SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - A teachers' strike in San Ysidro shows no signs of ending any time soon.
The teachers walked off the job Wednesday after last-minute negotiations with the school district failed to produce a new contract. More than 200 union members rejected the most recent offer of a 1.5 percent pay raise.
Friday's protest outside the San Ysidro Unified headquarters started across the street, but it didn't take long before dozens of
teachers, parents and even students swarmed the front doors, chanting "no more lies."
"We feel like we're being asked to bear the brunt of mistakes made by other people," one teacher told CBS News 8.
About 230 of them – nearly all of the district's teachers -- have been on strike since Wednesday after refusing the district's offer to receive a 1.54% raise, which would include adding a full day kindergarten and five extra minutes to each school day.
We spoke with one emotional teacher who said it's just not fair.
"I don't want to be here, but they're giving us a small amount of money for more work," she said.
District officials confirm the strike has reduced classroom attendance by 50 percent.
Nearly 150 substitutes have been brought in to help, and at $250 per person, per shift, that alone is costing the
district $35,000 every day.
Despite claims students have been watching movies and not learning anything under the substitutes' care, Interim Superintendant Dr. George Cameron says that's not true.
He also refutes statements made regarding the district having more money than they admit, saying while they want the strike to
end, they don't have any extra funding to give.
"We're looking at the offer we presented on Tuesday night, and listening to their suggestions. As we speak, that's what we're doing now with our team," Cameron said.