I’m not.”