Teachers, community members gather to promote quest for fair contract

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By Claire Stevens,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Davis Teachers Association put on a demonstration at three intersections around town that drew many teachers as well as community members and earned lots of honks from passing cars on Jan. 17. The DTA held the rally to raise awareness for their concerns about the need for a fair contract and teacher retention across the district.

Participants met with signs at the intersections of Mace Blvd. and Chiles Road, Covell Blvd. and Pole Line Road and Fifth St. and B St.The gathering at Fifth St. and B St., which drew the biggest crowd, recorded 205 participants.

Much of the conversation and signs centered around increases in pay or support and fair contracts for teachers.

Dianna Huculak, DTA President and Davis High teacher, hopes that “the district will offer a proposal that we can accept and prioritize teachers and students instead of buildings.”

According to Jamie Kerr, a sixth grade teacher at Patwin and member of the DTA’s organizing team, the Davis Joint Unified School District has been the “worst paid with lowest benefits of anywhere in the region” for a long time.

“We cannot support our students unless the district and the community support teachers,” Kerr said.

The rally was made up of mostly teachers but also parents, students and even a few animal supporters.

“I think it’s amazing that so many people are standing up for their colleagues and standing up for a fair contract,” Huculak said. 

Elizabeth Allen, who teaches at DHS as well as King High, has been with the district for 26 years, but may search elsewhere for a job. 

“I’ve always loved my job and this is the first time in my whole career here that I’ve actually considered that I might have to look elsewhere,” Allen said.

“All teachers, I think, need to get paid paid more for all the work they do. Me, as a special ed teacher, I feel like there’s a lot of work that goes into it […] and if we were supported more, our students would be supported as well,” said Leti Sevilla, a special ed teacher at DHS.

“Our district has prioritized admin raises at the district office, over there,” Kerr said, gesturing to the district building across the street at the Fifth St. and B St. rally. “Above all of our paychecks when we’re the ones who work with the students.”

Maria Clayton, public information officer for the district, said, “In Davis, we have a compensation gap; this is no secret.  Because we value our employees, we are committed to closing this regional compensation gap for our employees.”

As for the district’s plan moving forward, “The Board of Education is currently discussing an ongoing parcel tax for Employee Compensation as a possible item for November 2018 ballot, to raise the funds required to close the regional compensation gap. Polling on this item will likely occur at the beginning of February,” Clayton said.

Huculak explained that the rallies were not an effort to persuade the district, but rather to raise awareness to the community, and felt successful in achieving that goal.

“Davis parents have always been very supportive,” Willett teacher Lindsay Watts said.

Huculak also held a sign that read, ‘Bargain, don’t bully.’ She said that sign was in reference to feeling that the district had not yet made a good offer that teachers could accept including early talk of a one time 1% raise to teachers salary.

She also wanted the district to stay away from offers that would divide the DTA or cause fear like a multi-tier benefit system or exchanging a raise for laying off teachers. She said the DTA wants unity.