August 5, 1999
It's almost time to head back to school.
In just three weeks most students in Utah will be reading, writing and doing arithmetic, again.
The teachers are already doing some math. And what they're finding is that only a fraction of them have settled their contracts.
What impact will that have on the system?
Education Specialist Nadine Wimmer reports from a Salt Lake elementary school.
Schools are now promoting registration, but thousands of teachers have yet to sign on.
A few school districts have settled or tentative contracts, but the majority are heading into the school year with a standoff.
Pat Arakaki/Granite Education Association: "WHY WOULD WE SETTLE EARLY FOR VERY LITTLE? WE MIGHT AS WELL HOLD OUT."
Nadine Wimmer, Education Specialist: "HERE'S ONE REASON CONTRACT TALKS ARE TOUGH. IN THE GRANITE DISTRICT, TEACHERS ARE WORKING FOR A DAILY RAISE THAT WILL BUY THEM THE EQUIVALENT OF A CANDY BAR AND A CAN OF POP."
Teachers all over the state are in no mood to just settle.
Take Benita Jackson, second grade teacher.
Her Spanish lesson reflects the added workload in her class, as more students come with language barriers and learning disabilities. She says it's a lot more work.
But like many teachers, she says the added responsibilities don't match up with her paycheck.
Benita Jackson/Teacher: "IT'S FRUSTRATING IN THAT TEACHERS SPEND SO MUCH OF THEIR EXTRA TIME AND MONEY, I THINK THE PUBLIC HAS NO IDEA."
"WE ALWAYS KNEW WE WEREN'T GOING TO GET RICH, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE TO BE APPRECIATED."
Educators say they're not using the contract talks as a threat to strike.
But it does set a tense tone for the school year ahead.
"I KNOW THE FRUSTRATION LEVEL IS VERY HIGH, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AS A RESULT OF IT? I DON'T KNOW."
It's not unusual for a district to start school without teacher contracts, but the last time we saw this much discontent was ten years ago, and that eventually lead to a widespread walkout.
