(December 17, 2004) — The entire room was full. People were lining the walls, they were sitting on the floor. The line to get in went out into the hallway and from the hallway to the parking lot. It was a sea of black. It was a normal afternoon in the GUSD boardroom this Tuesday. An accountant was due to give his report and schoolchildren were even set to sing. That is until around 3:30 when a steady stream of bodies started to file in and within 10 minutes the room was full. And the speeches came, one after another. Over 400 teachers clad in black occupied the boardroom. As a sign of support for the stalled contract negotiations, the teachers’ union agreed to wear black every Tuesday until a new contract can be signed. GUSD teachers have been without a contract since June 2003 and have met over 25 times with district representatives. However, negotiations have reached at a stalemate. The decision to wear black every Tuesday is viewed as a protest that will not interrupt classes. GUSD teachers have not received a raise in over four years, even though the cost of living has gone up, teacher Nick Doom said. A district representative was not available for a comment. “If you perform well in a job, surpassing expectations, you get a raise. Test scores have gone up and yet we still don’t have a pay increase,” Doom said. Monday was the last day of bargaining and on Tuesday the information was set to go to the Board of Education. So the teachers and supporters arrived at the district to voice their opinions. Chris Davis, Ira West and Stephanie Saddjadieh all spoke representing Clark. Their speeches were met with rousing applause and Saddjadieh epitomized the mood with her speech. “Why do we as teachers have to beg for crumbs when our superintendent can afford a personal baker?” Saddjadieh questioned, referring to Michael Escalante, the GUSD superintendent who has a salary of nearly $200,000.