As a result of ongoing labor negotiations between Benicia Unified School District and the Benicia Teachers Association, educators, parents and students once again took to the lectern during the public comment portion of Thursday’s school board meeting to request more fair salaries for teachers.

On Jan. 24, BUSD and the BTA held a negotiations meeting following a budget workshop. BUSD proposed a one-time bonus of 1 percent off the salary schedule for both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years, citing a desire to remain competitive with surrounding school districts. BTA countered with a 5 percent salary increase for the current school year and a 4.25 percent increase for the following school year. BUSD did not accept this offer and teachers were not satisfied with receiving 1 percent off the salary schedule, so a rally was held ahead of the Feb. 1 meeting. At a Feb. 6 negotiations meeting, BUSD made a counter-proposal of 1.5 percent off the salary schedule. After being unable to reach an agreement, BTA requested to file for impasse.

At the April 19 meeting several students, teachers and parents brought the issue to the forefront during that meeting’s public comment period. Among other things, it was reported that 204 BUSD teachers had signed a memorandum expressing no confidence in Superintendent Dr. Charles Young and district leadership regarding transparency and contract issues. After public comments concluded, board President Diane Ferrucci read a statement on behalf of the board emphasizing the governing body’s support for Young. This support was reaffirmed in a letter Ferrucci sent to the community ahead of Thursday’s meeting.

“Please know that all decisions have been vetted by the Board and the Board is actively engaged in all aspects of the governance of the District,” she wrote. “The buck stops with us! And this Board could not be more pleased with the leadership of Dr. Young and his team.”

Ferrucci also said the BTA’s request of a 5 percent pay increase in the current year and an additional 4.25 percent in the following year would add $3.3 million in ongoing expenses to the district’s budget.

“We have worked hard to look for ways to accommodate these demands, but all paths and suggestions end up requiring layoffs, reductions in critical services and programs and increases in class sizes that we, as your elected representatives, do not believe would be in the best interest of the students,” she wrote.

While the number of speakers in Thursday’s public comment section was not as large as two weeks earlier, those who spoke on the issue still dominated. Leah Wilson, a former history teacher at Benicia Middle School and the parent of a student at Robert Semple Elementary School, felt the top priority in budget and district decision-making should be the education and safety of children.

“We all know that the single most important person in the education system to our kids is their teacher,” she said. “Teachers have the biggest direct impact on the education and safety of our kids.”

“If there is money in the budget, it needs to go to the teachers and staff who work most closely with our kids,” she added. “We can not attract and retain quality teachers who will provide, in your words, a high-quality educational program to our kids if they’re not offering a fair and decent salary and benefits package.”

Liam Madigan, a Benicia High School junior who spoke at the previous meeting, disagreed with the district’s approach to budget priorities.

“You’re trying to fit our education around the money instead of trying to make the money fit the education,” he said. “My education, my future and these wonderful teachers’ livelihoods have no price tag.”

Madigan urged the district to not think of the money but of the education, future of students and well-being of teachers.

As teacher Lisa Honeycutt did for Benicia High at the previous meeting, site representatives for Benicia Middle and the four elementary schools read lists of services teachers would no longer offer as a result of the ongoing contract negotiations, often through tears. These included responding to emails before or after contractual hours, teacher attendance at school events, volunteering for school-sponsored events and grading outside contractual hours.

Christina Topf Boman, an administrator at West Contra Costa Unified School District as well as the parent of a Mary Farmar Elementary student, expressed concerns that younger dynamic teachers would be lured away to other districts under BUSD’s current salary offerings.

“Those young teachers out there can write a ticket to any job they want,” she said. “There are a lot of school districts around here that are giving teachers raises. Look at Arizona. I don’t want to move to Arizona. I want to stay in Benicia, and I would love great teachers in Benicia.”

Ferrucci said she appreciated the comments and would take them into consideration.

A fact-finding hearing will be held May 17 for both the district and union to present their case to an independent three-person panel. If a settlement is not reached, the panel will issue a report to the public to provide a recommendation on ways to allocate funds. The BTA can accept or reject the findings.

Sharing is caring!