Mitch Huerta and nearly 50 other San Benito High School teachers
and counselors didn’t want to cause a stirring scene Monday morning
before school. But they did want to be noticed. Huerta and the rest
of the teachers marched in front of the school Monday, trying to
raise students’ and community members’ awareness of budget cuts and
their effect on classroom sizes. Each teacher was marching
alongside Monterey Street, in front of the campus’ main building,
pacing between Nash Road and the school’s library.
Mitch Huerta and nearly 50 other San Benito High School teachers and counselors didn’t want to cause a stirring scene Monday morning before school. But they did want to be noticed.
Huerta and the rest of the teachers marched in front of the school Monday, trying to raise students’ and community members’ awareness of budget cuts and their effect on classroom sizes. Each teacher was marching alongside Monterey Street, in front of the campus’ main building, pacing between Nash Road and the school’s library.
Teachers were out protesting in light of classroom-size increases as their union and administrators negotiate over pay concessions. As of now, the two sides are at an impasse. Administration wants a 5 percent salary decrease, while teachers point to a reserve with nearly $10 million as a reason to avoid the pay reductions.
The teachers Monday were all holding signs such as “We are here for the students” and “Class sizes matter.” Each rally member wore a blue pin that stated, “Negotiate don’t dictate.”
Huerta, who is the president of the San Benito High School Teacher Association, said the rally was sparked by the school’s administration failure to negotiate fairly and lower classroom sizes.
The school has nearly $10 million in reserves despite cutting teachers and classes, Huerta said. The district has $9.4 million in reserves right now and expects another $645,000 through federal grants, Huerta noted.
“Teachers are overwhelmed right now,” he said. “It’s hard with so many students. We’re here fighting for our kids.”
To lower classroom sizes, the teachers’ association has asked the district to use its reserves to rehire teachers that were let go last year and stop the 12.5 percent reductions from two years ago, Huerta said.
Most of the teachers agreed with Huerta’s assessment and they wanted the parents to know the effect of the cuts.
“They need to know it affects not only our staff, but the students and the community,” Student Activities Director Juan Robledo said while protesting.
Many teachers carried stories of over-crowded classrooms and the school’s inability to handle them.
The rally, which took place between 7:30 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., was the first of many planned awareness events, Huerta said. After school on the same day, the teachers rallied through downtown.
Before the rally, school administrators told a Free Lance reporter he can’t be on school grounds because Principal Krystal Lomanto couldn’t approve a visitor, as she was in a meeting. The reporter was told the school couldn’t legally ask him to leave if he remained in the street.
For the full story pick up a copy of the Free Lance.
