Teachers in the Bay Area's most expensive city go on strike
ATHERTON, Calif. - Teachers in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. – and the Bay Area – are on strike for a second day.
The Las Lomitas Education Association, which includes schools in Atherton and Menlo Park, is asking the Las Lomitas Elementary School District to increase pay to a "livable wage" and provide fully funded health benefits.
The district includes La Entrada School in Menlo Park and Las Lomitas Elementary in Atherton.
Bargaining ended at 8 p.m. on Wednesday with no agreement between the association and the district.
"We are striking not only for ourselves but for the generations of students to come who deserve a school system that is supported, funded and able to offer them the best. We are striking for a future where teaching is a profession that is honored and fairly compensated, where students and educators can thrive, and where our students will benefit from that investment," association Co-President Jennifer Montalvo said in a statement to KTVU.
Teachers, parents and supporters are gathering Thursday morning at Las Lomitas Elementary for the second day of the strike.
Las Lomitas educators say they have the lowest pay compared to neighboring school districts in the Bay Area.
In a statement to KTVU Thursday, the district superintendent said:
"Our schools are open serving students. Substitute teachers are joining other staff members to deliver services to students.We are disappointed that we have not been able to reach agreement despite a significantly revised offer to the association. We stand strong in our commitment to reach a resolution and are willing to meet with our teachers union at any time to settle our differences.The board and district leadership deeply value the significant collective impact of our teachers and staff on our students, schools, and community. For the sake of our students and the entire community, we hope to come to an agreement soon so that we may move forward together. Both sides met yesterday evening to try to resolve the issues but were unable to. We hope to meet with the teachers association again today."
The Las Lomitas Education Association is affiliated with the larger California Teachers Association and the National Education Association.
Just this week, the Peninsula city of Atherton was named the no. 1 most expensive zip code in the U.S., a feat that's likely unsurprising to Bay Area residents. Atherton has remained in the top spot on Property Shark's ranking for eight years.
The city has a median home sale price of $7.9 million.
The Bay Area had 39 of the most expensive zip codes in the U.S., Property Shark said.
"Although the Bay Area has lost ground in recent years, it still marked its eighth consecutive year as the most expensive metropolitan area in the country," researchers said.
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