David Mielke insists Culver City teachers are ready to accept furlough days as a means of helping ease the severe budget crisis that is crippling schools throughout California.

However, the president of the Culver City Federation of Teachers (CCFT) is just as adamant in his stance that concessions need to be made across the aisle before any such agreements take place.

“It didn’t have to get to this point,” said Mielke, in response to a meeting between the teachers union, the Association of Classified Employees (ACE) and Management Association of Culver City Schools (MACCS) on Thursday, Feb. 25 that concluded with no deals in place and left the possibility open that layoffs could take place instead later this month.

“There’s no reason they (Culver City Unified School District administrators) can’t come up with some concessions, and if it’s in the ballpark, we take it back to our members. We need to go back to the teachers with something that would be ratified. What they’re offering would not be ratified.”

CCUSD officials estimate an agreement to take five furlough days by every employee in all three groups — certified, classified and administrative — would trim $1 million from the operating budget, and claim furlough days are a necessity to help cope with a minimum of $2 million in budget cuts requested by the state.

According to an e-mail sent by Patricia Jaffe, CCUSD’s assistant superintendent in charge of human resources, to the News, ACE and MACCS agreed to sign off on an agreement to take five furlough days for each of the next two school years if CCFT would agree to the same proposal. However, the e-mail states that CCFT balked at that request.

The reason, Mielke said, is concern that Culver City’s collective teaching staff is being asked to bear a heavier burden than its counterparts in the administrative offices, because CCUSD teachers only get paid on days they work, while management enjoys benefits such as 12-month calendar, paid vacations, mileage reimbursements and other “perks” that would help soften the furlough blow. To that end, he envisions a “tiered” furlough system “like a progressive tax … those that make the most pay the most.”

Mielke also pointed out the teachers union wanted to discuss items such as its concerns about combo classes and prep time for elementary teachers, and the possibility of an early retirement incentive program, but was met with silence from those on the opposite side of the table.

“So they show up with nothing on any of those things,” Mielke said. “So our initial response was no.

“We’ve been talking with them for months that we will take furlough days, but they need to lead the way. … I think teachers need to see that there are concessions from management greater than concessions from us.”

A follow-up phone call to Jaffe for comment about the negotiations was not returned as of press time.

The next bargaining session is slated for today. Whatever the outcome, all parties know that CCUSD must notify teachers by March 15 whether they are being retained for the 2010-2011 school year. That means if some common ground cannot be hammered out in the next 12 days, there’s a very real possibility that pink slips could become a significant part of solving the budget crisis.

“That will be hurtful and put teachers in a position of not knowing whether they will be coming back next year,” said Mielke, alluding to the fact that, should an agreement be reached after March 15, the district could pull back the layoff notices and keep jobs.

“I hope that (layoff notices) is just precautionary, so that they have to meet state deadlines.”