Montgomery County teachers rally for higher pay, diversity and transparency

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Teachers in Montgomery County are asking the school district's leaders to meet them at the table. 

The school system is currently in talks with the educators union, but negotiations for new teacher contracts have not started.

Teachers FOX 5 spoke with said MCPS is stalling, but the school district says there is a new roadblock. 

On Tuesday, they came dressed in red, holding signs and megaphones. Several Montgomery County school teachers wanted to make sure the district leaders know what they are up against. 

"Currently, teachers don't have enough time to do anything," said Monica Serafini, an art teacher at a county elementary school. "We are working during our day, and we are working outside of our day."

Another elementary school teacher, who asked FOX 5 not to use her name, broke down the numbers. 

"I make $13 an hour, yet I am forced to fund my class out of my pocket," she said. "Some people don't realize, I take my monthly paychecks and divide them by the number of hours I have to work to do my job properly — this is what I make."

On average, this same teacher said she works until 9 p.m., and sometimes 10 p.m., during the week. 

Jennifer Martin, president of the Montgomery County Education Association, said, "Teachers' wages have not kept up with property cost here and the cost of living in Montgomery County is very high." 

Martin and others in the MCEA said their working conditions are disrespectful.

"MCPS refuses to collaboratively work with the union to resolve these long-standing issues," said Nikkie Woodward, vice president of MCEA. 

Martin adds that the school district has been delaying the negotiation process since the summer so MCEA filed an unfair labor practice charge against MCPS for "failure to bargain." 

"Ground rules, which is what they are holding us up on are not required, they are permissive. So, our feeling is we have settled on the ground rules we agreed to," Martin explained.

MCPS Chief Operating Officer Brian Hull said clear ground rules, however, are important to begin talks. 

"As any teacher would tell you, the first thing you do on the first day of class is establish the expectation and rules of the class," Hull said. "It's the same with any negotiating process."

Montgomery County Public Schools audit finds widespread inequality in education

Since the union filed its complaint, Hull said negotiations will take longer. 

"I think it can go on for several months, unfortunately," he said. 

After the rally, teachers went inside for a scheduled annual meeting to discuss some of the same requests — transparency, improving literacy rates, and staff diversity — they rallied for outside. 

"We need to do recruitment to look like the students they serve," Martin said. 

The MCEA complaint still has to go to the state labor board before it goes in front of a mediator.