TEACHER TALKS AT IMPASSE MOJAVE DISTRICT'S STANDOFF IS A.V.'S FIFTH.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

MOJAVE - Mojave Unified School District has become the fifth Antelope Valley school district in which an impasse has been declared in contract talks with teachers.

Negotiations between the Mojave district and the Mojave Faculty Association stalled last week over pay: The district offered a 3 percent raise, which was declined by the teachers union.

``We know that the salaries are low. If we had the money we would be happy to support our staff,'' Superintendent Larry Phelps said.

Mojave teachers have gone without a raise for three years, though last year they received a one-time 6 percent bonus. Union officials say Mojave salaries are the lowest in the Antelope Valley and are 5 percent below the state average, while the pay of the district's non-teaching employees are 3 percent above the state average.

Teachers have been picketing at schools in the morning and passing out information to parents. About 40 teachers have shown up at each of the last two school board meetings, said Andrea Jeffs, president of the Mojave Faculty Association.

``We are trying to tell the administration and the school board that the last three years we haven't gotten any (increased) salary compensation, but the workload has doubled,'' Jeffs said.

Impasses have been declared in negotiations in four other districts. They are the Antelope Valley Union High School District, Eastside Union School District, Lancaster School District and the Westside Union School District.

District officials are attributing the impasses to state budget cutbacks, scarce dollars and gloomy budget forecasts.

Union officials say the fiscal situation is not as dire as it's being portrayed by some districts and that the refusal to accede to teacher pay proposals shows a lack of respect for instructors.

In each case, independent mediators have been or are scheduled to be called in to try to resolve the deadlocks.

At Eastside, the mediator was unable to bring the two sides to agreement after three meetings, so now the process has moved into ``fact-finding,'' where a neutral third party will come in, listen to both sides and present a possible solution, Superintendent Connie Webb said.

Teachers in the high school district, Eastside, Mojave, and Westside have been working without a contract since July, officials said.

Lancaster teachers have a contract, but it calls for resuming negotiations this year over pay.

Teachers in two other districts - Keppel and Palmdale - have contracts but are negotiating ``reopeners,'' such as on salaries and benefits.