Farmersville teachers to possibly strike for better wages

FARMERSVILLE, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Educators from the Farmersville Teachers Association (FTA) announced Monday they will be holding a strike authorization vote on Tuesday to fight for better salaries.

Officials with the FTA say educators being trained in Farmersville leave to teach for better working conditions and pay competitive salaries in other districts. They also say the Farmersville Unified School District (FUSD) has demonstrated a “lack of any sort of desire to prioritize students. Students deserve to have qualified teachers in the classroom.”

FTA officials accuse the FUSD of “misleading” the community when they say they cannot afford to pay teachers a salary comparable to that of surrounding districts. The FTA also accuses the district of manipulating the budget to give themselves salary increases and hire more administrators.

FTA officials say while they continue to bargain, educators are preparing for the real possibility of a strike to win the best educators for Farmersville students. The first step in that process is a strike authorization vote, which they will take on Tuesday.

“Let me be clear – educators do not want to strike, but we will for the schools our students deserve. We urge FUSD to come to the table with an offer that puts educators and students first,” said Richard Dybas, president of FTA.

The Farmersville Unified School District has been reached out for comment, but they did not respond on time for this story.

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