In an effort to keep our community informed, I would like to share that the San Marino Unified School District ("School District") has been notified by San Marino Teachers Association ("SMTA") leadership that some teachers plan to picket before and after school next week. While the School District respects the rights of the unit members to communicate with the public outside of the workplace and workday, the School District believes these items are best resolved at the bargaining table through negotiation and collaboration.
Before providing an update regarding the current status of negotiations between the School District and SMTA, I would like to acknowledge the unprecedented COVID-19 related challenges that all schools faced and continue to face. I am thankful to the teachers, support staff and administrators who, over the last year and a half, have continued to work together as a school community to address these many obstacles we have encountered due to the pandemic. I am proud of how all our staff members have worked hard to provide a quality education for our students.
I would also like to acknowledge the serious fiscal problems our specific School District had to try to solve due to the initial failure to pass Measure E in March of 2021. As a result, over the last year, we faced the difficult situation of laying off over 40 teachers. Thanks to the hard work and generosity of the community and the San Marino Schools Foundation, we were able to hire back many of those teachers. In addition, on June 29, 2021, the residents of San Marino passed Measure E, which provides the School District much needed funding and allowed the School District to restore teaching positions that would otherwise have been lost.
At the beginning of this school year, the School District and SMTA began meeting to discuss contract negotiations in accordance with our Collective Bargaining Agreement. These negotiations are an opportunity to exchange proposals, hear from, listen to, work together and collaborate with teachers to find solutions.
The School District and SMTA met for negotiations on August 27, 2021, September 8, 2021, September 29, October 6, 2021 (Budget Presentation), and October 20, 2021. At any point in time during these negotiations, either party has the opportunity to provide a comprehensive proposal, including salaries, benefits and calendar, to the other party for discussion. The School District had requested that the SMTA provide a comprehensive proposal. Having not received one, the School District presented its comprehensive proposal on October 20, 2021.
This proposal includes two of the School District's top priorities, to give the teachers an on-schedule increase, meaning adding a percentage increase to their salary schedule, as well as a one-time off-schedule stipend. The School District’s offer on salary as follows:
- Salary
- On-schedule salary increase of 1.5% effective July 1, 2021
- Off-schedule salary payment of 1.5% for all unit members employed as of September 1, 2021. For those teachers and specialists at the top of the salary schedule this amount would be approximately $1,500. This amount will be pro-rated for those who are part-time
- Proposed revisions to the stipends for Extra Assignment Pay
- Benefits
- The School District and SMTA will negotiate health and welfare benefits once the School District receives the health and benefits cost rates for the next benefits period, approximately March 2022
In brief summary, the School District also proposed the following:
- Calendar
- Proposed an instructional calendar for the 2022-2023 school year
- Workday
- Proposed moving the teacher start time for grades 6-12 to 8:30 – 3:30 in order to comply with the legal requirements of Education Code section 46148
- Proposed having teachers assist with student supervision after school
- Proposed revising the rules for teachers serving as substitutes for other teachers who are absent
- Evaluation Procedures
- Creating a subcommittee to review and revise evaluation procedures and the evaluation instruments
- Agreeing to SMTA’s request that for the 2021-2022 school year:
- Unit members who are permanent employees will not be evaluated
- Unit members who are probationary or temporary employees shall be evaluated
The School District is committed to working with our labor partners to meet the needs of our students and our employees. We look forward to receiving SMTA’s counter proposal on November 2, 2021, and working together to reach an amicable resolution of a mutually acceptable agreement that is beneficial to the School District and SMTA.
Sincerely,
Dr. Linda de la Torre
Linda de la Torre, Ed.D.
Superintendent
