San Ysidro teachers back in the classroom

SAN YSIDRO (CNS) – Teachers in the San Ysidro School District were back on the job Monday following a three-day strike.

Representatives of the teachers and district officials reached a tentative three-year deal late Sunday night, and the instructors overwhelmingly approved the contract today. The pact calls for a 1 percent raise, a 1.5 percent bonus, and implementing a full-day kindergarten program.

The district, claiming financial trouble, had threatened to cut the teachers’ salaries.

The settlement comes after several contentious days in which more than 200 teachers picketed outside schools. Parents who supported them rushed into the district headquarters building on Friday.

Interim Superintendent George Cameron told reporters today that the biggest lesson learned during the job action was that the two sides need to communicate more with each other.

“We need to be able to work together, in tandem, and work around our common interests,” Cameron said.

On its Facebook page, the San Ysidro Education Association wrote, “Parents, we could not have done it without you! Our gratitude is immense! See you at school today.”