UNION BACKTRACKS ON ELECTION DAY PAY.

Byline: NAUSH BOGHOSSIAN

Staff Writer

A teachers union official encouraged those who plan to volunteer on Election Day for school board member Jon Lauritzen to say they wanted the day off for "professional development" -- meaning the district would have to pay for the substitute, not the union, a Reseda High School teacher said Friday.

Ed Kaz, the school's union chapter chairman, suggested to a couple dozen teachers Friday that if they called LAUSD's automated system to request a substitute teacher Tuesday, to press six for "professional development," English teacher Robert Seaman said.

Lauritzen, who's running against Tamar Galatzan and Louis Pugliese for a San Fernando Valley seat, was present at the meeting.

Teachers can take a day off to campaign, but they have to press three for "special school funded" for a substitute, since that funding will come from United Teachers Los Angeles.

"I'm a teacher. Taxpayers pay us not to work on political campaigns on school time, and this is school time," Seaman said. "And I don't like to be kind of tricked into doing something that's dishonest and unethical, where I can get fired and lose my credential."

District policy calls for teachers to show proof of attending professional staff development.

Kaz, an experienced chapter chairman, said he misunderstood which button to tell teachers to push.

"I was always told to push number six to avoid getting charged illness time. I gave the teachers the wrong information," said Kaz, who teaches government, economics and U.S. history. "It's funny, I did that yesterday and Tuesday and nobody told me it was the wrong number to push. I'm going to have to send out an e-mail before people start dialing in.

"Now I know, and I won't do it again."

Close to 30 people have volunteered to work on Lauritzen's campaign from Reseda High, Kaz said.

UTLA Vice President Josh Pechthalt emphasized that the union's policy is to pay for substitutes when teachers want to campaign.

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