Alpine teachers protest in La Mesa

Two schoolteachers were carrying picket signs in protest of the Alpine Union School Districton the corner of Jackson Drive and Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa on January 29.

From about noon to 5 p.m., Kim and Jennifer energetically marched and waved two signs each, announcing their disappointment and anger toward their employer, due in part to a recent cut in their pay. They said the picket line included 11 teachers the day before, but they were at a meeting trying to resolve the issue.

Kim and Jennifer, who teach at the Mountain View School and Joan McQueen Middle School in Alpine, respectively, said that Timothy Caruthers, who sits on the board, imposed a 30 percent pay cut of all 81 Alpine teachers’ salaries. They further complained that Caruthers, who allegedly lives in the Alpine district, would not send his daughter to a public school in Alpine; he allegedly sends her to a private school.

Although they had a lot to say about Caruthers, Kim and Jennifer admitted that the whole board was at fault. They said that the school board broke their contract, which was against the law.

According to the teachers, governor Jerry Brown had awarded the district monies that were used for things such as tinted windows. They said they would continue to picket until an agreement was reached. An impartial judge had listened to the case and decided in the teacher’s favor, but that didn’t change anything, they said.