Teachers in the Calaveras Unified School District are out on strike on Thursday and the main issue is pay.
Calaveras teachers have been without a new contract or pay raise for the last 2 years.
One hundred forty-teachers are on the picket line, and the classrooms are empty.
Calaveras Unified School Superintendent Mark Campbell says unless enough substitute teachers are found, the classrooms will stay that way.
“If we are in a position where we don’t have sufficient staff and we can’t guarantee that students are going to be in a safe, secure, and productive learning environment, then we’re not going to operate schools,” says Campbell.
Lorraine Angel leads the teachers’ union and says they are asking for a 6.5 percent raise while the district is offering only 2 percent.
“We’re hoping the district will come to its senses, but if not, like I said, we’re ready to stick it out as long as we have to," says Angel.
Calaveras Unified covers most of the county from Mokelumne Hill to San Andreas with 2,900 students from elementary to high school.
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