With state mediation beginning next week, Lemon Grove Teachers Association (LGTA) members arrived in-mass before the Tuesday, May 8, Lemon Grove School District (LGSD) board meeting to show support for their bargaining team as negotiations with district officials continue to be unproductive and unsuccessful.

Nearly half of LGTA’s membership made the trek to the meeting and sent a powerful message that the current district offer is unacceptable. Among the scores of supporters were parents who are concerned about fairness and instructional disruptions if a solution cannot be found to the growing negotiations crisis.

At stake is the association’s ability to negotiate regularly for improvements in learning and teaching conditions. LGSD officials want to include ‘Trigger language” in the contract that could prevent teachers from bargaining in the 2018-19 school year. This is not acceptable to LGTA and would preclude association negotiators from doing their work in the new school year.

LGTA President Pierre Lynn-Finney was pleased with the turnout at the rally, and praised the voices of parents who spoke at the board meeting in support of a settlement; “Our community members spoke to the board clearly and directly. They do not want the further disruption of the important work of educators in Lemon Grove classrooms.”

The mediation session between LGSD and LGTA is scheduled for Monday, May 14.