The District refused to discuss our proposal that would save millions of dollars, fix the budget and redirect resources to the classroom.
We met with the District on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. to discuss the Association's proposal.
Superintendent Aguilar was a no show.
The District repeatedly refused to affirm if would abide by our contract, and rejected our effort to implement our previous agreement to work together to save funds on health care that would be used to lower class sizes and improve staffing. You can view the SCTA implementation MOU to the District,
by clicking here
.
The District's action follows Mr. Aguilar backtracking on implementing the agreed-upon new salary schedule, and then backtracking on his agreement to submit the dispute to arbitration.
Teachers proposed working along a timeline suggested by the California Educational Coalition for Health Care Reform that would transition employees into a larger purchasing pool, the California Public Employees Retiree System (CalPERs). but the District refused to follow the implementation set forth in our agreement.
The District also refused to discuss with SCTA its broader proposal to achieve $60 million in savings, including several measures that could have been implemented
immediately i
ncluding a redirection of $12.5 million in health plan expenditures. The District strongly defended the multi-million dollar vacation payout to administrators that we asked to be rescinded in light of the budget crisis.
"We were completely stunned how unprepared the District was and that District leaders refused to affirm our agreement," said David Fisher, the SCTA President. "Represented by two lawyers at the bargaining table and two Chiefs, the District was unable to provide basic information about the District's budget. The District took yet another action that appears to be intended to repudiate our contract, which is unlawful, poor fiscal management and deprives services to children. Our students deserve better."
