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Two issues not listed on the agenda—a teacher “work to rule” slowdown and a proposed plan for the district’s Derby Street field—dominated discussion at this week’s meeting of the board of directors of the Berkeley Unified School District. 

Members of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) union began the work action last month in a contract dispute with the BUSD. Participating teachers are refusing to conduct any school activities outside their contracted seven-hour day. Contract negotiations between BFT and the BUSD are being conducted through a state-appointed mediator. The next mediation session is scheduled for March 15. 

On Wednesday night a string of anguished parents appeared before the board during the public comment period, most of them critical of the district administration. 

“At first I was saddened about the current situation, but my sadness has turned to anger,” said parent Alejandra Nuñez, whose child attends Thousand Oaks Elementary. “Our children are suffering.” 

Nuñez, who said she had attempted in vain to get information on the district’s contract position, told board members that the teachers deserve a raise. 

“Teachers put far more hours into their work day than they are compensated for,” she said. 

Another parent, Marilyn Sagna, said that she was upset about the teachers’ plight. 

“I’m concerned that there is no recognition of the amount of work being done by the teachers,” she said. “I’m concerned about the working conditions. I’m concerned about the condition my daughter is in.” 

And Gwyneth Galbraith, the parent of a Thousand Oaks kindergarten student, said that she was “appalled that parents haven’t been informed about these contract negotiations” before the work slowdown began. 

“All I’ve heard is through the grapevine, and that’s probably not reliable,” she said. “I realize that there are two sides to this issue, and the district has its financial obligations. But teachers are due their fair share.” 

Galbraith urged the district to “resolve this dispute quickly and fairly.” 

In later comments during the director report period, Board Director John Selawsky told the assembled parents, “We’ve heard your comments, and we will get out more information to you.” 

Superintendent Michele Lawrence said the reason why the district has not been more forthcoming is that state mediation law prevents the district from discussing contract negotiation details in public. 

Berkeley PTA Council President Roia Ferrazares said that her organization has scheduled a March 14 session at Longfellow Middle School to present information on the contract dispute. 

“This is purely an information session for the public” she said. “It won’t be a debate or a contract negotiation.” 

Ferrazares said that the PTA was prevented by state law from entering into the contract dispute, but urged the district to submit any proposed contract to the public for comment “once negotiations are completed, but before the contract is signed.” 

Board members also weighed in on the dispute. Director Joaquin Rivera, who is a member of the district contract negotiating team, said the district’s interest is keeping the district solvent. 

“Our incentive is to get better salaries for our employees. But it’s not in the best interest of the students or the district to go back to the brink of bankruptcy.” 

Student-Director Lily Dorman-Colby got applause from some members of the audience when she called the work slowdown “a very upsetting time for students.” 

“Our teachers won’t grade some of our papers, they’re not as prepared as they used to be, and they won’t give us help at lunch or after school,” said Dorman-Colby, a student at Berkeley High School. “Our education is definitely being affected right now.” 

Pointing to the situation in the Oakland Unified School District, which was seized by the state two years ago after it gave a teacher pay raise it could not afford, Dorman-Colby warned that the district “is in danger of losing our school board and being replaced by a state administrator if we promise extra pay and can’t meet our obligations.” 

Derby Street Fields Development 

In other matters, a second string of citizens—these ones residents of the neighborhood surrounding the district’s old East Campus property on Martin Luther King Jr. Way—came out to praise the district’s recent movement toward converting the property to park ground and playing fields. 

East Campus neighbors are locked in an ongoing dispute with advocates of a Berkeley High baseball field. Field advocates want Derby Street closed between MLK and Milvia so that a regulation-sized high school baseball field can be built on the East Campus property and the district’s adjoining Berkeley Alternative High School property. While most East Campus neighbors want the old East Campus buildings to be torn down and something done with the property, they oppose the closure of Derby Street. 

While waiting for a City Council decision on the possible closure of Derby Street, the district has hired WLC Architects of Emeryville in association with Vallier Design Associates of Richmond to come up with temporary plan for the use of the East Campus property. During a Monday night community meeting at the Alternative High School, WLC and Vallier released proposed drawings of two alternative plans for the property, both of which involve a combination of a multi-purpose field for the use of Berkeley High sports teams, basketball courts, a tot playground, and a community garden. 

Vallier said that the plans would probably be submitted to the board sometime in May. 

But already, East Campus neighbors say either of the two plans are fine with them. 

Ruth Reffkin, a community representative on the East Campus site committee, told board members, “I can assure you that the community will support these plans.” 

Those sentiments were echoed by neighbor Pam Webster. “In the past, the process [surrounding the use of the East Campus property] has been contentious, but this round has been exceptional. We have real respect for the district staff and the design team in what they’ve been doing.” 

Webster said she had 500 cards signed by neighbors in support of “keeping Derby Street open, the Farmer’s Market remaining on Derby Street on Tuesdays, and the development of the East Campus site for multiple uses for youth.” 

The only dissent at the board meeting was presented by baseball field advocate Doug Fielding. Fielding told the board, “The logical and most cost efficient approach” would be for “the design contract to be amended to include a closed Derby plan. The minor increase in staff load at this juncture will more than offset the additional amount of time staff would spend to repeat this entire process for a full size field.” 

Fielding said that both field supporters and East Campus neighborhood residents “would like this all to come to an end. Build the [regulation size baseball] field or don’t build the field, but don’t keep the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the neighborhood and don’t continue to dangle a baseball field in front of the field supporters. Get your plan, get your costs, make your decision, and let us all move on to other things.” 

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