If a deal between Fresno Unified and the FTA is not reached by Wednesday, several parents are concerned about a potential strike.
The FTA is preparing for the picket line and has placards ready as the neighbourhood waits.
Parent of a student-athlete for Fresno Unified, Jose Gallardo, stated, “I think teachers are really important for us and our kids.”
In the event that teachers go on strike, Gallardo intends to keep his child home from school and believes the district need to grant them what they are requesting.
“We must all work together. Teachers, as I already stated, are extremely caring for our children. “As a result, we need to be together,” Gallardo explained.
After more than 93% of eligible educators voted to strike, Fresno Unified and the FTA have continued to negotiate a new contract for teachers.
According to the FTA, they are fighting for a raise in pay, better benefits, and a reduction in class size.
Another parent Action News spoke with expressed concern about the union’s desire to cut special needs caseloads for instructors.
“They have a difficult enough job. And they should be given what they deserve,” Damian Jordan explained.
Jordan has special needs twins. She believes that special needs instructors require additional assistance in the classroom.
She is still hesitant whether her children will cross the picket lines, and she adds that the strike has a significant impact on children like her own.
“I can’t put them in a class with 40 other kids their age.” I’m afraid I can’t help them. I can teach them how to write, how to do this, and how to do 500 other things. “But I can’t teach them how to talk to you,” Jordan explained.
The district is also prepared for educators to leave the classroom on Wednesday.
According to district officials, they have over 2,500 qualified substitutes ready to fill classrooms if a strike occurs.
During a news conference at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the district and the union are expected to provide the most recent details on negotiations.
