TUESDAY December 24, 2019
S E R V I N G O U R C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 1 8 7 9 • W W W. T R I P L I C A T E . C O M
Strike authorized
An estimated 300 teachers and community members attended a Dec. 11 meeting of the Del Norte Unified School Board of Trustees. Photo by David Hayes.
District, teachers bear down
By David Hayes Staff Writer
M
ore than 90% of the Del Norte Teachers Association’s members voted Dec. 18 to authorize the union’s executive board to call a strike if a contract settlement is not reached. “We want what’s best for our students, and extreme teacher turnover hurts our kids,” said union president Marshall Jones in a press
release. “Over the last three years, there has been a 47% turnover (in teachers) and that means some students see different educators on a monthly basis. This lack of consistency fails students, leaving them more unconnected than ever before.” The vote authorizes the chapter’s executive board to call a strike if no agreement is reached after the contract bargaining process has been
exhausted. That process will be finished when a state factfinder’s report is released Jan. 14. The two sides met with a state mediator on Dec. 5 in a factfinding session for more than 19 hours. Del Norte Superintendent Jeff Harris said the factfinding panel consisted of a representative for the teachers’ union, a representative of the school district, and a neutral representative from the State Public
Employee Relations Board. The neutral representative listened to arguments from both parties and worked to fully understand all issues, Harris said. The neutral representative has since filed a draft of their finding. “Both sides have a copy of the draft finding. Both are able to take a look at the report,” he said. “If no agreement is reached by Jan. 14, the report becomes public, published by the dis-
trict in its entirety for public to review. “Once it’s made public, the (teachers’ union) can strike and we move forward from there,” Harris told The Triplicate. “Obviously, we’re disappointed by where we are at this point in time,” he added. “While we’ve come to an agreement on a number of issues in the contract, the compensation in health and welfare are still an outstanding
issue. “We’re continuing negotiating, continuing to have conversations to reach a fair and equitable agreement that protects students and teachers as well.” At issue is the school district’s latest, best offer of a 1% guaranteed pay increase and a one-time, 1% pay increase based on current student enrollment numbers, according More Strike on Page A2
Prison’s Operation Santa brings Christmas early to Redwood Elementary School C
Carol Hungerford Del Norte Triplicate Publisher
Happy Holidays T
o all of you readers, I wish you the very best of this remarkable season. Our family will be a bit scattered this year, but this week will find some of us lighting another Hanukkah candle, some of us will be lighting the last Advent candle, some of us simply will be hanging out by a fireplace awaiting Santa. Come Christmas Eve, Steve and I will be reading the Luke 2 story at our church. Like our readers, our family is a diverse group. We will celebrate this season in our own way - but all will be sharing the special joy and love. My Christmas wish for you is for your holiday to be filled with special joy and love, too.
Staff Report
hristmas came early Dec. 19 for students at Redwood Elementary School in Smith River, thanks to employees of Pelican Bay State Prison - and Santa Claus. Through the prison’s annual Operation Santa, about 100 kindergartners and first-graders at the school had presents delivered in person by Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick himself. Operation Santa, now in its ninth year, rotates to a different school each holiday season where students write out their wish list of four presents in a letter to Santa Claus. The letters then are “rerouted” to Pelican Bay State Prison. Employees and staff from each department select a letter and purchase gifts off the wish list, using their own money. Officers from the prison help deliver the presents to the school. One-by-one, a present is handed to Santa, who reads the name and personally hands each child a gift. The students are asked to wait until everyone has a gift in hand before opening them. Dolls, skateboards and bikes were among the mostsought presents wishes. Organizers said some that students, however, actually wished for supplies for their classrooms in the true spirit of the holiday. Redwood School Principal Theresa Slayton said the prison’s Operation Santa is an amazing program. “They are so generous. To carry this off is wonderful. “They worked with teachers two to three months ago. The teachers helped write the letters and delivered them by Thanksgiving. We have a large number of homeless families here, so Santa begins handing out presents to Redwood Elementary School students Dec. 19 during Operathis may be the only gift (a student gets).” tion Santa, helped by Mrs. Claus and officers from Pelican Bay State Prison. Photo by David Hayes.
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