Covering the distance of the entire Huntington Beach Union High School District Office along Bolsa Avenue, scores of students, parents, community supporters joined over 200 Huntington Beach Union High School District Educators Association (HBUHS DEA) members and the California School Employees Association (CSEA) Huntington Beach Chapter held a “Rally for Respect” to urge a contract settlement after many months of negotiations with little progress.

Members moved from the street to the HBUHSD board room, where at one point meeting proceedings were paused as chants of “Value students, value teachers” rang out through the building.

BUHS DEA is demanding Superintendent Clint Harwick and the Board of Trustees invest in their employees by reaching a fair 2018-19 contract. The “Rally for Respect” included HBUHSD students, parents and community leaders who urged Superintendent Harwick to bargain in good faith and reach a fair settlement with educators who work to ensure the success of all students in the district.

Parents are aware that HBUHSD is not a savings bank; they are asking why ongoing money received from the state is not being invested in teachers and students and in classrooms across the high school district.

“For over a year, the district has postponed, arrived unprepared, and shown a genuine disrespect to the negotiations process.” said HBUHS DEA President Shawn Werner. To date, HBUHSD officials have made minimal movement to address working conditions and a fair compensation package; despite receiving ongoing new revenue from the state through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).

HBUHS DEA will continue to urge the district to work collaboratively with teachers to provide all students access to high-quality education as educators take on Dual Enrollment, a significant program implementation that allows students another forum to earn credits toward their high school diploma.