Sweat dripped off foreheads as they kept their brightly colored signs held high, and their voices shook as chants tired them out.
Then there are those inside the building, gawking at the crowd of teachers expressing their discontentment about the current negotiation between the district and the teachers.

The teachers gathered in front of the Stockton Unified School District building on Thursday, Oct. 2, to protest on the day a mediator, also known as a third party, was supposed to come to help the two parties work toward a settlement.

However, due to illness, the mediator did not show up to help settle any dispute and find a middle ground for the Stockton Unified School District and Stockton Teachers Association. The teachers demonstrated their discontent anyway.

STA and SUSD are in a dispute over the upcoming contract that will determine many issues, including pay and evaluation. The contract has been under negotiation for just about a year now.

One of the concerns that teachers have with the contract is that the district is hoping to tie student test scores to the evaluations and performance of the teachers.

“We don’t agree with the idea of the student test scores defining whether a teacher is qualified but to see where it is the students are struggling,” said Edward Auerbach, a teacher from Health Careers Academy.

Concerns about transferring have been explained in the bargaining update accessible on the Stockton Unified School District website. The site shows that they are proposing to remove the second round transfer.

Second round transfer is when a teacher with the most experience can get the job even if the place hiring doesn’t necessarily want that teacher and would rather have a less experienced teacher.

There are some teachers who claim that the district is doing this for an easier way to dismiss teachers but due to the 2012 California case of Doe v. Deasy, the issue of including student test data has been brought to the forefront.

This case happened in Los Angeles and was started over concern that students were not getting proper education due to unqualified teachers.

Doe v. Deasy helped remind people of the Stull Act, originally from 1971, which brings up students’ test data being included in evaluation.

Some students are starting to hear the whispers of a possible strike. John Steiner, president of the Stockton Teachers Association, insists that any possibility of a strike would be way down the road.

Consequences of a strike would not only affect teachers and the district but the students as well. There would be substitutes and education could be put in danger.

Dianne Barth, director of communications for the district, has said that providing more information than what has already been provided from the link on the SUSD site would be considered trying to “negotiate in public,” and that isn’t allowed.
Kathy Garcia, president of the Board of Education, also declined to give information and said, “Board members should not give out interviews,” for the same reason.

Steiner and Auerbach both brought up that the teachers are looking for more time to have collaboration. They feel that if the district wants to see positive results in school they need to allow the teachers and students to give their opinion about what needs to be changed and what processes work and do not work.

One other thing teachers have been asking for is a two day period of parent teacher conferences.

As for Principal Andre Phillips, all he had to say on the subject was, “I’m supporting the kids, I don’t follow all the stuff going on between the teachers and the district. I keep my focus on the students.”

During last week’s protest it was noticed that some of the district police were even wishing teachers good luck.

One who wished to stay anonymous even said he was with the teachers in spirit.