Teachers Vote to Boycott Open Houses in Burbank

Burbank teachers have voted to boycott open houses at their schools to protest the stalemate in the nine-month contract dispute with the school district.

Instead of being in their classrooms on open house nights, which are scheduled to begin next week, teachers will gather outside their schools, Maureen Doyle, president of the Burbank Teachers Assn., said Tuesday. The teachers will hand out leaflets and talk to parents about their frustration in dealing with the district, Doyle said.

“Everything we’ve been doing is an attempt to avoid a strike,” she said. “This will not take instructional time from the children but will make a statement that we want a settlement now.”

Doyle said representatives of teachers at each school voted unanimously Monday to stay away from the open nights, which are held once a year to give parents a chance to see their children’s classrooms and talk with their teachers.

Refuse to Turn In Grades

In another protest, teachers at John Burroughs High School refused Monday to turn in students’ third-quarter grades, as scheduled.

Burroughs faculty representative Merle Stone sent a letter to Principal Tim Buchanan Monday saying that the reports were being withheld to let the district know “that all is not well.” The letter said teachers would submit the reports later in the week.

On Tuesday, Buchanan issued a letter of reprimand that was hand-delivered to all Burroughs teachers, warning them that they would be suspended if the grades were not received in his office by 3 p.m.

Doyle said the district had apparently “gotten the message” and that teachers agreed to turn in the grade reports Tuesday.

Salary Increases at Issue

At issue are salary increases for the final year of a three-year contract.

Teachers are seeking across-the-board raises of 5.5%, plus a one-time bonus of 3.5% of their annual salaries. The bonus, and part of the raises, would be paid out of the district’s share of California Lottery money.

The district has offered an across-the-board salary increase of 3% and a one-time bonus payment of 3.5%, and proposes using lottery funds only for the bonuses.

The boycott of the open houses would be the most dramatic action yet by the 550 teachers in the district. After rejecting one of the district’s offers, members of the teachers’ association last month authorized its board of directors to call a strike, but the board continued to negotiate with the district.

Since then, the dispute has been referred to a fact-finding panel, which will study the issues and is scheduled to recommend a settlement within two months.

The latest tactics announced by the teachers could spur direct involvement by the parents in the issue.

“We try to stay neutral in conflicts like this, but I have to say that, personally, these actions do disappoint me,” said Elena Hubbell, president-elect of the Burbank Parents-Teachers Assn.’s District Council, which coordinates activities among the PTAs of the 17 elementary, junior and senior high schools in the district.

Hubbell said a boycott of open house nights would be “unfortunate because it’s probably the only chance, especially on a secondary-school level, that a parent has to see a teacher in the classroom, and to really see the teaching process in action. But I guess the teachers have to do what they feel is right. I just hate to see it affect the children, and I think this will. I don’t like to see the children affected, either by what the district does or what the teachers do.”

Appointments Suggested

Doyle said parents who wish to speak about their children’s classroom performances could make appointments with the students’ teachers. “We also hope to schedule a real open house after this is all settled,” she said.

District reaction to the announced boycott was tentative. “They haven’t boycotted yet,” Supt. Wayne Boulding said. “But I don’t think this kind of behavior will be viewed sympathetically by parents.”

Boulding said the open houses would proceed “just as if the teachers would be in attendence. I just hope the teachers are there.”

The open houses are scheduled Monday of next week in the elementary schools, next Wednesday at junior high schools and April 30 at high schools.