Alisal teachers, administrators bury the hatchet -- for now

Ah, it's going to be a long, boring summer.

Or not.

Teachers and administrators with the Alisal Union School District have agreed not to return to negotiations table until Sept. 6, after all the uncertainties with the California budget have been clarified.

That means, no protests outside board meetings, no tense encounters between José Castañeda and Fernando Armenta. What's KSBW going to do???????

According to Susan Midori Jones, a representative with the California Teachers Association, both parties made significant progress at their last meeting on June 6, and they both agreed more information was needed before returning to the bargaining table. The district withdrew its proposal to discontinue health benefits for retired teachers, but the parties still have not reached an agreement regarding class sizes and transfer of teachers from school to school or grade to grade. To read the joint statement of the Alisal Teachers Association and the district, click here.

"Alisal (Teachers Association) still feels that class sizes are important for student achievement, especially for English Learners," Jones said in an email. "The current Alisal contract language forces the district to keep class sizes low. They would have no stipend costs if they abided by the class size limits in the contract. Teachers feel the required stipend is the only pressure on the district to keep class sizes below 30 students."