Fact Finding Discussion Leads Cabrillo Unified School District to Offer 2% Salary Increases Over 3 Years; Cabrillo Unified Teachers Association Dissents Wanting Comparable Compensation

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DOCUMENTS. From the Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD) and Cabrillo Unified Teachers Association (CUTA) websites. Report issued May 30th, 2024. Hearing held on May 17th, 2024.

 

Fact Finding Discussion and Recommendations in the Matter of the Impasse Between Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD) and Cabrillo Unified Teachers Association (CUTA)

From the CUSD website.

Report issued May 30th, 2024. Hearing held on May 17th, 2024.

Members of the Fact Finding Panel Impartial Chairperson: Donald Raczka, Fact Finder.

Subtitles

• District and Association Descriptions
• Fact Finding Criteria
• History of Negotiations
• Data Submitted by the Parties for Panel Consideration
• Findings and Recommendations of the Chair

 

[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.coastsidebuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CABRILLO-Final-Report-2024-.pdf” title=”CABRILLO Final Report 2024″]

 

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CUSD’s Summary of Recommendations

The Report issued the following recommendations to resolve the current impasse over salary and benefits for both the 2023-24 and also the 2024-25 school years, as follows:

A two-year deal covering salaries and benefits for CUTA unit members

• Salary:
  • A 2% salary schedule increase, retroactive to 7/1/23
  • A 2% salary schedule increase, retroactive to 2/1/24
  • A one-time, off-schedule payment of $1,500 per unit member on 7/1/24
  • A midyear 2% salary schedule increase, effective 2/1/25, contingent upon the renewal of the existing parcel tax in this year’s general election

 

• Benefits:
  • Unit members hired before July 1, 2011: Status quo
  • Unit members hired on or after July 1, 2011:District’s maximum contribution towards health benefits to increase to cover the annual cost of employee-only plan through the duration of the agreement.

 

• Duration: Extend the term of the current CBA through June 30, 2025

 

These recommendations would increase the salary schedule by 6% over two years; and also cover the cost of employee-only health plans for post-July-2011 hires through 2025.  (Report, p. 6-7.)

 

The Report States

“It is the Chair’s opinion that, considering the time of year and with a new Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer starting in just a few weeks, a two year agreement would give the District time to plan for the financial impact of any settlement and would give both sides a “breather” from contentious negotiations and the time to form a different relationship. Also, recommending schedule increases that “roll on” at strategic times helps the District with affordability while maximizing long-term schedule increases.” (Report, p. 6.)

 

CUSD Concurs With The Report’s Recommendation Terms

Upon review of the Report, CUSD concurs with the recommendations.

On May 31, 2024, CUSD offered CUTA the above-stated recommended terms to reach Tentative Agreement.

 

Next Steps

Impasse procedures are not complete until CUSD and CUTA have considered the Report in good faith and attempted to use it as the basis for settlement.  If agreement cannot be made, then a “second impasse” is reached, at which point each party has a lawful right to take unilateral action.

 

This means CUSD may unilaterally impose terms and conditions within the scope of its last and best offer and CUTA may engage in a strike.

 

It is important for students and families to know that a strike cannot occur before the parties have exhausted the impasse process.

The District and CUTA are planning to further discuss whether an agreement can be reached.

The District will continue to work with CUTA in good faith in the hopes of reaching a Tentative Agreement to provide unit members with deserved increases that are fair and sustainable for staff and the community alike.

 

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CUTA’s Negotiations Summary

On May 17th the district and CUTA team met to present our understanding of the current bargaining impasse. The neutral arbiter and the advocates from each side listened to both presentations and read through the lengthier written narratives.  The remaining hours were spent with the arbiter speaking closely with each team to more fully understand the situation as well as to try and find potential solutions.

Please review our presentation and report submitted as part of this process.

 

The arbiter’s report (available here) was released to both parties on May 30th. In it he lays out a framework for continued talks between the district and CUTA.  

 

• He prefaces the report with clear statements regarding the district’s inability to provide accurate numbers on the total employees in the district and their individual health care costs.

 

• He concurred that our compensation and recent raises are low relative to comparable districts in the area.  Although there are some factual inaccuracies in his description of our current benefits system, he does recommend that the district begin to remedy the two-tiered health system that, for the first time this January, resulted in newer employees having to begin paying out of pocket for some of their individual health care.

 

• He states he does not believe that the district is currently able to fund the CUTA proposal of 8.22% (matching the State’s COLA) in the 2023-24 school year. This led him to propose a two-year settlement, allowing the District time to budget for a raise.  It is no surprise that the district would have trouble incorporating a complete COLA (retroactive to August 2023) at this juncture given another year of stalled negotiations has passed without the district budgeting for a salary increase. 

 

• The arbiter acknowledged that his non-binding suggestions are solely based on the incomplete data he was given.  Even with this data uncertainty and the passage of another year of district spending, his conservative recommendations show that the district does have a greater ability to afford a salary increase than they claimed. 

 

In her rebuttal to the recommendations, our CTA financial specialist repeats our ongoing concerns regarding the mismanagement of the district’s finances and inability to give accurate numbers specific to the actual cost of the proposed salary increase. We encourage CUTA members and the public to read her report as well. 

 

The neutral party wants to provide the incoming superintendent with a “soft landing.” This is commendable, however we are losing qualified teachers and there are 145 teachers who have been working without a salary increase for over 2 years. Teacher voices need to be heard and a fair settlement needs to be made. CUTA hopes the report provides a framework we can use to craft a settlement as we continue to negotiate over the summer. 

 

A first meeting is planned for next week. 

We hope the district will come to the table willing to make a good-faith effort to do everything they can to bring CUSD compensation in line with other comparable districts in the county to ensure CUSD retains the qualified teachers Coastside students deserve.

 

 

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From CUTA Website

CUSD should prioritize the future of our community by ensuring our students have qualified, certificated teachers.

CUSD’s low pay and decreasing benefits mean high turnover in both veteran and newer teachers/counselors. CUSD’s salary and benefit package is the lowest in the county.

• Teachers and counselors received no increased compensation last year, despite a 6.56%Cost of Living Adjustment from the State of California.  This year the COLA is 8.22%, which is what CUTA is asking for its members.

• CUSD is choosing to decrease health benefits for teachers.  CUTA is asking for all employees to have at least employee + 1 health coverage.

• CUSD wants to decrease teacher time for prep and collaboration, while also increasing class sizes. This harms our students.

• Twice in three years CUSD has undergone fiscal review by the state’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team. CUSD is one of only 2 districts evaluated in 2020, which had to be reviewed again in 2023. The report found that concerns raised in the 2020 report were not addressed and that district office’s procedures had actually worsened. For more information read the 2020 and 2023 reports and news coverage from the HMB Review. 

 

Want to learn more?  Check out this longer FAQ

 

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More on CUSD on Coastside Buzz

 

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Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD) Trustee Meetings ~ 2nd Thursday @ 6:00pm

 

The Cabrillo Unified School District School Governing Board is comprised of five school board members who are elected by the local community. The role of the school board is to provide leadership and oversight of the district. The Board ensures that the district is responsive to the values, beliefs, and priorities of the community.

The term of office for school board members elected in regular elections is four years, beginning on the second Friday in December after their election.  The board meets at least once a month at the District Office, 498 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay. Meetings are open to the public and are usually held on Thursday nights at 6 pm.  A portion of the board meeting consists of a “closed” session for the purpose of discussing confidential matters, such as personnel or student issues.

 

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